Thanks - I think if we could police ourselves, get the outliers in our bike groups to change their ways, you know the ones, the folks who ride two or more abreast even with a following car or truck, forcing the vehicle to wait, gun it and go way wide into the oncoming lane…and fume about bikers for the rest of the day, it would be a good first step. A second might be visibility. I live 2 miles from UVA and the number of times I’ve seen helmetless students, riding after dark with dark clothing, no lights or reflectors, is astronomical. Good habits begin at home.
http://www.20min.ch/news/zuerich/story/Grosse-Trauer-um-Triathletin-14960208
age group winner 2010 w45
got killed by a truck
so sad …
I write this now as an extension of my blog, to strike one more blow for safety. For each of us to take the initiative and advise/correct/scold/ embarrass our biking partners into strict adherence to the rules of the road. Tolerate nothing less than behavior that keeps the athlete out of harm’s way.
Thank you.
My approach is to limit the amount of cycling I do on the road, accepting the inherent danger of it as a fact of life. Even if you do follow all of the rules of safety, you can still be blindsided by an out of control driver. Most of my training is indoors so I’m limiting my exposure, but I feel that I have to get out there at least once a week with a fairly competitive group so that I can push myself further. I’m very selective of where I ride, choosing locations with minimal traffic and adequate shoulders. I’m also selective of which groups that I ride with, avoiding those that exhibit unsafe behavior.