Saturday morning I get in the car to go to the hardware store. As I’m crossing the bridge, I approach three cyclists in my lane. They’re riding three abreast. OK, that’s cool, the bridge is plenty wide, and there’s no traffic coming the other way. I slow down a little as I near them and pull out way wide to give them room. I’m halfway over the yellow line. Just when I’m getting close enough to ogle their bikes, one of them does a U-turn and cuts in front of me. Never even looked. WTF?
Sunday morning was the Post Falls duathlon. My wife and I watched packs of racers pedal past our driveway, lots of them riding the *freaking yellow line! *It’s a two lane road in front of my house, for God’s sake. These idiots weren’t only not keeping to the right, they weren’t staying in the entire right lane. They’ll be the loudest whiners when a car hits them, too.
Now before you get on here and say that most cyclists are considerate, and there are a few bad apples in every group, let me just say that I agree with that. But those bad apples are not helping the rest of us. If they piss me off, you can bet that my non-cycling neighbors are at least equally as pissed.
This is mostly just a rant. But if anyone has a suggestion on how to go about approaching the duathlon situation, I’d like to hear it. That shouldn’t have happened.
But Vitus. . .I’m a VERY experienced cyclist capable of handling my bike at 25+mph. Screw you. I’ve got to ride out there to keep clear of all these damned weaving newbies. Plus I’m wearing this really cool lime green and neon pink skinsuit! I know what I’m. . .CRUNCH!!!
I’ve been in plenty of races where people are all over the road. it’s aggravating, I try to stay right but I see people riding side by side, chatting, groups, and guys taking forever to pass. maybe I’ll start carrying a paint gun.
Yesterday when I was leaving my race, while the race was still on, a group of people(all decked out in team kits, natch) who had finished decided to go for a cool-down lap of the course on their bikes. So they are riding two abreast, with runners who are still racing on their right, cars stacked up behind them and up ahead, causing general chaos. They were forcing the runners off the road, and cars behind them were lined up about twenty deep, because there was just no way to get by with them riding side by side, and they would not ride single file.
Fortunately things like that don’t happen often, but I find it is more likely in large groups than when you see individual riders. Sort of like a pack of chihuahuas, I suppose.
Three groups give us concerned, saft concious and law abiding cyclists a bad name:
Bicycle couriers - enough said.
The truely occaisional bike user, who has no idea of safty or of the the rules of the road( these people are probably/possibly poor car drivers to)
Triathletes are not exempt. The mid to back of the back on the bike leg, in a big race is a scary place to be. People weaving all over the road as they try and ride on their aero-bars. Weaving all over the road to get at rear mounted bottle cages. Not understanding what, “I’m passing on your Left” means. Stopping in the middle of the road to change a flat!! Walking the bike up the hill in the middle of the road because the bike is still in it’s biggest gear . . and so on.
Fleck, to address some of the issues you have discussed, a number of us experienced triathletes in Ottawa, working with the Ontario Association of Triathletes are looking at putting on a number of “free” learn to race clinics for newbie OAT members. I think it is a nice way to give back to the sport and truly many who enter their first race have no clue what to do. You and I who were in this sport in 1985 often forget what our first triathlon was like. I was totally intimidated by all the studs with $3000 bikes (even back then) with shaved legs and veins popping out of their abs (Richard Browne ).
Years ago races were not as big, competitive or congested as they are today. Also back then, we trained with roadies and learned the rules of the road and good handling skills - or you got left behind or worse! Furthermore, equipment was way more straight-forward, sensible and user friendly - we trained and raced on basic road bikes, with frame mounted bottles.
Great idea about the bike skills training. After what I have seen mid-pack on the bike at Orillia the last two years, these courses should be sold out!
dev, what sort of things will you be covering in the clinic? I think it’s a great thing, but do people really need to go to a clinic to know not to ride the yellow line on a four lane road?
My first thought is that the race director should be accountable for this.
That is a great idea. Speaking as a MOPer whose first sport is not cycling, I can only imagine how frustrating it is to “deal” with the inexperienced lot. Most of us do stay as far right as possible and I personally don’t do anything that would cause unwarranted weaving (I actually don’t drink during the bike portion of a race and try to fuel up before and after). That said, it’s pretty obvious who is and who is not experienced, so if you’re passing, it helps if you say “on your left” and it also helps if you don’t pass within 6 inches of us (usually going a good 6-10 mph faster). We’re not roadies; we don’t ride in packs; you studs are asking for trouble when you come out of nowhere less than a foot away. The only good reason I can think of for doing this is some kind of line drafting. If you’re trying to brush us to the right, just yell it out – don’t resort to startling behavior.
There, now I’ve gotten that off my chest, I promise to try and find a group to ride with, although all the yammering about rules and etiquette of the group ride sure does make it an intimidating prospect (and yes, my tri bike is my only bike – unless you count my mountain bike:).
Most races will DQ you for crossing the the center line, but few of them have sufficient marshall on the course to enforce it.
At one race I did last year that had the bike course on a busy highway, the RD said up front that anyone traveling outside the breakdown lane would be summarily DQ’d, and they had a lot of marshalls riding up and down the road enforcing it. On the side roads there were the usual shenanigans, but everyone was very well behaved on the highway, and consequently no one got turned into hamburger. It was nice riding on such a well paved road, but pretty creepy having cars go by at 80+ mph.
The plan (and I say plan, cause we have to still nails things down to get from idea to reality) is to cover all the things that a first timer wants to know:
How do I put on my wetsuit and googles so things don’t get dislodged
Where do I position myself on the bike
How and when do I take my wetsuit off
Sequence of “what to do in transition”
What can and can I not do on the bike (ie blocking, drafting, outside assistance)
What do I have to carry on the bike ?
Which side can I pass on ?
What gears for what terrain
What to expect at aid stations on the bike
Where do I dismount and where do I go to after I dismount
Sequence of returning bike equipment and starting run
What to expect on run
What to do in case of cramps
How to pace
etc etc etc etc
I know this sounds simple to all of us here, but for first timers who just enter for fitness who have no coach or support group, this can be really informative.
Great idea…I was lucky enough to have a local group here in soFL that made sure I knew what I was doing, from training rides, “car backs,” practicing transitions, etc. During my first race, one even drove over to Tampa with my wife and another racer and was basically my coach.
I guess it was sort of a mentorship, until I felt completely at ease with training and racing, enough to bring my wife into the fold.
I think the support of a few experienced athletes will go a long way to the enjoyment and longevity of newbies.
Our tri club puts on a training group each summer where we go over all that stuff too with the objective of getting people ready to do the Santa Rosa Island tri as their first race. You can definitely tell the difference between those who went to our program and someone who just did it solo or with a (equally underinformed usually) friend. I find it very hard to hear or understand the race director’s instructions before a race usually. Bad/no PA systems, too many people and a lot of them talking over the RD. Worse than going to a movie.
Hugging the center line is quite common. On the multi-use trail I frequently commute on, runners/cyclists ALWAYS hug the center line (mostly staring down at it). Apart from that they would not do that on the road, they miss out on some great wild-life out there!
On another note: It is very easy to bitch about people on a closed course, but this is not the issue (in my opinion).
You spend the majority of your time training on the road. This is where things go wrong.
In my experience, on the road the real “pigs” are self acclaimed “professional cyclists”. Newbies and inexperienced riders are much more careful, “law-abiding” and more open to suggestions regarding proper riding etiquette and rules of the road.
Being an experienced cyclist who rides his bike “a ton” does not make you stand above the law and the CVC (yes, I have gotten that statement !).
You should always be aware that the more time you spend out there, the more people are going to see you (and may see your misconduct). Maybe so, next time you run a red light on an intersection think about all the people watching you and what a disservice you do to the sport in general. If you behave like this, we all soon have to live the way one of the contributors on this forum has stated: “I quit riding on the road and bought a computrainer”. That would be a sad time for the “Free World”.
Irresponsible behavior makes me extremely sad! Glad you had a chance to see it from the other side!
).