Cyclist seriously injured on Kippure descent - mountain rescue involved

SerialComplaint

Take care on those descents folks

http://www.thejournal.ie/three-operations-in-three-days-for-wicklow-mountain-rescue-468262-May2012/

Plastik

I was there last night. Serious crash but the injured party lived to fight another day, thankfully. A few broken ribs, but nothing life threatening. It could have, and looked for a while, like it was going to be a lot worse. The rescue personnel were superb, all of them, the Wicklow Mountain Rescue and the Ambulance staff.

gman2k

I believe it was a member of Naas cycling club, get well soon.
https://www.facebook.com/naascyclingclub

Actual Paramedic

That accident with the Naas cycling club member was on Sunday. Different one on Tues night.

a148pro

I cycle this route occasionally - the road / track up to the mast that is, was this guy on a mountain bike elsewhere or was he hurt on the road? Just wondering what happened if anyone knows, with a view to it not happening to me?

Plastik

On a road bike descending. Just went a little hot and lost control on either the bumps or some gravel. There's no fear of it happening to anyone if they're cautious coming down.

a148pro

I'm usually fit to collapse after making it up there so should be safe

pprendeville

I find it hard to go below 20 on this descent. I've never done it with carbon rims but I imagine they're pretty hot at the bottom.

Hope injured parties get well soon.

Surinam

I hope the guy will be okay.

Don't jump down my neck and I'm not for a second saying this particular guy was being reckless but I feel compelled to have a rant about some dangerous cycling I've seen on this path before.

Last February I was up Kippure with my parents and dog. We were about half way back down the main path when suddenly a woman behind us (who was there with her two young kids) started screaming "get out of the way" or something like that - she was just picking up one of the kids and scurrying onto the bog/grass; behind her a guy on a road bike was approaching the corner at an incredibly fast pace (I mean really fast, like a car passing by on a motorway). He wasn't giving any warning (ie shouting at them or ringing a bell), just coming at us in silence and within seconds was past us and well down towards the road entrance. There was a crazy 'whirr' sound from his wheels when he was going by, but you couldn't hear that when he was approaching. We ourselves managed to get on to the grass just in time but thank heavens our dog was on the leash - he could literally have been squished by this guy (and the rider would probably also have been thrown off).

My Dad was livid and even considered calling the Gards (:eek:) the woman behind us was so lucky too. When we got back to the car the man was nowhere to be seen, we would all have given him hell if we had found him.

As I said I am not for a second suggesting the guy in the article was being reckless but it's just something every cyclist who goes up there should bear in mind - please please be more careful (you're not invincible) and give some thought to walkers, especially those with families.