Bicycle tragedy full of 'ifs'

In something of a perfect storm for tragedy, a large truck hauling a wide trailer on a small road with an even smaller shoulder collided with a bicycle that lost its balance, killing the rider and leaving the truck driver with an indelible memory no one should have to carry the rest of his or her life.

No citations have yet been issued in the incident that occurred on a windy Saturday morning a week and a half ago outside the town of Saratoga Springs. From casual appearances, the accident — which is still under investigation by the Utah County Attorney's office — appeared to be a colossal confluence of bad timing and bad luck.

If there hadn't been a severe cross-wind. If the asphalt hadn't been so bumpy. If the eight cyclists hadn't chosen to ride in a tight pace line. If cyclist Bill Corliss hadn't clipped the back wheel of the rider directly in front of him. If the truck hadn't been passing the pace line at that exact moment. If Corliss' bike had veered right instead of left. If there had been a wide enough shoulder to allow the bike to fall left and still miss the truck's right wheel.

As Boris Lyubner, the lead rider in the pace line at the moment of the accident, said, "That's a lot of ifs, but unfortunately this is what happened."

Lyubner added one more if: "If it can happen to a man who has ridden for 30 years as a professional rider, it could happen to any of us."

And therein lies the scariest part of the tragedy. Bill Corliss was no greenhorn. At 49, he'd spent a good portion of his life in a bicycle saddle. Last summer, he placed seventh in the U.S. Masters Championships when they were held in Park City. He was a tireless advocate for bike safety, he lobbied the Legislature for cyclist-friendly laws, he understood and promoted the importance of sharing the road.

But when he needed it most, there was no margin for error. Despite the bill passed by the Utah Legislature last year mandating that motorists must yield a minimum of 3 feet when passing bicycles, he lost the game of inches.

Whether the truck and trailer yielded the required 36 inches isn't known definitively, although simple math suggests that would have been impossible.