Coming north on White Spar Road (89A) from Wilhoit to Prescott, AZ. As one leaves Wilhoit there are signs warning drivers of dangerous mountain curves and grades ahead for the next 14 miles.
Here is a Garmin recording of one of my training rides on White Spar between Wilhoit and Prescott.
Wilhoit - Prescott: Road Shrine Row You can zoom in to see for yourself the twists, inclines and descents. For most of the route the road hangs off the side of the mountain with a wall on one side and a steep drop off on the other side.
Seven weeks ago I had just turned around at Wilhoit to return to Prescott on a training ride. Less than a mile up the road I saw several people, motorcycles and a few cars at the lip of the cliff on a 90 degree ascending (4-5%) turn. A motorcyclist had miscalculated his speed and the angle of the turn and rode right off the cliff, falling about 20 yards into a steep ravine filled with brush and cactus. Foolishly his mates pulled him out of the ravine. As I stopped to offer some aid it was apparent that this fellow was nonresponsive and quite likely dead.
A few weeks later I noted a `road shrine' cross and fake flowers planted in a pile of rocks.
Today I was barely out of Prescott and into the mountain grades to Wilhoit when I was passed by 3 or 4 emergency vehicles and an overhead helicopter. About two miles up traffic was stopped. I rode past the stopped traffic to see the helicopter slowly ascending and on the way to some hospital. The police turned me back stating that they would be taking pictures and surveying the site for some time to come.
About an hour later I concluded the road should be clear and resumed my training ride to Wilhoit and back. As I passed the scene of the accident I saw the destroyed motorcycle and metal and plastic on both sides of the road. There were no tire skid marks. But there were several fresh white gouges in the road. And I am assuming that the motorcyclist was going downhill too fast for the curve, oversteered, lost control of the bike and s/he and the motorcycle went end over end until they came to the road barrier or mountain wall. It was a bloody mess, with two squad cars parked nearby.
Returning later to Prescott past this accident scene I saw a tow truck attempting to collect the many pieces of motorcycle.
I myself have gone down twice on this same road at speeds greater than 35 mph. Lots of road rash. Some stitches. About $800 of total damages to the bike.
Those of us surviving our bad judgment have a deep respect for the dangers of the road.
I'll be looking for another road shrine at that location soon. How deeply sad.
