I’ve been traveling from the San Francisco Bay Area to Seattle the past few days — got in some great rides in Ashland OR — so need to do some catching up. Fortunately the blogosphere never sleeps!
Biking Bis gives a great recap of the Seattle-to-Portland double century.
Jacquie Phelan is riding and writing her way across the country, as only Alice B. Toeclips can.
Experienced cyclist Bruce Rosar, 56, a safety instructor and by all accounts a careful rider, apparently made a fatal wrong turn, according to a preliminary police report. See comments. I got some pushback for saying the car “mowed down” Rosar, an expression I meant to be descriptive rather than accusatory, but I understand the reader’s point. The war is not between cars and bikes, it’s between staying alive and not. Nonetheless, I’d like to see the final report. A lot of variables enter into a vehicular collision, and police, experienced more with 4-wheelers than 2, can draw incorrect conclusions.
Cyclelicio.us reminds us that you don’t have to be hit by a car to die on a bike.
Nor do you have to be riding on a road.
You can even be standing in a bike shop, as the folks at my LBS, BikeSport, found out. Although no one was hurt, you really have to wonder how a car happens to pick on the most prominent bike shop in Ballard.
From a shop e-mail:
July 12th 5:12pm Ballard’s BikeSport to get into head-on collision with some dumb dude. A younger male driving a “borrowed” older white Ford Bronco that wasn’t insured hit BikeSport’s storefront on Saturday around 5pm. After hitting a mini van about two blocks north on 24th, suspect drove south on 24th then running (driving) from the scene and proceded to hit three more cars in a domino order in front of Aster Coffee. He then lost control and ran into the front of BikeSport. An employee and a test rider were just a few feet away from him on the sidewalk. Employee ran to the car and kept him from leaving the scene. He was very out of it mentally and denied being drunk when witnesses were asking him if he was ok. Driver didn’t remember doing anything and was asking what had just happened. Witnesses had to tell the man over and over to shut the car off and how to do the emergency brake. He also had no remorse or acknowledged any wrong doing. Police said there was no sign of alcohol and it was possible “he was just that dumb”. No one was hurt inside the store though James, an employee, had to jump out of harms way. Police are positive the fellow will go to jail for his hit an run accident.
PS: Feel free to park in BACK of BikeSport.
When faced with this lemon, you make lemonade: A Door-Buster sale!
“door buster sale” but oh my.
As I know this individual I maybe jaded but 1) he does have insurance 2) he was taken to the hospital for severe dehydration & 3) he is very upset about this whole incidence. I can understand the frustration & anger in have damage done to your property and/or possessions but I think that in Ballard a very liberal/green/concerned citizen population could have a little bit more concern & not immediately go to the worse possible scenerio. I find the comments ironically hypocritical.