Boycott Vail

Money talks in Eagle County, Colorado, where the district attorney has declined to press felony hit-and-run charges against suspect Martin Erzinger because it could jeopardize his job as a fund manager to millionaires.

Erzinger allegedly hit cyclist Dr. Steven Milo from behind last July, then sped away. The New York physician, who was vacationing in Colorado, was left on the side of the road with severe injuries to his spin, head, shoulders, and legs.

Stage 3 of the 2011 Quizno’s Pro Challenge on August 25 will be a time trial in Vail, Colorado. I’m making my travel plans for a visit to Colorado next August, and I will absolutely avoid the Vail stage. I encourage you to do the same, and to let the Eagle County Attorney’s office, Vail Valley Tourism and the Vail Chamber of Commerce know why you plan to skip a visit to Vail next August. (This is rush job, so if you have links to other appropriate contacts in Eagle County please post in the comments.)

It would be fantastic if the bike race organizers even dropped Vail from the Pro Challenge completely.

I first heard the news from James Huang. Stevil Kinevil rants on the topic. Change.org has a petition.

29 Comments

  1. Vail is very much a company town. Vail Resorts (formerly Vail Associates) is way more powerful than local government or any other group in the region. It’s their pocketbook you can hit. Hopefully they’re accountable to their shareholders (trading as MTN on the NYSE). And hopefully they care, and will pull whatever strings to fix the problem.

    Besides Vail and Beaver Creek they also own Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado, and Heavenly (in Lake Tahoe).

  2. Hurting Vail economically is absolutely the ONLY way to put an end to this kind of thing – Colorado as a whole, and Vail in particular, essentially have the legal systems of a banana republic.

  3. Wasn’t planning on visiting Colorado anytime soon but this kind of blatant free-pass insanity has got to stop. This guy nearly killed someone and then drove away and he’s not even going to be tried for it? That’s sickening.

  4. This isn’t even a case of one law for the rich and one law for the poor, the victim was a rich doctor. This was a case of one law for rich locals, another law for rich outsiders, and a third law for not-rich from any location. The DA for this case needs to “disappear”.

  5. I just ent a message to the corporate offices of Quiznos (they are based in Denver) suggesting they move the time trail for next year’s race.

  6. I just ent a message to the corporate offices of Quiznos (they are based in Denver) suggesting they move the time trail for next year’s race.

  7. Wouldn’t it be important to check your facts before posting a story you cut and paste from a different website…..felony charges were filed 5 months ago…this is a plea disposition.

  8. I want to emphasize that Mark Hurlbert is not representative of the Vail Valley’s attitude toward its cycling community. We have a population that in large part supports cycling of all sorts- amateur and professional. Hitting the pocketbook of Vail does not hurt the DA or the mighty corporation, it hurts the little guys like my family, who are trying to make a modest living so that we can enjoy riding our bikes. Please direct your anger more effectively- write letters to the DA, the editor and Smith Barney. Don’t confuse the whole Vail Valley with a single judicial figure, who in my opinion, made a grievous error in judgement.

  9. Pavan nailed the sentiment from riders here in the Vail Valley. We’re all outraged over the DA’s actions and plea deal offered to the hit-and-run driver in this case. However, a movement to boycott a stage of next year’s Quizno’s Pro Challenge is hardly an effective way to voice our collective concern. We should all be excited about the return of a professional cycling stage race on American soil and support it whole-heartedly. Channel your efforts into advocating for cyclists and their rights, not hurting this upcoming race. Review Pavan’s suggestions below.

  10. Martin Joel Erzinger will not be charged with a felony because “Felony convictions have some pretty serious job implications for someone in Mr. Erzinger’s profession,” according to District Attorney Mark Hurlbert.’
    WTF? Felony convictions have pretty serious job implications for someone in EVERY profession and EVERY job!

    If Erzinger is smart, he’ll now go get a gun and murder every single one of his enemies, now that the DA has said that he’s immune from prosecution for felonies because of his wealth and status.

    Then he’ll go out and rape a few children that he finds attractive, and again he ‘will not be charged with a felony because “Felony convictions have some pretty serious job implications for someone in Mr. Erzinger’s profession,” according to District Attorney Mark Hurlbert.’

    How high do they set the bar, for him? Is he immune from all felony convictions, including murder, rape, bank robbery, presidential assassination, or only CERTAIN felony charges? If he assassinates the president, will they still say he ‘will not be charged with a felony because “Felony convictions have some pretty serious job implications for someone in Mr. Erzinger’s profession,” according to District Attorney Mark Hurlbert.’

    Even diplomatic immunity has its limits (diplomats can’t murder), but I guess WEALTH immunity has no limits.

  11. Mostly addled-brained comments from a significantly obtuse commentator. The problem is that Vail actually targets the rich! You wouldn’t know this, because you have never been there. Or else you wouldn’t write such drivel!

  12. As an 18 year Vail Valley local, cyclist, runner, skier, etc. I am upset by the entire situation. Erzinger failed as a human being not stopping after hitting and harming another person… should he be punished, YES! Is justice being done… maybe. We have all watched shows like Law and Order and pleading down a felony to a misdemeanor is a common practice. How cut and dry the prosecution’s case from a legal stand point is, we don’t know from the outside. Is this guy able to ‘lawyer up’ on a different level than most of us, absolutely. They are getting a higher misdemeanor plea with it not getting set aside after 4 years as I hear is common in pleas like this. Plus this guy is going to get destroyed by the civil trial. Should have he spent time in jail, yes… but 90 days seems a victory for this type of hit and run (http://articles.latimes.com/2010/nov/11/local/la-me-cyclist-hit-20101111) and does that truly serve justice… a few year truly would but that seems unlikely unless there was a fatality. Bad situation all around but don’t knock our town or county for this. This is still a great place to ride, live, visit and any cyclist is welcomed here with open arms by the businesses and the local government… even our sheriff road bikes all summer! Don’t boycott us around here, cycling is important to us and don’t allow one person’s inhumanity and a DAs legal wrangling spoil what is always a great visit.

  13. Pavan: Right. And you, the locals, vote. It’s your job to vote or recall this guy from office. The DA won’t care about non-constituents. All external people can do is vote with their dollars. If you want the tourist dollars, take care of your DA. Thanks!

  14. Pavan: Right. And you, the locals, vote. It’s your job to vote or recall this guy from office. The DA won’t care about non-constituents. All external people can do is vote with their dollars. If you want the tourist dollars, take care of your DA. Thanks!

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