Hey Jason,
I crashed on the descent just after you cross the summit north of Searchlight, NV on US 95. There are two manhole covers right in the middle of the shoulder, about 1/2 mile after starting the descent. The first is easy to go around, everything is smooth. The second is what got me. It is right smack dab in the middle. You don’t want to go left because of the deep rumble strip. Normally, you don’t want to go over the manhole cover or the concrete collar so went to the right and stayed on the asphalt. There is where it is. It is a deep depression where the ashpalt has sunk down in the year since they paved that section. To make it worse, there is a small rise right before it dips. It is for all intents and purposes, an invisible pothole. The last speed my forerunner showed was 33.7 mph. I was on the aerobars when I hit it.
All I can remember is all of a sudden coming off the bars with me going left and the bike to the right. I think I still was clipped in when I impacted about 30 meters down the road from that “hole.”
Three weeks before I crashed, was riding the same route (was my first time this year on the new road coming back out of Searchlight) when I hit that hole. Again, was on the bars at high speed. Almost lost it there. It was the same day that Dick Tomlin died. When I read the article on his death, noted the time of his accident then looked at where I was at that moment. It was almost to the minute, when he died and I almost crashed. About three weeks later I did. So when I crashed, I was looking. But it is almost invisible. I should not have been on my drops.
Tried to have the Nev. DOT fix the hole. No luck. In fact, when I made telephone contact with the DOT maintenance supervisor in Searchlight, I mentioned to him the hazard and that it should be marked. He said, that is not allowed. After, I picked up my bike the next day, I didn’t say anything about that dip. I knew his attitude. Me and my buddy stopped where I crashed and that is when I was able to really study the issue. So I took out a can of red paint and marked it. Guess who then showed up? Mr. Bureaucrat. We sort of got into it then. He started saying it was against regulations and they can’t have bicyclists marking the road all over the place. I responded by telling him that this hole is the only bike hazard between Searchlight and Boulder City, that’s around 50 miles each way and further, what good are regulations when the next guy isn’t as lucky as me. This was two days after I crashed. I’m in a sling with gauze covering most of my left side. The fool just absolutely could not see what my motive was. Of course, he was silent after that and left. Two days later, a training buddy rode that route. By then, the supervisor had came back and with black paint, completely camouflaged my warning. That is what pissed me off for days. Not my misfortune, but this calous disregard to saftey.
As for Silverman, that is too late in the year for me. Plus I have some career obligations that I must attend to that will not alow me much training time.
So, the chips are down right now, but I seem to be healing quickly. If I can toe the line in august, I will. But only if I can get the bone to fuse together.
Conrad
PS The corect line is across the concrete collar, either left or right. DO NOT ride right of the collar on the asphalt!!!