Sad and tragic - but it looks like he was hit while riding on a gravel road. You can never mitigate all risks - but it's a reminder to stay vigilante even when riding on gravel.
Sad. Amazing more people are not killed. Way too many people are being distacted by driving while on their phones. It happened to me. I was just blessed to have an angel watching over me.
Curtis wrote:Sad. Amazing more people are not killed. Way too many people are being distacted by driving while on their phones. It happened to me. I was just blessed to have an angel watching over me.
Actually - I'm not so sure about that. This was reported because he was an elite level mountain biker and Olympian. Run of the mill - cyclist hit and run - may not even show up or trend.
It's kind of like coronavirus at the moment. It's causing shockwaves around the globe, but even so, more people still die from the flu. Not to downplay the risks of coronavirus since there is no vaccine at this point (contrary to the flu), but what goes unsaid, goes unseen.
I agree with you about how few make the headlines. One of my points was the that many riders are hit and suffer very debilitating injuries. Several friends were hit last year and have had to go through multiple surgeries. They are lucky that they are still alive.
This is such a sad article. I just got into cycling about two years ago and am realizing just how dangerous this sport is.
I recently crashed on a solo gravel ride that required surgery for a broken scapula. That’s nothing compared to this story but this came without warning and things like this really make you think about this sport.
Risk is part of life, but as a sit here fresh off a surgery staring down 6 weeks of my arm in a sling and several months of physical therapy afterwards and the extra hardware that’s now permanently part of my body, it makes me think if this sport is a risk I want to continue to take....thoughts?
E-man Here is my thoughts after reading the article. One of his close friends said of 1000 places I thought a cyclist would be killed this wouldn't be one of them. Guessing if it's your time to go that's it. I also like Curtis report above have had a few angels watching over me over the years. This is going to be long.
1995 or 96 while training for one of the Colorado week long tours I hit a deer broadside one night while riding 25 mph on the flats in a nasty rain storm. I went endo and slid down the road so far on my back it took the top skin off my helmet. No injuries
I think in 1998 while also training for one of the Colorado tours. I was hit by a car's mirror when the guy was driving past me around 55 mph. Lucky for me I had my left elbow out past my handlebars or he probably would have drug me down the road and killed me. It sounded like a gun going off. He stopped and said he had night vision problems. I now have arthritis in that elbow from the trauma the elbow took. I can tell when it's going to rain.
Fast forward to Dec. 2016. I was hit by a drunk on a night roadie ride. He stopped also. When I was taking down his info he said I sense you are upset with me. Well yes I am. The only mistake I made was not calling the Cops on him He was that drunk he couldn't talk. He probably will hit somebody else. I was on a 100 mile out and back and still had 35 miles to go and it was just starting to rain. Since I wasn't hurt I decided to ride home. I found out later that there was a guy killed just walking on that road at night.
Easter 2017 I spent the whole weekend reading some articles on this site and finding a Corporate discount on Raleigh bikes on bike Forums. I bought my first gravel bike a Raleigh Tamland 1 for $799 + $49 tax direct from Raleigh. I enjoy riding the Roads Less Traveled and my roadie bike is pretty much in moth balls. I no longer will ride the great along the mt. roadie training ride I use to luv to ride. In 2 1/2 years I have only had 1 close encounter with cars. I like those odds and will admit that I don't feel comfortable out riding my roadie bike and cars whizzing by me close. We all have to find out what works for us. Gravel riding/racing works well for me right now.
It's kind of like coronavirus at the moment. It's causing shockwaves around the globe, but even so, more people still die from the flu.
This is inaccurate, Covid-19 has a death toll 20 times higher than the flu. CDC estimates are approximately 6 times higher than actual deaths.
During two weeks in mid-April, 29,933 COVID-19 deaths were counted in the United States. CDC counted deaths during the peak weeks of the influenza seasons from 2013-2020 ranged from 351 in 2016 to 1,626 in 2018.
The death of Ben Sonntag is tragic. Gravel roads are safer because they are less traveled by cars and trucks but they are still dangerous. I prefer riding roads with no cars and trucks, unfortunately those roads are few and far between. RIP Ben.
That is tragic indeed. In Montana, I can say from experience that it is also quite possible to experience aggressive driving behavior when out on gravel roads. I stay very aware of vehicles approaching, dust, noise—at least it is usually easier to hear approaching rigs out on forest service roads etc, which helps. But there is a segment of the population that is going to regard you as an enemy and a target just because you are on a bike. They will ‘roll coal’ on you, gun it as they pass by to hopefully spray you with gravel, etc. Once in a situation with wind and loud road noise from the gravel I could not hear a pickup coming up from behind. He put his mirror about 12” from my head as he blasted by at 50mph or so, loose rocks pinging off me as he went by.
This is inaccurate, Covid-19 has a death toll 20 times higher than the flu. CDC estimates are approximately 6 times higher than actual deaths.
During two weeks in mid-April, 29,933 COVID-19 deaths were counted in the United States. CDC counted deaths during the peak weeks of the influenza seasons from 2013-2020 ranged from 351 in 2016 to 1,626 in 2018.
Yeah, I know I was wrong. My original comment was from March 6 - before any reasonable data was being captured. The world has changed a lot in 3 months.
