R.I.P. > Aussie Cycling champ killed in road crash

[DAOTEC]

2010 07:29:00 | http://www.abc.net.au/news Northern Tasmania

The man killed in a crash near Cradle Mountain on Saturday was a promising young cyclist from Launceston.

Burnie Wheel winner Will Robinson killed

THE reigning Burnie Wheel champion was killed on Saturday when his bike collided with a bus on a steep mountain descent during a training ride.

In the second fatal accident on the North-West Coast in as many days, William Alexander Robinson, 21, died when he failed to negotiate a left-hand corner while riding downhill on Cethana Road near Moina.

"He has crossed into the oncoming lane and collided with the front left-hand side of the bus," said Senior Constable Sven Mason from Western District traffic accident investigation service.

Two other cyclists from the riding group of six also collided with the Mercedes Benz bus, which was travelling uphill.

"They have since been discharged from hospital with minor injuries," Sen-Const Mason said.

The fatal accident occurred at 11.10am.

Mr Robinson was treated by a doctor but died of his injuries at the scene.

He was wearing a helmet.

Sen-Const Mason said the bus was carrying 33 passengers but no passengers were injured.

Cethana Road was closed for four hours on Saturday while investigations were carried out.

An inquest has been opened into the cause of the collision.

Mr Robinson was a regular competitor in Christmas carnival series and state titles.

He won the 2010 Burnie Wheel race on New Year's Day in one of the best performances of his career.

A highly respected member of the Launceston Cycling Club and the Lawson Homes Cycling Team, Mr Robinson had competed for the team in state and national road series events including the Tour of Tasmania and the Tour of the Murray.

He was also a member of the Tasmanian senior track team that competed at the national track championships in Adelaide last month.

Tributes flowed yesterday for the well-respected and likeable young man.

"There are so many nice things you could say about Will," Lawson Homes team manager and family friend Ken Lawson said.

"He was one of the founding members of our team and as a senior member he was a mentor and friend to the younger riders.

"You just couldn't ask for such a fine young gentleman.

"He was a fine sportsman and you couldn't get a better kid.

"It is going to be a sad loss to everyone and such a tragic event."

Burnie Carnival, Burnie Wheel Race winner Will Robinson, of Launceston, crosses the finish line.

`Our boy, our champion' TRAGIC TRIBUTES: The idolised cycling son The proud father of three

PROSPECT parents David and Pennie Robinson yesterday spoke of the son they have lost who had lived for cycling and his family.

"He loved his sport and nothing else mattered - apart from his family," his dad said.

The parents described Will as a kind, generous and loving son.

"He had a beautiful heart and would never say anything bad about anyone," Mrs Robinson said.

More http://www.examiner.com.au/news/local/sport/general/our-boy-our-champion39-tragic-tributes-the-idolised-cycling-son-the-proud-father-of-three/1769818.aspx

 

[Tugboat]

Sad news.

 

[blaxland]

R.I.P Will Robinson

 

[Ninety5rpm]

You gotta stay on your half of the road.

 

[unsheath]

Fair play 95. We've all misjudged corners before. Will was just unlucky there was a vehicle there.

Sad day for Tasmanian cycling.

 

[Nearly]

Very very sad news.

The roads in that part of Tasmania tend to be very narrow and steep and I see the vehicle was a bus and that 2 other riders also hit it.

Pointless for me to speculate what may have happened (including to the extent the policeman was quoted as saying) but a reminder of the utmost vigilance required when descending at speed irrespective of skill levels. Indeed racing driver Mark Weber was lucky enough to survive a similar collision on his mountain bike in the same part of the world a couple of years ago.

 

[craig1985]

Very very sad news.

The roads in that part of Tasmania tend to be very narrow and steep and I see the vehicle was a bus and that 2 other riders also hit it.

Pointless for me to speculate what may have happened (including to the extent the policeman was quoted as saying) but a reminder of the utmost vigilance required when descending at speed irrespective of skill levels. Indeed racing driver Mark Weber was lucky enough to survive a similar collision on his mountain bike in the same part of the world a couple of years ago.

Mark Webber also said in a RIDE magazine article a few years ago that he has/had a habit of slip streaming behind trucks whilst going downhill at close to 90km/h in Southern France.

Sounds like a tragic accident, I wonder if speed (ie he was going too fast) was a factor. I would assume that he was a trackie that he would have some good bike handling skills and was over confident in his abilities. Who knows at this stage what caused the accident (ie speed, being reckless).

RIP though.

 

[Tazz Dan]

You gotta stay on your half of the road.

Fair play 95. We've all misjudged corners before. Will was just unlucky there was a vehicle there.

Sad day for Tasmanian cycling.

Yeah, poor form mate.

 

[craig1985]

Yeah, poor form mate.

FYI, I know your new, but 95rpm is pretty consistent in his message about cyclists being more aware of their surroundings and their safety. You may not agree, but he has made some good points in the past and there are a few things that he said made me reconsider how I ride and take them on board.

It might seem harsh, but he's not (that's the impression I get, not that I can speak for 95rpm and I'm not trying to either).

 

[quadsRme]

Sad news for such a young fellow.
My condolences go out to his family.

 

[Ninety5rpm]

FYI, I know your new, but 95rpm is pretty consistent in his message about cyclists being more aware of their surroundings and their safety. You may not agree, but he has made some good points in the past and there are a few things that he said made me reconsider how I ride and take them on board.

It might seem harsh, but he's not (that's the impression I get, not that I can speak for 95rpm and I'm not trying to either).

Thanks, Craig. That makes my day. I see what they're saying, though. Yes, it is kind of poor form. And I'm sorry about that. But what are you going to do? Crashes are an excellent time to examine what went wrong, why, and what can be done to avoid it. In this case, it's an excellent reminder to be careful on those descents, and don't overshoot the curve. It's not true that it can happen to anyone. It can happen to anyone who is not careful, however. So, be careful!

With plane crashes and scuba diving accidents investigating and learning is mandatory, but in bicycling there seems to be a taboo against it. The whole topic of traffic cycling safety often seems to be avoided. Maybe it's because many believe there is an inherent danger in bicycling, and you have to mentally block that out to be able to ride, so they don't want to think about it? I don't get it. Anyway, safety is all about avoiding denial of danger, and facing it. The truth is yes, bicycling can be dangerous, but it can be very safe too. It's up to you.

Did you see that Petacchi crashed into a roadside planter? WTF?

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/petacchi-injured-in-run-in-with-planter

And look at how they word it: "Petacchi was out training with his teammate Lorenzo Bernucci when he struck a planter that was placed near the roadside and crashed."

It's almost like he's excused from hitting a planter that was just sitting there because "someone placed it there". For crying out loud, it was a planter presumably in plain view, or, it it was not in plain view, he was going too fast for where he was riding.

Is it "poor form" to take this opportunity to remind everyone to LOOK AHEAD and to RIDE WITHIN YOUR SIGHT LINES?
By the way, this is yet another example of why riding near the edge of the roadway can be particularly hazardous. That's where hazards, like debris and planters, tend to collect.

Bicyclists crash over and over and over usually for the same easily avoidable reasons. I sincerely believe this would happen a lot less often if there was a little more interest in the community on the topic of safety, how crashes happen, and how to avoid them.

Sorry if they're in poor form, but that's why I make these kinds of posts. Maybe a few lives will be saved, eh?