Dale Stetina in Critical Condition

[djg21]

http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/...ccident_301128

Former U.S. national road champion Dale Stetina, father of Garmin-Sharp’s Peter Stetina and brother of Shimano USA vice president Wayne Stetina, was in critical condition Saturday night after a cycling accident required him to be emergency airlifted to a Boulder, Colorado, hospital.

According to multiple sources — including Boulder newspaper Daily Camera, local Colorado cycling website 303Cycling, and veteran American racer Steve Tilford — Stetina, 57, sustained life-threatening injuries when he fell from his bike while trying to avoid colliding with a car in Lefthand Canyon, a well-traveled road for riding among the Boulder cycling community.

[jpw]

Originally Posted by djg21

http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/...ccident_301128

the full article's description of his head and neck injuries sound terrible.

[David Kirk]

Scary and sobering stuff. Sending all the best to Mr. Stetina and his family.

Dave

[pbarry]

Thanks for posting this. Dale is one of the nicest guys ever. Hoping for the best and praying for his recovery.

[witcombusa]

Watched Dale race in the old Red Zinger/Coors Classic days out in Colorado...

[Repack Rider]

In 1984 Dale and his wife Anne, Tom Ritchey, Denise Caramagno and I went to Japan for the first ever Japanese National MTB championships.

A great trip, and Dale was a lot of fun. So sorry to hear about his accident.

Here he is in Crested Butte, that same year.

[gavingould]

Doesn't sound good. Hoping for full recovery from here.

[Lewis Moon]

When I raced as a kid, with tongue firmly placed in cheek, we referred to him as "Stale Wetna".
A great carreer, a great guy. Get well Stale.

[Bruce K]

Very sad and scary

I hope he recovers but it doesn't sound good

BK

[David Kirk]

Has anyone seen seen why the driver did what he did?

Dave

[pbarry]

Just guessing--the driver may have been trying to turn around and head back down the canyon. There have been no updates in the local news.

[rpm]

This is awful and gives me a chill. Especially since I'm sitting here with a brace on my broken neck from when I went over the bars six weeks ago. There but for the grace of God . . .

[pbarry]

Dale Stetina, two-time Coors Classic winner, remains critical following Lefthand Canyon crash
Camera staff
Posted: 09/01/2013 11:14:03 AM MDT | Updated: about 2 hours ago

Related Stories

Aug 31:
Cyclist airlifted to Boulder Community Hospital after Lefthand Canyon crash

Dale Stetina, former professional cyclist and two-time winner of Colorado's Coors Classic, remained in critical condition today at Boulder Community Hospital following a life-threatening crash in Lefthand Canyon on Saturday, family members said.

Stetina, 57, was in a medically induced coma with a head injury, said his brother, Wayne Stetina, who flew in from California on Sunday morning. Stetina's son, 26-year-old Boulder pro-cyclist Peter Stetina, flew in Sunday from France, where he was set to race. Stetina's two daughters and wife also were with him at the hospital.

Wayne Stetina said doctors couldn't give him a prognosis, saying they would know more after 72 hours had passed. Still, he said, he's optimistic. He noted his brother had been training for a trip to Italy with friends this week to cycle the Dolomites, putting him in the best shape he's been in over the last 15 years.

“Dale's been an overachiever all his life,” he said. “He's one of the best, the most skilled cyclists I've ever ridden with. He definitely has determination and fitness on his side.”

Wayne Stetina said his family has been overwhelmed with the outpouring of support from the cycling community.

Stetina is a member of the Bicycle Hall of Fame and won more than 200 domestic and international bike races during a career that spanned from 1965 to 1983. He was a member of the 1976 U.S. Olympic team, and twice won the biggest stage race in the U.S. — the Red Zinger Classic, in 1979, and the renamed Coors Classic, in 1983, according to the website Velo News.

Boulder's Ed Kuh, who is part of the group heading to Italy, said he and Stetina have been friends for 25 years.

“He is a very accomplished rider and a great friend,” he said. “He's very helpful, very loyal. He will do anything for anybody.”

Davis Phinney, a legendary Boulder cyclist who has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, said he rarely rides now with cyclist friends because they're not patient enough to slow their pace. Stetina, he said, is an exception and the two rode together last month.

“I've always had huge respect for Dale,” he said. “He was one of the best riders in the United States. I looked up to him and his brother, Wayne, when I first started racing. We always had a good time when we rode.”

Colorado State Patrol officials said Stetina was airlifted to Boulder Community on Saturday after he fell from his bicycle while trying to avoid colliding with a vehicle around 12:30 p.m.

According to troopers who responded to the scene, a 1999 Jeep SUV was headed west when the driver — identified only as an adult male — pulled across the center line and onto a shoulder on the opposite side of the road. The driver then attempted to pull back into the westbound lane just as a group of cyclists headed east on the roadway came around a slight bend, officials said.

All of the cyclists were able to avoid the vehicle, but Stetina lost control in the process of maneuvering, causing him to fall from his bike, according the State Patrol.

“He swerved and braked so hard he went over the handlebars,” Cpl. Heather Cobler of the Colorado State Patrol said on Saturday.

Stetina was wearing a helmet.

The driver, who remained on scene, was not ticketed, but officials said the incident is still under investigation.

[Louis]

Gee, I wonder what you have to do in CO to get a ticket?

Apparently being the direct cause of a very serious, nearly fatal, accident is not one of them.

Originally Posted by pbarry

According to troopers who responded to the scene, a 1999 Jeep SUV was headed west when the driver — identified only as an adult male — pulled across the center line and onto a shoulder on the opposite side of the road. The driver then attempted to pull back into the westbound lane just as a group of cyclists headed east on the roadway came around a slight bend, officials said.
:
:
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The driver, who remained on scene, was not ticketed, but officials said the incident is still under investigation.

[ultraman6970]

Who knows how many location of death bodies the driver knows that even his name is muted by the media. Weird to say the least.