OLH makes for a great 5k climb. As a descent it sucks (bumpy, twisty, and narrow in places). Pretty much anyone doing reps goes down 84 (smooth and wide) and does it as a loop.

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ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

What counterclaim do you think that this guy might expect?

Exactly. Nobody (at least nobody with any sense) rides down OLH. When I want to repeat, I sometimes go down 84. Or if the traffic is bad, down Windy Hill, though I don't recommend that with narrow tires.

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My latest book: "Out of the Melting Pot, Into the Fire" is on sale on Amazon and at other online and local booksellers

Your posts are often judgmental, but you’ve outdone yourself on this thread. Do you know Claudio? Because I do, and he’s one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. Not arrogant - very soft spoken, in fact - and as far as descending OLH “recklessly” goes, his descents aren’t exactly Strava CR material.

But go ahead - keep making assumptions about people you don’t know based on whatever stereotypes fit your worldview. It must be difficult to have all the answers.

Ian

He must have gotten an arrogant and outspoken lawyer, though, because the claims don't read well.

I fear the outcome might be an outright closure of the road for cycling. Though hopefully they'd just ban the descent.

Installing lasers and flashing signs. Right.

Making it a one-way road would solve some issues (and create others). I can’t comment on the incident since I wasn’t there. I did see the aftermath (post ER), though, and it wasn’t pretty.

Ian

I don't know Claudio but he certainly seems like someone not willing to take responsibility for his own bad judgement and mistakes. Being soft-spoken or not a confident descender (yet does a descent competent descenders seem to avoid🤔) doesn't make this unlikely to be true.

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Ed O'Malley
www.VeloVetta.com
Founder of VeloVetta Cycling Shoes
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There are over 9500 Strava users who have descended OLH; Claudio's best time puts him 1723rd. Since you don't know him, you wouldn't know if he is either confident or competent as a descender. I've ridden with him many times, and he is both. He is capable of going much faster down OLH if he wanted to, so to claim he is either reckless or incompetent isn't supported by the numbers or the experience of those who have ridden with him.

Ian

Is this the road below? I like to think I'm a good descender. No effing way I'd ever descend this road without it being closed off, or if I absolutely had to, at 5 MPH hugging the last inches of space to leave myself a bailout. The text of the complaint is absolutely right. There's no way for a car and bike to safely pass each other going in opposite directions. And that's immediately clear.

Whether he's a good descender or not, what doesn't sit right is the contradiction between him appearing to know the roads well, and the words his lawyer is using on his behalf. I.e. that the road is in a defective condition and it's not safe for a bicycle and car to share the road. If you thought a descent was in dangerous condition and not safe for 2 vehicles to pass, why would you ride it? Let alone ride it fast enough to be ~1700th fastest out of ~9500 riders?

There is a road near me which sounds similar. Narrow, steep, not the greatest road surface, couple of sharp bends. It's one of my favourite climbs and I do it regularly. I haven't descended it in over 5 years. With a bit of moisture on the road it's a nasty descent even if you could guarantee no cars. With the possibility of cars round those bends it's simply not safe. I've been on group rides where somebody else has planned the route and I've left the ride and carried on solo when I realised they were planning to go down this road and I couldn't dissuade them.

That's what I just don't get. If he was visiting the area, didn't know the roads and went down it for the first time it would be understandable. If he hadn't ridden that road in a couple of years and the road surface had deteriorated drastically then it might be understandable. But for a local regular rider to make those comments (or allow a lawyer to make them on his behalf) while suing not just the driver but the whole town? That seems pretty disingenuous to say the least.

Sadly I used to work with a guy that would sue anyone over anything if he could.

Be a badly built BBQ or putting in a door by a builder at his home. To getting bumped into walking on a street.

He unsuccessfully sued about 8 people (however 4 of them just settled for a few thousand dollars)

But then he his the jackpot. Claimed he slipped on a tomato on the ground at the supermarket. Walked away with 200K minus legal fees.

His theory was people are insured and in the end he would win cash from someone.

So there are just scumbags out there

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Sadly, lost in this conversation is that there isn't any mention of Eric Heiden's legendary 14:10 climb of OLH!



Slowtwitch even memorialized the legendariness of it back in 2006:

https://forum.slowtwitch.com/...revealed!!!_P867127/

As one person wrote in the youtube comments, "RESPECT."

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Fast-Finishes.com
Triathlon and Running Race Timing
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That was my thought, a likely outcome could be cyclists banned from the road.

That seems like the road south of Skyline to 84, not the portion off of Portola. Which section did the rider in question descend too fast?

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"Go yell at an M&M"

First off, I'm sorry for your friends injuries. Seriously. While Claudio may be soft spoken, his action in this case is what I think others are questioning as "arrogant" and I tend to agree. It sucks this accident happened, but why does Claudio think it's anyone's fault but his own? He knew the road and chose to bike there. HE biked into the side of the truck. Now he's lawyered up and trying to cast blame,...potentially to the detriment of local riders who enjoy climbing that stretch. If he had put up a gofundme to help with medical bills I'm sure lots on here would have contributed and wished him well. Suing everyone seems to be the wrong call IMHO.[/quote]

Your posts are often judgmental, but you’ve outdone yourself on this thread. Do you know Claudio? Because I do, and he’s one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. Not arrogant - very soft spoken, in fact - and as far as descending OLH “recklessly” goes, his descents aren’t exactly Strava CR material.

But go ahead - keep making assumptions about people you don’t know based on whatever stereotypes fit your worldview. It must be difficult to have all the answers.

Ian[/quote]

"suicidal idiot" damn you sound like a nice guy, not bitter and resentful at all. How is that venting and bullying on internet forums working out for you?

I understand that point, and I’m not here to defend the suit (the general rule being that the only winners in most lawsuits are the lawyers). I responded to the OP because he went above and beyond that to impute all sorts of character traits to Claudio that are just flat-out wrong, and he did it with the conviction and bile that only an anonymous Internet forum keyboard warrior can do.

As far as the legal strategy goes, I’m guessing that his lawyers came up with the narrative. I don’t know what went on behind the scenes to precipitate the suit; what I do know is that Claudio had severe injuries that required a bunch of surgeries and a long rehab.

FWIW, when I got hit by a car in downtown Los Gatos 13 years ago, I would have had an open-and-shut case had I chosen to sue (driver was cited, tons of witnesses, etc.). I didn’t, because I wasn’t looking for a payday, but also (and chiefly) because the driver’s insurance company was very forthcoming and easy to deal with. I got my bike fixed, my medical bills paid, a little pain and suffering money, and a lifetime of mild sciatica. Had it not gone that way, I would have had to sue.

Ian

That made me want to vomit. Especially when he passed a car on the inside. I’m just not built for the tour (for many reasons, but not the least of which is decending).

When I climbed as colobra in Mallorca, it took me almost as much time to go down as up.

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Dan Mayberry
Amateur a lot of things, professional a few things.

#keyboardwarrior