Once again, the legendary Don Pan group ride in Miami, Florida USA has resulted in serious injuries after a police car intentionally pulled in front of the peloton and executed a “Crazy Ivan” turn, cutting off cyclists, creating chaos and crashing one rider to the ground. 

52 year-old Eduardo Alvarez, a regular participant on the Don Pan early morning group ride, crashed as a result of the police officer’s actions on the Rickenbacker Causeway – landing Alvarez in the hospital with a broken pelvis requiring surgery.

The video shows a group ride using the green bike lane as well as one of the car traffic lanes allowed by law.  Alvarez was riding at 25mph at the front of the pack and just a few feet from the police car when it abruptly turned in front of him.  “At the point where the policeman crossed the solid bike lane, there wasn’t enough time for the cyclists to stop,” Alvarez said afterwards. “Two of us were at the front during this group ride and the guy in front of me slammed on his brakes, he had to or he’d T-bone the police car, I had to slam on my brakes… We were both reacting to the police car crossing [into] the cycling lane.”

Riders are blaming a Coral Gables police officer for making that dangerous turn and causing the crash.  

“You slammed on the brakes, bro,” one cyclist at the scene of the crash told the police officer.

With GoPro cameras commonplace on the Don Pan ride, cyclists have plenty of video footage documenting the incident and Alvarez has already retained a lawyer.     

Coral Gables police said they had joined the Florida Department of Transportation on Wednesday morning to perform an “education and enforcement detail” on Rickenbacker Causeway. 

Two years ago amateur racer Alex Palencia was shot to death on the Don Pan Wednesday morning Rickenbacker Causeway group ride.

PHOTOS: Lennar Brull

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