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On Sunday afternoon Barrie Conrad was out on a training ride. He was struck by a vehicle from behind and killed. Barrie was a member of my triathlon training group. I did not know him very well. He was a faster runner and a slower swimmer, so we were never in the same group. I remember him sitting on the gym floor the first day of our group with his wife Heather beside him. He shared that he joined the group to spend time with her. Heather was riding in front of him when he was killed.
On Sunday our Tri Training group did a hard swim/run work out. We were all unaware of what had happened to Barrie just hours before. It wasn’t unusual for Barrie–or any other individual member–to miss a week; we all have busy lives and scheduling conflicts. That night I had pushed myself hard in the swim and then did the longest run (with hill repeats) that I had done in a long time. After I biked home from the very intense tri training session on Sunday night, i stretched and fuelled up and got busy prepping for the week. I am sure I made several comments about how this particular training session was intense and how quite fatigued I was from it.
My tri coach sent an email late Sunday night after she found out. Suddenly aches and pains were signs of my presence on this earth; I was still here to feel them. There was regret that it took me a minute to recall Barrie’s face. Fear that he was killed doing something that I too did. He was biking in the same area that I had done a 35km ride on Saturday. So senseless and needless. He was struck from behind by a fellow driving an SUV down a country road.
Now is not the time nor the place to debate cyclist safety or the lack of motorist awareness, but it is very personally sobering and I confess that I am a bit fearful. I am very aware of every car that passes me a bit too close and of the very real danger of hitting a rut and coming off my bike. I ride and run and swim in a effort to make my body stronger and healthier and more resilient, as did Barrie. The reality that this very pursuit could be dangerous and even fatal is incredibly distressing. I don’t really know how to process this. Is cycling a dangerous activity or is this an isolated incident of which I have a connection? I will confess that I am concerned when I ride my bike and am always considering the risks. That is why I ride out in the country, just as Barrie and Heather were doing last Sunday afternoon.
I did not have the opportunity to get to know Barrie very well, but we shared a passion. I regret that I did not know him better. I tend to be a bit intense at during the workout and always I thought that I had all the time in the world to chat “later”. Now i know that for Barrie later will never happen. This is a very sober reminder that one can never take for granted well, anything. We just don’t know what is going to happen next. Barrie went out for a ride as he had done countless times before and I do not know what circumstances made this one different and led to such a tragic accident. It is heartbreaking. I can’t wrap this post up in some pithy observation. There is no proper way to end post that begins with death.
Ride on Barrie. The group will not be the same without you.
fortytwothings 
This is a terrible tragedy, Kim. It makes me feel sick, and I feel particularly badly for Heather. As you say, it’s not the time, so close to the event, to discuss in detail bike safety on the roads, but we do know that Ontario can (and needs to) improve both its infrastructure and its training (of both cyclists and drivers) to make the roads safer for those under their own propulsion. Motorists all too often do not respect bicycles as vehicles on the road. I have been planning to form a citizen coalition for active transportation in the KW area when I get home, so let me know if this is something in which you (and others) would be interested.
A few thoughts on your comments above: I don’t think that cycling is, within a larger perspective, a particularly dangerous activity. Moving at speed on roads does of course have inherent risks – accidents can happen even when people are being careful. But then, there are risks in stepping out the door in the morning, driving a car, and doing most things in our lives. Be careful, always wear your helmet, and make sure that you are properly visible on the road (all things that Barrie did), but don’t let this event turn you away from what is on the whole a very safe and healthy sport/form of transport. My own experience is that it takes time to feel comfortable on a bike, so take your time and ride with experienced cyclists at first, but be cautiously confident in your own handling of your bike, as nervousness can create its own problems.
I didn’t know him at all, but as a triathlete Barrie was out on the road doing something he enjoyed and living his life fully. It takes time, I think, to get over the initial shock of such a tragedy. But I also think (as clichéd as it is) that we all ultimately honour Barrie’s memory more by living our own lives as fully as he did and doing what we can to reduce such terrible accidents in the future.
thanks so much for sharing about your connection with barrie, kim. i really appreciated reading your thoughts, and you are right: this tragedy is hard to process. i knew barrie (and know h) from the store, and i will miss his goodhearted grumbles and joking quips about running.
That was beautiful Kim. I didn’t know Barrie, but I definitely remember he and Heather in my spin class last year. They were there several times.
I must admit that I usually feel fairly confident when I go riding on my bike. I just assume that I will be okay, because I am always careful to follow the rules, stay to the side and so on. But from what the newspaper said, it sounds as though Barrie was doing the same thing. I said to a friend, what else can we (cyclists) possibly do? That is all we can do. And yet we are not safe. After hearing about this tragedy, I am fearful to go out for my first ride now. I am dreading it. I don’t want to live in fear when I am out there on the road, but I want to come home to my family, too!
I am most definitely ready to start a citizen’s coalition. There is such a stark contrast between here and British Columbia. There is such a lack of respect by Ontario drivers for cyclist and pedestrians and raising awareness is a good step.
Tricia, I will go out with you for a ride. I think Andrew’s comments about riding with a group are very sound
There is going to be a ride on Sunday in Barrie’s honour. I will post the time when it has been decided. They are hoping to have 400 riders to raise awareness the “Waterloo is a biking town and that everyone on the road should be safe”
http://ridewithgps.com/routes/115833
Yes, please let me know the time. I would love to go but will need to get a sitter.
I agree with you about the differences between Ontario and BC, Kim. So different! I often come home from a run frustrated with all the near-mishaps. Most of the time, drivers to not give me the right-of-way. But, that is a blog post for another time.