Race Marshall injured in Car/Rider collision (video)

Teddy Westside

The Youtube title Race Marshal Hit by Car, Run Over by Cyclists may be misleading as you don't actually see the collision. It could be the marshal was hit by the cyclist. Regardless, the question is what the car driver was doing on the circuit - a team or support car or a member of the public? The amount of horn blowing is unusual for a race vehicle from anything I've seen in person or on TV, ut not impossible.

I haven't found any more info on this incident, location/outcome, though I'm assuming it's the USA from what I can see. I hope everyone was ok and the driver received any appropriate action, depending on what actually occurred.

Several rider could have done with paying better attention too, even allowing for the speed they were travelling at.

Anyone have more information?

pottssteve

The wife showed me this last night - it's from just outside Washington DC. Looks like the course was poorly designed with riders running in opposite directions not separated by any physical barrier. I suspect the car was alongside the lead rider. Looks like the guy on the bike didn't see the marshall standing in the middle of the street (!) and hit her. I think she would be a lot worse off if the car had hit her.

knedlicky

I think the race marshall probably took a couple of steps backwards into the path of the race leader.

The front of the peloton she was watching is 5 m away from her (to the right in our view) but as the rest of the peloton reach her, they ride over the yellow cross-hatched area in which she is standing.
She therefore probably took a couple of steps backwards to dodge them, keeping her eyes on them, so not noticing the race leader is coming from the other direction. The car driver notices what might happen so honks his horn but in the end to no avail.

I doubt the race leader didn't see her, more likely he went to her left or right, just as she either inadvertently or in panic (if at the last moment she noticed him bearing down) also moved in the same direction - that's the way things go.
The peloton she was actually watching then arrive and aren’t paying attention because they are more concerned with building up speed having, 200 m up the road, just done a tight loop on the out-and-back course.

pottssteve

knedlicky wrote:

I think the race marshall probably took a couple of steps backwards into the path of the race leader.

The front of the peloton she was watching is 5 m away from her (to the right in our view) but as the rest of the peloton reach her, they ride over the yellow cross-hatched area in which she is standing.
She therefore probably took a couple of steps backwards to dodge them, keeping her eyes on them, so not noticing the race leader is coming from the other direction. The car driver notices what might happen so honks his horn but in the end to no avail.

I doubt the race leader didn't see her, more likely he went to her left or right, just as she either inadvertently or in panic (if at the last moment she noticed him bearing down) also moved in the same direction - that's the way things go.
The peloton she was actually watching then arrive and aren’t paying attention because they are more concerned with building up speed having, 200 m up the road, just done a tight loop on the out-and-back course.

Seems reasonable. Either way, it's a bloody shambles......

Daz555

Shouts of "keep left keep left" were utterly unhelpful as well!

goonz

Horrific course design, whoever designed that needs to be shot.

Teddy Westside

Thanks, everybody, for clarifying what happened. The calls of "Keep left", whilst regretable, are understandable in the heat of the moment when you're facing the opposite direction from the riders you are shouting to. the course layout is certainly poor, with no form of barrier between the riders going in opposite directions on the same road. Even some cones - preferably two rows with a gap in between for marshals would have been better than nothing.

All in all, an avoidable situation had anyone planned better.