A Rundle Mountain Cycling Club (RMCC) member’s severe injury last month may open discussion on reviewing standard operating procedures for health and safety at bike races across Canada.
Brian Cale, 42, was paralyzed from the chest down after his back was broken on May 18 at the Bikes for Broadway road race in Saskatoon, Sask. Cale, a member of Canmore’s RMCC from Beaumont, Alta., suffered the injury after he hit a curb in the race and flew into a tree.
As an oil and gas safety consultant and former member of the Canadian Forces, Cale is looking forward to what positives can come from this negative within the cycling community.
“What Brian wants to do is review standard operating procedures for health and safety at races,” said James Kendal, president of RMCC, speaking on Cale’s behalf. “In Alberta, we do a very good job at assessing hazards on race courses and do that in conjunction with the Alberta Bicycle Association, but he just wants to add another level to it for organizers of races and just a checklist.”
Kendal said there could have better safety procedures in place throughout the Saskatoon racecourse.
“At the time of the race, (Cale) said he had no feeling in his lower legs and he was removed on a spine board,” said Kendal. Cale, who has been with RMCC for two seasons, was taken to a local hospital where he was given a CT scan, which was followed by surgery.
“The race we were at, to be frank, they could have mitigated the potential damage of the accident by having safety measures in place on the course, which would be barriers, hay bailing, (and) padding.”
The organizers of the Bikes on Broadway race declined to comment to the Outlook.
The race was a four-cornered loop in a downtown circuit of Saskatoon. Cale suffered his debilitating injury during the second turn of the race.
Kendal said Cale is more concerned with the effects an accident like this will have on racing and it’s development than he is on his own health, so he’s trying to “downplay” the accident.
Cale competed at a high level in bike racing in his younger years and after a long break during his time in the Canadian Forces he returned to competition. Unfortunately, his return has been cut short.
Cale has been nominated to be on the RMCC board of directors for 2016, with the “hope he’ll accept.” There’s been an outpouring of support from the club for him, and Kendal said the board has to speak to it still, but they want to start some kind of campaign for Cale. “It’s just a matter of what he wants to do with it.
“His slogan from the Canadian Forces was ‘Give all’ and we asked that the riders write this on their stem so when they’re racing they dig a little deeper and work a little harder on his behalf,” said Kendal.
