Day 17

Saturday, July 10th
Cochrane to Drumheller
167km

Today Colin was hit by a car.  No word yet on his status.  There's no faster way to silence 32 cyclists than a serious collision.

We don't have many details so far.  Colin was cycling alone at the time, a minute or two in front of another group of TDC cyclists.  I was riding with Paul, Rick and Roselyn about an hour or so in front of him.

He was hit from behind, by a Honda Civic which was travelling in the same direction as he was.  The female driver and two male passengers of the car were not hurt.  Colin's bike is a write-off.  The car is apparently seriously damaged too, with a crumbled front end, smashed windshield and dented roof.  Colin ended up on the trunk of the car.  He was taken, by emergency helicopter, to a large Calgary hospital.  That's all we know so far.

It was a tough day for cycling.  It was a long day on very rough roads with a brutal crosswind for most of the ride.  I was exhausted when we arrived.  Our group rode from about 7:30am to 3:00pm, stopping for lunch, washroom breaks, and a to visit to Horseshoe Canyon.  One or two additional riders had arrived by 4pm, but most arrived around 5pm or later.  Tough day for cycling.

The crosswinds and rough roads were relentless.  Our paceline barely helped at all, as we rode in pairs, side-by-side to try and escape the wind.  The shoulder of the road was rough and littered with debris, and the right hand side of the traffic lane had potholes every few feet.  In addition to making cycling and steering tougher, the wind also made it harder to hear approaching vehicles.

Despite all of this, it did not feel like an unsafe day to cycle.  The road was very straight and very flat.  There were a few gradual, rolling hills, but we spent most of the day surrounded by flat fields.  There was excellent visibility, and the wind kept all of us cyclists at reasonable speeds.

In particular, the spot where Colin was hit was flat, with a lot of visability.  If anything, it was a gentle incline.  Thus, while it is possible that Colin swerved because of a gust of wind or pothole, there is absolutely no reason that he should have been hit by a car.  80 percent of the vehicles today were giving us an entire lane when they passed us.  They occasionally stirr-up dust in the shoulder across the road as they passed.  When they couldn't give us a lot of room, they would slow right down and wait for a good time to pass.

At the end of the day, this logic is little comfort.  Perhaps the accident was absolutely avoidable.  Perhaps completely improbable.  Perhaps entirely the driver's fault.  But Colin is still in the hospital.
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Daniel Longo
CIBC Corporate Development
(416) 956-3831