CU student-athlete hit while cycling in Boulder County; troopers looking for driver

BOULDER, Colo. -- Colorado State Patrol troopers are searching for a driver who hit a cyclist in Boulder Saturday and drove off.

Trooper Josh Lewis said 20-year-old Phoebe Iguchi, who is a member of the University of Colorado Triathlon team, was on a group training ride on Monarch Road near the IBM plant when a truck came up behind her and clipped her. 

Witnesses said the man in the truck immediately drove off.

“She's on the side of the road, her shoe was 10 feet up the road. She's face down crying and her bike is destroyed,” said Matt Miller, who was riding behind her at the time. “I can't imagine how that truck driver feels knowing that, how's he living with himself, that he took a college girl out and left -- fled the scene of the crime -- right in front of me."

Lewis said she suffered moderate injuries and was released from the hospital the same day.

CDOT reports that the roads in Colorado are increasingly more dangerous than in years prior.

Their figures show accidents involving cyclists are up since 2013, with 1,467 in 2015. 

Of those 1,467 cyclist-involved accidents, numbers show the cyclist was at fault 571 times.

“You can have a group of cyclists or just that single solitary person. They're smaller, they're more difficult to see, so be aware that they are out at any given location,” said Lewis.

While cyclists sometimes say drivers need to move over and allow them space on the road, drivers say it goes both ways.

“It's one thing if another car’s coming, but they just won't even slide over a foot. And you just, you feel like they're going to hit your elbow,” said Miller.

Many cycling coaches preach the importance of safe cycling techniques.

“In Boulder County, there's a lot of roads that have a very wide shoulder, but you should be riding as far to the right as possible. You shouldn't be right on the white line. That's something that I see a lot that I think riders should really avoid,” said Eric Kenny.

Troopers ask anyone with information about the crash, to call them.