Rory O’Reilly, a fixture of Santa Barbara’s bicycle racing scene and a participant in the 1984 Olympics, sustained serious injuries, crashing head on into a Forest Service truck while descending Gibraltar Road. Friends report that O’Reilly, now a coach for teen cyclists, broke a leg, punctured a lung, broke eight ribs, and “obliterated” one shoulder. As a racer, O’Reilly was known for his explosive start. As an Olympian, his experience was marred when his aerodynamic helmet slipped over his eyes. Cyclists are hosting a benefit event at SOhO this Thursday evening to help O’Reilly and to raise funds for the Echelon Cycling Team that O’Reilly coaches.
