By Dylan Kirchner and Ashley Stein
Wingate Triangle contributing writers
Since the introduction of Wingate’s NCAA triathlon program in the fall of
2021, there has been an alarming number of incidents on rural roads near
the university involving motor vehicles and cyclists who compete on the
men’s and women’s teams.
The most notable accident took place on Ansonville Road on Oct. 25, 2023,
when a motorist driving a pickup truck hit three female cyclists from behind,
causing significant injuries to Bulldog triathletes Sophie Burger and Sydney
Perry.
Burger, a freshman from Australia, suffered vertebrae and nerve damage
from the crash, while Pennsylvania sophomore Perry sustained a major
concussion. Both were forced to miss the NCAA championships they had
qualified for later in the year. Perry has not been able to consistently train
after the crash due to headaches and anxiety about training on Wingate’s back roads.
Due to Wingate’s relatively rural location, a majority of the surrounding
roads are only two lanes with no shoulders with a speed limit as high as
55 mph. This high speed mixed with blind turns and windy roads makes
for dangerous situations when riding a bike.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the yearly
average over the last five years of cyclists killed in police-reported crashes
in the U.S. is 883. This number accounted for 2.2% of the total fatalities in 2021.
While many urban areas in the country, such as nearby Charlotte,
have bike lanes to combat potential accidents, small towns like
Wingate—even those with a significant university presence—do not.
“There is a massive difference in road safety between here and Australia,”
Burger said. “Almost every single road in Australia has bike lanes—even some major highways—so you always have your own area. When you are
riding, a lot less people honk at you or yell at you because cycling is way
more common. People also drive more carefully, especially on Saturday
mornings or times when cycling groups are out riding.”
“Bike lanes would be a really good [solution to the problem at Wingate],”
Burger adds. “I know that would take a lot of time and is a big project, but
even signs to be aware of cyclists or runners would help. There are always
college students training on the surrounding roads.”
Wingate Athletic Director Joe Reich agrees that signage around campus
and town could help with awareness of cyclists, but he has run into
challenges trying to accomplish the goal.
“We have spoken to [Wingate] Mayor [Gary] Hamill about signs on the
surrounding roads, but the problem is who has jurisdiction over these
roads,” Reich said. “A lot of the roads around campus are state or county
roads, which means we can’t easily get signage put on them.”
However, Reich and the university are taking what steps they can to
address the problem. In response to last fall’s crash, the athletic
department implemented new safety measures for student-athletes who
train on roads off campus. Those include the purchase of Garmin Varias for all
members of the team. A Varia is a bicycle tail light with rearview radar that
pairs with a bike computer or compatible smartphone to alert the cyclist of
vehicles approaching from behind.
“The Varias were a big help,” Wingate triathlon coach Nick Radkewich said.
“We also formalized our accident reporting to make sure we have a system
in place as far as what to do and who is contacted after an accident.”
Late last year after the accident, the triathlon team was provided a house
by the university at 405 N. Main St. for safe indoor riding with bike trainers.
The residence, nicknamed “House of Tri” by team members, “gives
[triathletes] the opportunity for a different spot to ride off the road,”
according to Reich.
Radkewich said his team welcomed having the house as an option for
practice, but that “the shift in mindset after the accident in the fall,
unfortunately, led to more athletes riding inside.”
Fred Teague, a Wingate resident who lives off East Lawyers Road has
seen an increase in cyclists riding on backroads since the introduction of
the Bulldogs’ triathlon program.
“It’s frustrating because it slows you down wherever you’re going, but it’s
more nerve-racking because some of them will ride three bikes deep in the
lane,” Teague said. “Someone not paying attention coming the other way
could easily hit one of them.”
Teague is not alone among town residents in expressing frustration with the
cyclists. Many posts have been made on the What’s Up Wingate Facebook
group in recent months regarding the problem.
“Well, it was bound to happen—a Wingate University student [was] hit on a
bicycle by a truck,” Allen Mullis wrote in a post to the group the day of crash
involving Burger and Perry. The post included photos of emergency
vehicles at the crash site on Ansonville Road. Under the original post, a
thread of 116 comments were made.
“Yup, I’m tired of doting [sp] the Marshville Ultra race and Tour de Union
County every day,” said Austin Pierce. “Kids gotta learn these ain’t 25-mph
Ballantyne streets.”
In a reply, Mullis wrote: “Agree with Austin Pierce. It’s only going to
continue to happen on curvy, hilly back roads. Find somewhere else instead
of holding up traffic.”
“This younger generation has no clue how to manage life!!!” opined
Douglas Griffin.
However, many other commenters were concerned for the safety of the
students and called for Wingate to make changes regarding where athletes
can practice.
“Please try to get Wingate University to find a safer place for these kids to
practice riding bikes and running,” wrote Linda Edwards. “The people living
here have been trying for years to keep them off the roads. It is just too
dangerous. There have been many close calls, and now someone got hit.”
According to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, bicycles are
considered vehicles, and cyclists have the same right to be on the road as
motorists except for interstates and other fully controlled access highways.
Perry believes educating local residents on the rights of cyclists could go a
long way toward making the situation better.
“Making an effort to help educate people in Wingate and the surrounding
areas about bike safety is important because it seems to be a relatively
new thing to them, especially with the introduction of different teams on
campus,” said Perry, “When you see a group of cyclists, slow down and
don’t pass aggressively because the people biking are still people at risk of
being hurt.”
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