Frank
08-15-2005, 11:19 PM
I have read of quite a few fatalities over the years involving cyclists, but never have heard of two cyclists hitting each other head on while riding. I have seen some close calls on some out and back training/racing routes where there were blind corners, but never a collision.
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Allen man killed in head-on bike crash
Plano: Second cyclist hurt on popular route in southeast part of city
08:37 PM CDT on Monday, August 15, 2005
By PAULA LAVIGNE / The Dallas Morning News
A head-on collision between two bicyclists killed one man and injured another on a popular cycling route in southeast Plano.
The Sunday morning crash had area cyclists buzzing Monday as they exchanged phone calls and posted messages on regional online cycling forums.
Jim Hoyt, owner of Richardson Bike Mart, said he's never heard of a fatal head-on collision in his 50 years of cycling. "We can't figure it out."
One cyclist, 52-year-old Michael Mahoney of Allen, was taken to Medical Center of Plano, where he died Sunday. The Collin County medical examiner's office would not release a cause of death Monday, but a family friend said he died of severe head trauma.
The other cyclist, 37-year-old Jordan Muller of Richardson, was treated in the emergency room and released, a hospital spokeswoman said. Mr. Muller could not be reached Monday.
Both were riding road bikes and were wearing helmets, police said.
Nancy and Doug Clark have been friends of Mr. Mahoney and his wife, Nadine, for almost 25 years.
Mr. Mahoney had worked for J.C. Penney since the late 1970s, and both families had been transferred, at different times, by the company from Wisconsin to North Texas.
"He loved his family more than anything, and he had friends that are going to miss him forever," Mrs. Clark said. She said he had started cycling about four years ago after knee surgery forced him to give up running.
On Sunday, he and Mr. Muller were cycling in opposite directions near Wyngate Boulevard and Wynwood Drive in an industrial section of southeast Plano, Plano police Officer Carl Duke said.
Cyclists use the interconnecting streets as a circular route for timed races staged on Tuesday nights and sponsored by Plano Cycling & Fitness.
Mr. Mahoney was cycling counterclockwise on the route and Mr. Muller was riding clockwise, and they hit head-on in the middle of the street.
Race organizer Randy Eller said the races run clockwise, and most people who cycle the course for practice would be going clockwise. They probably wouldn't suspect someone coming from the other direction, he said. However, the course is a series of public streets, and cyclists can ride any direction they choose.
"It's seldom you would see someone going counterclockwise. But it's not like [Mr. Mahoney] was doing anything wrong," Mr. Eller said. Mr. Eller said racing cyclists could reach speeds of more than 20 mph on the course, but police do not know how fast the two cyclists were going at the time of impact.
Officer Duke said a passer-by called 911. Police are investigating the fatality as an accidental death and do not anticipate filing criminal charges, he said.
Laura Alton, a Richardson cyclist who came across the crash scene Sunday, said she was surprised that the two collided on a straightaway where it was likely one cyclist would see another approaching.
"I've just never heard of anybody hitting somebody head-on," she said. "If you're riding on a tour or a rally, you might have a crash, but not just head-on. Everybody's just kind of shocked by, 'Wow, how did this happen?' "
Mrs. Clark said Mr. Mahoney had been cycling in the area before. He was training for the popular Hotter'N Hell Hundred ride in Wichita Falls on Aug. 27.
"It was a big event for him to do the Hotter'N Hell," J.C. Penney co-worker and cyclist Craig Mathew said. "He really did live for it. I'd say, 'Are you going to do the whole thing? The whole hundred miles?' And he'd say, 'Yeah, yeah.' "
Along with cycling, Mr. Mahoney also was an avid fisherman, NASCAR fan and motorcyclist, Mrs. Clark said. He and his wife had two adult children, Thomas Mahoney and Monica Spaulding.
"He liked to do anything at least once," Mrs. Clark said. "He was never afraid of a challenge."
The funeral will be at 2 p.m. Friday at St. Jude Catholic Church in Allen.
E-mail plavigne@dallasnews.com
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Allen man killed in head-on bike crash
Plano: Second cyclist hurt on popular route in southeast part of city
08:37 PM CDT on Monday, August 15, 2005
By PAULA LAVIGNE / The Dallas Morning News
A head-on collision between two bicyclists killed one man and injured another on a popular cycling route in southeast Plano.
The Sunday morning crash had area cyclists buzzing Monday as they exchanged phone calls and posted messages on regional online cycling forums.
Jim Hoyt, owner of Richardson Bike Mart, said he's never heard of a fatal head-on collision in his 50 years of cycling. "We can't figure it out."
One cyclist, 52-year-old Michael Mahoney of Allen, was taken to Medical Center of Plano, where he died Sunday. The Collin County medical examiner's office would not release a cause of death Monday, but a family friend said he died of severe head trauma.
The other cyclist, 37-year-old Jordan Muller of Richardson, was treated in the emergency room and released, a hospital spokeswoman said. Mr. Muller could not be reached Monday.
Both were riding road bikes and were wearing helmets, police said.
Nancy and Doug Clark have been friends of Mr. Mahoney and his wife, Nadine, for almost 25 years.
Mr. Mahoney had worked for J.C. Penney since the late 1970s, and both families had been transferred, at different times, by the company from Wisconsin to North Texas.
"He loved his family more than anything, and he had friends that are going to miss him forever," Mrs. Clark said. She said he had started cycling about four years ago after knee surgery forced him to give up running.
On Sunday, he and Mr. Muller were cycling in opposite directions near Wyngate Boulevard and Wynwood Drive in an industrial section of southeast Plano, Plano police Officer Carl Duke said.
Cyclists use the interconnecting streets as a circular route for timed races staged on Tuesday nights and sponsored by Plano Cycling & Fitness.
Mr. Mahoney was cycling counterclockwise on the route and Mr. Muller was riding clockwise, and they hit head-on in the middle of the street.
Race organizer Randy Eller said the races run clockwise, and most people who cycle the course for practice would be going clockwise. They probably wouldn't suspect someone coming from the other direction, he said. However, the course is a series of public streets, and cyclists can ride any direction they choose.
"It's seldom you would see someone going counterclockwise. But it's not like [Mr. Mahoney] was doing anything wrong," Mr. Eller said. Mr. Eller said racing cyclists could reach speeds of more than 20 mph on the course, but police do not know how fast the two cyclists were going at the time of impact.
Officer Duke said a passer-by called 911. Police are investigating the fatality as an accidental death and do not anticipate filing criminal charges, he said.
Laura Alton, a Richardson cyclist who came across the crash scene Sunday, said she was surprised that the two collided on a straightaway where it was likely one cyclist would see another approaching.
"I've just never heard of anybody hitting somebody head-on," she said. "If you're riding on a tour or a rally, you might have a crash, but not just head-on. Everybody's just kind of shocked by, 'Wow, how did this happen?' "
Mrs. Clark said Mr. Mahoney had been cycling in the area before. He was training for the popular Hotter'N Hell Hundred ride in Wichita Falls on Aug. 27.
"It was a big event for him to do the Hotter'N Hell," J.C. Penney co-worker and cyclist Craig Mathew said. "He really did live for it. I'd say, 'Are you going to do the whole thing? The whole hundred miles?' And he'd say, 'Yeah, yeah.' "
Along with cycling, Mr. Mahoney also was an avid fisherman, NASCAR fan and motorcyclist, Mrs. Clark said. He and his wife had two adult children, Thomas Mahoney and Monica Spaulding.
"He liked to do anything at least once," Mrs. Clark said. "He was never afraid of a challenge."
The funeral will be at 2 p.m. Friday at St. Jude Catholic Church in Allen.
E-mail plavigne@dallasnews.com