Fietsryers se veiligheid tel nie,dis geld wat tel

[Cruxpearl]

Let's look at the finish and then ask what could have been done / organised differently to ensure the safety of the cyclists in the sprint... <?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

The Finish and the cones from the finish line perspective

Excel can clearly be seen hugging the far right hand side of the road with the cones imminent.

A sure recipe for disaster!!!

 

Now look at the finish from the other side...

http://www.tcsn.co.za/downloads/BakAcc01.jpg

The Cones were placed to indicate that the bunch should move from the edge of the road to the left, as there were barriers that lined the white line on the road.

(NB!!!! the cones in this picture are on the middle line, but was originally on the far right white line as can be seen in the previous picture)

 

Soo!!!! Firstly, the complaint that the finish reduces the double lane full road closure to a single line finish area and thus creates problems doesn?t hold water, as can clearly be seen from both photo's, the finish is actually two lanes (well one and three quarters) wide, and the finishing bunch is actually occupying less than a full lane, albeit all in the gutter on the edge of the road?

The problem then is getting the bunch from the gutter to the left of the white line, more than it is a lack of space for the bunch to sprint in?.

Soooo? how do you get the gutter to move from the edge of the road to inside the white line, so as not to collide with the barriers???

Now there?s a good question, and for all the riders and managers that are so quick to throw accusations?

What would you do (knowing that with racing comes tactics and gutters) to make it safe???

[Canaris]

okay, how wise is it to use cones on the road at all, there is the gravel gutter which is possibly safer than going over the cone in the first place.......

 

rather use barriers or bails of straw which are bigger easier to see and a lot harder to clip with a pedal or get stuck in a fork.

[Cruxpearl]

You see, Kona, if there was no Cones, and the guys then crashed into the barriers, cause the barriers are placed on the white line, there would have been complaints about the safety of the barriers without any warning like cones for example...

Straw bails works as protection works in a corner where it will cushion a fall

Straw bails on the side of the road is an immovable object and will most certainly pose a bigger safety risk than cones.

 

[Spinnekop]

Agh!!  At last....Crux hits the spot.....how DO you make it safer??....<?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Konafan.....bails of straw would have resulted in the same....
As for the barriers....well...the ones used yesterday have nasty legs sticking out on the road.....right where the riders would go....you can see them packed with sandbags in the top pictures.... Also not good.

Maybe the barriers that they normally use that stands on an angle?
And then KEEP THEM OFF THE ROAD SERFACE? Thus only a rider that rides on the gravel will hit the barrier......

 

[epoh]

I have been in two races where I hit the cones hard. (Kremetart 4th Stage, Tshwane Mayoral Ride) The thing is you don't see them if people in the front don't indicate.

 

You only see them after you hit them and then it is too late .

[Cruxpearl]

How are you going to see the barriers then, until it's too late????

[Canaris]

Crux point taken, but as epoh has pointed out the cones are down there, and can easily get caught in wheels forks ext, and bounce into the peleton, where as a barrier (without those little feet things but rather the solped once they use in Europe)and even two straw bails stacked on to of one another are more up here (waist height) and thereby giving a larger contact area, more visibility and less chance of further colateral damage.

[epoh]

Not sure about the barriers but usually you can see the Finish Line Marquee from a distance and you kinda know you have to position yourself in the peloton to go through that gap.

 

Sure people try their luck and end up hitting a barrier every now and then but I have never seen cones placed like that in a European race to warn the riders of the barriers? Maybe this scenario is different but personally I would have taken those cones away.

 

I don't have a solution but my point is just that when you are riding in a group and you are going fast, nobody points out the cones and it is immanent that someone is gonna hit one or two like we had yesterday.

 

 

[Bateleur1]

Question ... how is done in races like the Tour de France. They use those barriers.  But then again, almost every sprint finish sees one or more pro rider donating several layes of skin as well.  Par for the course?

 

I do feel that every race finish should have consistency.  Same width finish line.  Barriers starting 1 kilometer out preceded maybe with a overhead banner indicating the finish line. But this should be for all races that this becomes a standard.

[slowpoke]

hay bales are much larger than the cones and thus not prone to being a) not visible OR b) blown around. I can easily pick up and carry a STACK of cones in one had, a single bale of hay however is my max... so that sorts out 2 issues immediately. barriers are also much higher than cones (ie sorts out the visibility issue) and are even heavier than hay bales. no matter what gets used, the sudden 90 degree narrowing of the road is STUPID STUPID STUPID to put it mildly.

 

having recently been ambulanced off of the highway during the amashova,  subjected to a titanium upgrade to my collarbone and still being in pain from both that and the sever lower back and hip contusions i suffered, all i can say to ALL injured riders is that i hope the injuries heal fast. may all of you get back on your bikes stronger than before

 

(ps once you are denied the joys of morphine or pethadine try to get lentagesic prescribed cos they work well, definately better than myprodol or stilpain or sinap forte !)

[TNT1]

My two cents... dunno about any other crashes, but based on what I seen and heard, that elite crash at the finish was caused by rider error. Call it a racing incident if you will. The riders need to take responsibility. 

[epoh]

From Ryan Cox's website - www.ryancox.co.za

 

 

Something needs to be done....

 

Like us riders need to follow rules so do race organisers. The traffic

is more than enough to handle, never mind the dangerous finishes that

race organisers need to change. On Sunday there was a huge crash

resulting in 2 of my Team Mates crashing really hard in a huge bunch

pile up and Bonomi our Italian sprinter breaking his hand. It is not

acceptable that we should risk our lives with bad race organisation.

There were beacons on the one side of the rode where we raced right

into and one rider going straight into one just caused chaos. There

should be rules that organisers need to follow, especialy in the final

km where we race at over 60km/h. If no one is laying down these rules

nothing will change. So I call for Cycling SA to set up rules and keep

the standard, or else something more serious could happen...

 

[Cruxpearl]

Seems I was already ahead of myself!!!!

You see' date=' Kona, if there was no Cones, and the guys then crashed into the barriers, cause the barriers are placed on the white line, there would have been complaints about the safety of the barriers without any warning like cones for example... [/quote'] It seems that after the Elite crash, and the ensuing accusations of Stupidity for placing the cones in the road, and at the demands of some of the Elite Team Managers, the supposed cause of the accidents, the red cones of course was then removed to the side of the road.... With predictable effect

http://www.tcsn.co.za/downloads/BakAcc02.jpg

 

the VB 40-49 Finish and Jackie van Eeden & co is heading for certain disaster!!!

[Cruxpearl]

Note that there is more than enough space for the cyclsit on the left!!!

Note that the offending Red cones have been moved to the side of the road.

[Cruxpearl]

with resulting disastrous after effect!!!!

http://www.tcsn.co.za/downloads/BakAcc03.jpg

[TNT1]

 

 

Ya, and if the barriers were moved? Then they would have crashed into the finish barrier - arch, red thingy-? I still say the cyclists need to take responsibility. These are grown men. Don't they have eyes? Brains? Instint of self preservation?