So yesterday, I took my husband out to the club ride for the first time. He did great and had a good time, but that's not the issue.

The issue is that there is a man who does this ride (a beginner's, no-drop ride, about 20-25 miles, 12-15 mph pace) who is very experienced. He brings his adult son, who is in some way developmentally disabled. Not Down Syndrome, but something of similar consequence that keeps him from living on his own. I'll just call him R. R has poor eyesight but wears glasses. He doesn't appear to be anymore vision impaired than me with my glasses on. He rides well, if you ask me--I didn't know he was disabled until I was told, and had had a chat or two with him about his bike once or twice before that, and I had no clue he was disabled. Once I was told he had poor eyesight, I made sure to watch out for him a little more, tell him about the obstacles, and mostly interact with him on his level to make his ride as enjoyable as mine. R has been riding for about 18 months.

Well, yesterday, we went out on the ride, and a new woman was there. I never got to introduced to her, but I'll call her T. We had a great ride and was on our way back, in the last third of the ride. We were approaching a one lane bridge and were about to cross when a car came around the curve and decided not to slow down to let us proceed across the bridge. Being a few lengths out at the front, I put on the brakes and yelled "car up" and I could hear the chorus and everyone stopping and then someone yelling, "car back". Then I heard a crash, and turned around just in time to see R and T tangled up together and T rolling off her bike into the ditch, and R rolling off onto the pavement.

Long and short of it--T banged her knee, probably not seriously, and her bike (Specialized Roubiax) was okay. She was really more mad if you ask me. The car behind us happened to be the owner of the store that sponsors the ride (an outdoor store that does bikes, not just a bike shop, so he's not hands-on, but his car is all painted up in store logos, and we happened to be RIGHT in front of his long driveway). I asked T if she wanted a ride backand he gladly loaded her up and took her in.

R banged up his knee and elbow on the pavement, and his bike took a little beating, but he finished the ride. The ride leader, M, had stayed back with R for most of the way, but on this stretch he was kind of in the front, and he blames himself for the accident. R's dad stays with him, a lot, too, and since I know about his condition I help him out on occasion when appropriate, too.

I didn't see what happened. R said to me, "I was stopping and she moved." T said a couple of times in the ensuing melee that R ran into her. After we resumed, another rider who was behind them and saw it said it was her fault. I compared stories a little and it appears to me it's impossible to tell who did what, and it doesn't matter.

I'm wondering now if T knew R was disabled? I don't think she did. I think she should have been told, so she could use that information in just such an instance. I'm not saying he caused the wreck, because I don't think he did. I think it was just an accident. I'm wondering if she finds out he is disabled will she be upset about and will she be justified?

What do you think?

Karen