Madison man dies in Colo. bicycle crash
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FRUITA, Colo. — A cyclist from Wisconsin has died following a crash at the Colorado National Monument.
The National Park Service says 65-year-old Stanley Dodson of Madison lost control of his bike while riding down Rim Rock Drive on Saturday. He was taken to St. Mary’s Medical Center in Grand Junction, where he died on Sunday.
It’s the first fatal bicycle accident in the history of the 98-year-old park.
Two bicyclists riding up the hill said Dodson was traveling downhill at about 25 mph when he lost control and hit the ground. The other cyclists called 911.
Aug 25, 2009 at 11:31 a.m.
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25 mph is pretty fast to be going on a bike when you are falling off of it. I ride mine normally in the 16-18mph range as an average with occasional downhills in the 35 range, so 25 is getting up there. One is certainly vulnerable at that speed, helmet or not.
To address the helmet debate, per the comments on the article in the State Journal, he was well known to wear a helmet consistently on his bike, so in all likelihood was wearing one.
Regardless, this is a tragedy for his family and friends and I certainly extend my sypathies to them.
Aug 25, 2009 at 9:51 a.m.
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25mph is not fast in terms of attainability. It is very fast in terms of vulnerability.
Aug 25, 2009 at 5:50 a.m.
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25mph on a bicycle is not all that fast. There are places around here I can get up to 35mph going downhill.
Aug 25, 2009 at 2:32 a.m.
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It is still unreported whether he was wearing a helmet and whether that was a factor in his death. But a helmet is the single most critical piece of safety equipment, as noted by this bike shop employee in a local TV story:
"The first piece of equipment I always suggest when people are buying a bicycle is a good helmet," said Rudolph, "Make sure that the helmet is properly fit. You don't want any play laterally in the helmet or fore and aft. Any bike mechanic should be able to help you fit in a helmet properly," he says.
http://www.kjct8.com/Global/story.asp?S=...
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25mph is not an unusual speed to attain on a downhill. Inexperienced or out-of-shape cyclists need to be especially careful that they keep their speed within the limits of their machine. A road bike with thin tires for least friction is the most at risk from a patch of gravel that a knobby-tired mountain bike could handle without a blink.
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Age is also a factor. I'm painfully aware that at 45 a tumble that I'd have ignored at 25 could now mean a trip to the ER.
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I apologize if giving safety advice seems like the wrong thing to do after an accident, but then I wonder when safety advice ought to be given.
Aug 24, 2009 at 8:25 p.m.
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25 mph is pretty fast on a bike.
I don't see that it says he was not wearing a helmet. You are making an assumption.
Aug 24, 2009 at 5:26 p.m.
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That would be UW Professor Stanley Dodson.
http://www.zoology.wisc.edu/faculty/Dod/...
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A sad reminder that you don't need to be going very fast to suffer severe injury. Wear a helmet!
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