At the Ironman European Championships in Hamburg, the driver of an escort motorcycle was killed in a serious accident. After about 2:25 hours, the motorcycle pilot collided head-on with a participant on the bike course. The police operations manager confirmed to the ARD “Sportschau” that the motorcyclist had died at the scene of the accident.
Race continues, ARD ends live stream
The participant was seriously injured, but according to the current status not in mortal danger. The cameraman on the motorcycle was slightly injured and was taken to the hospital like the participant. It was not clear at first whether the race would be stopped. ARD canceled the online broadcast via live stream.
The accident happened on a straight stretch on a dike. The collision occurred for unknown reasons. A little later, there were absurd scenes when participants carried their bicycles over the dyke to the scene of the accident.
Felix Walchshöfer: No oncoming traffic at Challenge Roth
In an interview with Bayerischer Rundfunk, Felix Walchshöfer, the organizer of the “Challenge Roth”, expressed his condolences to those affected. According to Walchshöfer, this accident shows once again how important a good safety concept is. Therefore, there are no routes with oncoming traffic at the Challenge in Roth. It will be driven on wide streets without cobblestones.
Fewer motorcycles in Roth
In addition, after discussions with professional athletes, he and his team decided to reduce the number of support motorcycles at Challenge Roth. From now on, cameramen and photographers will be brought to the track from outside, said Walchshöfer. For safety reasons, but also to defuse the discussion, athletes would deliberately ride in the slipstream of the motorcycles.
The Triathlon Challenge Roth will take place in three weeks, on June 25, 2023, in the Middle Franconian district of Roth. It is considered the world’s largest long-distance triathlon competition.