What goes through your head when you see a bike crash? What goes through your head when you are in your final lap of a race and see a crash? What goes through your head when the crash is so severe that some cyclists aren’t able to shake it off, and one man is down for the count, with a broken collarbone?
Last weekend I was in a Cat 4/5 Race and during the final lap, more than 10 guys hit the pavement hard resulting in at least one man breaking his collarbone. What did I learn from this? What did I learn from this crash? When riding in packs, whether racing or in group rides, one must control his or her emotions. If you are riding erratically or are riding in such a way that could harm those around you, then, you might as well be the driver of a car who drives by just barely nicking your shoulder.
The job of a cyclist is to first ensure your own safety and then the safety of those around you, such as other cyclists.
When you are doing training rides, or even CAT 4/5 races, there is no reason to crash. It is not the Tour de France, or even a CAT 1/2 Pro race, it is a just a race…. Get over it. If you ride by endangering the lives and the fun of others than you don’t deserve to be on the racecourse. Ride with consideration, ride with others in mind, and if you don’t, wear a jersey that says “watch out, I don’t care about you!” My safety is just as important as yours and the difference between you and me is that I make sure that what ever I do is both safe, and considerate of those around me, even automobiles.
This may be a rant, this may be a CAT 4 rider who is just sick of people who are always going down in races and training rides to just gain one wheel!
Ride safe, ride considerately and ride with others in mind!