Me too, serious bummer. Not sure where it happened but Ali'i is inordinately dangerous on race week.

Can anyone translate what did he said? I am deaf, so I can't understand what he said on the video. Thanks

Geez, I was just watching him with Babbitt on Breakfast with Bob.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2uVzH5bSXI

Terrible break.

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Sharon McN
@IronCharo
#TeamZoot
Clif Bar Pace Team 2003-2018

Hit by a car and fractured his C2 vertebrae.

Out for 5-6 weeks.

Damn. Stay safe out there!

"Hey guys, I’m in Kona A&E, just getting the finishing touches for my Kona race on Saturday, going for a new aero look. I’ve heard that’s the way to beat Jan, Sebi, and Patrick, the podium guys from last year. No, unfortunately I got hit by a car this morning, and I’ve got a fracture in my C2 vertebrae up high. The good news is I don’t have to have an operation and fly to Honolulu in a helicopter—that would have been pretty cool—no, but that’s the good news. The bad news is I’m out for the best part of five/six weeks in a brace and can’t be back. I wish everyone the best of luck. Good luck guys.”

Man that sucks! Really wanted to see how he would bike in Kona after all the talk this year!

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Terrible Tuesday’s Triathlon

Bummer for Tim. What does he mean, "I can't be back"

thats awful news

terrible fracture, terrible timing - cant even imagine


Best wishes

I just watched the Breakfast with Bob interview last night before I went to bed and saw the title thought it was a joke!
Very said news but his spirit and outlook are intact and amazing as seems to be status quo for Tim.
And after reading the headline article on ST about the two triathlete brothers with fast-advancing ALS I think we all, including Tim, should count our blessings everyday.
Wishing fast and seamless recovery to Don. I was really looking forward to seeing him kill it this year!

I think he said "You can count I'll be back".

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Alex Arman

Strava

Damn, not really a fan, but that is just heartbreaking.

Soooooo bummed for him. I was really looking forward to his race.

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Ed O'Malley
www.VeloVetta.com
Founder of VeloVetta Cycling Shoes
Instagram • Facebook

I'm glad he's ok and it wasn't more serious. Props to him for coming across pretty positive. He was having such a good season, I would've loved to see how he stacked up. Heal quickly Tim!

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Matt

There's a slight croak in his voice like he wasn't far off crying towards the end.

I can see a thousand women balling their eyes out and i not bothered at all, total heart of stone, but a man who's slightly upset and i am fighting back the tears, Tim's croaky voice nearly set me off.

It can be a quick or long road back. Don't read much into the the public positive display. That can just be an external face that has nothing to do with what an accident victim is feeling inside. Right now he is likely just in shock more than anything. Best wishes to him. Those who are close to him, be there for him when the spotlight is gone and the world forgets about him. For now we care....but the sports world is filled with replaceable gladiators, and most of us will forget to inquire about him shortly. Then the poor athlete is stuck on a solo recovery path. Hope to see an article next spring about him ripping it up. Real bummer with something like this. Hopefully nothing long term.

How many pros have to get hurt during Kona week before some additional controls are put in place to protect them? Seems like every year now a pro goes down at the hands of a driver in Kona.

Let's not immediately pin it on a driver. Not saying Tim was at fault, but lots of riders seem to think they own the road, and they could often do a lot more to mitigate issues with cars.

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Blog: http://262toboylstonstreet.blogspot.com/
https://twitter.com/NateThomasTri
Coaching: https://bybtricoaching.com/ - accepting athletes for 2023

Very unfortunate. I hope he has a speedy and complete recovery. Please post details of the collision when available. I think we can always learn from such details. Safe travels to all.

Stick to the indoor trainer like Lionel.

The details I have was that he was struck by a truck in a construction area and the driver never saw him.

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Big Sexy Racing 2018

We are in Kona. We have driven out past the airport the last 3 days to start rides to get past the construction. Traffic is brutal on the north side. It is pretty much gridlock in both directions from north of the airport into Kona, no matter what time of day we have gone. I've been here 4 times during race week and never seen anything like it. There are cones and orange pylons all over the place in the construction area, it is very confusing for both drivers and cyclists. The gridlock makes drivers impatient. And we have seen a lot of cyclists not paying attention or following road rules. Ali'i drive also seems busier than usual...actually the whole town seems busier than usual.

 I remain amazed at how dangerous road cycling is. It seems to me to be the only sport, other than motorsport racing, where its stars are routinely injured by external forces. Imagine if Michael Phelps was at risk of being eaten by a shark or hit by a boat every time he went to the pool to train – it would be ridiculous.

I've witnessed several pro's do incredibly stupid things on the bike (especially in town) while in Kona. Not this year as I'm not there, but in 2013 and 2014 when I was there.

I have been hit recently (I was fine, shaken up and damage to my bike, but fine). The officer said that the vast majority of times, it is the car at fault not the cyclist. I hate to say it, but I have seen a lot more self-entitled folks who are not afraid to bully others in 2017 than in other years. I can't help but think about political events that have occurred since last year that would make those who think they own the road more emboldened.

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2018 Races: IM Santa Rosa, Vineman Monte Rio, Lake Tahoe 70.3

I know this part of the video broke my heart! I feel for him! Hope he heals well!

I am a big fan of Tim's and it is areal shame we wont be able to see him race. However I commute on my bike in London and have been doing so for years, the single variable that you can control which will stop you having an accident is SPEED. slow down enough and you will pretty much eradicate any accidents. The busier it gets the slower you have to go.

Well they have 2400 athletes racing this year. Not long ago it was the biggest field at 1800. Think about that for a second. If everyone brings 2 other people with them to Kona that is another 1800 people in town...for a very small town. Plus add in more vendors, etc. That race is outgrowing the town.

I hope this was supposed to be pink. Otherwise it's f-ing retarded. I don't know specifics about Tim's crash. But riding 10 MPH or 20 MPH doesn't stop some careless douche from texting while driving or driving drunk and running you over.

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Don't drown. Don't crash. Don't walk.

Yep

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

go on....

Not that the athlete density along Ali'i doesn't cause issues, but there the speeds of cyclists and cars are generally low. The situation between the airport and harbor access is almost entirely a combination of vehicles and construction. Construction takes forever on the Big Island. This particular contractor actually gets their work done faster than any other, but some design and environmental screw ups have extended construction by probably a year. Local drivers are frustrated, visitiors are clueless and rush in and out of intersection like the airport access road. All of this makes things very dangerous for cyclists.

It also doesn't help that Hawaii DOT construction traffic safety requirements are some of the worst I've ever seen. I guess they just have never been subject to a huge liability lawsuit award or they have and don't care. The construction raffic control measures along the Queen K are terrible. As mentioned above and in Kona Coffee's 2017 Kona thread, the safest approach is shuttling north past the construction if you want to ride north.

I've theorized about that myself here on the mainland, but I think it's less likely on the Big Island where Trump only got 27% of the votes. http://www.politico.com/...ap/president/hawaii/

Here's what Michael Drutar, who is on the Board of Directors at Peoples Advocacy for Trails Hawaii according to his Facebook page, wrote on ST's Facebook page regarding the collision:

"Very disappointing. As for the details- he was riding Northbound through town. Just passed the light at the harbor. With all the construction, traffic backs up to a near stop there. A car traveling South was waiting to make a left turn into the gas station. As is Hawaii custom, one of the slow moving Northbound cars came to a stop and waved the south bound car to make their left turn. The cyclist was riding legally in the bike lane, but with all the traffic, neither the cyclist or car saw each other in time. Witnesses say that he was able to brake for an instant before the collision. The car (truck actually) stopped and stayed at the scene. It's sad to see this. We here on the islands are doing the best we can to educate drivers and cyclists, but like in most places, we still have out work cut out for us. I hope he has a successful recovery and makes it back next year."

Mark,

thank you for including the details of how the accident happened. It does indeed truly sound like an accident, which does happen at times. I also have ridden out in Kona and in pre-race rides, every driver has been courteous.

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2018 Races: IM Santa Rosa, Vineman Monte Rio, Lake Tahoe 70.3

I feel really bad for Tim Don. You can hear the emotion in his voice at the end of his Instagram post. You know he poured the better part of the past 8 months into preparing for this race. Sounds like it was just an unfortunate accident that was completely unavoidable. I hope he has a speedy recovery.

That's not an accident! The driver who waved the truck through should have checked the bike lane before directing the truck to cross. And the truck should never have trusted the driver who waved him through. This is called the "wave of death" and it's not an accident but a completely preventable incident.

https://bikeportland.org/...ult-collision-109655

I agree. And whenever I'm riding and see this situation, I always break and never trust that the driver(s) are going to see me. If you're the driver, you don't just go on good faith of the wave either, you crawl out, until you can see the way for yourself. Both parties could have done with better defensive efforts to avoid this one. Very sad.

PMo,

You are right that the one waving them didn't check the bike lane. But that is negligence not intent. They truly did not mean the cyclist harm. It was an accident.

To contrast that, I (and I imagine most cyclists have similar stories) have had folks throw things at me (while I'm in the bike lane), get real close and yell at me to make me fall, see me and choose to turn out right in front of me and see me and choose to do an illegal u-turn in front of me causing me to hit them and then telling the officer "I had no right to be on the road".

Unintentional would be the old lady who turned left in front of me and nearly hit me or the driver who turned right into a restaurant after passing me in the bike lane. Should they have seen me? Yes. Did they? No. I am upset about these two as my life is still in danger, but these were not intentional like the others above (and many others that I could recount) all of which have occurred since 2017. In 2014 to 2016 I had zero situations where someone intentionally mistreated me on a bike. The sad thing is that I feel hunted on the bike these days by people who are bullies behind the wheel. I now wear a blinking safety vest on every ride and a camera on my helmet in addition to the normal array of blinking lights all over my bike.

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2018 Races: IM Santa Rosa, Vineman Monte Rio, Lake Tahoe 70.3

Lack of intent to harm doesn't excuse negligence. This is legally not an accident, any more than it is an "accident" when a driver runs someone down from behind. Drivers need to be more careful. Could Tim have seen it coming and acted to avoid it? Perhaps. However, assuming that is the proper chain of events, he had every right to be where he was.

I agree. My standards of what to expect from drivers have just gone so far downhill in 2017 I can't even imagine expecting what you say even though you are correct. Your perspective reminds me of what reality should be and not the reality I currently face.

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2018 Races: IM Santa Rosa, Vineman Monte Rio, Lake Tahoe 70.3

Oh I understand the reality of things. I've been hit because a driver wouldn't slow down and instead tried to squeeze through a lane with me, and biking home from campus just now I had a couple close calls in a 15 min ride. However, I feel like we have to call it like it is every time this kind of thing happens rather than call it an accident and let it slide. Call me young and idealistic if you wish (I'm only 22), but I feel like that attitude needs to go away if change is going to happen.

Also drivers aren't suddenly significantly worse in 2017. They've always sucked. That is an absolutely rediculous statement.

Saying that it wasn't an accident isn't the same as saying that it was intentional.

Calling something an accident implies that there is no on at fault and that it couldn't have been prevented and it's just something that is always going to happen. This makes us complacent and doesn't motivate us to improve our driving skills and situational awareness.

If we just say "oh it was an accident, nothing you can do" then drivers will continue waving other drivers across the road without checking their mirrors for bikes. If we instead call it an incident and look for a root cause, then we can educate ourselves and others and make the roads safer.

There's an important distinction in the words used that shouldn't be taken lightly.

https://www.vox.com/2015/7/20/8995151/crash-not-accident

So this is Trump's fault? Is they anything that people will not try to blame on him, or a subject that will not be politicized? I am sick of it.

Yeah that's gotta hurt to get knocked out of the race at the 11th hour after all that preparation.

I'd be near tears too.

.... except Lionel's out on those roads this week too

please stop calling it an accident.

two people are at fault here. the car taking a left, for not paying attention. the car stopping on a straight road to let someone take a left.

people think they are being nice, but they are just being stupid. roads are designed a certain way. when you stop to let someone on the other side take a left to improve the flow of traffic on that side, you impede the traffic on your side. i see this way too often. driving down a road and the person in front of me comes to a complete stop on a main road to let someone take a left onto a private street... facepalm. same moron is the guy not letting you merge on the highway because he "owns" the lane.

Not without reason; everything has been politicized. That’s like his favorite game. And yes, many things are different this year. It’s not just the prerogative of the right. Now deal with it, or ask for your safe space, snowflake.

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The point is, ladies and gentleman, that speed, for lack of a better word, is good. Speed is right, Speed works. Speed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.

Tri forum should be a "safe space" blaming Trump belongs in lavender.

I know the exact spot as I almost had the same thing happen to me yesterday as well. I was lucky in that I could see what was about to happen and slowed up before the car even turned. I'm just here for my wife and on a road bike and just riding for fun but Tim could very well of been in his aero bars and doing efforts and had no way of anticipating it.
I was here in 2014 and the riding was much nicer but this year with construction near town it has been really dicey. I've seen a number of folks walking around with fresh road rash or arms in slings.

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Team Every Man Jack

I noticed that too, ditto what you say mate

With what I’ve seen walking and driving, I’d be petrified of riding here. My skin crawls watching some of the bike and car interactions.

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The point is, ladies and gentleman, that speed, for lack of a better word, is good. Speed is right, Speed works. Speed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.

Never rely on others for your safety.

Never pass a car sitting in the traffic lane on the right unless you are sure they can't turn into you, the road ahead is clear and/or they see you.

Part of survival 101 for cyclists in urban traffic.

Yes, I hate to be preachy and that I am the slowest of my group to get out of town.

It wasn't the car he was passing that got him, it was someone from the other lane. You can talk all you want about how cyclists need to protect themselves, and you'd be right in that it is smart to do so. However, that also doesn't change the fact that he had every right to be riding where he was and behaving in the way that he did. The car was the entity that was somewhere it should not have been.

There are apparently a ton of athletes here that must do just that, because they clearly have no freaking idea how to ride in traffic.

I am very well aware what happened and who is at fault..

But I prefer to not prioritize or count on being in the right when I am on a bike.

For obvious reasons of vulnerability and given the general state of righteousness (entitlement) and indifference by others.

Yup, slow or stopped traffic in the lane adjacent to you, regardless of vehicle type, means you need to be slowing down or stopping too. Otherwise you hit people in crosswalks, or you get left-turning collisions. However -- do you think you could adequately judge when someone's going to open a gap in congested traffic, and hit the brakes in time? You probably have to be tooling along at 12mph to not get nailed.

Someone else in the thread called this specific situation the wave of death. The small size of on-street door-zone bike lanes and the relative lack of traffic in them drive most people to make terrible decisions in deciding when to cross them -- the person who hit Tim likely didn't even think about the bike lane. They essentially turn into death funnels. I would suggest this is an argument for better bike infrastructure, but cyclists training on the road usually favor roads in less-dense areas that wouldn't build separate bike infrastructure in the first place. In fact, the presence of a bike lane probably means you should slow down -- driver and cyclist alike.

The president sets a national example. If someone acts like a bully or a petulant child, than others who would act that way are emboldened to do the same. While I cannot fault Trump for the accidents, that would be silly, I can, as many Republicans have pointed out, hold him responsible for empowering darker segments of our population. Can I say Trump is to blame? No. And I didn't. I did point out the correlation. But then again, it could be the .1% chance that this is simply random variation.

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2018 Races: IM Santa Rosa, Vineman Monte Rio, Lake Tahoe 70.3

Drop the Trump BS. You see what you want to see. That is literally like the meme where everyone says "Thanks Obama", but you aren't trying to be funny. I've had people be assholes to me on the bike as long as I've put wheels on the road.

Someone did something stupid in a car in a risky area. But its something most have probably done themselves. Not necessarily trust a wave through, but have to pull through a line of traffic with low visibility. Was the person wrong.....yes. Did they have some sense of cockiness which allowed them to whip their car wherever they wanted without care for physically injuring cyclists due to the political climate........come on.

These trump haters are just haters in life, and live in a entitlement bubble. Go trump!!

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Maybe the town and/or the WTC should put in place some kind of moratorium on when riding is allowed in the weeks leading up to the race (e.g. less busy periods). Ticket those who don't follow it. Otherwise the problem is only going to get worse. Not saying this was Tim's fault, or the driver's, but it sounds like something needs to be done or the chaos will continue.

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"The first virtue in a soldier is endurance of fatigue; courage is only the second virtue."
- Napoleon Bonaparte

Agree. Unprotected bike lanes that I've seen are built more for the convenience of motorists than the safety of cyclists.

watched Tim win ITU Worlds in 2006, eleven years later and he's still world-class, damned impressive.. then KO'd by a car.
best of luck Tim, we will miss you in the race..

You are a complete moron...stop posting and maybe check into a mental hospital??

Staph it! This had nothing to do with politics.

Driving in some parts, well where I'm from Seattle too actually, is like a game of who's been brought up better. NEVER GIVE UP THE RIGHT OF WAY WHILE DRIVING. That's how accidents happen. You aren't being nice - you are being stupid - not to mention blocking 100 people behind you to let one in in front of you. Let them wait if the rules of the road say they are supposed to wait. Especially to let a left turn onto a multi lane road with a bike lane, my gods. How dumb???

That said, QK has been a construction shit show from the town to the airport for what 2 years now? How long does it take to add two more lanes to 8 miles of highway running through an empty volcanic wasteland? Ought to be a 6 month job tops.