Pickup truck runs over 6 cyclists in Waller County, 4 people hospitalized

In 2001 I flew to Fredericksburg, Texas with my bike to take part in Hell Week Texas, 8 days riding 100-mile century ride each day. Texas Hill Country has some immense climbs, so it is great for training. The roads are also very nicely paved so it’s great riding.

On one day as we were riding in a small group a pickup truck drove by our group going really fast and super close to us. Instead of pulling over and giving us a nice gap on our bikes, the driver intentionally had actually swerved over to the shoulder in an attempt to scare us (or something) by coming really close to us. I have no idea why people feel a need to do this stuff to cyclists, but it happens.

Our group was shocked by how close the truck was but there wasn't much of anything for us to do. Yelling or finger gestures are not a terribly smart move for a cyclist in this situation.

As we rode along a few more miles we came upon a group of cyclists stopped. That same truck had continued to "buzz" cyclists but they got this one wrong and had hit one of the cyclists in another group. A helicopter was called and the rider was going to be airlifted to a hospital. The driver had left the scene and a group of riders was waiting for the police to come.

I have no idea why some drivers feel a need to bug cyclists, but this news article from Houston hit a nerve with me given this previous incident. How can it be that the driver of the truck hasn't been charged with his lawyer claiming he had no criminal intent. He was taunting cyclists and trying to annoy them. I don't think he intended to run over six people, but he did. 😥