Former Amazon executive Joy Covey killed in Peninsula bike collision

[enr1co]

Sad news- Skyline is a great road to ride but dangerous with the reckless fast drivers there.

http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_24133537/former-amazon-executive-joy-covey-victim-deadly-peninsula

[Shortsocks]

Jesus reading this woman's bio. Holy crap she was motivated. Pretty crazy. Shes like a super woman. What a loss.

[downtube]

Very sad news, prayers for her and her family.
chuck

[professerr]

That hits home. I ride that stretch of Skyline (see the article link mapping the location) all the time. It always feels sketchy to me. Very fast for bikes and cars, no shoulder, sweeping curves, big rolls, and heavily shaded. I've always hated Skyline, but it is hard to avoid. And while most drivers around here -- both residents and workers -- are pretty bike friendly, they drive with a scary sort of urgency that can lead to errors and tragedies like this.

[plattyjo]

RIP Joy Covey - it's always terrible to read about these tragic deaths.

[sfscott]

I took her first company public. Knew her well way back when. Geez Louise.

[pdmtong]

It wouldn't be uncommon to be going 25-30 as you round that left into the straight. In all the years I've been riding up there I have never seen an opposing driver turn in front of me.

RIP. It could be any of us


As a friend said its another reminder that anytime we just "go for a ride" things can happen - in this case very bad things.

I will try to avoid skyline mid-day but that little section she as killed on is the way I always go to get back down when time is short. Up OLH. North on skyline down 84. Just like the hundreds if others around here.

[Pelican]

Saw this and was wondering where on Highway 35 it happened. I ride that route and pass that spot every weekend. Really sad for local cyclists, and startup tech people. Here's another article on her if anyone is interested:

http://allthingsd.com/20130919/tragedy-amazons-first-cfo-and-internet-pioneer-joy-covey-dies-in-bike-accident/

-Hong

[fogrider]

All the descents in the area are fast with sweeping turns. Love the climb up old la honda but I usually like to drop the other side of old la honda heading west and climb back up 84. riding north on skylight to 84 is pretty much 40 mph in tuck, nothing much you can do if someone turns in front of you. lest be careful out there.

[mvrider]

Sounds like the cyclist was northbound. It was warm and sunny today, and at 1:30 pm, the sun would have been pretty high, causing the trees to cast intermittent shadows on the road. I don't know if she was using a front blinky or not, but this is why I do (esp. after reading Ben's blog entry about a similar collision that he survived).

A tragedy for all concerned.

[pdmtong]

http://postcards.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2013/09/19/joy-covey-amazon/?hpt=hp_t2

173 IQ

Harvard JD/MBA

[pdmtong]

Love the climb up old la honda but I usually like to drop the other side of old la honda heading west and climb back up 84. .

yikes man, that section of 84 from west OLH back to skyline has no shoulder and it feels to me like one is just waiting to get hit from the rear. NFW I ride that section any time of day.

[pzung]

Heard this in the radio this morning.

I ride through there often and it could have been any one of us.

RIP Joy...

[Lionel]

It wouldn't be uncommon to be going 25-30 as you round that left into the straight. In all the years I've been riding up there I have never seen an opposing driver turn in front of me.

RIP. It could be any of us


As a friend said its another reminder that anytime we just "go for a ride" things can happen - in this case very bad things.

I will try to avoid skyline mid-day but that little section she as killed on is the way I always go to get back down when time is short. Up OLH. North on skyline down 84. Just like the hundreds if others around here.

RIP Joy.

Jeez, I have ridden that stretch hundreds of time when doing the OLH/84 short loop. It is a fast descent. It seems that she was riding alone and I can see how a driver could not see her.

[fuzzalow]

This news is a shame. RIP Ms. Covey.

The NYT reported that the driver was a 22 year old contract deliveryman. I dare say that like most drivers, he is clueless about judgment of speed and closing rates. His incompetence contributed to a loss of life. In fairness, Ms. Covey chose, as do we all here, to participate in an activity with inherent risks, sometimes grave in consequence. Be careful out there.

And I might get backlash for this opinion and this accident is not any more tragic than any loss of life. Loss of productive talent & skill is ultimately is more costly to society as a whole. Kvetch about the 1%'ers as deemed necessary but some of them contribute more to society than the typical knuckle-dragger from the hinterlands. A little anti-populism backlash might not be a bad thing.

[RonW87]

Kvetch about the 1%'ers as deemed necessary but some of them contribute more to society than the typical knuckle-dragger from the hinterlands.



Holy Ayn Rand, Batman!

[MadRocketSci]

All the descents in the area are fast with sweeping turns. Love the climb up old la honda but I usually like to drop the other side of old la honda heading west and climb back up 84. riding north on skylight to 84 is pretty much 40 mph in tuck, nothing much you can do if someone turns in front of you. lest be careful out there.

Like everyone else I've ridden that section of skyline to get from the top of OLH to descend 84. It's always felt sketchy and I'm typically listening for the approach of motorcycles going 30+ over the limit...like it's going to help. Never would think of the hazard coming from the front. That said, my closest encounter with death was that northbound section of 84 from the bottom of west OLH back to skyline/alice's. Some 20 year old on a ninja or other * rocket blew a turn at about 80 and ended up coming down the opposing lane shoulder (ie, straight at me)....he pretty much saved my bacon by ditching into the, well, ditch in a huge cloud of dust. Was pretty much a deer in headlights. Point is, there are hazards on both roads and they are best ridden sparingly imho. Motorcycles are routinely being recovered from the ravines around there.

South of OLH on 84 to San Gregorio I haven't had too many problems. Much less shade, gentler curves give more room and visibility for passing and any f-ups in judgement...of course, YMMV.

RIP to Joy and condolensces to her family and friends. She sounded like a great lady doing great work.

[norcalbiker]

Very sad indeed.

I don't even ride my motorcycle on that road anymore because all the crazy drivers. We used ride there and have brunch at Alice's restaurant. But why too many motorcycle riders going way too fast and cagers.

Prayer to her love ones.

[brando]

Like everyone else I've ridden that section of skyline to get from the top of OLH to descend 84. It's always felt sketchy and I'm typically listening for the approach of motorcycles going 30+ over the limit...like it's going to help.

Rest in peace Joy.

Was on a water stop at that store across from Alice's and some meth-head was advising myself and my riding buddies "better be careful because motorcycles like to ride over 100 mph on this road." My buddy's reply "Why don't the slow down?" Answer, "Because it's fun as hell." So, yeah, some ppl don't really care if they die, or if you do.

Best riding in the Bay Area, nonetheless.

[professerr]

Was on a water stop at that store across from Alice's and some meth-head was advising myself and my riding buddies "better be careful because motorcycles like to ride over 100 mph on this road." My buddy's reply "Why don't the slow down?" Answer, "Because it's fun as hell." So, yeah, some ppl don't really care if they die, or if you do.

Best riding in the Bay Area, nonetheless.

No, really, respectfully, Skyline is just awful for cycling -- so dangerous that I hate for anyone to read this and think it is a good place to go. I ride a motorcycle and Skyline is very popular and very, very easy for any newbie bozo with limited skill to go very fast on and feel heroic because it is a bit curvy and swoopy. Certainly faster than they can react to some dark clad cyclist hidden in a shaded spot. Many come here just to do this, especially on Sund. morning when I generally won't go near the place on a bicycle. As I said above, it is difficult to ride a bike around here without ending up on Skyline at some point, but it is definitely not a good place to be.