Olympian injured in confrontation with motorist while cycling

[phreezee]

Still so much hate out there. :(

If you recognize the names, it's because they're all tops on the Strava leader boards.


http://www.calgaryherald.com/sports/Olympian+Robin+Clegg+injured+confrontation+with+motorist/7323181/story.html


CALGARY — A former Olympian can’t fathom the antipathy some motorists have for cyclists after a fellow Olympian was struck by a car Sunday during an afternoon training session.

Biathlete Robin Clegg remains in hospital with a broken elbow and possibly other injuries after a car allegedly tried to run him off the road west of Calgary.

“We were on a wide open road, no traffic. He had all the space in the world to go around us,” said two-time Olympian skier Jason Myslicki.

“If someone is walking their dog on the side of the road, they don’t swerve at them. Why the hatred towards cyclists?”

Clegg, Myslicki and Olympian Sean Crooks were an hour into a three-hour bike ride while training with the Rundle Mountain Cycling Club.

Riding along Township Road 250 near Springbank Airport, a paved street with no shoulder, a vehicle came up from behind honking its horn.

“We put up our arms like ‘what the heck?’ ” Myslicki said.

The car hammered on the brakes in front of the group, essentially blocking the men, he said.

Crooks and Myslicki veered left, but Clegg went right at the same time the car accelerated. He was struck and suffered at least a broken elbow. He underwent surgery Sunday night. Myslicki suspects he may have suffered a broken collarbone and ribs.

The driver, a man in his early 20s, jumped out of his car, and screamed “What the hell are you doing on a road with no shoulder?,” according to Myslicki.

Police arrived at the scene. It was unknown at press time if the driver was charged.

“You know the risk is out there but you don’t want to be the one to back down,” he said. Clegg represented Canada in biathlon at the last three Winter Olympics, with his best finish being 10th at the 2010 Vancouver edition.

He still trains full-time, and recently got a job in the oil and gas industry.

He’ll be on the shelf for at least 12 weeks with the broken elbow, Myslicki said.

[spikerS]

Originally posted by phreezee
Still so much hate out there. :(

If you recognize the names, it's because they're all tops on the Strava leader boards.


http://www.calgaryherald.com/sports/Olympian+Robin+Clegg+injured+confrontation+with+motorist/7323181/story.html



no traffic, yet lo and behold, had an accident with a car...

I am sorry, I have little sympathy for cyclists for the most part. I know the few have ruined it for the many, and this moron escalated the issue way more than needed with his car. To me, it sounds like a bunch of douche bags trying to be angels.

[Dave P]

Originally posted by spikers


I am sorry, I have little sympathy for cyclists for the most part. I know the few have ruined it for the many, and this moron escalated the issue way more than needed with his car. To me, it sounds like a bunch of douche bags trying to be angels.

http://thisweconfess.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/hit-the-nail-on-the-head.jpg

[Sasuke_Kensai]

The story sounds confusing - the car was in front, and then it was behind them? Or did the cyclists pass it after the braking event, after which the car accelerated into the guy? Otherwise how did he hit the car from behind?

Regardless of who is in the right, when I'm on a bike I say "yes sir" to a 3000 lb hunk of metal charging at 50+ km/h.

[NoMoreG35]

Originally posted by spikers


no traffic, yet lo and behold, had an accident with a car...

I am sorry, I have little sympathy for cyclists for the most part. I know the few have ruined it for the many, and this moron escalated the issue way more than needed with his car. To me, it sounds like a bunch of douche bags trying to be angels.

+1

[BrknFngrs]

Originally posted by spikers


no traffic, yet lo and behold, had an accident with a car...

I am sorry, I have little sympathy for cyclists for the most part. I know the few have ruined it for the many, and this moron escalated the issue way more than needed with his car. To me, it sounds like a bunch of douche bags trying to be angels.

Tend to agree; this line pretty much sealed it for me:

“You know the risk is out there but you don’t want to be the one to back down,” he said.

[dj_patm]

Why would the driver brake on an empty road with plenty of room?

Specifically to piss off the bikers? I understand that some cyclists are annoying as fuck (lookin' at you bike couriers) but this driver seemed like a huge douche.

[Tik-Tok]

From the article, I'd say everyone there was in the wrong.

On a related note, in the past 10 days, I've seen 3 bicyclists riding on the road, when 2 meters beside them there's a bike path :facepalm: (on Heritage Drive)

[bspot]

Originally posted by Tik-Tok
From the article, I'd say everyone there was in the wrong.

On a related note, in the past 10 days, I've seen 3 bicyclists riding on the road, when 2 meters beside them there's a bike path :facepalm: (on Heritage Drive)

Thank our by-laws that only allow you to go 20km/h on the paths. If people are riding to and from work everyday, that makes their commute long, so they take to the road so they can ride faster.

Personally I risk the ticket and just ride 30km/h on the paths. I have as much fun riding on a busy road as you have trying to deal with cyclists on a busy road while in your car...

[Moonracer]

No matter how you look at it the cyclist in this case did nothing wrong and the guy in the car seemed to think he owned the road and ran the cyclist down. What the driver did was terrible and illegal and should go to jail.

[bmeier]

Originally posted by Tik-Tok
From the article, I'd say everyone there was in the wrong.

On a related note, in the past 10 days, I've seen 3 bicyclists riding on the road, when 2 meters beside them there's a bike path :facepalm: (on Heritage Drive)

its pefectly legal to ride a bicycle on the road. why dickbag drivers cant understand i have no idea.

i personally avoid the road as much as possible but when i am using it i dont get why some people have to be such fuckers.

[-relk-]

Originally posted by bspot


Thank our by-laws that only allow you to go 20km/h on the paths. If people are riding to and from work everyday, that makes their commute long, so they take to the road so they can ride faster.

Personally I risk the ticket and just ride 30km/h on the paths. I have as much fun riding on a busy road as you have trying to deal with cyclists on a busy road while in your car...

In b4 cops have lidar setups on bike paths

[zipdoa]

Originally posted by -relk-


In b4 cops have lidar setups on bike paths

They do, and they will ticket. I have yet to be tagged doing 40km/h+, but I'd love to get into a highspeed bike path chase!

come at me cardio

[cycosis]

I bike all the time on the road here in Kingston ON. Drivers are very respectful and give us lots of space. However I would never trust Calgary drivers to do the same.

[-relk-]

Originally posted by zipdoa


They do, and they will ticket. I have yet to be tagged doing 40km/h+, but I'd love to get into a highspeed bike path chase!

come at me cardio
:rofl:

I would like to see this.

A little off topic, how does a cyclist know he is going the speed limit? I am no bike expert, but I have never seen a bike with a speedo on it :dunno: Do they come with those nowadays?

On-topic, according to the article, it appears that the driver was being a giant douche, and escalated the situation himself. As much as I hate cyclists, go around them and let it be... Guy should be given a couple tickets and charged at least... (heres to hoping).

[dj_patm]

I know a guy who got a ticket for going over 30 on his bike in a playground zone. :dunno:

A lot of bikes have those bike computers also I'd guess a basic rule of thumb is, if your cooking it, you're probably going too fast.

[FraserB]

Originally posted by bspot


Thank our by-laws that only allow you to go 20km/h on the paths. If people are riding to and from work everyday, that makes their commute long, so they take to the road so they can ride faster.

Tough shit. If you're on Heritage plodding along at 30, your ass better be in the gutter and even then you're holding up traffic.

Restrict bikes on the road to roads when the limit it 50kmp or less or there is a bike lane, anywhere else you can ride the path.

[bmeier]

Originally posted by FraserB


Tough shit. If you're on Heritage plodding along at 30, your ass better be in the gutter and even then you're holding up traffic.

Restrict bikes on the road to roads when the limit it 50kmp or less or there is a bike lane, anywhere else you can ride the path.

actually is tough shit for you. cyclists have the same rights to the road as a car does.

is it too hard for you to turn your signal on and move over to pass? takes a whole 2 - 3 seconds...

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by bmeier


its pefectly legal to ride a bicycle on the road. why dickbag drivers cant understand i have no idea.

i personally avoid the road as much as possible but when i am using it i dont get why some people have to be such fuckers.

You are right, but at the same time the quote "im not going to be the one to back down" is a strong indicator they weren't doing things correct themselves. (probably riding 3 abreast). It also shows his arrogance. If im at a bar, and a 300 lbs tapout meathead wants to pick a fight, sure as shit im going to back away, and not get hospitalized on the principle that I've done nothing wrong.

[got_mike33]

The thing that gets me most is when cyclists flip flop between being vehicles and pedestrians... If you are riding on the road you are a vehicle and subject to all the same laws a car is! Just because you are on a bike doesn't mean you can run stop signs or cut through traffic.

I once saw a whole group of douches on bikes cut across 3 lanes of traffic, then proceed to take the crosswalk like pedestrians (w/o getting off their bikes) and flip off a woman who almost ran them down cause they came out of no where while she was making a left hand turn...

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A4JxORiCEAEumN_.jpg:large

Cyclists are the worst kind of people.

Edit: to illustrate my point. Cyclists path in red, car's path in green. Car has a green light and is making a left hand turn, cyclists cut across 3 lanes then use the crosswalk, while still riding. Almost get hit by the car and flip off the car.

[benyl]

Are you really in that much of a rush that you can't drive around a cyclist?

[bmeier]

i agree there are douche cyclists, but there are many more douche drivers....

i do both, i try to be courteous while doing both and its fucking irritating doing both in this city.

share the road.

[dj_patm]

I hate when they don't follow the rules of the road as well.

But you can't get pissy when they are on the road and following the rules and you're just a lazy prick.

[nixon45]

I dislike cyclists as much as the next person, but I would never attempt vehicular homicide on them.

douchebag cyclists, douchebag drivers - just have to find a way to coexist

[e31]

Just wait for it, given enough time there will be a cyclist vs beyond member incident (with a dash cam).

I find it perplexing how our pedestrian/cyclist laws are written without consideration of the laws of physics. Honestly, jumping off a cliff may be legal but Newton's laws will not be so kind; its the same with pedestrian right of way laws, yet so many people can't be bothered to look before they jaywalk.