Montezuma Mesa Express: Roadie crash near UCSD

Bike Lane accident location on NB Gilman Dr., south of UCSD

I started from the north end for this ride. Arm warmers, long gloves and woolie cap, with paper vest under. Foggy and cool in San Clemente. Had a hot choc at 7-Eleven to warm up before heading south to Oceanside. Waited for the Thursday OFR near Magee Park. No shows, so I went to Swami's in Encinitas, where a group of 12 were chatting. Rode with them to Manchester, where they were riding to Lake Hodges for a snack! I carried on  southbound up Torrey Pines and through UCSD campus.

Lo-lite of this ride was coming upon a just-happened bike crash on northbound Gillman Drive, just south of the UCSD campus. I was southbound at the time and did a slo-U-turn and to check out the rider. I chatted with a rider girl who was supposed to be directing traffic. A blue car pulled out from the parallel parking in front of the apartments and hit a cyclist, who was riding with several others in the bike lane. He was lying on his side in the traffic lane, with another lady cyclists in attendance. They had called 911 and I heard the sirens in the distance. I suggested she take some photos of the scene. Later, as I was approaching the Rose Canyon Bike Path, a SD police car was racing northward to the scene.

Rode up to SDSU with a damper on my efforts, after seeing the rider lying there. Took a yogurt break, fueled up and headed north. I stopped by the accident scene later and no marks on the road, only a few pieces of plastic. Uncomfortable headwind all the way of the coast. Jumped the train and headed home!

-randorides