Just heard of a report here in San Diego that a cyclist was killed on Kearney Villa Road at around 6AM this morning. This stretch is a popular road for both commuter cyclists and for TT interval training.
Does anyone have details on the accident??
i was there, i was about 3 mins behind him. the guy was a young marine about 22 maybe. he was wearing a marine cycling jersy riding a QR tequilo (the purple yellow orange red one) from nytro. he was passing the 163 on ramp when someone clipped him.
i don’t know his name but he road that route often i saw him last week. i think it was thursday morning. he wasn’t wearing a helmet. he had sandy blonde hair, cut into a high and tight.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20050823-0736-bike-fatal.html
Sorry to hear about this johnny - and that you had to see it. I used to TT that road. It is so dangerous having 70mph traffic and numerous high speed on/off ramps similar to a highway. These days I ride up to Ramona and use the flats at Highland Valley/Dye Road.
Reports are that the cyclist was a 29 y/o Marine captain.
How can a driver leave the scene?
How can a rider not wear a helmet?
A cyclist dies on that road every few months – at least once a year. I swear, I do not leave my driveway at home without protecting my dome. But I’m 20 years older than this fellow and feel quite mortal.
initially the car left the scene but i am hearing that he came back. it was a cement truck.
at this point i am not sure what i am going to do as far as riding, maybe a computrainer for a while. my wife is upset thinking it could have been me. i slept in 30 mins longer than normal. makes you wonder…
Horrible news to start the morning with. I know that exactly stretch of road as I use to drive it when I worked in Kerny Mesa. Very popular with cyclist since there are large shoulders on both sides.
Was he wearing a helmet today???
-bcreager
the news is saying he was, but i didn’t see it, but then again it could have been knocked off.
I’m with you Kevin…I don’t leave the driveway without my “brain bucket” on. I have actually never ridden that stretch of road, just driven for the exact reason you stated, “70 mph traffic and numerous high speed on/off ramps”
-bcreager
Either way, horrible news. Be careful out there, too bad there isn’t another section of road close to that with the same shoulders and that goes into Mira Mesa…Be careful out there jonny!
-bcreager
Horrible news.
I actually feel safer TTing on I-5 north around Pendleton than on Kearny Villa. The on/off ramps are critcally dangerous on KV road and on I-5 you can get off with traffic at the rest stops and roll back on without stopping all the way up to Las Pulgas.
at this point i am going to have a hard sell to my wife continuing to commute to work at least going that way. a computrainer in the garage is sounding better.
I’m with you Kevin…I don’t leave the driveway without my “brain bucket” on. I have actually never ridden that stretch of road, just driven for the exact reason you stated, “70 mph traffic and numerous high speed on/off ramps”
-bcreager
I always wear a helmet, too, but the chances that a helmet could save your life when a car hits you at 70 mph are slim.
Unfortunate about the rider. It happened to a good friend of mine a while back in San Francisco…and he was a triathlete, too.
I’m guessing your going from Mira Mesa to Kearny Mesa…only other way I can think of is Mirmar to Genesse to Clairmont Mesa Rd…and that’s a looooooong detour.
-bcreager
yeah i am going from mira mesa to point loma i was using KVR to linda vista down to rose crans. i have gone the way that your talking about. its not a bad ride, but that clairmont hill is a killer.
That hill is a big killer! Long bike commute, I bet it helps get the miles in though! This is a perfect example a major downfall of San Diego…only one or two ways to get some places, so everyone has to use them and they are packed.
You could take Genesse across I-5 and head down to la jolla, through PB and MB, and then into OB…but the signals and stop signs would add LOTS of time to the commute! Plus, not alot of bike lanes!
Looks like the way you are currently going is the best way…be on the look out in KV!!!
-bcreager
That is terrible news. I drove down the 163 this morning on my way to work and heard about it also. Being relatively new to the sport, I’ve been trying to find “safe” places to ride while I gain more confidence with riding in traffic. My thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family.
Recently, I was down at Fiesta Island on a Friday afternoon doing the loops. One driver leaving the island was just being a jerk and, at least in my mind, was trying to screw with me. He and his passenger just refused to pass me and shadowed me for a bit (I was well within the bike lane). I tried slowing down, he would slow also. Finally, I just pulled over and stopped. He floored it, flipped me off, and drove away. What’s up with that?!?
Anyway, just had to vent on that point.
This one hits fairly close to home. I’m in Orange County but not familiar with that stretch of road. When I first read the story I felt very sad but now I’m feeling very angry.
I hope that somebody can organize some sort of ride as a memorial to the fallen cyclist and to let that motorists know that enough is enough. They can’t go on killing us because of their impatience, lack of attention, lack of skill, or whatever other excuse they want to use on that particular day. A huge group (hundreds) of cyclists taking up the whole road riding slowly may be a good protest, with media coverage. F*ck cars!
Its absolutely tragic, and I do agree that we need something done, more severe penalties, more tickets for “road rage” against cyclsts, and perfhaps more bike-cops. A memorial ride would be a great idea. But I think the wrong thing to do is stage a protest and take up the road to piss cars off.
I think some of the problem is the influx of new cyclists, that don’t understand the rules of the road, and also experienced riders that ignore them. I have yet to be on a ride where I don’t see a cyclist run a red light, or a stop sign, or ride two-abreast on a road with a bike lane instead of single file, and end up having one biker in the way of traffic. I’ve seen cars “buzz” cyclists in the bike lane, or stop in the bike lane, just to piss us off. I’m not mad at those drivers though…I am mad at the cyclist that ruins it for my by running the red light! Its unfortunate that actions like those protray me in an negetive way, just because I ride a bike too. Just human nature I guess
-bcreager
really sorry about what happend but you can never really can tell when an accident would occur but most often than not it happens when you`re riding alone. i think thats a worldwide habbit of motorists to ignore us on the road unless we are 10+ or more riders. here where i stay i need to show hand gestures to drivers and bus drivers to let them know i see them, a simple waving them away or making them move on the outer portion of the road seems to help here, but they are travelling 50,60-70 mph really scary still…once a bus passes you it seems someone in a dark suit is waving at you and smiling…i always refer to big trucks and buses on the road as fast dinosaurs
Good point, most of the accidents that I read about are 1 or 2 cyclists, and a fast moving car (50+ mph).
I try to do the same thing, make eye contact, or a small hand gesture at road intersections. Many times they don’t see me, some times they do…its worth the effort for the “sometimes”
-bcreager
I am with you on that. Those drivers who retaliate are in most cases those that had been “offended” by cyclists that broke the rules of the road before. I see it every day at least once.
You can not dissmiss the road rage of those drivers as the fact that they “just don’t like cyclists”. I bet the majority who give us a hard time while we are riding are mad at cyclists for a good reason.
Sad times!