The Clam Festival this weekend had many events other than the 5 mile race. There was a kayak race and a cycling race as well.
The cycling race was not completed, however. They had to stop the race with 2 laps (about 10 kilometers) remaining. 88-year-old John Christiansen apparently didn’t understand what the police were telling him earlier, and he didn’t see fit to stop and make sure he understood. Instead, when he saw a long line of cars pulled over to the side of the road, he decided to swirve around them.
Four cyclists of the 2 dozen or so that hit his car were taken to the hospital, and 12-15 were treated by EMTs on the scene. Only two people had serious injuries (a broken leg and severe head trauma).
I can understand why the roads were still open during the race, and I understand that the race officials did everything they could to make the race safe. In fact, other than cyclists wiping out on their own, there have not been any serious accidents since the race’s conception. The USCF had signed off on the safety of the course. I hope that they are able to continue the race next year, preferably with the road closed but I still think the course is fairly safe. Hopefully Mr. Christiansen’s family convinces him to give up driving, since it seems to me that he is no longer fit to safely do so.
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