This just might catch a hit-and-run driver.
Cyclocross just might be the perfect sport for helmet and handlebar cameras. Tight racing, diverse courses, adverse weather conditions, and rabid fans within an arm’s reach are all there to make for entertaining videos. So it’s no surprise we see a ton of GoPro Hero cameras and other brands of helmet and handlebar cameras out on the race course.
Additionally, using them in training can be useful to build your hero status with friends, study your own technique and line choice, or give friends a view of themselves. But just a few days ago, two unfortunate cyclists in Berkeley, California gave all cyclists another good reason to record training rides — to help document drivers who endanger your life.
The two cyclists were climbing up Tunnel Road in the hills above Berkeley and Oakland, a popular training road for East Bay cyclists (and former stomping grounds of 2007 Masters Cyclocross National Champion Andy Jacques-Maynes and Cyclocross Magazine publisher Andrew Yee). The cyclists were well within the road’s ample bike lane when a driver leveled them and sped off without stopping.
Thankfully, their camera captured the accident as well as the the car’s license plate and make (a black Acura Integra) which helped police find the car so they could eventually make an arrest. See the video footage of the Berkeley hit-and-run below:
[youtube h3LatOGCWVc#t=2m20s 590 430]
Hopefully, none of you will ever need such footage, but besides eating up some flash memory and hard drive space, recording your training might not hurt and could lead to justice. Thankfully, the two riders were largely uninjured.
Despite the bike lane, accidents like this are a reminder why tens of thousands of cyclists are protesting in Rome and London for safer streets. Protecting a cyclist’s safety is clearly a local and worldwide issue. Be safe out there!
