So sad.

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

This is sad but really does not surprise me. People just refuse to make space for others, as they pass, whether it's on a bike path or the sidewalk in a city. It seems there's a lot more of "I'm not moving, everyone better just get out of my way".

I know I'm going to sound old but when I was younger, if people were approaching one another on a sidewalk, each person would slightly turn as to not bump the other. Nowadays, if I'm walking toward people, it seems I'm the only one getting out the way anymore. Couples will be walking hand in hand and refuse to make room for others coming toward them. Our society is much more selfish and I assume this may be what happened with this cycling situation. I hope I'm wrong but I would not be surprised otherwise

I was on the Minuteman yesterday, probably passed that spot about an hour before the accident. It was one of the first warmish days around here and the path was very crowded. I normally only ride the path early mornings as well, just way too crazy otherwise (especially if on my tri bike, I was on a road bike yesterday).

Very sad news.

I've run and biked on that path hundreds of times (I live at the end of it in Bedford). My first thought was if the biker who died was wearing a helmet - I know that's probably the wrong thing to think, but there are so many people riding bikes on that path without helmets (and in general). I just shake my head every time I see someone on a bike without a helmet. Of course this is just speculation as a helmet can only do so much.

Very sad for the greater community.

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I'm comfortable concluding that this collision between two people with a combined age of nearly 130 is due to young people being so selfish these days. Sure.

One of the comments in the Globe story was from someone who rode up just after EMTs arrived on scene and said both riders had helmets, also mentioned both bikes pretty banged up so likely one of them riding at high speed. Accident happened just after 2pm on a nice sunny afternoon so likely crowded for the time of year. Happened somewhere in the Lexington stretch.

I grew up in Bedford, know that area well and remember when the bike path was still an active commuter rail line when I was a kid.

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"You can never win or lose if you don't run the race." - Richard Butler

Do you have an unconscious bias toward young people? I said I'm old but I said nothing about the age of the people being rude

Sad part is seeing people riding with their helmet on, but the strap not fastened, or the helmet sitting on the handlebars, and not on their head

I was forwarded an account of this accident that was written by someone who arrived on the scene within a minute or two of the crash. According to this person, the crash occurred when the younger cyclist, traveling a a faster rate of speed, crossed over the middle of the path while overtaking slower traffic, and their handlebars struck, throwing both cyclists off their bikes. Two people were already applying CPR as the older cyclist's heart had already stopped. According to this person, based on what he observed and the accounts of those that witnessed the actual crash, the younger cyclist who survived was at fault.

A very tragic and apparently avoidable accident.

That is sad, agree that both tragic and avoidable. Given the way I've seen some people ride on there I'm not surprised though.

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"You can never win or lose if you don't run the race." - Richard Butler

I am assuming the younger cyclist was traveling at too fast a speed for the situation. I ride on a wide multi-use path and there's just no good reason in a situation where you're trying to pass someone and somebody is coming the other way NOT to slow down and wait for the oncoming traffic to clear before making a pass yourself.

Awful what happened. I live really close to the path, but avoid it anytime but the middle of the day on weekdays and that's if I want a relatively chill ride. As a rule, I never try to split in the middle to pass, you just never know how someone will react and there isn't that much room that someone can't be hit easily if someone makes a wrong move. If I see someone approaching I give them the right of way before passing slower traffic. If I want to go fast(er) I'll go on the road. The path isn't any place to be impatient at lack of speed. I'm surprised about hearing about aggressive riding, I've never observed it, but then again I don't go during heavily trafficked times and I'm generally one of the faster users. If people are using the path for training, they need to find somewhere else to go, plenty of open road not far from there to go nuts.

We bitch about safety on roads from cars and then we use the greenways in this way. Pretty stupid actions by the one cyclist IF this is true. Greenways have their place but you can’t act a fool when it’s that crowded especially if your using it for “training” purposes. Your just a punk if you can’t handle your bike and/or don’t have the patience you really shouldn’t be using an greenway in that manner.

You must be going pretty damn fast to crash that hard and cause that type of injuries.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

I’m not really that surprised. People are racing up and down that path. Riding no hands talking on the phone. People have just taken their ahole driving style and transferred it to the path. I’ve been hit by bicyclists running on the path. Unfortunately, was only a matter of time before something like this happened.

Cyclists simply shouldn't go fast on any multi-use trails, period. If they want to go fast they should save that for the road where there are no joggers, dog walkers etc. Each year I bark at a few cyclists that are moving way too fast on the local M/U trails, especially around curves. Only bike I take on M/U trails is a mountain or fat bike. The fact that one person died tells me at least one of them were traveling a bit too fast.

You want to help solve the problem, even just in a minor way? Flag your local MUP cycling segments on Strava. No reason for it.

If there isn't an incentive to shave seconds from Strava, maybe a few people would just go "eff it" and slow down.

I see it all the time on the Schuylkill River Trail in Philly.. people in full aero gear, in aero position, hammering along sections of the trail that are maybe 3 bikes wide. Combined with packs who insist on riding two abreast and are either oblivious to oncoming riders or just want to be obnoxious, it only takes a momentary lapse of attention or a quick swerve to avoid an obstacle at those speeds and someone's getting hurt.

You really don't have to be going that fast when no one is wearing any significant safety gear. Helmets are designed for protecting from impact with the ground...basically its just a drop test. And they are only good for THAT if they are worn properly. How many loose straps do you see out riding, or the helmet pushed WAYY too far back?

I have no idea about this incident, but we've had a few deaths on trails here in the DFW area over the years that absolutely were as described above.

I've been on MUP's all over the country. My wife doesn't ride, so we used to go for walks (often taking the dog with us). I get buzzed by at least on idiot on a bike EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I've been passed on the right while walking my dog...the cyclist ran over his leash and kept right on going. After that, we stopped using the MUP's---its just not safe the way MANY people ride. Very few people care. The average cyclist is exactly the same as the average driver---a selfish ass-hole.

So, I've given up walking where cyclists are allowed to be. I'd rather walk in the road with cars than on a path with cyclists.

Sure but if your riding the prescribed speed limit on greenways (usually 10 mph or less) you can have much less impact than if one is going 10 mph and one is going 18 mph. That kills your reaction time for both the person riding into the crash and being ridden into.

So yes many don't wear protection while on the greenway, I still think your an asshole if your going to be buzzing down the greenway at "training" speed on a busy ass sunday afternoon. Your just a dick, so we bitch about cars buzzing us and not "respecting" us on the roads and then we go behave in that manner on busy ass greenways.

ETA: And yes you can crash and kill yourself in the parking lot without a helmet...wasn't that what happened to one of Lance Armstrong's old teammates what in the late 90's? He was riding slowly finishing ride at I believe less than 4 mph, fell and hit his head. So yes I can understand if you dont wear safety equipment...but I see far more NOT wearing helmets on greenways than I ever do on roads and that's likely because it SHOULD be a much SAFER environment for everyone.....and it usually is unless you ride like a dick.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

This is literally Minuteman Commuter Bikeway, with a 25mph speed limit, but it's built no differently than your average multi-use trail and suffers all of the downsides of one, so I'm inclined to agree with you. In the mornings, in the absence of throngs of families casually blocking the entire width, this path is a dream. Every other time, Mass Ave is the superior choice.