well hell.. There's a TT along Hess Rd, it has a good wide shoulder all the way.. have to watch your back all the time..

may his memory be eternal

Oh god, that is terrifying to hear. I did the TT last year and got upwards of 50mph on the downhills.

I can only imagine how bad the accident was.

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Alex Arman

Strava

That's terrible news :-(

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__________________

Louie Frank Cicchino
Accelero Endurance

RIP.

I hate these stories.

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Formerly DrD

"The Douglas County Coroner’s Office has not positively identified the body."

Geez...thoughts to the rider's family.

As others have stated, this is why I train almost exclusively indoors on the bike and why the treadmill is quickly becoming my friend...

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- John
"Have courage, and be kind."

I live at Hess and Hilltop so maybe a mile from me too. My girlfriend was rerouted coming home from work due the accident, she was looking at trainers for me by the time I came home. Be safe out there.

RIP
Very sad news.

So many people wish to go to Colorado to ride. Now many choose to be inside, Zwift or otherwise. I feel the same way sometimes.
Dangerous sport.

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Team Zoot So Cal

That's a 2 lane road with a 50mph speed limit and a 3ft wide bike lane there, correct?

Too many people do not pay attention to their driving....at 50mph+ just looking away for 2-3 secs takes you all over the road, even if you're not on drugs.
Plus the chances of survival when being hit at that speed are very slim.

I'd be riding indoors too....

Why are charges pending? Someone died due to negligence, seems like a no brainer to me that the driver should have been charged with something by the time they wrote this article.

They don't just "charge" people with something, the DA has to look at the case and decide what to charge with that makes the most sense and has the most likely chance of a conviction given the facts.

It took 3 days for the driver who killed my wife's cousin to be formally charged, and the driver was drunk and off the road when he hit him.

That hits close to home. I live in Castle Pines and my wife and I ride that stretch at least once a week. The cyclist was going east on the uphill leg just past Angel and before the entrance to Rueter Hess and it says the driver drifted into the bike lane. People drive really fast on that road. So sad.

My condolences to the cyclist's family and friends. I certainly wouldn't feel safe riding on that road with the combo of speed limit, nearby residential area and 3 ft shoulder, even if there is paint on the road calling it a bike lane. If that's the best option for a safe, enjoyable ride in the area, I certainly understand someone choosing to ride stationary.

From the Douglas County Sheriff's office. Charges will be filed but in Colorado this means probation and loss of license is the likely sentence. A relative on another site indicated she was texting but initially claimed she reached for the radio.

John Kirby, a 53-year-old Douglas County resident, lost his life on the evening of November 27, 2017, when he was hit by a distracted driver on Hess Rd.
John was traveling eastbound on Hess Rd at Double Angle Rd and was in the bike lane when the distracted 54-year-old, Beth Young, veered into the bike lane striking and killing him.
Yesterday, charges were recommended to the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office - Colorado for Beth. Beth has been booked and has posted bond on the charge of Careless Driving Causing Death.
We would like to express our condolences to John's friends and family; We are so sorry for your loss.
We also want this to serve as a reminder to all that distracted driving does have consequences. Not all cases of distracted driving will end as tragically as this case did, however, all cases have the potential to end tragically and there will be consequences for distracted drivers.



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