Unsafe at high speed – bike course changed to prevent more crashes
racer’s hands to lock up when trying to brake and steer !
The course had been set up with bicyclists making a sharp right, downhill, and then being told to get off their bikes immediately before the red line or be disqualified. Because the cyclists could not see the red dismount line, many had to brake hard, going downhill out of their shoes, or even side-saddle ! Doug Landau saw several bikers fall to the ground, others lose equipment and a number of “near misses.” When a racing cyclist drops a shoe, water bottle or other piece of equipment, they face penalties for “abandonment” and the debris creates danger for other cyclists. So, running back to retrieve equipment not only cost National Championship triathletes precious time, but created additional safety concerns as they were going “against the flow of traffic” or standing still in the narrow bike dismount area. Luckily, for the Sprint race, where the bikers speeds could create even more danger and increase the likelihood of crashes and injuries, the race officials moved the red line up to the straight-away. This action not only improved safety and bike race injury prevention, but probably improved times as well. While some GPS equipped racers might complain that this action shortened the “official” bike race course, Loudoun bike crash lawyer Doug Landau applauds this move as it increases the safety of the event, for the athletes competing, the volunteers and the spectators.