Originally Posted by
SClaraPokeman
The graphic from the Review-Journal clears a lot up for me. I had previously assumed that the cyclists were hit while riding on the shoulder and was a bit confused by the role of the support vehicle in this. Was their use of the roadway even legal? Does the NV vehicle code even address this? Is it a "gray area"?
I'm guessing the box van driver simply didn't perceive what was happening in front of him until it was too late--and I understand how this could happen. If cyclists are going to utilize the full roadway where they are proceeding at substantially less speed than prevailing traffic, then they need to do a lot more to alert other users: such as a pickup truck with an electronic arrow board alerting motor vehicles of bicyclists on the roadway ahead. I'm assuming also that the normal traffic on this highway would had allowed for relatively easy passing of the peloton. If not, I'd question even more the wisdom of this endeavor.
Lastly was this a 130 mile ride to be done in one day? There are less than 10 hours of daylight in Vegas this time of year. I get that no one sane is going to want to do this route in August, but did the distance of this ride mitigate against safety?
Originally Posted by
Paul Barnard
Were they not on the shoulder as the NYT article said they were?
All good observations, comments, and questions. There is no new information on the local news yet, but facts will come out in time. I'm told by a good cyclist friend here who knew 2 of the riders that these cyclists were all well-trained, CAT 1/2 level ability riders, some or all on local racing teams. They were only about 30-40 miles into their ride when struck. I doubt they would need 10 hours to ride 130 miles even as solo riders, so the distance was not a factor anyway. It was also a beautiful clear day here (as most are) with temps in the mid-high 50Fs around the time of the accident. Traffic is typically light there -- I haven't heard or read anything yet that states the condition yesterday was otherwise.
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