# L A Circuit race Cat 4 accident



## t-moore (Jan 1, 1970)

I was out at the race yesterday, and saw a bad crash between racer and spectator, after racer appeared to be forced outside the cones in the final sprint. Anyone else there, or know the conditon of the racer. There was a racer/doctor on the scene who did what he could until the paramedics arrived, but the doctor said the guy suffured
brain trauma from the face plant. Looking at 2 guys out cold, is not the image you want in your mind, before your Cat 5 race. I understand, that there were 4 crashes, in the final kilometer of the 4's race....Tim


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

*That's some seriously squirely sh!t...*



t-moore said:


> I was out at the race yesterday, and saw a bad crash between racer and spectator, after racer appeared to be forced outside the cones in the final sprint. Anyone else there, or know the conditon of the racer. There was a racer/doctor on the scene who did what he could until the paramedics arrived, but the doctor said the guy suffured
> brain trauma from the face plant. Looking at 2 guys out cold, is not the image you want in your mind, before your Cat 5 race. I understand, that there were 4 crashes, in the final kilometer of the 4's race....Tim



4 guys went down in the same crash or there were 4 seperate crashes? What happened to the guy who slammed the door on the guy who went down in the sprint? I'm actually surprised there aren't many of those sort of wrecks involving the regular folks and the racers at the Tues. Thurs. Brookside/Rose Bowl ride in the summer. Count me out.


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## t-moore (Jan 1, 1970)

I think there were 4 separate incidents. I'm posting a link to a picture of the racer, moments before he crashes into the spectator. I spoke with the spectator's godfather, he after a trip to the local ER, he was released, and will be fine.

From my perpective, with a 100 man field, the cones should have extended down
the course further since the racers were loosing a lane.....

https://web.mac.com/cjk/iWeb/LACircuit2006/Images_files/IMG_0679_2.jpg







rocco said:


> 4 guys went down in the same crash or there were 4 seperate crashes? What happened to the guy who slammed the door on the guy who went down in the sprint? I'm actually surprised there aren't many of those sort of wrecks involving the regular folks and the racers at the Tues. Thurs. Brookside/Rose Bowl ride in the summer. Count me out.


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## lanterne rouge (Jun 27, 2002)

*I was in that particular race.......*

It was THE worst finish I have ever been involved in. The doctor that tended to the rider is a friend of mine and teammate. After the 180 degree turn coming into the finish I sat second wheel and we were swamped on the left side. At that point I was about 40th wheel and pretty much realized my race was over. Riders started to head up the curbside of the pack in the gutter, not the best decistion in my view but competitiveness gets the best of you sometimes. First wreck I heard to the left and rear of me and seemed to be your "usual" sprint wreck. Then in the train headed up the gutter one rider in front of me leans hard on another and forces him into the curb and over the bars and into a Magnolia tree at about 28 mph. (I have heard from my teammate that that rider suffered a possible broken femur). I go around to the left of that incident just in time for another wreck to my left side. Riders and bikes sliding across the asphalt and I believe I was the first rider to get through that carnage but unfortunately hit one of the sliding riders with my chainring. At almost the same time I saw the rider that hit the spectator out of my peripheral vision and about 15 feet to my right go into the cones and hit the spectator without ever hitting the brakes (no time to). What was left of the pack rolled across the finish and we were all very glad to make it through but very concerned about the riders that went down. My teammate that tended to the rider said he never regained conciousness and was transported to UCLA intensive care unit. My prayers go out to him and his family.


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## t-moore (Jan 1, 1970)

*Thanks for taking the time to post...Tim*

Glad you made it through...




lanterne rouge said:


> It was THE worst finish I have ever been involved in. The doctor that tended to the rider is a friend of mine and teammate. After the 180 degree turn coming into the finish I sat second wheel and we were swamped on the left side. At that point I was about 40th wheel and pretty much realized my race was over. Riders started to head up the curbside of the pack in the gutter, not the best decistion in my view but competitiveness gets the best of you sometimes. First wreck I heard to the left and rear of me and seemed to be your "usual" sprint wreck. Then in the train headed up the gutter one rider in front of me leans hard on another and forces him into the curb and over the bars and into a Magnolia tree at about 28 mph. (I have heard from my teammate that that rider suffered a possible broken femur). I go around to the left of that incident just in time for another wreck to my left side. Riders and bikes sliding across the asphalt and I believe I was the first rider to get through that carnage but unfortunately hit one of the sliding riders with my chainring. At almost the same time I saw the rider that hit the spectator out of my peripheral vision and about 15 feet to my right go into the cones and hit the spectator without ever hitting the brakes (no time to). What was left of the pack rolled across the finish and we were all very glad to make it through but very concerned about the riders that went down. My teammate that tended to the rider said he never regained conciousness and was transported to UCLA intensive care unit. My prayers go out to him and his family.


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

t-moore said:


> I think there were 4 separate incidents. I'm posting a link to a picture of the racer, moments before he crashes into the spectator. I spoke with the spectator's godfather, he after a trip to the local ER, he was released, and will be fine.
> 
> From my perpective, with a 100 man field, the cones should have extended down
> the course further since the racers were loosing a lane.....
> ...


It's clear that's a bad setup from the picture. Furthermore, they never should have permitted people to stand on the pavement behind the cones.


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## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

lanterne rouge said:


> It was THE worst finish I have ever been involved in. The doctor that tended to the rider is a friend of mine and teammate. After the 180 degree turn coming into the finish I sat second wheel and we were swamped on the left side. At that point I was about 40th wheel and pretty much realized my race was over. Riders started to head up the curbside of the pack in the gutter, not the best decistion in my view but competitiveness gets the best of you sometimes. First wreck I heard to the left and rear of me and seemed to be your "usual" sprint wreck. Then in the train headed up the gutter one rider in front of me leans hard on another and forces him into the curb and over the bars and into a Magnolia tree at about 28 mph. (I have heard from my teammate that that rider suffered a possible broken femur). I go around to the left of that incident just in time for another wreck to my left side. Riders and bikes sliding across the asphalt and I believe I was the first rider to get through that carnage but unfortunately hit one of the sliding riders with my chainring. At almost the same time I saw the rider that hit the spectator out of my peripheral vision and about 15 feet to my right go into the cones and hit the spectator without ever hitting the brakes (no time to). What was left of the pack rolled across the finish and we were all very glad to make it through but very concerned about the riders that went down. My teammate that tended to the rider said he never regained conciousness and was transported to UCLA intensive care unit. My prayers go out to him and his family.



That is f___king ridiculous... I take it this was the ciruit race in Westchester. Who were the jokers who organized this snafu? I'm also amazed how much risk people will take to win a race on this level or any level that doesn't involve a salary.


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## lanterne rouge (Jun 27, 2002)

*I agree.*



rocco said:


> That is f___king ridiculous... I take it this was the ciruit race in Westchester. Who were the jokers who organized this snafu? I'm also amazed how much risk people will take to win a race on this level or any level that doesn't involve a salary.


Yes, it was the circuit race in Westchester, it was and will be the only time I will do this race. It was a very pedestrian pace for 31 of the 32 miles, it was akin to lining us up a mile from the finish and letting the chaos happen. ( I know the riders make this race but it was typical Cat IV baloney, everybody races to the front of the pack and then jumps in 5 or 6 wheels from the front, allergic to being in the wind.) The risks people take to finish in 20th to 30th place always astonishes me. I just wish the bike handling skills matched the pedaling abilities of most racers.


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## lanterne rouge (Jun 27, 2002)

*Thanks.*



t-moore said:


> Glad you made it through...


I was one of the lucky ones. I just hope everything works out for the guys that were injured.


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

rocco said:


> It's clear that's a bad setup from the picture. Furthermore, they never should have permitted people to stand on the pavement behind the cones.


Looking at that picture I don't see why they had to cone the lane off. I mean why not let the racers use all of the available lanes. What a mess.


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## t-moore (Jan 1, 1970)

The grandstand occupied the lane. It just wasn't visable from the picture. I'm surprised that no one knows the identity or condition of the cyclist....


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## mickey-mac (Sep 2, 2000)

lanterne rouge said:


> Yes, it was the circuit race in Westchester, it was and will be the only time I will do this race. It was a very pedestrian pace for 31 of the 32 miles, it was akin to lining us up a mile from the finish and letting the chaos happen. ( I know the riders make this race but it was typical Cat IV baloney, everybody races to the front of the pack and then jumps in 5 or 6 wheels from the front, allergic to being in the wind.) The risks people take to finish in 20th to 30th place always astonishes me. I just wish the bike handling skills matched the pedaling abilities of most racers.


In about 1997 or so, there was a really bad crash in the 50+ race at Westchester Parkway. A rider was similarly taken off to the hospital without regaining consciousness. I was sort of half-watching the race and wasn't close enough to that crash to be able to tell whether the layout of the course had any relation to the crash. However, it's sort of haunting to hear about another devastating injury on the same course. I'm glad you're OK.


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## Roadnoob (Feb 4, 2005)

I have a friend that was in that race and went down. Fortunately he only came out with a couple scratches and a sore hip. He said he was coming on the fast up on the crash on the last turn, shot out wide to avoid it and as he rode by the crash, another rider came back in from off the course and he thinks that the wheels touched. He was said it was him or the bike, so he decided to lay his bike down (a Colnago no less) when he another rider came up behind him. From the race report, it sounds like he was one of the lucky ones. After all this, he still had to drive 2 hrs back home to San Diego in pain. He said it's the last time he's racing this particular race again.


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