British Champion killed training.

[adrian]

I think most of us here are experienced enough to spot potential problems before they happen and take the appropriate evasive action.

There's a balance to be struck between riding defensively and riding assertively - that is, using your loaf, and showing other road users that you're not a pushover. I've found that if you're scared or intimidated, people seem to pick up on this and make your life doubly difficult.

So that's what you can do - what you can't do is legislate for the random actions of the careless/aggressive/half-witted. Of course it's horrifying and infuriating when a fellow cyclist is hurt or killed for no reason like this, but there's no sense in changing our behaviour (ie riding less) for fear of it happening to us. To paraphrase Ian Fleming, that would be 'paying a dividend to worry before it's due'.

[Toks]

Great point about riding more assertively Adrian. I always try and position myself centally at pinch points in the road so that it helps drivers make up their minds. This prevents them taking last minute risks and end up swerving towards if they can't make it. As far as trucks/buses I'm either behind or infront but never alongside especially if there's a left turn approaching. Also if i hear a truck rumbling behind me I take a quick glance back to see how close it is to me - although its not always possible.

[tel]

This is really sad news. Jason leaves a wife and twin daughters. My thoughts are with them.

What a waste of a life.

RIP

Just ride safely everybody.

Terry

[Jon H]

Of course it's a tragedy every time someone dies on our roads, be they a champion cyclist, a run-of-the-mill cyclist, pedestrian, driver, passenger, whatever. Everybody leaves behind grieving relatives and friends.

But we do need to be very careful about jumping on the bandwagon of automatically criminalising drivers and handing out custodial sentences. There's a whole load of difference between for example;
a) The driver who deliberately drives at a cyclist with the intent of running them down.
b) The driver who recklessly drives through a residential area at 60mph and hits another road user who happens to be there.
c) The driver who is momentarily distracted by their kids playing up on the back seat and hits another road user.
d) The HGV driver who turns left while a cyclist is undertaking them on the left and is in their blind spot.

Not everything in this world is as clear cut as we would ideally like it to be.

[Will]

Yeah, I've cut back on actively criticising car drivers.

It never does any good, and always brings the risk of retaliatory action, which has a high chance of the cyclist coming off worse. I recall calling a cabbie who cut me up a "w*nker" and him them driving very slowly in a menacing way waiting for me to catch up so he could cut me up, or get out and hit me, etc.

Also I was finding that the act of issuing the abuse required an undue amount of my focus on the errant driver and that in itself distracted my attention from everything else going on around me which ironically put me in a position where I could have caused a separate accident!

[mrP(Boonen)VT]

Lot's of issues here, many of which will never be resolved:

Firstly my thoughts are to how Jason's family can possibly come to terms with such a tragedy.

Then to all riders that think they can ride defensively (I include myself here), don't you think Jason would have been pretty experienced at that? (and Zak Carr?)

True it is dangerous out there, but let's not get carried away and balance that with the risks of other forms of transport (statistacally more dangerous crossing the road on foot), and also the sedentary versus active lifestyle.

Happy cycling

[Jon C C on a Bianchi]

Another sad, needless death of a cyclist. But we don't know what happened.

I'm a cyclist AND a car driver.

I could have been killed on Saturday - I was lucky. Cut, buised and shaken but more or less in one piece. I wasn't angry with the van driver despite the fact he drove out in front of me. He didn't see me. He apologised. We shook hands. I know it could have been me driving that van. It happens.

I was probably going to fast in the circumstances. I must confess at times I am reckless to the point of stupidity when I'm on my bike.

I'll be out this weekend. I love cycling. If I don't ride I'll die of a heart attack brought on by high cholestral anyway. I'll be a bit more careful.

It might not be sexy to say it but we've got to share that road. Ride assertively, stop at red, be courteous (you're so right about swearing - I'm so guilty of this) and never go on the inside of a bus or HVG unless you are sure you can get out the other side.

stay cool

[kieran]

On my way to work today I was turning right and had my arm fully extended to signal my intentions and was in the middle of the road as the turn off was just a few yards away when a van overtook me at speed (the road is also quite narrow). I didn't start to turn as I heard his engine rev up and van accelerate rather than wait behind me for a few secs until I turned. So not all drivers make mistakes some risk your life on purpose, which is something to remember when out there.

[Jon C C on a Bianchi]

You're right there are some very dangerous, very nasty scum bags out there kieran who don't like cyclist and are out to get us.

I just don't think we should encourage them (OK they probably don't need much encouragement) and I don't think we should alienate the majority of drivers who, in my experience, do at least try to drive responsibly (even if like the van driver they are bl00dyuseless!!). It sticks is the craw to say it but we need to keep them sweet.

[Toks]

http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/news/scotti ... -20291121/
Having read the above what do you guys think? Sadly Jason can't give us his account and we only have the drivers word on it. Is it possible Jason was in the zone and didn't have his vehicle awarness antenae switched on? Or was it simply driver error? I still think about it a lot. So sad

[-Adam-]

Well its not exactly a conclusive article is it?

Without knowing the exact lay out of the area, and not knowing the extent of the injuries that Jason sustained, can we or indeed should we comment?

Although if you take the words of the driver as true, neither party is exactly free of blame. Having said that, if what he says is indeed what happened. Then he is in my opinion innocent. But that is obviously only if what he claims is the exact truth, which is something we will never know.

Its ironic that we all always jump to the conclusion that the driver must be in the wrong though...

[Sylv]

Oh jeez I know this cycle path. They built it to allow secure access to the Nevis Range mtb venue for cyclists - the road is extremely dangerous.

I have been on it and it is true that at times you have to be real careful as you get a false sense of security on it from being isolated from the traffic, but there are places when the road crosses the path, and they are only a few meters away. It is therefore in theory possible that the van may have indicated his intention to turn and didn't box Jason in hence wasn't actually in fault.

[Sylv]

It is a tragic irony that he might have found his death on a cycle path that was completed only last September, just in time for the mtb Worlds, and that was built to improve the security of cyclists on those treacherous Scottish roads.

[-Adam-]

[quote="Seanieh_PengeDaddy©"]When you're in full TT mode it's possible I guess.

[Andrew G]

[quote]
Why would you be in full TT mode on a cycle path though? It just seems odd...