BICYCLIST'S NIGHTMARE COMES TRUE : MOTORIST KILLS FRIEND; GREATER SAFETY URGED.

Byline: Lance Williams San Francisco Examiner 

One worrisome thought haunts every bicyclist who takes to the road: Will I get wiped out by some jerk in a car who doesn't even see me?

In six years and thousands of miles cycling with the Berkeley Bicycle Club, racer Michael Shearer sometimes thought about the danger, but he never got run off the road.

Then, at 7 p.m. July 12, on a gentle stretch of one of the most bicycle-friendly roads in the area - Oakland's Skyline Boulevard - the 34-year-old tree surgeon pedaled into every cyclist's nightmare.

``As we came around the corner, we were right in the middle of our lane, and suddenly there was a roar,'' he said. ``Then (there was) a screech of tires and a bright flash.

``I was able to throw my bike to the left, and the car hit my right leg with a light slap as it flashed past.

``And then there were two loud thuds, and I knew my life would never be the same.''

Lying on the pavement, doubled up in pain from a concussion and leg injuries, was Jubal DeLong, 23, Shearer's friend and training partner.

And near him, motionless, lay the love of Shearer's life, Laura Beth Madrick, 39, dying of head and chest injuries suffered when the 20-year-old Datsun sedan hit her head-on at 45 mph.

The auto that ran down the trio stopped briefly, then sped away, pursued by other cyclists who saw the wreck, said Oakland police Officer Bob Souza.

With the cyclists' help, police quickly apprehended Francisco Mora, 33, an Oakland laborer, and booked him for investigation of vehicular homicide, drunk driving and felony hit-and-run.

Mora, who suffered minor injuries, told police he had just bought a 12-pack of beer but had perhaps drunk only five of them. He didn't notice the slight rightward jog in the road, and he never saw the cyclists until it was too late, he told police.

For Shearer and DeLong, the accident was a startling reminder of just how vulnerable cyclists are on the road.

Each year, about 800 cyclists are killed in traffic accidents in the United States, according to the U.S. Commerce Department's Statistical Abstract. Thousands more get hurt.

Much of the problem, says DeLong, is that motorists are often oblivious to cyclists' presence. And even in the San Francisco Bay Area, a hotbed of serious cycling, most drivers have no clue about how the rules of the road apply to bicycles, he says.

Bicycles are entitled to the same rights of way enjoyed by cars and trucks, as long as the bike isn't obstructing traffic by going too slow, he says. But far too many drivers believe that cycles must automatically yield to autos, pull onto the shoulder and allow them to pass.

When you don't move over, aggressive drivers will try to force you off, DeLong says.

``In Piedmont, I was buzzed off the road by a woman in a police car, and I was going the speed limit,'' DeLong said. ``There was another lane for her to go into and everything, but she rode right up on me and even blipped her siren at me.

``People - even police officers - don't know the law.''

DeLong and Shearer say they know that no driver-awareness program is going to make cyclists safe from a speeding drunk. But in separate interviews, both said they hoped the story of their wreck might do some good.

``The more the public realizes we're out there, and there are a lot of us, the better,'' said DeLong, who was hospitalized for two days with his injuries. ``Maybe it will wake some people up.''