National series cycle race... Le Race all over again

[Rashika]

ok, I gotta post this up. I was seriously UNIMPRESSED with the organisation of the cycle race held near chch today. Apparently it was the final in a national cycle series. In and around Taitapu, where we (about 7 of us at that point) just happened to be passing thru on the way to Akaroa, there was a cycle race that we stumbled on, literally.

Now i have previously stumbled on a cycle race on a public road before, that one had good signage and police helping out to guide the traffic, and we all passed safely thru... this one was NOT so.

We did (we being Dangerous, 2 cars and myself), quite literally, find ourselves almost run off the road by a support vehicle of the above mentioned race, on our side of the road. He was obviously trying to get us off the road (WTF we were meant to go i dont know), before the cyclists came around the blind corner and ploughed into us as many of them were also on the wrong side of the PUBLIC OPEN road. Not only did the vehicle deliberately drive on our side of the road, he made no attempt to move back across and they abused us as we came round the corner, what for I dont bloody know?
Its just as well we HAD read the SINGLE 'Cycle race' sign, saw some guy chatting to others in the intersection before the corner and slowed up to about 50kms (in a 100km area) and were looking for SOMETHING, being 'prepared for absolutely any dumb fuck stuff' is our bikers motto after all!

Funniest thing (and I mean funny as in black humour funny cos it wasn't really after the shit prior) was passing over the obvious Start/finish line with checkerboard flags, and a commentator saying something to the crowd across the road... it was a bit like stumbling into some weird movie set!

After spending some time last weekend at the MNZ meeting and listening to the potential problems they were contemplating after the Le Race prosecution, I honestly think they have not one issue to face.
If this is how the cyclists run their races, they need their fkn heads read and SHOULD FACE PROSECUTION more often. At least ours are run on a closed track, and jo public cant just accidently drive out on the track in the middle of a race.
To you cyclists out there who participate in these races, you NEED to make sure the organisers know wtf they are doing, cos you guys are the ones at risk. I dont wanna kill someone (not to mention myself!) cos you are on the wrong side of the road.

To the organisers... use your fkn heads and dont put races on a public road if you are not in control of the traffic from BOTH ends of the road...

[dangerous]

I dont wanna kill someone (not to mention myself!) cos you are on the wrong side of the road...

And that would just be the start of years of prosecutions and court dealings... to say it seemed like a movie set is right, I hadn't thought about it till now as all i was trying to do was survive.

Now what probably saved my arse was just after that "cycle race" sign I noticed a guy leaning on a stop/go lolly pop stick thing upside down yaking to others, i think that made me think theres some shit going down around the corner.

Now after we finished the cycle race on our motor cycles (well we did ride past the podium and checkered flag be it from the wrong direction) I noticed further down the road two bike coppers on points duty, fuck it I wanted to go all ginga on them and shot off down to have some words.
Now it musta looked kinda funny cos the copper in the middle of the rd stopped ALL trafic as I walked up to him, I guess it took a couple a minutes to tell him the problem up the road while all traffic waited, I felt like I shouda bowed before returning to my bike, anyhow he didnt seem interested in what I had to say.

[jrandom]

I'd just like to say that having done Le Race this year, and also being familiar with the prosecution back in '04, I'm no fan of Astrid Anderson's, and also agree that many organisers of cycling events need to wise up and take a more professional and realistic approach.

[James Deuce]

You've got witnesses, it should be easy to track down the driver of the vehicle and have a shot at an attempted murder charge.

I rest my case about cyclists.

[Clivoris]

Talk to a local journalist or do something to get the organisors held accountable. This gives me the screaming shits and I wasn't even on the same Island. Glad they didn't get you's.

[onearmedbandit]

I was there as well, and can account for it all. I had the same van driver aiming towards me with his arm out the window screaming at us, then at least one other vehicle well over the centre line as well.

[dangerous]

I was there as well, and can account for it all. I had the same van driver aiming towards me with his arm out the window screaming at us, then at least one other vehicle well over the centre line as well.

Well the Scott in me has done some investergating, I know whom the van belonged to and I know a mate boycoted the race after several concerns.

I have sent a email to www.pegasuscycling.co.nz if any one else wants to say there bit contact Derrick.
I have had a responce already and they are trying to shift the blame to another club. I am waiting reply from our local constab as to whom to contact there as I can just see it now the coppers wont give a shit.

You may think I am over reacting but in all honestly 15seconds later and either I would have ened up in that van with out my bike or if he had turned already I would have taken out a lot of cyclests and they would have come out 2nd best 1/4 ton of Iti twin would have been like a bulet train through a swarm of swamp flys.

[Paul in NZ]

I hope you follow this up and get a result... I'm all for organised sport and I don't mind people closing roads for events either, the Sprints in the Wairarapa for instance or Cust but FFS - it's got to be safe for everyone! Not to have barriers or cones up is a bloody joke these days considering a truck can have them out in a flash...

[Rashika]

shit yes, you are right. If it had been a truck in front of us there would definately have been a fatality or 2.
I simply cant believe that the organisers were that careless not to have the road closed off somehow. It is a road with lots of blind corners, nice for a cruise to avoid the main highway, and luckily also one we dont tend to speed too much on as a fair bit of it is now 80kms, altho this part is actually 100kms.
And they say that motorcyclists are risktakers...

[Felicks]

Last night I was made aware of this incident and today discussed it with the Canterbury Road Policing manager. We await a response from the club in the meantime.

[Jantar]

Good on you Felicks.

I now look forward to reading about the driver of that support vehicle being charged with dangerous driving and failing to keep left, and the cyclists involved all charged with failing to keep left and riding more than two abreast.

They will all be easy to find as the organisers will have a complete list of all involved.

[Rashika]

yeah right... Tui ad

but it is good to see that D and Felicks are having a wee looksie into it.
D has had a response back saying that they (the cycle club) are looking into it, so we'll see what sorta story they can come up with.

[dangerous]

I now look forward to reading about the driver of that support vehicle being charged with dangerous driving and failing to keep left, and the cyclists involved all charged with failing to keep left and riding more than two abreast.

They will all be easy to find as the organisers will have a complete list of all involved.

Bet ya it dosnt happen... the only way it will happen if these people dob them selves in, some how I cant see it they are a thick as bunch... but at least I have stired it up, but even that will get blowen over and nothing will change in the next cycly race, well till there is another death.

Big thanks to Felicks for going out of the way.

[Paul in NZ]

Sorry - by the truck comment I mean the traffic management trucks can have cones out in a flash... Christ if they can drop 4,000,000 cones on SH1 to allow a dude to pick up a lolly wrapper these clubs MUST be using the damn things especially if they have officially closed the road... If they have not closed the road - they have no right acting as they did...

Cheers

[Rashika]

Sorry - by the truck comment I mean the traffic management trucks can have cones out in a flash... Christ if they can drop 4,000,000 cones on SH1 to allow a dude to pick up a lolly wrapper these clubs MUST be using the damn things especially if they have officially closed the road... If they have not closed the road - they have no right acting as they did...

Cheers

ah i get ya, but even so if a truck just happened to be travelling that way, it would have been disaster.

...and NO road closure... at least there was nothing remotely resembling a cone or person or other stopping us to wandering into their track