Mayor of San Jose hit by car while heading to climb Sierra Road

[HammerTime2]

The Mayor of San Jose was hit by a car yesterday while heading to climb Sierra Road, which is a famous stage-ending climb in the Tour of California (coming shortly after the descent of Mount Hamilton). Sierra road is much shorter and steeper, and with much less altitude gain than, its neighbor, Mount Hamilton.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/art ... 502330.php

https://livethedreem.wordpress.com/2011 ... n-jose-ca/
"this climb is around 3.5 miles long and averages around a 9% grade"

https://www.bicycling.com/news/a2573499 ... ike-crash/
"David Low, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office, said Liccardo was riding to a frequent training spot, the nearby Sierra Road—a famed local climb with pitches that reach 18 percent—before the crash."

39 year old Chris "Mr. EPO Fountain of Youth" Horner winning on Sierra Road in 2011, the key stage leading to his G.C. win of the 2011 Tour of California (beating teammate and fellow EPO user, Levi Leipheimer).
[YouTube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so05aPjjkzc[/YouTube]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Tour ... ia#Stage_4


Edit:There are a lot more details at https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2019/ ... it-by-car/ .

The mayor had wrapped up a news conference earlier Tuesday, when he decided to go for a New Year’s Day bike ride.

The report of the bicycle crash involving a “pedestrian versus vehicle – a silver Toyota” came over the scanners just after 12:30 p.m.

It happened around the 600 block of Salt Lake Drive near Mabury Road in San Jose.

Carl Guardino of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group is the mayor’s friend and frequent bicycling companion. He spoke with the mayor’s wife this evening.

“A car cut him off and caused a collision,” said Giardino. “From what I understand, the mayor sustained a few fractures including a fracture to his sternum. He’s pretty banged up and bruised up, but he’s in great spirits.”

According to neighbors, the mayor was riding his bike along the bike path on Mabury Road when suddenly, an SUV darted across his path on Salt Lake Drive. The mayor smashed right into the car.

Linda Dutra of San Jose was one of several neighbors and witnesses who are credited with quickly coming to the mayor’s aid.

I walk over and say, ‘hey, are you okay?’” said Dutra. “Tom and the wife dragged him onto the concrete because they were just afraid of another car coming and just taking whoever else was there.”

Once they got him out of the road, firefighters and paramedics rushed him to the hospital. Linda says nobody realized the victim was the mayor at first because he was wearing sunglasses.

3:10 TV news video is at https://livethedreem.wordpress.com/2011 ... n-jose-ca/
Witness: "The Mayor actually went through the SUV window with his head."
Mayor <joking>: "All defects to my head were pre-existing conditions."

[spdntrxi]

sucks for him... but who's at fault ? hopefully not the cyclist but it might take someone with some "power" to make things safer for us.

[HammerTime2]

It looks like the Mayor was heading towards Sierra Road, about 2 1/2 km away when the vehicle at a cross street pulled out in front of him. And about another km on Sierra Road to get to the real climbing portion.
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/37.3818 ... m2!4m1!3e0

I figured that out from the info in this article https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/01/02/ ... e-accident . The Mayor was released from the hospital Wednesday night, but won't be riding for at least a few weeks.

The Mayor was about 4 km from the base of Mt. Hamilton, but apparently not headed there. Actually 4 km is the distance to Mt. Hamilton Road, which is the traditional beginning of the timed Mt. Hamilton climb. But the climbing begins going northeast on Alum Rock Ave. toward Mt. Hamilton Road, so the 1/2 km he would have traveled on Alum Rock Ave would all be climbing, essentially Mt. Hamilton. https://www.google.com/maps/dir/37.3818 ... m2!4m1!3e0

Climbing Sierra Road. I wonder if he's a WW? That climb is steep enough that WW'ism should be a net benefit, if it is ever going to be. Apparently, he's been a big proponent of improving bicycling infrastructure in San Jose.

Any Mayor who climbs Sierra Road is o.k. in my book.


Edit: Article updating Mayor's condition a couple of weeks after the incident. https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/art ... 536865.php "San Jose mayor back after bike crash: ‘I learned that SUVs don’t bend’"