Johnny Gaudreau, brother Matthew dead

Brothers were cycling and hit by a car. Rumours were flying all night and they seemed crazy at first but the lack of denials became ominous.

Columbus Blue Jackets F Gaudreau dead at age 31 | TSN

 

My God, that's awful.

On a side note, road cycling has gotten really dangerous these days. No idea what happened here, but the amount of distracted drivers on the road makes it really hard to feel comfortable riding even on side streets.

 

It has gotten worse since the pandemic. I blame cell phones combined with a callous indifference toward your fellow man. It’s part of the reason gravel cycling has exploded in popularity the past few years.

 

ESPN is reporting driver was arrested for DUI. Just awful.

 

I bike a lot and generally stick to paved trails and gravel, but there’s a fair amount of road riding between routes or, occasionally, as an actual route. The older I get, the more nervous I get. A friend of mine recently got a Garmin taillight that includes a radar to let you know a vehicle is coming. It can beep or alert your phone. It might be worth the investment to stay safe. There are just too many distracted drivers, inconsiderate drivers and aggressive drivers who clearly have contempt for cyclists.

 

I live in an area with a major bike company headquarters. They used to go on lunch rides where 40 or 50 of them would all go out at once and then completely occupy busy two-lane roads. I’d sit at a stop sign waiting for this mob to all at once go through (I fully realize why cyclists go through the stop signs and how it’s generally better that they do, I’m complaining about volume of people).

It finally got so bad and so many people were complaining, the company had to publicly tell employees to not ride in huge groups.

I get annoyed, especially when I can’t safely get around and they aren’t doing me any favors (usually when they’re going in pairs and they’re riding side by side). But I don’t do anything more than call them a few choice names in the confines of my car and secretly give a finger.

Not a chance so I want to be responsible for hitting anyone. My car is orders of magnitude heavier than their bikes and it scares the crap out of me that I might clip someone and do serious damage. And I do what I can to avoid just that.

Man DUI is just horrific especially when you kill an innocent.

 

Some reports are saying their sister's wedding is this weekend? Ah geez.

 

I'm really irritated at the headlines that read " ... have died ..." as if they went peacefully in their sleep. If they stopped for gas and were shot by a mugger, would it be "have died" or "were killed?"

 

The light-camera-radar — Garmin Varia RCT715 — in case anyone is interested.

Terrible news. Glad the driver has been arrested.

I love to ride, use lights front-back, and wear bright tops of chartreuse or blaze orange, and still cringe when i hear a vehicle approaching.

 

True. Beyond horrible.

 

“An hour after sunset” is what I have read for timing of the incident. I’m a former ride coordinator for a large cycling club in Calgary and I can tell you that cyclists can be very careless when it comes to being seen and when they should be taking extra precaution. It’s maddening to say to the group you are leading to ride in single file and then look back later and see there abreast on a busy street. Some cyclist just have that feeling they are invincible, but of course they aren’t.
Not prejudging anything to do with Gadreau’s awful and sad death but at night you better have flashing front and rear lights and be extra cautious. Even riding after sunset is a questionable activity.
As a Flames ticket holder I witnessed his massive skill up close and he provided all hockey fans with great and exciting entertainment over the years. One of the best Flames ever. His passing skills were elite in the global hockey ‘arena’. It’s a huge shock to Calgary’s sport fans as well as the sporting world as a whole.
It’s just so unfortunate that alcohol may have been involved. I hope JG and his brother were taking the precautions to be seen and carelessness on their part isn’t a factor.
RIP Johnny be good.

 

They were struck when the driver decided to pass another vehicle on the right. The first driver saw them and moved to the left to clear the cyclists. The second driver saw that as opportunity to pass on the right.