There are three extremely dangerous sections of road on North Carolina Highway 28 between Fontana Village and US 129 at Deals Gap. Please watch your speed in these areas:

1. A little less than a mile after leaving Fontana Village and heading west on Hwy 28 there is a steep downhill right hand corner. Riders are fooled by the momentum they carry into this steep corner and then they see and feel the uneven pavement which tends to steer you into the oncoming lane. Some riders panic and grab a handful of brake and go into the bank here. The really unlucky ones meet a car head-on. SEE PHOTO AT RIGHT

2. Northbound on 28 about 6 miles from Fontana is one of the worst corners in the area. Not only is it a sharp decreasing radius turn, but it has a guardrail to stop your slide if you misjudge the corner. This turn also throws you into oncoming traffic if you go wide. SEE PHOTOS BELOW

These pictures are arranged in order as you approach the corner traveling north bound on Hwy 28. There are several miles of gentle sweepers leading up to this point.
Warning sign displays 10 MPH sharp right hand corner ahead as you come through a gentle left.
A short straight-away ....
And then a sharp right as the guard rail appears.
Apex of curve where Keith lost control. He was just to the right of center in his lane when the skid marks appear. Road is clean and there is no apparent reason for losing control.
Skids marks into oncoming lane.

We received the following email from one of the victim's friends .. "Keith was a very experienced rider, MSF instructor & friend to anyone that met him. He was the one guy in the group that would talk to you like he had known you his whole life even if it was your first time to show up for a ride. He was extremely active in all realms of sportriding organizations from the AMA to the HSTA to our local MSSR club & will always be considered a true leader. He drifted wide on a blind turn & crossed the yellow into the path of an oncoming car. He grabbed too much front brake, washed the front end, and the car ran over him. It should be known that in addition to Keith being a highly experienced rider he also preached rider safety & never did anything even remotely stupid. Crossing the yellow line in our riding group is a sin and will result in you being ridiculed for weeks so I can only assume that he drifted wide for a reason other than just carrying too much corner speed. He was a founder of our club slogan "make the turn".