This past Thursday was a picture perfect weather day for joining the Bluegrass Cycling Club organized ride that leaves from Russell Cave Elementary School. The good weather brought out a large number of riders spanning all levels. The ride leaders/organizers divided the rides up into 3 basic groups. The mapped route was the same for everyone, but with 3 distance options using a couple of shortcuts to return to the school.
The "A" group had no official leader, but "A" riders are usually the most experienced cyclists and generally fend for themselves. This night, a large group of riders left the parking lot with the "A" group. Often, this results in the group staying together for the first 8 or 10 miles until a split forms in the group with the fastest riders getting away from those unable to keep their pace. As we left the parking lot with such a large number, I figured that might occur on this ride.
The Russell Cave area is one of the prettiest parts of Fayette County, and a favorite of riders. The terrain is mostly flat or gently rolling and takes the riders past beautiful horse farm after beautiful horse farm. On this particular night, the temperature was a perfect 70 degrees and there was little wind to affect riding. The stage was set for a wonderful night of cycling. But, the best laid plans . . .
Six and a half miles into the ride, the group was still together and keeping a good pace. We approached a 90 degree downhill curve that is well known to us. The leading riders sometimes enter the curve faster than I think they should, but tonight they did a good job of slowing ahead of the curve and negotiating it at a safe speed. There were the usual yells of "SLOWING!" from the front of the group as we entered the downhill turn.
I was probably two-thirds back in the group and just as we took the curve, the rider in front of me started to lose control. When you see the bike jackknife right, then left, it usually means the brakes are being applied pretty hard; so I don't know if she got into the wheel in front of her or didn't realize how much the rider ahead had slowed, but she pitched one direction then the other and went down hard on the downhill slope.
She and her bike sprawled across the road in front of me. Everything in my periphery became a blur of riders. I braked as hard as I could but couldn't avoid hitting the downed rider as she lay across the road. I remember seeing my handlebars disappear below me as I flew across them. I went across the crash victim and did what felt like a sideways rolling flip onto the pavement beyond her, landing mostly on my right shoulder and side.
I raised up from the pavement and reached up and pulled my bike off her as she lay motionless, face down on the road. I could hear her moaning. Bikes were off in the grass and riders were rushing to the fallen rider. Someone told me to wait a minute before getting up, so I laid back on the pavement for a few seconds. My first thought was, "I hope I didn't crush my cell phone." which was in my left rear jersey pocket. I opened it up and confirmed it was working. I got up and gave myself a once-over and felt like nothing was damaged. My shoulder hurt the worst, but I only had a small abrasion on my right elbow, and one on the outside of my right knee. I took my helmet off and inspected it and found no cracks or other damage. I had escaped largely unscathed.
The scene that followed was a testament to the cycling fraternity. A few cyclists tended to the fallen rider as she became more lucid. A few riders went back up the hill to flag motorists as they approached the blind curve. Others went the other direction to slow drivers as well. One rider pulled a folded foil emergency blanket from his seat pouch and covered the victim. I've never even seen one of those things. EMT's were summoned and calls were made to the ride leaders to try to get someone to drive out to the accident to haul in the victim's bicycle, and that of the rider who volunteered to ride in the ambulance to the hospital. This is not the scene you want to see at a bike ride on a beautiful Spring night, but in retrospect, it was great to see.
I stopped at the hospital the next day to check on the injured rider, Rowena. Her injuries included a cracked rib, partially collapsed lung, cracked pelvis, and collarbone, in addition to facial abrasions and cuts. But she sat up in the hospital bed and smiled as she talked about how great the cycling club members had been in tending to her and checking on her. We talked about when a crash happens, everyone on the bike knows it could have been them. In a group that large, you don't know everyone's name, but everyone identifies, if you know what I mean. It really is a fraternity in the truest sense.
