http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/10362762.stm

Very sad news. RIP.Did anybody on here do the ride and know any more about the circumstances?

Friend said someone had a heart attack (they were behind when the ambulance etc arrived).

Leighton Buzzard! that's where I live small town to.

And another one here weekend before last.

I've done many events on that stretch of road. It's known as being the fastest 10/25/50 course in the region so proves VERY popular with testers from al over the country, not just West DC.

This is starting to happen all too often (another TT death last year nr London) and it's one of the reason's I've quit doing Open events.

All too sad. Thoughts and condolences to both families.

Same here, I have been Testing on two occassions were people have been killed, Marlowe and Potters Bar. No more for me.

Poor man.

I think I'll just give up cycling as a precaution.

I've quit doing Open events

Why? Does the atmosphere lure you into overextending yourself ?

Well if we drink regularly and ride (sometimes with hangovers)- sometime in the future if we keep riding we too will have a heart attack over whilst out on the trail or road.

Slightly OT but if you cane-it for years and ride – your a big candidate.

your a big candidate.

literally big ?

No not you- you are a statistical freak SFB. Well a statistical-Chewbacca to be precise 😆

just read about that, great shame. I knew a small group doing the L2B this year, fingers crossed till i can contact them

still thats the only seventh death in 35yrs

Thoughts with the family, RIP BHF fundraiser.

my mate was doing the ride, got stopped for over an hour just shy of ditchling, said that apparently someone had a heart attack on the climb of ditchling hill (that was the rumour through the croud)

Not sure if this is the same thing or not

No not you- you are a statistical freak SFB. Well a statistical-Chewbacca to be precise

no, I meant did "… but if you cane-it for years and ride – your a big candidate. " mean that you would be overweight ? It couldn't be anything about me as I hardly drink at all.

OP here. So I guessed it was probably a heart attack. Any idea if he was a regular rider/reasonably fit bloke or a "I'll set myself a big challenge but then forget to do any training for it" type?

On the other hand being super-fit seems to be no guarantee of good health…

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/news/article/kim-kirchen-in-artificial-coma-after-heart-attack-26664

Slightly alarming 😕

Why? Does the atmosphere lure you into overextending yourself ?

No – its that you're oblivious to the danger while you're doing it. The best Open events are generally held on the busiest, flatest, fastest dual-carriageways around. The cars are doing 70mph+ and you're doing <30mph.

I saw a YouTube clip of me doing a TT on the A303 late last year and it frightened the life out of me.

you're doing <30mph

Not if you're good enough for it to be worth riding on such a course!

Personally I'm just thinking about entering my first open events in years, but I won't be choosing to do ones like that (then again the 100 I did many years ago had long stretches on DC and it didn't feel at all dangerous).

Whe you do a TT on the hard shoulder of a dual carriageway, isn't it just covered in grit and sh*t, giving you an awful riding experience?

Whe you do a TT on the hard shoulder of a dual carriageway

Dual carriageways don't generally have hard shoulders

Vast majority of riders are doing <30.

And anyone can ride the course*. Doesn't matter how good you are.

(* – as long as their cycling club has affiliation with CTT)

Whe you do a TT on the hard shoulder of a dual carriageway, isn't it just covered in grit and sh*t, giving you an awful riding experience?

You don't ride on the hard-shoulder if indeed there is one. It's generally covered in broken glass, roadkill and bottles of urine. No tester would ride on the hard-shoulder.