# Ride the Rockies Cyclist Killed



## MikeBiker

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_3970206

<table align="center" bgcolor="" border="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td>RTR bicyclist killed in wreck off route
<!--subtitle-->"She lived to ride"
<!--top author info--><table align="center" border="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="articleByline"><!-- overline-->By Nancy Lofholm 
Denver Post Staff Writer</td></tr></tbody></table> </td></tr></tbody></table><table class="articleBody" align="center" border="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td colspan="3" align="center">
</td></tr><tr><td colspan="3" class="articleBody" align="left">*Salida -* A Boulder woman with a chronic crippling illness died Thursday afternoon in a collision with a motor home as she participated in the Ride the Rockies bike tour. 
The Colorado State Patrol said Diane Woolwine, 65, was off the tour's designated route and was headed toward her motel in Salida on busy U.S. 50 about 2:30 p.m. when she hit the motor home and was pulled under its back wheel. Trooper Brian Lyons said she died instantly. 
The news shocked the usual jovial daily gathering of tour participants into stunned silence as tour director Paul Balaguer announced her death. 
"Our hearts go out to her family," Balaguer said after he called for a moment of silence. 
Balaguer said Woolwine had gone off the designated 84-mile route from Alamosa to Salida at Poncha Springs. She rode on the highway for the last 5 miles with a group of five other cyclists rather than follow the tour's less-traveled residential route. 
Lyons, the patrol's accident- reconstruction specialist for the Salida area, said a mark on the side of the motor home, driven by Buck Morris, 66, of Cortez, showed Woolwine's bicycle handlebar contacted the side of the vehicle as she rode in the traffic lane rather than the bike lane. 
Lyons said his initial investigation indicated that the accident was caused by bicyclist error and said no charges are pending against Morris. 
Woolwine had taken part in the Ride the Rockies tour nearly every year since 1990, her friends said, and had trained for and entered the annual tour to help in overcoming her crippling arthritis. She was riding this year's tour with her daughter, Leishia Woolwine, who was not with her when the accident happened. "She lived to ride, and she was an inspiration to us all," said David Oppenheimer of Boulder, a longtime friend and one of the riders with Woolwine when she died. 
In the tour's 21-year run, Woolwine is believed to be the second cyclist killed during the ride. 
In 1994, a 15-year-old Aurora rider died near Walsenburg after he veered into a traffic lane and was struck by a dump truck. 
On Thursday, four cyclists were taken to hospitals after accidents. Three were treated and released, and the fourth was airlifted to Swedish Medical Center in Denver with severe facial lacerations. She was reported in stable condition. 
There were a number of other "road rash" injuries Thursday because cyclists were riding in pace lines, in which one cyclist puts the front wheel of a bike inches behind another bike. Balaguer warned against the practice. 
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## Bocephus Jones II

saw that...freak accident from the sounds of it. She must have lost control and fell under the wheels of the RV.


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## SlowBikeRacer

*Sad*

Sad. During the Estes Park Tour a few years ago, I think it was a 3 day MS Ride, somebody died in a car wreck while off the route in Ft. Collins. 




> There were a number of other "road rash" injuries Thursday because cyclists were riding in pace lines, in which one cyclist puts the front wheel of a bike inches behind another bike. Balaguer warned against the practice.


Differenence between a "ride" and "race".... But not always so different. Everytime I ride with other people we do a roating paceline, espically in the winds around Boulder.


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## Bocephus Jones II

SlowBikeRacer said:


> Sad. During the Estes Park Tour a few years ago, I think it was a 3 day MS Ride, somebody died in a car wreck while off the route in Ft. Collins.
> 
> 
> 
> Differenence between a "ride" and "race".... But not always so different. Everytime I ride with other people we do a roating paceline, espically in the winds around Boulder.


The reason people crash in pacelines on RTR and rides like that is largely due to inexperience. I only draft off my buddy who I've ridden with for 10+ years. Even then people camp on to our 2-man paceline all the time without asking--sometimes you look back and there are 20 people there. Scary. Nearly got taken out drafting last year when a lady went down in front of me. I had to put the bike into a panic skid and barely missed running over her. Tire was ruined, but I didn't crash and neither did my friend. I was much more careful about my choice of draftees after that. People love drafting me though since I'm 6'2" and 200.


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## snyper0311

Anytime a cyclist dies, it's a sad case. While my heart goes out to her family and friends, it goes to show why organized rides should not allow riders to waiver from the route. I have done RTR 3 times and didn't enjoy a single time because there was too wide a varriance of riders on the course. I witnessed an older man go down on a decent down Battle Mountain because he was riding way outside his limits. 

Bottom line, I'm sorry for her loss, it is truely a sad incident. I'll pray for her family and friends.

Mark


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## JayTee

I was so upset by this story. Not only because of the tragedy, but also because of the "blame the cyclist" mentality. I saw one story attribute it to "cyclist error" because she was in the traffic lane and not the "bike lane." Well, there's no bike lane on that road last I checked... just a shoulder with a rumble strip.

We're ALLOWED to be in the traffic lane, and if as reported her bars hit the side of the motor home, then that vehicle was probably passing way too close. I wish that the news coverage would better educate motorists in these circumstances, and the Denver Post (who runs RtR!) has had some of the lamest coverage of all.


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## wasserbox

Bocephus Jones II said:


> The reason people crash in pacelines on RTR and rides like that is largely due to inexperience. I only draft off my buddy who I've ridden with for 10+ years. Even then people camp on to our 2-man paceline all the time without asking--sometimes you look back and there are 20 people there.


Just got back from RTR myself - 

The night before this woman got killed (not saying this is any way related to her situation) Ron Kiefel did a Tech-tips session on pacelining. The next day was Alamosa to Salida, with a headwind the whole way. All of a sudden, everyone thought they were masters of the paceline. There were 9 paceline accidents in the first 16 miles (one taking out 9 cyclists) and 15 total for the day.

I had to become the paceline enforcer for our group - we were 4 strong, steady, experienced cyclists, and were averaging about 22mph when everyone else was pushing 17. Really tempting target for people riding that flat straight stretch to latch on to us. I would have to go back and politely ask them to get their twitchy asses out of our line. I didn't make many friends, but that is nothing new. We did pick up some really good riders, and if they could hang, didn't do anything stupid, took a pull and didn't create work for us they were more than welcome. But that included about 5 people for the whole day.

And for all you nay-sayers -- the route was awesome. Chama rolled out the red carpet for us, and even though there weren't any major passes, the 12%+ stretch up to the Royal Gorge the last day made up for any climbing we thought we had missed out on.


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## cyclopath

I remember when I was quoted in a newpaper. It made me wonder if I was in the same room as the reporter.


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