Trans Am Bike Race / TransAm / TABR

For what it’s worth I found most of the course to be safe. Some of the big rig logging truck passes were scary but mostly due to their size and noise. The eastern states were very safe and courteous places to ride.

I had one near miss in Kentucky, with a pick-up going against traffic on a dual carriageway in a heavy storm to turn into a car park who I only dodged by millimetres.

I didn’t ride in Kansas, where three of the hits (and Eric’s collision) happened. By all accounts that’s not a safe place to be. There had already been discussion on rerouting around the worst stretch.

I can’t imagine what the insurance situation is for Nathan and whether that might make it impossible to run another edition.

What insurance? I doubt there is any.

No entry fee, no prize money.

Even with an externally-defined route that's an enormous exposure, especially in such a litigious country.

At a time when it's very hard to find the right words, this is very well put. Thank you.

Very sad news, sounded like a top bloke.

This is fucking tragic. Thoughts are with friends and family.

That's terrible news. Condolences to his friends and family. RIP John.

Why aren't they suing these cretin drivers?

I read during the race that among John's first words were the question "Will I be paralysed forever?". That stuck with me. Now I'm haunted by the pictures of John that Newton Bike Shop posted at his bedside. His expression was terrifying. I just hope he didn't suffer too much.

Not my words, just pasted from the GoFundMe page.
But, yes, it's hard to find words at these times.

What insurance? I doubt there is any.

I kind of assumed that too.
I'm pretty sure Jesse had organisers' liability insurance for IndyPac - and pulled it when his cover was withdrawn. But I think Nathan's approach is more informal. Whether that is sustainable, I don't know. What would force it would be if an insurance company who covered one of the hurt / killed riders decided to sue Nathan to recover their losses. It could then get very ugly.

Except if there was no entry fee, or such. I doubt you'd be able to hold nathan liable. Depends how the law works in the USA. Hopefully he has a limited company and the company runs the race, he just works for the company.

Why aren't they suing these cretin drivers?

Good question.

It's bad enough to be hit and hurt, or worse. But in the US, you get hit and, on top of your injuries, you are looking at tens of thousands in medical bills for your troubles.
My contempt for the incompetent drivers who do this has no limits.

Except if there was no entry fee, or such. I doubt you'd be able to hold nathan liable. Depends how the law works in the USA. Hopefully he has a limited company and the company runs the race, he just works for the company.

Litigation often comes down not so much to the rights and wrongs but whether there is money to be made by taking action. So, Nathan's best defence, if he has no insurance, is probably to have little money so there is nothing to be gained by suing him, hence no point trying.

IndyPac is different in that did have a (small) entry fee. And I expect Jesse would be worth suing if someone was minded to do so.

Shit, that's terrible news. Seems to be an unacceptably high number of injuries / fatalities in ultra racing.

Kansas clearly has some issues but I'm still reluctant to draw wider conclusions without knowing much more about the incidents.

.

Agreed. Might not be a bad idea to remove the hospital picture from this thread also @Spares?

If I was his son I'd definitely be going on a shooting rampage right about now.

Do we know how the other guys who were hit are?

Ashley Sharp was hit and dragged but somehow got off lightly.
"Treated at Emergency Room but released." Hopefully that is accurate and there are no long term injuries.

Tsaichu Cheng is in bad shape, click the Updates tab here: https://www.gofundme.com/get-well-tc last update 10 days ago. Another post suggested he has family present though they speak little English. Really hope they pull through this.

I think there was a fourth collision but can't find info.

Ash seemed pretty shaken up psychologically but apparently physically OK, somehow. His bike was mangled. Sounds like that could easily have gone another way.

Michael Hatfield was clipped outside Baker City in Oregon and hitched back to the ER there. He was back on the bike a day later but scratched in West Yellowstone on medical advice that he'd damaged his ACL in the collision.

Fucking awful to have this aftermath to such an event. I wonder what options for re-routing are being considered if any. If there are long segments with effectively no shoulder due to rumble striping and 50 mph+ zoned.. that's just asking for a repeat.

(this pic not on the route)

Apparently there's a route 50? that goes via Stafford I think that's a race legal alt.

EDIT: Route 50, south of Route 96

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Stafford,+KS+67578,+USA/@38.2487806,-99.1055518,9.46z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x87a45db35f6264b3:0x517af2bc68cf01bd!8m2!3d37.9622371!4d-98.6006375

Several riders already took an alternative route through Kansas that was proposed by locals. I skipped Kansas altogether so this is second hand information but apparently the worst stretch is newly surfaced and doesn't have a shoulder painted at all, with drivers just taking the whole lane.

500, I think.