RAGBRAI Crashes

It is certainly sad that the rider died on RAGBRAI a few years ago. What's even sadder is that more riders will certainly crash, and possibly more will die. That's the risk each of us takes when we roll out on our bikes, especially on the roads, and especially with traffic.

When riding on the roads, there are hazards like cracks and potholes, and they will cause crashes. Learning to deal with obstacles and hazards is part of learning to be a good cyclist. A rider may still crash, and typically the worst result is a broken bone and road rash.

RAGBRAI needs to do even more to encourage most riders to train on the roads prior to the ride. This will allow them to encounter hazards and develop bike handling techniques to deal with them. "Riding Right" is typically good advice, but a rider had better know how to deal with the parallel crack whether it is the center-line or on the right side of the road.