Vienna cyclist dies in fall, dodging wildlife

It's a bizarre crash, in a year that seems to have many unusual fatalities.

Cohen was one of eight bicyclists Saturday who had about 18 miles to go on a 68-mile route when she saw [Neal D. Molloy, a Vienna, Va.] ahead of her "going pretty fast down a deep descent" when he appeared to hit or was trying to avoid a ground hog, she said.

"He was skidding a long distance on the pavement" before he came to a stop and others rushed to his aid, including a neurosurgeon in the group.

The group was riding together to make note of any missing signs or pot holes cyclists might encounter during the Montgomery County Farm Tour, which had been scheduled for Saturday, said Cohen, creator and director of the event.

 

Comments

[SJE]

Sad.

[Brendan]

Unbelievable.

[Michael H.]

Sad to hear about Mr. Molloy's death.

I almost ran into a very large deer this summer on the W&OD Trail. I heard some rustling in the bushes on a section past Falls Church. At first I thought maybe it was a mugger. Then suddenly a large deer jumped out in front of me. He weighed perhaps 300-500 lbs. That part of the trail is a long, isolated straightaway so it's easy to pick up some speed. Fortunately I had a couple seconds to slow down before reaching the deer's location and I didn't crash.

Be careful of the wildlife out there.

[Chris]

Wished they didn't cancel the ride, though - would have made for a moving tribute.