DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — A longtime cyclist has partnered with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office to change the relationship between motorists and cyclists on Colorado roadways.
Gary Robinson recognized that sharing his survival of a near-life-ending crash could help change the narrative out on the roads.
A passion for cycling came early on for Robinson. At the age of 5, he would steal his brother's bike and try to go as fast as he could before getting caught. He also loved sharing thrill with others and decided to build a community around cycling through his blog, Colorado Avid Cyclist.
"I've been riding and racing my whole life," said Robinson. "I've always thought there's a lot of sights and magazines out there that are more towards elite cyclists, and I wanted to put together something. I always thought I could put together a blog or something that was geared towards all cyclists."
Twelve weeks ago, the Colorado native was completing an almost 50-mile ride when he was struck from behind by a vehicle.
"I knew I'd gotten hit, and I remember thinking that I was starting to slow down, but I was tossed about 60 feet down Founders Parkway and then came to a stop on my back," Robinson said.
Luckily, Robinson did not break any bones.
"I lost quite a bit of blood, they said close to a pint is what I was told later... I was pretty much human road rash," said Robinson.
The moments after the crash are what Robinson remembers vividly.
"Well, the [driver] acted a little pretty inhumanely. [He] jumped out, screamed at me," Robinson explained. "Somebody else had to call 911. He didn't ask me if I was okay or anything. But yeah, I mean, the police arrived instantaneously."
While in the hospital, Robinson said he received several messages about a Facebook post that looked like photos of the crash he was in. When he looked at the post, he could not believe what others were commenting.
"Most of them didn't know it was me because I knew these guys. I actually know them, almost every one of the guys who posted. But they were just ignorant comments. You know, "Cyclists shouldn't be on the road anyway." One said, "He got what was coming,"" said Robinson.
A few weeks later, Robinson saw the same reactions on a post shared by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) about bike safety. He recognized a divide between motorists and cyclists about sharing the road and the need to bring change.
"After we did the post, there is a huge response," said Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly. "We had over 1,100 likes and then 1,200 comments — some good, some not so good. So Gary had reached out to our PIO and got connected that way."
This moment led to a partnership between DCSO and Robinson. The two decided to work together to educate the community on road safety and bring unity to the roads.
"It's a conversation that needed to be had because obviously, Gary was victimized as well in horrible fashion," Sheriff Weekly said. "But Gary recognized, especially from our post, that we needed to do more. The sheriff's office needed to do better as well, but the education part was important."
By working together, they are making a difference in addressing road safety. Last week, Robinson joined DCSO for several National Night Out events.
"It's a big road. We can live together on it, we can also use it together," said Robinson. "We all have rights to the road. It's not only made for trucks or big cars, it's made for everybody."
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