Highlander:
I passed this one this morning while travelling south.Carpet company wag ‘n’ drag involved.BBC news say a 61year old cyclist was killed.R.I.P
I agree with what others have said,why would anyone want to cycle on a road like the A1 when they don’t have to? Wherever this chap was going he would have to leave at the next exit anyway,surely safer to go through Blyth village.
Cycling on the A1 is dangerous enough when you have to use it to get to work, but how the hell do they consider it safe to hold time trials and races on it
i used to work weekends and it was quite a regular thing, bonkers if you ask me.
Highlander:
I passed this one this morning while travelling south.Carpet company wag ‘n’ drag involved.BBC news say a 61year old cyclist was killed.R.I.P
I agree with what others have said,why would anyone want to cycle on a road like the A1 when they don’t have to? Wherever this chap was going he would have to leave at the next exit anyway,surely safer to go through Blyth village.
Cycling on the A1 is dangerous enough when you have to use it to get to work, but how the hell do they consider it safe to hold time trials and races on it
At THAT time of the morning??
the one killed whilst time trialling was not the one in the OP
Quite scary thought this as I was on phone to a friend at 3.30am and what I can only presume to being the same cyclist was running the A1 N/B around the Doncaster area @ 3.30am. Poor sod didnt get far up the road then.
thewheel:
I saw it around 8ish, carpetright, bike on verge with lone copper and a tape. Couldnt see if anything was under the tarp i was in car but the missis swears there was. RIP
One news report i read says the cyclist died in hospital, so he would have been taken away by ambulance
Highlander:
I passed this one this morning while travelling south.Carpet company wag ‘n’ drag involved.BBC news say a 61year old cyclist was killed.R.I.P
I agree with what others have said,why would anyone want to cycle on a road like the A1 when they don’t have to? Wherever this chap was going he would have to leave at the next exit anyway,surely safer to go through Blyth village.
Cycling on the A1 is dangerous enough when you have to use it to get to work, but how the hell do they consider it safe to hold time trials and races on it
i used to work weekends and it was quite a regular thing, bonkers if you ask me.
I agree with you there, Allot of the cycling community feel that is a dangerous corse and should be discarded, however there seem to be two or three hundred people who like to race on it regually, personally its not for me
With no disrespect to the person who has been killed, some cyclists seem to think they have a god given right to cycle on any road and it is up to other traffic to avoid them. Anyone who thinks that a fast moving dual c/way is a safe place to cycle must be mad. Tractors cause enough problems on these roads and are a lot more visible than cyclists. The sooner any slower moving traffic is banned from fast dual c/ways, the better.
Wheel Nut:
Cycling on the A1 is dangerous enough when you have to use it to get to work, but how the hell do they consider it safe to hold time trials and races on it
Too true.These guys are heads down,arse up and dont seem to care about what’s going on around them.It’s always been a problem in that area though.I remember it was the same when I lived there 25 years ago.
I always thought that racing on the public highway was an offence,but maybe that only applies to vehicles.If it applies to cycles,then the loophole of calling it a time trial should be closed.
Wheel Nut:
Cycling on the A1 is dangerous enough when you have to use it to get to work, but how the hell do they consider it safe to hold time trials and races on it
Too true.These guys are heads down,arse up and dont seem to care about what’s going on around them.It’s always been a problem in that area though.I remember it was the same when I lived there 25 years ago.
I always thought that racing on the public highway was an offence,but maybe that only applies to vehicles.If it applies to cycles,then the loophole of calling it a time trial should be closed.
Time trials and road races are legal with police dispensation, there is no loop hole these events take months to organise and involve 20 or 30 volanteers there are mountains of paperwork for the police, local authority and the governing body that have to be satisfied, they are organised compleatly by volanteers who give up huge amounts of there time to do so.
The rules are how ever changing to allow accredited marshals to control and stop traffic during the events at the moment the police have to be present (at great cost) to do so althoug that is mainly aimed at road races I dont get involved with time traialing so dont know how it will effect them
Regarding the accident on the A1 southbound.
Andrew Risdale was a team mate and a very experienced rider, having raced for numerous years. His family are obviousley devestated by his death.
I don’t want to get into the them and us argument regarding cyclists and motorists as i have no time for the red light jumpers and undertakers, but would like to respond to some of the previous posts and try to explain the process regarding time trailling.
All courses are assessed regarding risk and traffic count with restrictions placed on days the course can be used and number of riders and time the first/ last rider has to be on/ off the course.
Marshalls in hi viz are required at all risk points such as junctions etc. They do not have any control over traffic flow but are there to direct riders and ensure drivers are aware an event is taking place.
Signage is also required on approach to the event and at all risk points and all riders display a high viz number on their back, with most also using a rear flashing light.
Any rider riding dangerously or with their head down is subject to investigation and a potential12 month ban from the sport.
With all this in place, drivers should be well aware of riders on the road ahead.
Regarding the use of dual carraigways, there are arguments for and against.
On a dual carraigway, speeds are higher, but sight lines, especially from large vehicles are good and drivers can plan the overtake well in advance, allow room and not be delayed behind the riders.
On single carraigways, as we all know from experience, vehicles are held up behind riders whilst waiting for a suitable place to pass, causing frustration and sometimes dangerous overtaking manouvers.
Its also worth mentioning that most of the GB/ Sky cycling squad we see on the TV started their careers in this basic form of the sport.
Andrew was taking place in a well signed and organised event, visiblity was very good and traffic count was light and the
details of his death are still being investigated.
The more recent death seems to have been just some poor soul trying to get home/ to work in the dark via the fastest route.
I was night trunking on that date a little futher up the A1 and remember drizzle and limited visibility in the early hours.
Both deaths are a tragic waste of life, but happened under different circumstances.
I hope this post goes some way to explaining the sport, so the next time you come upon and event being held, you understand the time and effort involved.
Andrew was only taking part in his chosen sport, in what should have been a controlled and safe environment.
