Around the League 45: The Stanley Cup is in God's Waiting Room

[cptjeff]

Rumor is that the driver who hit them was drunk. What a f***ing awful situation for the family.

 

[Identity404]

So sad and tragic.

As an avid cyclist seeing this is especially bone chilling.

This is a reminder to wear a helmet and have sufficient lighting when riding at dusk/dawn and night. The explosion of bike and scooter sharing has led to a public health crisis. Always consider the risks when using one, and never when under the influence.

Also f*** that driver if they were under the influence.. Hope they spend the rest of their life in jail for the pain they caused to the families.

 

[Negan4Coach]

This is why I don't ride goddamned bicycles. Especially at night.

 

[cptjeff]

So sad and tragic.

As an avid cyclist seeing this is especially bone chilling.

This is a reminder to wear a helmet and have sufficient lighting when riding at dusk/dawn and night. The explosion of bike and scooter sharing has led to a public health crisis. Always consider the risks when using one, and never when under the influence.

Also f*** that driver if they were under the influence.. Hope they spend the rest of their life in jail for the pain they caused to the families.

From the cyclist side I find it particularly frustrating that the first driver was being very responsible. Slowed down, gave them a ton of room- and then this asshole, who was frustrated that he couldn't pass on the left, tried to cut around to the responsible driver's right- where the cyclists the responsible driver was passing were. And now we have two young men dead on the night before their sister was going to get married. Because one asswipe thought that he just *had* to get around to save 2 minutes on his drive home.

As I said on the main board thread, this isn't just a lesson about drunk driving (which is now confirmed, guy's been charged) it's a lesson about aggressive driving in general. Yes, getting caught behind a slow driver can be frustrating. But just put on some chill music and ease off the gas until it's safe to pass. Shaving a minute or two off your trip isn't worth a life.

 

[MrazeksVengeance]

Just… heartbreaking.
…
Throw the fu^king book at the drunk driver.

 

[AhosDatsyukian]

This is why I don't ride goddamned bicycles. Especially at night.

The idea of being vulnerable on a bicycle on the side of the road while several ton machines traveling potentially 30mph+ are barreling down just to your left from behind where you can't see them coming just doesn't appeal to me either.

Tragic accident here, we don't know all the details and I'm not at all trying to put any blame on Johnny and his brother, but like Negan suggested, riding a bicycle at night is really a very dangerous activity. Helps to have extremely well lit/visible reflective clothing with proper protection as mentioned above, but still dangerous knowing the quality of the drivers out there. Not saying people shouldn't ride bikes on the street, obviously there aren't really many better options and cyclists I know are super passionate about it. But this type of thing is one of the reasons I will ride motocross tracks and dirt bikes fast as hell on trails but will barely touch a street bike. Putting your life in other people's hands, and unfortunately driving drunk/while texting is all too common these days.

 

[spockBokk]

What makes this event all the more tragic is how utterly avoidable it was.

-Don’t drive drunk
-Don’t be an impatient a-hole driver

Now 2 young kids don’t have a dad. A young wife is now a widow. Parents no longer have 2 sons, and their daughter lost 2 brothers the day before her wedding day. That poor, poor family.

And not to be lost in everything, who knows what sort of family ties the drunk driver has. Those relationships are now forever changed as well.

 

[Identity404]

From the cyclist side I find it particularly frustrating that the first driver was being very responsible. Slowed down, gave them a ton of room- and then this asshole, who was frustrated that he couldn't pass on the left, tried to cut around to the responsible driver's right- where the cyclists the responsible driver was passing were. And now we have two young men dead on the night before their sister was going to get married. Because one asswipe thought that he just *had* to get around to save 2 minutes on his drive home.

As I said on the main board thread, this isn't just a lesson about drunk driving (which is now confirmed, guy's been charged) it's a lesson about aggressive driving in general. Yes, getting caught behind a slow driver can be frustrating. But just put on some chill music and ease off the gas until it's safe to pass. Shaving a minute or two off your trip isn't worth a life.

There is so much hostility from drivers towards bicyclist in general. Non-riders do not understand it's illegal in a lot of municipalities to ride on sidewalks, and the thought of sharing the road is an invitation for road rage. Making yourself visible by taking a part of the road is about safety, not being an asshole on purpose. Also if you see a cyclist not riding in a bike lane, it's most likely because some asshole has parked there and is blocking it.

The argument from some that "I'll share the road when you obey traffic laws", gets me triggered. Guess what? Stop as yield, is legal in some areas (like DC), and should be legal everywhere. Getting a head start to make yourself visible is important.

 

[Borsig]

Drunks.

Drunks are the worst.

 

[Svechhammer]

The idea of being vulnerable on a bicycle on the side of the road while several ton machines traveling potentially 30mph+ are barreling down just to your left from behind where you can't see them coming just doesn't appeal to me either.

Tragic accident here, we don't know all the details and I'm not at all trying to put any blame on Johnny and his brother, but like Negan suggested, riding a bicycle at night is really a very dangerous activity. Helps to have extremely well lit/visible reflective clothing with proper protection as mentioned above, but still dangerous knowing the quality of the drivers out there. Not saying people shouldn't ride bikes on the street, obviously there aren't really many better options and cyclists I know are super passionate about it. But this type of thing is one of the reasons I will ride motocross tracks and dirt bikes fast as hell on trails but will barely touch a street bike. Putting your life in other people's hands, and unfortunately driving drunk/while texting is all too common these days.

A couple miles north of 540 there is a few stretches of roads between Creedmoor and Six Forks that just has groups of bikers going at all times of day that take up full lanes on 2 lane roads, and I avoid it like the plague because it does get to be a bit dangerous.

Fact of the matter is, cars have gotten too wide to share the road with bikers. And unless we start widening some of these roads and giving bikers their own dedicates lanes, these kind of incidents will only become more frequent going forward.

 

[Identity404]

A couple miles north of 540 there is a few stretches of roads between Creedmoor and Six Forks that just has groups of bikers going at all times of day that take up full lanes on 2 lane roads, and I avoid it like the plague because it does get to be a bit dangerous.

Fact of the matter is, cars have gotten too wide to share the road with bikers. And unless we start widening some of these roads and giving bikers their own dedicates lanes, these kind of incidents will only become more frequent going forward.

I haven’t lived in the Raleigh area in a long time, but it was probably the most bike unfriendly place I have lived. I’m guessing I’d probably stick to trails if I were to go back.

 

[chaz4hockey]

A couple miles north of 540 there is a few stretches of roads between Creedmoor and Six Forks that just has groups of bikers going at all times of day that take up full lanes on 2 lane roads, and I avoid it like the plague because it does get to be a bit dangerous.

Fact of the matter is, cars have gotten too wide to share the road with bikers. And unless we start widening some of these roads and giving bikers their own dedicates lanes, these kind of incidents will only become more frequent going forward.

North Raleigh used to be very rural and good for bikes but now just like the rest of the Triangle it’s been developed.

 

[Wolfpuck]

Life is so incredibly unfair sometimes. Someone else can choose to be selfish and stupid and take everything away from you.

The family must be in a waking nightmare right now. Just devastating.

 

[Big Daddy Cane]

Good reminder to be patient on the road. An extra minute or two added to your trip is nothing in the grand scheme of things.

 

[bleedgreen]

In Denver you’re not allowed to ride on the sidewalks and there’s no bike lanes. I went to an accident involving bikes every couple of days when I was working there. I used to ride bikes, but after my experience with that I need a lot of space to feel comfortable on the road. Now I’m mostly a spin bike guy.

This made me feel sick when I read it. Right next to his brother, home for their sisters wedding. I can’t imagine what his sister and fiancée are going through. His parents losing two sons on THIS weekend. I’m so sorry for their loss.

I get a twinge every off season as a fan. This is when the bad things happen as these guys go be normal people for a few months. Cbus….how many tough turns can a team have?

 

[Navin R Slavin]

One of my best work friends, brilliant guy, one of the most talented and genuinely caring guys I ever knew, was killed here in Durham by a hit and run driver in 2013. If you've ever used Linux, you know his work; he was the guy who wrote yum.

He was a huge bike advocate. I told him I'd never ride a bike myself because I just didn't feel safe on one. He was such a believer in bikes being a part of a better world, and some dude just knocked him into a ditch off Hillandale Road and then drove the f*** away.

Another reason I hope Waymo hurries the f*** up. People are too f***ing stupid to drive cars.

RIP Seth, RIP Johnny Hockey, RIP Matthew Gaudreau. What absolute bullshit the world is sometimes.

 

[Unsustainable]

Anytime you get on the road you're putting your life on the line. Either in a vehicle or otherwise. I used to ride motorcycles, and it was a head on swivel everywhere you go and your thought process is that no one can see you. Being able to out run cars and not impeding traffic is the only part safer vs mopeds and bikes that are required to ride to the utmost right side of the road.

Take what I said about motorcycles now add in people under the influence of anything from prescription pills ect out there. I put 30k a year on a work van in 3 counties I cover a year, I see it all. My recommendation is to keep bikes to neighborhoods with 25mph limits or mountain biking on the trail systems we've got available.

 

[Derailed75]

Anytime you get on the road you're putting your life on the line. Either in a vehicle or otherwise. I used to ride motorcycles, and it was a head on swivel everywhere you go and your thought process is that no one can see you. Being able to out run cars and not impeding traffic is the only part safer vs mopeds and bikes that are required to ride to the utmost right side of the road.

Take what I said about motorcycles now add in people under the influence of anything from prescription pills ect out there. I put 30k a year on a work van in 3 counties I cover a year, I see it all. My recommendation is to keep bikes to neighborhoods with 25mph limits or mountain biking on the trail systems we've got available.

I ride motorcycles also. 100% head on a swivel no one sees you and also know where your out is. Unfortunately our world is becoming over populated and it is becoming increasingly difficult to avoid stuff like this happening a a day o day basis. The more people means the more idiots, means the more mistakes.

FYI I made a 2 day trip from Danville to Cleveland the end of July. I hit a damn buzzard with the Indian. Saw it land about 500 feet in front of me and start picking at something on the center line on 77 just north of Ripley. It took off right as I got to it, caught the left peg on my highway bar and rolled into my mirror. Friend behind me said he hit my helmet too but I didn't feel it. I was busy kissing my gas tank and holding the bike straight.

Scared the hell out of me but came out no worse for the wear. he buzzard on the other hand my wife saw it a few hours later when she came through with the kids said it was huge.

 

[NotOpie]

I ride motorcycles also. 100% head on a swivel no one sees you and also know where your out is.

My 96 year old father used to ride motorcycles when he was much younger (late teens and early 20s). He even rode from PA to Alaska one Summer. He laid his bike down a couple of times and I asked him if that was why he stopped riding.

He said, "Nope....too many people on the road who don't pay attention to motorcycles". That was in the 1950s. Can't imagine riding one today.

When I was in college we used to ride bicycles to work for our Summer jobs (worked on an ice truck in Salem VA). We were pretty much the poster children for bike safety except we never wore helmuts (yes, I know it was idiocy). Even so, people would crowd you on purpose, yell at you, honk horns, cut over right in front of you...you name it.

Now, the only time I ride a bike is in a neighborhood.

 

[DaveG]

Yep. I don't even feel comfortable riding in downtown Winston at this point with the amount of people that drive like idiots.

 

[raynman]

Hated seeing this news today, incredibly sad. Johnny Hockey was the man and by all accounts a very good dude. Same with his brother.

Hope they make an example out of the effer who did this, far too many stories of cyclists getting hit these days for my liking.

 

[Joe McGrath]

So this dickhead admitted he had 5-6 beers, so he had 8-10, tried to pass two cars on a backroad on the left and when the 2nd one moved over to get around the bikes he cut into the right shoulder and killed two people.

Even if he was sober he deserves life without parole.

We had a cyclist killed by a drunk driver in our area at like 7AM bringing her kid to daycare. A special place in hell for these assholes is definitely necessary.

 

[WreckingCrew]

Yep. I don't even feel comfortable riding in downtown Winston at this point with the amount of people that drive like idiots.

I wouldn't ride a bike downtown anywhere...there are way too many things going on, moving, things to block driver's vision. When I'm crossing a street, even if I have a walk signal I'm making sure vehicles nearby see me because I've been there where I almost hit someone stepping into the street bc I just couldn't see them, wasn't being inattentive they just got a blind spot while I was trying to check 20 other blind spots around

 

[CandyCanes]

If this couldn't get any sadder. Matthew Gaudreau has an unborn son on the way, going to be named Tripp. Dang this is just heartbreaking.

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

edit: I can’t read