Cyclist told Action 4 News that even though they take every safety precaution necessary they are still not prepared for what they might encounter when they hit the pavement.
"We're going up against a five or six thousand pound vehicle,” A cyclist told Action 4 News. “It's our life."
A life that can be taken in an instant.
That was the case Sunday night when Robert Hernandez was hit not once but twice while he was riding his bicycle down Business 83 in Mercedes.
"It makes us very sad and concerned....we do realize that when we're cycling we're facing those same risk," Cyclist, Ruben Pena said.
Over the years Pena has watched his share of accidents happen.
He said while some can be attributed to distracted driving many are just accidents.
His concern is that someone would simply drive away—not even stop to help.
"That's somebody's father, son, husband, brother, and for someone to just leave him there is a very cold blooded thing to do," Pena said.
He added, while he does not know the details of Robert’s death he does know that until people start to pay closer attention to those on two wheels, accidents will continue to happen.
"Sometimes people misjudge the speed of a cyclist or they just over look them,” Pena explained. “This is starting to happen more frequently because there are more cyclists on the road. If you're driving a motor vehicle look for the cyclist."
In the end, Ruben said, cyclists have just as much right to the roadway as a motor vehicle.
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