What really horrifies cyclists

**Cataboo** · 07-01-2010, 10:23 AM

At the first rest stop at Bike Virginia yesterday - all of a sudden there was a big snapping sound, collective gasps of dismay and shock, screams to stop - the SAG wagon had ran over a custom steel bicycle lying on the grass...

So the SAG wagon driver responds by putting the van into reverse and backing over said custom steel again - with more screams to stop and just absolutely horrifed faces.

As opposed to at lunch the day before yesterday, when they made an announcement and asked everyone to move their bikes off the field so a helicopter could land to carry off a guy that had had a heart attack... Concerned looks, but nowhere near the just complete "OH MY GOD, SOMEONE RAN OVER A CUSTOM STEEL BICYCLE"

**lph** · 07-01-2010, 11:21 AM

Oh, I shouldn't be laughing, but I am

That is really pretty funny. Nicely put.

**7rider** · 07-01-2010, 11:35 AM

It would not have gone "snap" if it were ti.

Just sayin'.....

**Maxxxie** · 07-01-2010, 12:21 PM

Poor bastard. The bike owner, that is. Oh, and the heart attack victim too, I guess.

Gotta say though, if I had a custom-made bike, no way it'd be just lying in the grass, unattended.

Still, poor bastard.

Max

**GLC1968** · 07-01-2010, 12:24 PM

OMG, so funny (and freakishly true!)....

**Becky** · 07-01-2010, 03:44 PM

Oh no! I guess I missed that! I would be distraught....

Heard about the poor guy on Tuesday....so sad

**BleeckerSt_Girl** · 07-01-2010, 03:53 PM

Originally Posted by Maxxxie

Gotta say though, if I had a custom-made bike, no way it'd be just lying in the grass, unattended.

My thought too. I'd never leave my custom steel Luna lying in the grass where anyone could trip over it, step on it, or drive over it. No way.

**zoom-zoom** · 07-01-2010, 03:57 PM

Originally Posted by BleeckerSt_Girl

My thought too. I'd never leave my custom steel Luna lying in the grass where anyone could trip over it, step on it, or drive over it. No way.

I won't even do that with my relatively low-end, mass-produced aluminum ride...

**OakLeaf** · 07-01-2010, 04:10 PM

This is a big organized ride. If it's anything like even the smaller rides I've done, EVERYBODY lays their bikes in the grass, because there's nowhere else to put them.

I can't imagine what the sag driver was thinking!

**Cataboo** · 07-01-2010, 07:55 PM

It's a ride with 2,000 cyclists. The grass fields were usually littered with bikes - bikes were everywhere. My ti bike was lying on the grass sometimes. Actually, it was only hanging somewhere at this rest stop 'cause Kmerzhad had spotted some bike racks off by a corn field.

Sadly, the guy who had his bike run over, was either friends with heart attack guy or the guy who wascarried out in an ambulance at dinner on Tuesday - he kept saying how he'd in the emergency room with his friend all night, went back early to pack his tent & his friend's for the trip back, went riding... and poof went his bike.

The carbon fork & handlebars were definitely snapped on the bike - the frame looked fine, but could have been twisted... However, everyone saw it flex under the tires... and... do you really want to keep a frame that's been run over twice?

Becky - we got a late start on Wednesday (I don't think we left tent city till 9 or so), so you were probably long gone when it was run over.

That was the stop where the mennonites had really nicely woke up at 4 am to make 1200 homemade donuts for cyclists... so I was hanging out a bit to let my donut digest.

Hopefully they didn't make him ride to the finish in the same sag wagon that ran over his bike, but I didn't stick around to find out.

**tulip** · 07-02-2010, 07:46 AM

Oye, I guess it's a good thing I had to leave the ride early...

Everyone leaves their bikes in the grass at rest stops. These are rural areas, rest stops are set up in fields, only cyclists around. I routinely leave my Luna and Bike Friday like that on these rides. Not in the travel lane, mind you, but in the grass.

**OakLeaf** · 07-02-2010, 08:12 AM

I just hope they don't give him a hassle about replacing the bike. This is exactly the sort of thing those boilerplate releases are supposed to protect the organizers against. They don't generally stand up in court, but they could really make it difficult for the person who owned the bike.

**Trek420** · 07-02-2010, 08:26 AM

During ALC (7 days, 2000+ riders, 585 miles, hundreds of awesome, fabulous, hard working, wonderful, stupendous crew) on most days and at most stops there were bike racks.

Cheap, effective, spartan bike racks.

It scared me to leave my -full custom, hand made for me in Italy by the man with his name on the frame- baby on the racks. Yes, people moosh their bike into yours or if you leave your baby on the ground put theirs on top, racks topple because riders don't balance or alternate bikes, or crowd the rack.

Our bikes are meant to be ridden. Yes we love them, they're expensive, precious, unique/irreplaceable but they are meant to be ridden. Stuff happens.

OTOH If I ever do ALC or another large supported ride it'll be on a bike I feel less "precious" about. My eye's on a LHT for that and other rides in the future

OTOH ... no damage could have been worse than what I did myself forgeting that my bike was on the roof rack

G*d I love steel!

**Cataboo** · 07-02-2010, 08:36 AM

Originally Posted by OakLeaf

I just hope they don't give him a hassle about replacing the bike. This is exactly the sort of thing those boilerplate releases are supposed to protect the organizers against. They don't generally stand up in court, but they could really make it difficult for the person who owned the bike.

They were assuring him that Bike Virginia and/or the insurance would pay for the bike... Now I don't know whether or not the people saying that really had the authority to say it.

He hadn't left the bike on the grass right next to the driveway or anything like that - he had it on the grass probably about 10 feet from the edge of the driveway - so the SAG wagon had pulled fairly far forward on the grass (I have no idea why when there was a great big driveway) in order to run that bike over.

Up until that, it was my favorite rest stop because the mennonites had made us home made donuts that morning.

Although, the rest stop at the winery with air conditioning at the top of a big hill when it was 101 degrees on Sunday was much appreciated as well.

**Becky** · 07-02-2010, 10:44 AM

Originally Posted by Catriona

Becky - we got a late start on Wednesday (I don't think we left tent city till 9 or so), so you were probably long gone when it was run over.

Yeah, we were rolling by 7:00 or so. The cool temps and cloudy skies were wonderful, as were those donuts!

I hope that Bike VA comes through for that guy and his toasted bike!

What was the story with the ambulance on Tuesday? We were trying out a tandem on Park Drive and saw it arrive, but had no idea what was going on...

Thread: What really horrifies cyclists

Thread Tools

Display

What really horrifies cyclists

Posting Permissions