Whilst riding along Beach Road in Melbourne, which for those of you who are reading from abroad or interstate is a decent bit of flattish bit of road with only a few sets of traffic lights given it's distance and which cyclists have consequently used for time trail or training purposes in their hundreds for time immemorial.
Love it or hate it, the majority of motorists in Melbourne know the frequency in which riders will take to this stretch of bitumen (alone or in largish peletons) and hence generally drive accordingly.
Unfortunately on Saturday that wasn't the case.... Basically I was out with some of my Lead Out colleagues, having ridden down to Frankston, a preview of where we'd been and what we'd done in the way of a couple of the hills and so on can be accessed here. when on the way back into town, trouble struck. Essentially, a car driver decideding to turn right at slow motion "or so it seemed", across the path of the oncoming Lead Out peleton. The result and admittedly it all seemed to happen behind me (and no I don't know how that was the case) was everyone slamming on their anchors....
Five cyclists were subsequently thrown off their bikes, with three subsequently needing transportation to hospital by ambulance given the seriousness of their injuries..... And I know this is going to sound sexist and I don't mean it to be, but the fact that two of those hospitalised were women makes it seem even worse...
All in all the whole thing has left me feeling shell shocked and sick to the stomach and I wasn't even one of those injured.... I've got my fingers crossed that their all back out on the road in next to no time.
In the meantime please just take care out there and keep an eye out for cyclists. I know we can be a pain in the arse at times, but we've as much right to be on the road as anyone else and we won't block your path or take too much out of your time.
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