Just seen this on the news:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-29800623
I can understand roadies wanting to stay on the road here, but I see a lot of leisure or mountainbikers using the road or pavement, particularly between Glentress and Inners. The proper cycle path is actually brilliant. Well surfaced and direct so it doesn't take any longer than the road. Probably quicker actually between GT and Inners.
But it is signposted very poorly. Hardly any prominent signage as you leave Glentress and I can see why a lot of people just go on the road. Similarly as you're leaving Peebles you would be hard pushed to know it was there and the same at the inners end. It's an absolutely brilliant facility to have which links up the valley and more publicising of it would hopefully lessen the risk of news like this.
I went past the aftermath of that accident last night when the emergency services were on the scene.. it was on the slight bend after the turn off for the recycling centre and before you get to Glentress. It's a bad spot, especially at night, no street lighting and the bend catches a lot of drivers out if they are anxious to get past a cyclist for example.
It's close enough to the Peebles end of the cycle path that it's possible the cyclist involved was going somewhere other than where the path goes.
Regardless, thoughts and good wishes go out to him and his family.
This is worrying.... hope he is OK. But if the accident location is where I think it is, then the stretch between GT and Peebles involves quite a detour to find the cycle path from the A72, and a casual passing cyclist would be unlikely to spot it.
I quite often see a really old dude cycling along that rode really slowly, I hope it wasn't him.