http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/e/a/1996/07/17/NEWS12083.dtl&type=printable

In six years and thousands of miles cycling with the Berkeley Bicycle Club, racer Michael Shearer sometimes thought about the danger, but he never got run off the road.

Then, at 7 p.m. last Friday, on a gentle stretch of one of the most bicycle-friendly roads in the Bay Area - Oakland's Skyline Boulevard - the 34-year-old tree surgeon pedaled into every cyclist's nightmare.

"As we came around the corner, we were right in the middle of our lane, and suddenly there was a roar," he said.

"Then (there was) a screech of tires and a bright flash.

"I was able to throw my bike to the left, and the car hit my right leg with a light slap as it flashed past.

"And then there were two loud thuds, and I knew my life would never be the same."

Lying on the pavement, doubled up in pain from a concussion and leg injuries, was Jubal DeLong, 23, Shearer's friend and training partner.

And near him, motionless, lay the love of Shearer's life, Laura Beth Madrick, 39, dying of head and chest injuries suffered when the 20-year-old Datsun sedan hit her head-on at 45 mph.

The auto that ran down the trio stopped briefly, then sped away, pursued by other cyclists who saw the wreck, said Oakland police Officer Bob Souza.

With the cyclists' help, police quickly apprehended Francisco Mora, 33, an Oakland laborer, and booked him on suspicion of vehicular homicide, drunken driving and felony hit-and-run.

Mora, who suffered minor injuries, told police he had just bought a 12-pack of beer but had perhaps drunk only five of them. He didn't notice the slight rightward jog in the road, and he never saw the cyclists until it was too late, he told police.

Grim reminder

For Shearer and DeLong, the accident was a startling reminder of just how vulnerable cyclists are on the road.

Each year, about 800 cyclists are killed in traffic accidents in the United States, according to the U.S. Commerce Department's Statistical Abstract, and thousands more get hurt.

Much of the problem, says DeLong, is that motorists are often oblivious to cyclists' presence. And even in the Bay Area, a hotbed of serious cycling, most drivers have no clue about how the rules of the road apply to bicycles, he says.

Bicycles are entitled to the same rights-of-way enjoyed by cars and trucks, as long as the bike isn't obstructing traffic by going too slow, he says. But far too many drivers believe that cycles must automatically yield to autos, pull onto the shoulder and allow them to pass.

When you don't move over, aggressive drivers will try to force you off, DeLong says.

Buzzed by cop

"In Piedmont, I was buzzed off the road by a woman in a police car, and I was going the speed limit," DeLong said. "There was another lane for her to go into and everything, but she rode right up on me and even blipped her siren at me.

"People - even police officers - don't know the law."

Both DeLong and Shearer say they know that no driver-awareness program is going to make cyclists safe from a speeding drunk who loses control of his car on a curve. But in separate interviews, both said they hoped the story of their wreck might do some good.

"The more the public realizes we're out there, and there are a lot of us, the better," said DeLong, who was hospitalized for two days with his injuries. "Maybe it will wake some people up."

Big part of life

Shearer, 34, is a former first-aid instructor at UC-Berkeley's Cal Adventures, a summer youth program. There he met bicycle racers, and eventually he took up the sport.

He built his life around the Berkeley Bicycle Club scene, especially its long rides: "Fruit stand," the 65-mile haul from Berkeley to San Ramon through the East Bay hills; the grueling training run to the top of Mount Diablo; and a ride called the Joaquin Miller. That scenic tour starts near the Claremont Hotel, at Peet's Coffee - the bike club's sponsor - then climbs Old Tunnel Road and runs the length of the Oakland hills along Skyline.

"I met so many nice bicyclists, and before I knew it I was going out with them and laughing and having a great time," Shearer said. "And then I started racing, and that was very rewarding for me - it's really kept me in cycling."

Also through cycling, Shearer met the woman of his dreams, Madrick. She was a public relations person who took up cycling through a club at her workplace, Farallon Computers in Alameda. Shearer fell hopelessly in love with her on a club ride. It was particularly exciting that she liked cycling almost as much as he did. A week before the accident, they had moved in together.

"We both thought we were in the last relationship we needed," he said.

Fateful ride

Friday, Madrick was tired from work, but they decided to do the Joaquin Miller. They met DeLong on the way. Around 7 p.m., they descended what DeLong calls the "Skyline sprint" and were pedaling along a fairly flat stretch past the Roberts Recreation Area, going about 15 mph.

Shearer rode slightly ahead. Madrick pedaled alongside DeLong. They were just chatting. There was plenty of daylight.

Then they got hit.

Shearer, who was barely hurt, says he has found that he really needs to keep talking about the wreck.

"The more I'm able to come to terms with the catastrophe, the sooner I'll be able to move on and keep living," he said.

He's also thrown himself into helping the Berkeley club organize a memorial ride for Madrick. At 9 a.m. Saturday, cyclists from around the Bay Area are to gather at UC-Berkeley's Sproul Plaza and then ride to the accident scene for a memorial service. As many as 1,000 cyclists may turn out, Shearer says.<

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URL: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/e/a/1996/07/17/NEWS12083.dtl