Is IRONMAN Cycling Dangerous?
Is IRONMAN cycling dangerous? What are the chances of being hit by a car while riding on the road?
Data would suggest minimal, nonetheless, one could be overwhelmed with the feeling of shock and amazement to hear that France’s top short-distance triathlete Vincent Luis having taking the lead at IRONMAN 70.3 Indian Wells in California, was hit by a civilian’s Tesla car after the lead race car was led off the bike course by, of all things, a traffic cop!
According to the IRONMAN website the race was on a new 56-mile bike course and was to “take athletes through beautiful flat county roads while they soak up the warm California sun”, for an ‘unforgettable’ event.
For Vincent Luis “‘Unforgettable’’ was the operative word as he valiantly picked himself up, dazed and in pain, and continued to heroically race on, to finish in a gallant second place as he watched his insurmountable lead ebb away to the eventual winner, Lionel Saunders.
The bike course was a fast and flat singular loop course leaving T1 at Lake Cahuilla and riding across flat county roads before hitting the Thermal raceway then heading through the City of La Quinta on their way to T2 at the Indian Wells Tennis Gardens.
Bike Course Map
Vincent Luis, a World Triathlon Champion, is an experienced draft cyclist and is well versed in taking a number of defensive strategies while out on a race course, but no amount of safety precautions he took could protect him against this horrific crash that overshadowed the big day.
Yes, accidents do happen, nevertheless, IRONMAN cycling is non-drafting and does not involve a fast-moving peloton of some 50 riders’ shoulder to shoulder, hand to hand, hip to hip – barely centimetres away from each other where there’s a very slim margin for error.
In identifying factors relevant to the incident, it seems highly unlikely this incident could be considered as novus actus, unless IRONMAN are too lay all the blame on the road traffic police.
To think the unthinkable, it is suggested that after the crash, IRONMAN officials even contemplated as to whether Vincent Luis should a receive a five-minute penalty for going off-course following the lead car.
In the eyes of Vincent Luis partner USA elite triathlete Taylor Spivey, IRONMAN made mistakes and commented on social media that “the organization and safety needs to be a lot better…The people who are responsible for the safety of athletes shouldn’t put them in danger.” Who amongst the IRONMAN enthusiasts would disagree with that statement?
This is what Vincent Luis had to say about the accident on his Instagram account”
There will, of course, be those that say this was not IRONMANS fault, but let’s be blunt – this incident could have led to a horrific fatality and we ought not to be issuing any more ‘Get out of Jail’ cards for something that is/was preventable.
It ought to be clear that Vincent Luis accident was not part of God’s Masterplan and neither was it his will that the Frenchman survived. It was down to a poor coordinated road cycle route with too many intersections open to traffic (albeit controlled by traffic cops) and just pure luck that nothing worse happened than general wear and tear of the Frenchman’s body. Is it no wonder why those who cycle off-road have 40 percent less chance of getting injured (source: Thompson)
One would have thought lessons would have been learnt from triathlete Matt Russel’s near-fatal crash at Kona IRONMAN World Championships in 2017 when he crashed into lorry at 50 kph after a police officer signalled the truck through the intersection onto the bike course.
So, is IRONMAN cycling dangerous? For the vast majority, it is reasonably safe, though it has much to do with your cycling skills, where you are, and what routes you are riding.
Nonetheless, to bring safety to the forefront of IRONMAN road cycling the absolute priority for any event is to have the safest race environment for triathletes to perform.
Therefore, with reasonable care, any risks can be minimised to a zero tolerance, none more so than by the Event Organisers themselves, where race course risks can be managed and moderated.
But that management must be wilful and methodical and carried out with meticulous preparation with measures that will benefit the safety and image of triathlon cycling and help grow the sport.
