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Date: 15 Jul 2007 08:53:22
From: Bill C
Subject: Nationals Crash
Does anyone have any more information on the crash in the 17-18
race???

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2007/jul07/jul15news2

Junior riders injured in US Nationals crash
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review newspaper reported Saturday that "At
least eight people were taken to area hospitals after a bicycling
accident Saturday morning near Seven Springs Mountain Resort."

The Seven Springs Resort is currently host to USA Cycling's National
Festival. The riders were reported to have been just a few miles into
their 56-mile Junior 17-18 category road race, but the report said
that "two people were flown by emergency helicopter" while "six other
persons were taken by ambulance to Somerset Hospital, and an
undetermined number of persons were taken to Excela Health Frick
Hospital in Mt. Pleasant." Other news reports say that as many as 30
riders were involved in the crash.

The USA Cycling National Festival is currently in it's ninth day of
competition and runs until July 16th. The event runs through July 14.

Sorry I pasted the whole thing but...
I hope to hell that most was precautionary and overreaction.
Thanks in advance!
Bill Crowther





 
Date: 15 Jul 2007 15:05:46
From: Bill C
Subject: Re: Nationals Crash
On Jul 15, 5:32 pm, "Tom Kunich" <cyclintom@yahoo. com > wrote:
> "Bill C" <tritonri...@verizon.net> wrote in message
>
> news:1184523808.643728.88330@n60g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
>
>
>
> > Sounds a lot like the old FCCC Jr. only race down there. That was a
> > great, selective course, but technical.
> > Older Jr. racing is "interesting" with all the natural testosterone
> > gushing everywhere.
> > My wife has been the official with the Jrs. for years at GMBC and
> > stresses massively over their agressiveness and them possibly having
> > that kind of crash. Right now I'm just wondering how many of "our"
> > kids were caught up in it.
>
> I was mostly trying to train the girls who everyone else was ignoring. But
> one thing I will say is that in this area there was extremely few people
> training the juniors whom I would have felt good leaving my kids with.
>
> The one bright light in the junior program at the time was Nat what's his
> name but he was only one guy and didn't have the resources to really get
> involved beyond setting junior test races and selection races.
>
> Unless there's some involvement from real racers who know how to develop
> young racers there will always be stupid kid racers.

Hey Tom
I'll give you three who have posted here right off, and one who
doesn't:
Adam Myerson
John Verheul
Chris Harnisch
and he doesn't post here, but:
Fernando Cuevas
The RAD Racing program is also top notch.
Bill C



 
Date: 15 Jul 2007 11:23:28
From: Bill C
Subject: Re: Nationals Crash
On Jul 15, 1:38 pm, r...@elevengear.us wrote:
> I don't have any information regarding the crash itself but a little
> background to add:
>
> The Seven Springs courses are stupendously hilly, often with difficult
> curves on narrow roads. The descent entrance to Seven Springs have
> these stone kiosks that you have to ride past (you can choose which
> gap to ride through). The Crit course was held on an auto race track.
> When it rained for the Masters, many experienced riders tumbled on the
> oil-slick track. If you stayed up you had a great shot at top-10.
>
> Having said that, the venue, though not suited to my particular
> abilities, was in general pretty good -- and very technical. It would
> be a shame if they had the crit at the same course cause let's face
> it. It rains all the time in PA in the summer.
>
> I hope those boys are okay.
>
> -Rick

Sounds a lot like the old FCCC Jr. only race down there. That was a
great, selective course, but technical.
Older Jr. racing is "interesting" with all the natural testosterone
gushing everywhere.
My wife has been the official with the Jrs. for years at GMBC and
stresses massively over their agressiveness and them possibly having
that kind of crash. Right now I'm just wondering how many of "our"
kids were caught up in it.
Bill C



  
Date: 15 Jul 2007 21:32:48
From: Tom Kunich
Subject: Re: Nationals Crash
"Bill C" <tritonrider@verizon.net > wrote in message
news:1184523808.643728.88330@n60g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
>
> Sounds a lot like the old FCCC Jr. only race down there. That was a
> great, selective course, but technical.
> Older Jr. racing is "interesting" with all the natural testosterone
> gushing everywhere.
> My wife has been the official with the Jrs. for years at GMBC and
> stresses massively over their agressiveness and them possibly having
> that kind of crash. Right now I'm just wondering how many of "our"
> kids were caught up in it.

I was mostly trying to train the girls who everyone else was ignoring. But
one thing I will say is that in this area there was extremely few people
training the juniors whom I would have felt good leaving my kids with.

The one bright light in the junior program at the time was Nat what's his
name but he was only one guy and didn't have the resources to really get
involved beyond setting junior test races and selection races.

Unless there's some involvement from real racers who know how to develop
young racers there will always be stupid kid racers.




 
Date: 15 Jul 2007 10:38:12
From:
Subject: Re: Nationals Crash
I don't have any information regarding the crash itself but a little
background to add:

The Seven Springs courses are stupendously hilly, often with difficult
curves on narrow roads. The descent entrance to Seven Springs have
these stone kiosks that you have to ride past (you can choose which
gap to ride through). The Crit course was held on an auto race track.
When it rained for the Masters, many experienced riders tumbled on the
oil-slick track. If you stayed up you had a great shot at top-10.

Having said that, the venue, though not suited to my particular
abilities, was in general pretty good -- and very technical. It would
be a shame if they had the crit at the same course cause let's face
it. It rains all the time in PA in the summer.

I hope those boys are okay.

-Rick



 
Date: 15 Jul 2007 16:58:28
From: Callistus Valerius
Subject: Re: Nationals Crash

The riders were reported to have been just a few miles into
> their 56-mile Junior 17-18 category road race, but the report said
> that "two people were flown by emergency helicopter" while "six other
> persons were taken by ambulance to Somerset Hospital, and an
> undetermined number of persons were taken to Excela Health Frick
> Hospital in Mt. Pleasant." Other news reports say that as many as 30
> riders were involved in the crash.
---------
This is the kind of sh*t that keeps parents from letting their kids cycle in
a serious way. That's why they either give them a basketball or some new
soccer shoes.

I don't know much about high school age people riding, I've seen them do
terrific in races where they are surrounded by more mature people, in those
packs. But you get a bunch of high school boys together, and they really
have a knack for making the wrong decisions. I don't know what happened in
this case, maybe a dog ran into the middle of the pack or something not
their fault, but like I said the whole concept seems scary to me on the
surface.