Every cyclist (recreational or racer) knows that crashing is inevitable. Hopefully it’s just a little scrape here and there from a wet corner or not unclipping in time. When you race, you know the odds of crashing increase exponentially. In this situation 90% of the crashes are caused by riders “touching wheels”. You never think that a car is going to plow into the middle of the peloton, but that is exactly what happened at a race in Monterrey, Mexico this weekend – AP story below
A car plowed into a weekend bike race along a highway near the U.S.-Mexico border, killing one and injuring 10 others, police said.
“We are looking into the incident in terms of whether American citizens were involved,” consulate spokesman Todd Huizinga said.
The 28-year-old driver was apparently drunk and fell asleep when he crashed into the race, said police investigator Jose Alfredo Rodriguez.
A photograph taken by a city official showed bicyclists and equipment being hurled high into the air by the collision.
Rodriguez said Juan Campos was charged with killing Alejandro Alvarez, 37, of Monterrey.
Authorities said the wreck happened 15 minutes into the 34-kilometer (21 mile) race Sunday along a highway between Playa Bagdad and Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas.
Campos said he is an American citizen living in Brownsville. The U.S. Consulate could not immediately confirm that.
I debated whether I should post the picture above because of how graphic it is. However, my hope is that it helps drivers realize just how vulnerable cyclists are on the road. Many drivers see cyclists as a nuisance, almost-non-human-objects. Maybe the photo above will help drivers realize that cyclist are human and careless driving can easily result in a tragedy. Be safe out there and remember to support Dave Z.’s Yield to Life campaign.
UPDATE
Thanks to John for sending me an uncropped version of the pic above. Not sure what the escort could have done different to prevent the situation, but it does make you wonder if he instinctively just swerved out of the way.
Also, it looks like this wasn’t a race, but a family oriented rally:
On Sunday, June 1 will carry out the III TOUR Matamoros Playa Bagdad 2008, which will depart from Deportivo Campestre Lake (km road to the beach. 6.5) at 8 o’clock in the morning and finish in the parking lot of Playa Bagdad.
With a total distance of 34 km. This event is not speed, is a family promenade where people can participate at any age provided that they are suitable to cover the trail.
On the way there will be two posts of hydration in addition to the support of the relevant authorities such as Red Cross, Transit, Federal Preventive Police, Municipal Police, Civil Defence, National Emergency Commission and a team of volunteers
Thoughts and prayers out to those killed or injured (last number I heard was 1 killed and 14 injured).
Texas Tailwind 