Tony Fitzpatrick

Silverfox said:

Tony Fitzpatrick the architect

Actually, engineer. Architects design houses and design teh LOOK of big buildings and a very few
bridges (which, the cycnic could say, are then likely to go on to wobble). He worked with a lot of
big-name architects, but he was not an architect.

Quoted message said:

died recently in a cycling accident. Does any have any information as to how he died? Was any one
else involed?

The industry press is generally just saying accident. For example, IStructE magazine 5 August: "It
is with great sadness that we report the death of Tony Fitzpatrick, Group, Board Director of Arup
and chairman of Arup's Americas Division, on 26 July, in a road accident".

regards, Ian SMith
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|o o|
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A few seconds googling turned up this:

Structural engineer Tony Fitzpatrick, 52, chairman of London-based Arup Group's Americas Division,
was killed in a bicycling accident on July 26. Fitzpatrick was participating in the "Climb to
Kaiser" race in Fresno, Calif., when his bike flipped, sending him under a passing truck. He died
instantly.

"Silverfox" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Tony Fitzpatrick the architect that saved the wobbly bridge in London, died recently in a cycling
accident. Does any have any information as to how he died? Was any one else involed?

Stuart.

www.silverfoxcycles.com

"VERNON LEVY" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

A few seconds googling turned up this:

Structural engineer Tony Fitzpatrick, 52, chairman of London-based Arup Group's Americas Division,
was killed in a bicycling accident on July 26. Fitzpatrick was participating in the "Climb to
Kaiser" race in Fresno, Calif., when his bike flipped, sending him under a passing truck. He died
instantly.

The moral is be nice to your bike or it might "flip" you!

In message <[email hidden]>, Silverfox <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Tony Fitzpatrick the architect that saved the wobbly bridge in London, died recently in a cycling
accident. Does any have any information as to how he died? Was any one else involed?

Stuart.

www.silverfoxcycles.com

There was a recent posting about this on r.b.rides. The articles the posting linked to are below.

Quoted message said:

Cyclist killed on Climb to Kaiser CHP says rider was in wrong lane when he collided with a truck.
By Sheila The Fresno Bee (Published Monday, July 28, 2003, 5:25 AM)

A cyclist participating in the Climb to Kaiser, the annual 160-mile bike ride through the Sierra
foothills, died Saturday after he collided with a vehicle on a steep descent, authorities said. It
is believed to be the first death in the event's 27-year history, said Bill Lutjens, president of
the Fresno Cycling Club, sponsor of the event.

Authorities declined to make the man's name public pending notification of his family. He was 52
years old and lived in Tiburon.

According to the California Highway Patrol's accident report, a truck driven by 42-year-old
Patricia Taylor of Auberry was unable to avoid striking the cyclist on Huntington Lake Road, also
known as Big Creek Road, about two miles from Highway 168 near Shaver Lake.

The rider, who was wearing a helmet, was going down a hill on a section of the course that features
some of the ride's steepest declines and tightest turns. According to the report, he was going
30-35 mph.

"It appears it was the total fault of the bicyclist," said CHP Sgt. Larry Gale, who talked to an
officer at the scene. "I was told originally that he was hit head-on, but he may have fallen off
first. But in either event, he was in the wrong lane."

Paramedic and event volunteer Scott Bolin of Fresno arrived about 10 minutes after the collision.

Another rider appeared about 30 seconds after the collision and was taken back to Clovis, too
shaken to continue, Lutjens said.

By the time Bolin arrived, about 11:20 a.m., he said the rider had severe chest trauma, was
hemorrhaging, and no longer had a pulse.

Most of the 360 cyclists were unaware of the collision.

Jeff Bain of Colorado Springs, Colo., who has done the Climb to Kaiser about eight times, had heard
rumors of the accident by the time he reached the finish at the Clovis Veterans Memorial Hall. He
understands the difficulty in staying on the right side of the road.

"It really gets tight," he said. "If you're not used to it -- plus there was a little sand there
-- and if you're going into a turn and you're not in the right position, you will go into
oncoming traffic.

"It's very sad. I think they did a great job with the pit stops, but you can't control the
traffic."

Event directors warned riders of that section in an information sheet: "Watch your speed on the
descent into Big Creek. ... Corners can be tricky!"

Because of the tight turns, riders have to brake through the downhills. Typical speeds are between
20 and 30 mph on that section.

There is little traffic on Huntington Lake Road, and, as with most long-distance rides, roads have
never been closed during the Climb to Kaiser's 27-year history.

There were other accidents on the ride as well: One man was taken to Community Medical
Center-Clovis with apparent hip injuries after a crash; another suffered road rash and was bandaged
and taken back to Clovis Veterans Memorial Hall; and a woman was taken to Clovis Community with
symptoms of dehydration, Lutjens said.

"I don't know if that's more or less than usual," he said.

Lutjens said the Fresno Cycling Club will discuss changing the course or canceling next year's
ride. He said it's difficult to make a ride 100% safe.

"A bike shop owner was testing out a kid's bike behind his shop, going 5 miles per hour, and he
fell over and had a concussion," Lutjens said. "It's like that saying, 'There go I but by the grace
of God. ...' We're all that close. It makes you think about how narrow that tire is. ... He
could've had a blowout. He could've had a seizure. It makes you think about the dangers of the
sport. And the next few rides you'll probably go a little slower, be a little more cautious."

The CHP will continue its investigation, although Sgt. Gale speculated that the only question that
remains is "whether or not this type of event should occur in the future."

Quoted message said:

Details emerge on Kaiser casualty Tony Fitzpatrick, 52, had passion for cycling. By Sheila
Mulrooney Eldred The Fresno Bee (Published Friday, August 1, 2003, 5:50 AM)

He was the head of the U.S. division of a design consulting group, a man who had developed such a
passion for bicycling that he had customized license plates that read: "BRN2BKE." After rides with
his cycling club, a fellow Marin Cyclists member said the group often gathered at the trunk of his
car to enjoy a snack of bread and olive oil, which he provided as "a fitting end to an epic ride."

Tony Fitzpatrick, 52, died Saturday in the 27th annual Climb to Kaiser when he flipped off his bike
and was run over by a pickup truck, according to the California Highway Patrol. He was a resident
of Tiburon and a British citizen.

Patricia Taylor, 42, of Auberry, was driving south on Huntington Lake Road -- cautiously, it
appears by all accounts, because she knew the Climb to Kaiser bike ride was taking place. But at
precisely the time Fitzpatrick was negotiating a tight downhill turn, going north toward Big Creek
at reported speeds of 30-35 mph, Taylor's pickup was rounding same corner.

There was a moment, Taylor told the CHP, when she saw the startled look in Fitzpatrick's eyes
before he slid under her pickup.

Fitzpatrick suffered such trauma from the impact that his helmet was crushed, and he died almost
immediately, said CHP Officer James Little, who was at the scene. The CHP said Fitzpatrick was in
the wrong lane. Taylor was not cited.

In the blur of what has happened since that moment, it has been difficult for Taylor to sort
through her feelings.

She knows one thing: She wants to help ensure that roads are safe for everyone, to spare anyone
else from the aftermath that she hasn't yet been able to escape.

In the community where Taylor lives, residents regularly drive on the same roads with cyclists.
Most everyone, she said, recognizes the potential for danger. Now, she feels it's "inevitable"
something be done to curtail accidents.

"I ride horses, and I know a lot of times I need to be on the road, and there's not enough room,"
Taylor said. "Everybody wants to be able to do their sport safely and sanely -- as I would like to
be able to ride my horse safely and sanely. Unfortunately, sometimes the drive to do our sport
outweighs the safety issue."

Little, the officer at the accident scene, said Fitzpatrick was going too fast.

"It's very winding and steep, and there are very, very tight curves," Little said. "He was probably
unfamiliar [with the road], and he was just [riding] maybe a little on the edge and obviously too
fast for the curve."

After a few days of evaluation, one thing seems clear: The event, which attracted a record number
of people this year and has a respected reputation throughout California as a grueling ride, will
continue, said Bill Lutjens, president of the Fresno Cycling Club, the sponsor of the event.

A total of 360 people participated in the three Climb to Kaiser events Saturday.

"Our record has been very good for 27 years," Lutjens said. "It was tragic that the accident
happened, but from all indications, it was just rider error."

This Climb to Kaiser demonstrated several of the inherent risks of cycling, even with precautions.

At least four riders made trips to the hospital, the most serious with a broken hip, the result of
a crash because of a flat front tire. James Norton of Sacramento suffered a concussion, abrasions
and a bruised rib after another cyclist crashed into him. Two others were hospitalized for
dehydration and were released that night.

Most rides of Climb to Kaiser's nature do not close roads to traffic. And even when they do,
accidents still happen. On last year's Tour of the California Alps in Northern California, an event
long known as the Death Ride, Scott Lambert died of injuries sustained during a crash on a portion
of the ride that was closed to traffic.

The Climb to Kaiser had at least 17 support vehicles on the course and a volunteer-to-rider ratio
of about 1 to 4. Volunteers included nurses, paramedics and at least one physician.

Safety will be a topic at the Fresno Cycling Club's debriefing meeting next week.

"We'll talk about [safety], but the only thing we can do more is educate the riders even more, and
we already do that ad nauseam," Lutjens said.

One safety effort the club might consider, Lutjens said, is working with the CHP to increase
patrols. Because the Climb to Kaiser is a ride, not a race, roads are not closed, and riders are
required to obey traffic laws. Cyclists can be cited for not following road rules just as motorists
can. The California Bicycle Coalition supports legislation that would clarify language in the
vehicle code that pertains to cyclists' rights and responsibilities.

Even if Saturday's tragedy couldn't have been prevented, Mike Erwin of Madera, a multiple-time
Kaiser rider, said police and other entities seldom take responsibility for things as simple as
sweeping the roadways to keep shoulders free of sand -- an obvious hazard for cyclists.

"Our society talks about driving less, but in reality, we do little to make [biking] safe,"
Erwin said.

Several veteran riders of the Climb to Kaiser agreed the ride should continue.

"It's a cult classic," said Curt Simon, a multiple-time Climb to Kaiser rider and friend of
Fitzpatrick's. "I don't think it's a treacherous ride. I think it's a challenging ride. I think the
level of preparation for that ride on the part of the Fresno Cycling Club is excellent."

Meanwhile, plans proceed to commemorate the life of a passionate cyclist. The Marin Cyclists are
planning a ride in Fitzpatrick's memory, tentatively scheduled for the weekend of Aug. 9-10.

Fitzpatrick, an engineer who was the chairman of the Americas Division of the firm Arup, loved
tinkering with his bike almost as much as riding it. For the past two years, he lived in Tiburon,
traveling overseas as often as once a month for work and to visit his family, including four
children, who remained in England.

Fitzpatrick worked on several prominent projects; one of his favorites was collaborating on the
Millennium Bridge in London. Cycling, his 21-year-old daughter said, was what he did to relax.

Last year, another of his daughters joined him to ride the Tollhouse Century, a 100-mile ride held
in conjunction with the Climb to Kaiser, on a tandem.

Living on separate continents, his wife said, was deemed worthwhile because of his dedication both
to his family and his work.

His friends in California echoed that sentiment.

"His heart was as big as the sky," said Joan Gallagher, a member of Marin Cyclists. "He was
passionate about cycling, passionate about being in nature, passionate about being proud of his
accomplishments."

Last year, Fitzpatrick completed cycling's Triple Crown: riding at least three double-centuries
(rides of 200 miles) in a year. He did four.

The Fitzpatricks take comfort in knowing he was doing something he loved.

"I know cycling was something that was very, very, monumentally important to him," said Sarah
Fitzpatrick, Tony's 21-year-old daughter.

"It was truly a life's passion," said his wife, Janet.

The reporter can be reached at [email hidden] or 441-6412.

--
Michael MacClancy

www.macclancy.demon.co.uk