Sad news in Santa Barbara

[cindysue]

Truck kills UCSB triathlete on Gibraltar Road
HILDY MEDINA, NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

January 12, 2006 12:00 AM


A 21-year-old UCSB triathlete was killed on Wednesday when she was hit
by an asphalt truck while riding her bicycle on Gibraltar Road west of
El Cielito Road, authorities said.

The victim, Kendra Payne, was hit about 9:40 a.m. as she headed west
on the narrow mountain road. The driver of the truck and trailer,
which was carrying a full load, was behind Ms. Payne and attempted to
pass her when she apparently "lost control of her bicycle and was
thrown to the roadway and under the trailer," the California Highway
Patrol reported.

The truck had only about a foot of clearance when the driver, Miguel
Almaguer, 26, attempted to pass, the CHP said.

The cause of the accident is under investigation, the CHP reported.
Mr. Almaguer was not arrested.

A CalStar helicopter airlifted the young woman to La Cumbre Junior
High School, where a waiting ambulance rushed her to Santa Barbara
Cottage Hospital. Ms. Payne was pronounced dead at 11:52 a.m.

The steep climb up Gibraltar Road is a popular training spot for local
and out-of-town cyclists.

Ms. Payne was on a morning ride with a group of bicyclists at the time
of the accident. Two of the cyclists in the group are employees of
Hazards Cycle Sport, a longtime sponsor of the UCSB triathlon team,
said Joshua Rebol, the store's manager.

"They're doing horribly," said Mr. Rebol.

Mr. Rebol last saw Ms. Payne about three weeks ago at the store and
described her as one of the strongest cyclists on the UCSB team.

"She was also the most low-key," said Mr. Rebol. "Of all the great
athletes on the team, she always downplayed her ability. She was a
very gentle spirit."

The UCSB student had just returned from studying abroad, he said.

[BikeMomma]

oh wow....that's terrible. No words for this.....my heart and compassion goes out to the team, coaches, classmates, and family.

...wonder if it was the 1 ft. proximity to the truck that made her crash? Ya think?! My goodness.... the gravel truck drivers around here seem to have finally got a clue on how to move way over, but some still like to try their luck.

-BikeMomma

[Grog]

How terrible.....

A big truck passing me certainly makes me swerve a bit sometimes. If it's going fast and I'm going slow (say, if I'm climbing as in this case) the swoosh of air (no reference to Nike here) can be pretty destabilizing if you didn't anticipate it.

When I was in Quebec last summer I heard of efforts made by a few groups together to educate truck drivers specifically about bicycles. Not sure it had any effect, but a try is better than nothing right?