Recovering the lost links from this morning, when I wished everyone a happy bike to school day [We did not participate because it's faster to walk the 1.5 blocks to day care, but we were with you in spirit].
- AAA-MidAtlantic put out a report on Friday noting that at least 9 cyclists have been killed in the last 12 months in the DC and Maryland area and asking cyclists and drivers to be more careful. I can speak to all of these crashes, but of the 5 that are in my coverage area, there are at least two errors.
- "On June 28, 2011, a 14-year-old girl was killed when the bicycle she was riding struck a pedestrian in the 1800 block of Bryant Street, in Northeast Washington, D.C. The girl was not wearing a safety helmet, according to the Metropolitan Police Department." The victim was not a 14 year old girl but a man in his 30's who hit a 14 year old girl. Not sure how they know anything about his helmet status (it wasn't reported).
- "In September, a 24-year-old Bowie woman was killed when her bicycle reportedly drifted into a travel lane on Crain Highway in Bowie, according to the Maryland State Police." Nope, "Cpl. James Brazill, a spokesman for the Maryland State Police College Park Barrack, said a 2011 Chevy Malibu traveling southbound on U.S. 301/MD Route 3 near Sylvan Drive at about 9:20 p.m. left the righthand lane of the road and struck Danielle Marie Cooper of Bowie, who was riding her bike in the road shoulder."
- And one of the fatalities was a freak accident where a cyclist got hit by a falling branch on the C&O trail.
- DC CouncilmemberTommy Wells is interviewed about Smart Growth and "five minute living"*
- DC's chances at hosting the Giro went down the tubes with Fenty's Mayoralty.
- This is going to shock you, but someone on Craigslist was selling stolen bikes. And someone was able to recover their bike from the thief. The victim asked the police to send a plainclothes officer to join them, but none was available. Still, I think a regular police officer would have been helpful.
- Yeah...so this is late.
- Not as good as a space shuttle on top of a plane, but far better than a dog on top of a car.
- More on Citibike which is also sponsored by Mastercard.
Fellas, that's five-minute living, not five-minute loving.
The UCI has said in the past that they would not allow the Giro to start in the U.S. because of the travel and jet-lag issues. It's doubtful that this will every happen. Even when Fenty was the mayor, there was only a small chance of it happening.
It's probably better for a U.S. group to start up a one-week Mid-Atlantic race, maybe with stages in PA, MD and VA, with a final stage rolling into DC. The timing would be tricky. They would have to avoid the summer when the European Grand Tours take place. There's also the Tour of California. If any such Mid-Atlantic race overlapped with the other races, there wouldn't be any top names here at all.
Posted by: Michael H. | May 10, 2012 at 06:22 AM
Or maybe have a long one-day race like Milan-San Remo. Most of the race can take place on rural roads, which would only need to be closed for a limited amount of time (not the entire day). The finish could be near or in D.C.
A one-day race makes it easier for top pros to fit it into their racing schedule. It wouldn't drain them as much as a multistage race would. So they could still go onto do the Giro or Tour de France that same year.
Posted by: Michael H. | May 10, 2012 at 06:25 AM
Not sure how they know anything about his helmet status (it wasn't reported).
Except that in the post that you linked to, you said The bicyclist, who wasn't wearing a helmet, crashed into her and was thrown from his bike, officials said.
Posted by: NeilB | May 10, 2012 at 09:07 AM
Getting hit by a falling tree branch might be a freak accident, but it happens more often than you might think. A child was killed by a falling limb a few years ago in Bethesda. I don't let my kids play in our woodsy yard on really windy days.
But a bigger risk to cyclists might be low hanging branches. Always wear a helmet on rides where this might happen.
Posted by: Jack Cochrane | May 10, 2012 at 09:54 AM
People get killed by falling branches on perfectly calm days too, not just windy days. Watch out.
Posted by: dayglo | May 10, 2012 at 11:40 AM
NeilB, you're right. My mistake.
Posted by: washcycle | May 10, 2012 at 12:30 PM
@dayglo:
Good reason to remove weak limbs. Off trees, I mean.
Posted by: Jack Cochrane | May 10, 2012 at 12:52 PM
Det er et ordtak i Europa: "Ta på et par gode sko, vil det føre folk til å komme til et bedre sted." Må være den beste, den vakreste.
Posted by: MBT Sko Norge | October 09, 2012 at 02:43 AM