"Many Cyclists Pass Through Mascarat in Groups and Some Drivers Get Nervous"

The news of the death of Jagoba Etxezarreta, a 45-year-old cyclist from Azpeitia,

who was struck on Sunday by a vehicle on the N-332 in Mascarat, near Calpe,

filled the busy roads of Alicante with dismay yesterday. Thousands of cycling enthusiasts, many of them from the Basque Country, took to the roads around the area with sadness and the feeling of having narrowly avoided a tragedy that could have affected them.

Manuel Martínez, president of the Benidorm Cycling Union, comments that "many groups pass through the area where the accident occurred daily. It is part of a regular route for many cyclists: locals and those on holiday."

The representative of the local cyclists explains that "many days, people on holiday in the area gather at a meeting point for those who want to ride in groups." This is a way to exercise more enjoyably and, paradoxically, more safely, as one or two cyclists are much more vulnerable to traffic than a peloton.

However, sometimes this situation backfires. "Groups are getting larger, and in the specific area of the fatal accident, some drivers get nervous. We've noticed that some road users are fed up with us cyclists. However, I don't recall accidents of this severity. There have been falls, but due to slips within the group, not collisions."

It so happened that Jagoba and Danel, father and son, went out alone on Sunday to complete their day's session. Along the way, they encountered a group on the same route and, as is common among cyclists, joined them for a more comfortable, pleasant, and safer ride.

According to sources who witnessed the accident, Jagoba was riding at the back of a group of about twenty cyclists. His son was pedalling just ahead. None of those in front were known to the Gipuzkoans. Tragically, the vehicle coming from the opposite direction struck the back of the long group after avoiding most of it.

The medical services at the scene could only confirm the death of Jagoba, who was thrown over the road barrier after the severe collision with the vehicle and fell several meters into the void. His son, however, was left lying on the road after the impact and was taken to Denia Hospital with a fractured femur. Additionally, another 20-year-old cyclist had to be treated for an anxiety attack, although he was discharged at the scene without any additional injuries.

Members of the professional team BurgosBH have posted a video on their social media in the same area of Sunday's accident, denouncing a similar situation that led to the fatal impact. A car invades the opposite lane, despite the two continuous lines in the middle of the road, nearly colliding with the back of the group of cyclists. The narrowness of the road means that any incursion into the opposite lane endangers the cyclist coming from the front, even if they are riding close to the edge (without a margin shoulder).

Manuel acknowledges that "the downside of this area is that the first few kilometres from Benidorm towards Calpe or Denia are very busy, especially during holidays and weekends. Then, as you move towards the mountains, it becomes less crowded. The area is beautiful for cycling, but caution is needed. I always say that, as a main rule, it's advisable to ride two abreast without venturing into the centre of the lane, and in specific points, like those of the accident, which are uphill, it's better to ride in single file. I even carry a whistle around my neck and sometimes blow it if I'm behind and see the group getting out of hand."

However, he firmly states that "cars must be even more careful. We are condemned to coexist. They won't stop driving, but we won't stop doing what we love either. We all need to respect each other. Basque cyclists, moreover, are moderate and know what they're doing. They are always welcome here."

Aside from the characteristics of the road they were travelling on, misfortune has struck this family from Urrestilla just seven weeks after another Gipuzkoan, Iñaki Pakea, this time from Ibarra and 53 years old, was killed while cycling in Usurbil.

The incident occurred that time just meters after passing the main exit to the town of Usurbil and on a wide right-hand curve downhill, which ends in a straight stretch next to the Osinalde industrial estate, with no apparent risk.

The N-634 road is a route where many people cycle daily, similar in this respect to the N-332 in Mascarat, as it leads to a manageable circuit with pleasant scenery like the coast between Zarautz, Getaria, and Zumaia. Its greatest risk for cyclists is the lack of a wide shoulder to travel more safely, a circumstance that creates moments of tension and stress between drivers and cyclists. Both on this route and the one in Alicante, which has become a scene of tragedy, it is nature itself that prevents the opening of wider roads or with greater safety margins for the coexistence of cyclists and motor vehicles.

In the case of the death of the cyclist from Ibarra, five days after the tragic accident, hundreds of people took to the streets to demand more respect for cyclists with the slogan 'Nahikoa da! Errespetatu Txirrindulariak' (Enough is enough! Respect Cyclists). It is not ruled out that similar mobilisations will be organised in the coming days, in Calpe and Azpeitia, in solidarity with Jagoba Etxezarreta.