Death on Winnats Pass yesterday

Sounds like a cyclist hit the wall next to the cattle grid outside Speedwell Cavern after descending Winnats Pass.

We were in Castleton yesterday and the road was closed for several hours.

RIP to the rider and thoughts with friends and family 🙁

Plus the head-on cyclist car collision in Miller’s dale yesterday

Yeah that’s terrible. Cycling Weekly site has more info

Very sad news. The loose sheep are a big hazard when descending Winnats at speed. Not saying they were to blame here… but watch out for them peeps.

Oh that’s awful news. That is definitely one of the more terrifying descents, but still, you don’t expect to hear about people dying.

What time did it happen?

Could it have been a driver trying to make the gap first?

Heard from a relative of the man who was riding with the poor girl….her brakes failed on the descent. Winnats is a frightening descent at the best of times, can’t imagine the terror of having your brakes fail on there.
RIP

That’s terrible.

My condolonces to the family and friends of the unfortunate soul.

Oh man 🙁

That’s awful, a very bad day for cycling in the peak and terrible for the families and friends

Really sad news! RIP

ouch. oh dear.

Similar, IIRC, incident during first Bealach na Ba challenge — chap’s brakes failed (over-heated or even rim / tube exploded), straight off a corner down a slope, alive but some paralysis I think.

That is awful and truly scary! Can’t imagine brakes failing going down there!

That’s horrendous – thoughts with her family and friends.

I’m sure we can all well imagine how terrifying that would have been – it makes me feel queasy thinking about it.

RIP.

terrible news.
I’ve wondered before what would be the best thing to do if your brakes failed – try and ride it out or bail on the tarmac?

How do brakes “fail”?

maybe the brake pad is a bit loose? and pops ‘under’ the rim when you squeeze the lever hard…

maybe the pads are old? – and have gone hard.

maybe they were just crap – and this only became apparent when trying to slow down from 30mph.

maybe the cable snaps?

maybe the pads are in backwards?

etc.

How do brakes “fail”?

On a descent like Winnats:

Overheated rims/blocks
Boiled hydraulic fluid

Anywhere:

Cable snap
loss of hydraulic fluid
Loss of pads/blocks

brakes – Member
terrible news.
I’ve wondered before what would be the best thing to do if your brakes failed – try and ride it out or bail on the tarmac?

Brake like a kid and scuff your shoes along the Tarmac until you’re going slow enough to bail, they’re only shoes afterall.

down winnats? – i’m not sure that would work very well / at all…

a friend of mine who i’m sure actually has a few screws loose stood on one pedal, and jammed his ‘free’ leg inbetween the tyre and frame (probably works best with baggy shorts and knobbly tyres)

i’ll be checking my wife’s brakes thoroughly before her next ride.

so sad.

Front and rear?

Must have been terrifying. RIP

Terrible new RIP rider, condolences to family and friends

How do brakes “fail”?

was wondering this, is there likely to be an inquiry? May have been a series of linked events which culminated in this terrible outcome or may have been something we need to be reminded to look out for.

Overheated rims/blocks

what happens in this scenario? Braking just becomes less affective or something more severe? (think I have heard of tyres exploding due to heat, presume this wasn’t the case here)

Not sure what later on in the afternoon was like there? But when I left and drove up Winnats at 1pm it was dry but very windy. I imagine if it’d rained suddenly (a squall?) it may not have helped?

My first thought was maybe she was in the middle of the road heading towards the gap/grid and a driver decided to go first- she veered off and didnt have enough time/distance to stop hence hitting the wall akwardly? The wall is only 4foot high isn’t it?

try and ride it out or bail on the tarmac?

I’m getting shivers thinking about how you would actually do this. 1st choice would be a handful of back brake and lay it down, but you can’t do that. Spazzing the bars and throwing yourself over the front? No ta. Just climb off onto 40+mph tarmac, I guess… uuhgg.

I can see how not bailing would be an easier choice at the time. Terryfing. Think I’ll be checking my bikes more often in future.

When i was first told about this my first thoughts (after getting over the shock)as someone who regularly rides down (and up) Winnats was what i’d do in the situation.
It’s easy to say you would just drop the bike and take the inevitable pain and severe road rash that comes with it as soon as you realised what was happening, but actually having the presence of mind to do that when your hurtling along at 45mph (which you would be doing very quickly with no brakes on Winnats) is another matter.
Unfortunately this poor girl won’t ever have the benefit of hindsight to think about or practice what she should have done.

A friend of an acquaintance. One foot down did nothing. Tried to go up the banking but couldn’t get the bike leaned over enough. Absolutely terrifying. Truly awful.

Very tragic news.

For those who don’t know Winnats, I think this photo captures the gradient quite well.

hurtling along at 45mph

I followed a lad on what seemed to be a rigid single speed bike down there a few weeks ago- he was touching 45 too. No helmet and dressed XC oldschool. He didn’t ‘lift off’ either as he went to towards the gate. Shudder to think what would have happened if he’d have slid out etc.

I will never ride down there now.

Winnats is arse puckering enough with working brakes if you’re going for it.
Just slowing a tad for errant motors, sheep & walkers makes you realise that there’s no such thing as an emergency stop.

Awful news.

Only 22 just a year younger than myself it hits home sometimes.

RIP. I too will check my kit tonight.

I’m wondering if it was me what I would do to deal with a brake failure. I think unclip, push the bike forward and try to barrel role like the motogp guys would be the only option.

Surely ramming your foot into the rim at 45mph will just mean sudden snapped spokes / broken ankle / fly over bars?

I’ve wondered before what would be the best thing to do if your brakes failed – try and ride it out or bail on the tarmac?

Low side anytime, I’d rather have the burns but come to a slower stop (hoping that no car is coming the other way).

Most people wouldn’t have the stones to do that though, I should imagine most roadies have spent their cycling career riding under normal conditions. Where as mountain bikers and motocross/track day riders tend to spend a lot more time sliding around and playing with the bike. Different persective, so the poor girl can’t really be blamed if she clammed up.

I’m wondering if it was me what I would do to deal with a brake failure. I think unclip, push the bike forward and try to barrel role like the motogp guys would be the only option.

Aggressively get the back wheel out (you don’t need the brake to do this) if you can and go down with the bike, letting go/pushing it away just before you hit the deck. Pusing forward and jumping off the back (dirt jumper style) is going to be a harder fall, more likely just to trip and cave your face in.

I can understand one brake failing but both brake? That’s just so sad.

Carbon rims combined with brake dragging?

I’m wondering if it was me what I would do to deal with a brake failure. I think unclip, push the bike forward and try to barrel role like the motogp guys would be the only option.

I’ve absolutely no idea what I’d do and I’ve fallen off lots of bikes. She could have been chosing her braking at the last moment then realised it wasn’t there. All it’d take for a car to be anywhere near the cattle grid (i.e. further infront of her going the same way) and she swerved off- in the distance/time she had no time to react.

Again, would I lay the bike down or hang onto the levers saying shhhhhiiiii?

I believe the latter.

I had a lucky escape years ago. I also had a lucky escape with my hip when it should have been fractured- it happened so quick that I was a passenger in the accident. We’ve all been in those where afterwards you play it over in your mind thinking ‘how did it happen/it all happened so quick’.

RIP and I am never going to ride down Winnats now. I’ll ride up it but **** that. Its just too steep/long. Call it mincing but hey.

Aggressively get the back wheel out (you don’t need the brake to do this)

how on a narrow road without highsiding? Only way I can think of it to hop the back end out sideways and reckon at speed on tarmac that’ll turn into a high side – not that I think my mind would be clear enough to actually do anything if my brakes failed.

On another note- would it be worth running discs instead of rim brakes if you are a heavier rider?

I know theres a c3lb weight increase on CX-style bikes though?

I’d just feel more comfortable knowing there are better(?) brakes with discs.

I know theres a c3lb weight increase on CX-style bikes though?

0.5lb maybe.

I certainly feel more comfortable with a front disc on the roady though on steeeeeep stuff.

Poor girl. What tragic news.

I’ve ridden a fair few descents like that on a fixie with only a front brake, and at times I’d wonder what might happen if it ever failed. You can easily reach 40mph on a fairly steep hill without braking, and slowing down without brakes must be next to impossible. Jumping off or purposefully crashing can’t be an easy thing to do – it goes against natural instincts – and there probably isn’t a lot of time to react. Those roads aren’t the most friendly places to do it either – lots of gravel and roadside rocks etc. One thing I learnt from my motorcycling days is that it’s often possible to take corners faster than you’d think possible so long as you think positively, but that’s always easier said than done, and in any case probably of no help when you’re absolutely petrified and having to attempt a corner at a runaway speed.

I was on that first Bealach na Ba ride, and descending as the ambulance reached the crashed rider. I believe he panicked at the corner, tried to brake too hard, and went straight on without cornering.