Three simple words, "On Your Left!"

I participated in the Sea Gull century this weekend. An event that attracts many folks, as the course is flat and beautiful…therefore if you are looking to achieve your fastest century time or you are a newbie just looking to finish, this is the event for you…..and attract it did! This year it was rumored that 11,000 people registered for the event and over 8,000 participated. Needless to say, that is a shit ton of people. During the day I witnessed three crashes, two of which resulted in an ambulance ride (one ambulance taking ~ 25 min to arrive), several people with bandages and road rash who completed the ride, MANY close-ones, and a lot of time spent fearing for my safety and life as bikers sped my me on my left AND right.

So of course, me being the statistical analytical geek that I am, I was curious how other events of this size are handled…..I found that in Colorado the Colorado State Patrol are trying to cap their cycling events to no more than 2,500 riders, stating safety and the ability of the city to handle such events as issues. However, the lance Armstrong foundation says it is not profitable for holding an event for less than 3,500 riders. A recent event in California that attracted 15,000 riders has announced next year the start will be in a stage format instead of a group start. What else did I find in my Google search? Not much else, except for news article, after news article of individuals that had been injured in some sort of cycling event.

Ultimately, I question where does the safety responsibility lie? With the organization of the event, and making decisions that lead to participants safety or is it within the rider themselves, to be alert and safe rider? Or both? I know capping a sporting event doesn’t sound great…for me included. However, where do we draw the line between participant safety and having a successful injury free event? In the Sea Gull’s defense this was the first year they offered an alternate route to try and cut down on the usual crowded route, and perhaps that did help…..

So what is the point of this post? Well, mostly as a person who has been on all sides of sporting events – a rider, a coordinator, a hurt rider, and now a witness to several accidents – it is a new perspective and one I felt needed to be expressed. For me, I certainly will be a bit more choosy in what events I choose to participate in, or will choose to start early/late to beat the crowds!! And certainly from this day forward, I will always in passing say, "On your left!"

Happy safe cycling to you all!