"I am frightened to go out training": Pro rider’s emotional video after close pass fr

[Tony T]

Originally Posted by Buzz

We’ve all had tough days like hers out there so I sympathize with her..however as a practical maybe she should find a more appropriate route or area to train on. From the short clip it appears she is on a narrow rural road with no shoulder or bike lane with vehicles traveling at a high rate of speed which equals frustration and higher risk of accidents. We have some roads in my area that are too heavily travelled, higher speed, limited shoulder, etc and you just avoid them.

Looked like a lightly traveled road to me. Speed of the passing cars also looked to be < 30mph.
The driver could have easily let up on the gas to let the oncoming traffic pass and then give the rider 3 feet.

[shoota]

Originally Posted by gummee

i'd much much rather have wider lanes and no paths than a separate path and be considered something other than another road user.

boom! +1000000000

[Buzz]

Bike path or more properly multi use path accidents definitely occur and on a regular basis. I have handled two such cases in the last two years both involving fracture injuries. I know of another bike v pedestrian case on a multi use trail unfortunately resulting in a fatality...to the cyclist after he collided with a jogger as he approached from behind and was ejected into some type of fixed object.

We have a multi use path that I don’t ride on but run on. So many idiot cyclists at 20 mph not slowing on a mere 12 foot wide path cluttered with kids on trikes, people walking, dogs on leashes, etc. every couple of months there is a report of an accident - always involving a cyclist on the trail in the local neighborhood news feed.

And now we have the e-bikes zooming down the trails: there was a dude the other day with the super wide tires at full speed blasting down the middle of the trail. Thought it was a motorcycle.

[unterhausen]

interactions with motor vehicles have definitely cut back on my riding outside. Either I go ride gravel or ride my trainer. I do enough riding on roads on randonneuring events, I just don't enjoy riding on roads near my house enough to do it regularly otherwise. It's not a good environment.

I wouldn't say it's fear exactly, just enough of a hesitation on my part to keep me from getting on a bike. But also, I try to keep a relatively structured training plan going, and I'm totally undisciplined on the road.

[Gummee]

Originally Posted by Buzz

We’ve all had tough days like hers out there so I sympathize with her..however as a practical maybe she should find a more appropriate route or area to train on. From the short clip it appears she is on a narrow rural road with no shoulder or bike lane with vehicles traveling at a high rate of speed which equals frustration and higher risk of accidents. We have some roads in my area that are too heavily travelled, higher speed, limited shoulder, etc and you just avoid them.

Re earbuds one of my pro racer friends who competed and won at the highest levels of the sport told me that his ears/hearing were one of the most important assets of his career - like radar to approaching riders or vehicles, mechanical issues with the bike, the sound of a tire screeching on a sharp turn meaning that he was reaching the outer limits of staying upright, brakes screeching, the breathing rate of a competitor, the sudden quietness before an attack...

I ride on roads with no shoulder every day. I come from the outskirts of DC where the roads all pre-date cars... The roads I ride were farm roads from nowhere to somewhere not much bigger till people started moving out to the country in the 70s

The closest 'bike trail' is a 30-45min DRIVE away so I ride out the door and deal with the car drivers.

Theoretically, the speed limit's 45mph. Even *I* exceed that in my car. The difference between myself and a 'regular' driver is I err on the side of caution when it comes to cyclists, peds/runners, etc.

I also tend to not outdrive my sight lines when it comes to corners, crests of hills, etc. I don't know what's over the hill or around the bend and don't want to meet up with it if there IS something coming. Can't tell you how many times I get passed impatiently in dangerous spots by clueless people. ...so I tend to ride more assertively in those spots.

M

[Hawker]

I havne't read every post in this thread; however, Georgia passed a hands-free law last year which makes it illegal to hold any electronic device while driving. You can talk on your phone but you cannot hold it. No calling, texting or even using the GPS at a stoplight when you are on a public road.

They worked the law in slowly and most people got used to it fairly quickly. It's not THE ultimate solution for distracted drivers, but it helps and other states should consider it.

[redir]

Originally Posted by Gummee

I ride on roads with no shoulder every day. I come from the outskirts of DC where the roads all pre-date cars... The roads I ride were farm roads from nowhere to somewhere not much bigger till people started moving out to the country in the 70s

The closest 'bike trail' is a 30-45min DRIVE away so I ride out the door and deal with the car drivers.

Theoretically, the speed limit's 45mph. Even *I* exceed that in my car. The difference between myself and a 'regular' driver is I err on the side of caution when it comes to cyclists, peds/runners, etc.

I also tend to not outdrive my sight lines when it comes to corners, crests of hills, etc. I don't know what's over the hill or around the bend and don't want to meet up with it if there IS something coming. Can't tell you how many times I get passed impatiently in dangerous spots by clueless people. ...so I tend to ride more assertively in those spots.

M

Oh man. I lived in Fairfax Station in the 90's and do I ever know what you mean by roads that were not built for cars with 3ft ditches on either side. After my brother almost got killed I took up running. With the exception of a few routes I found where I wouldn't get killed.

[GregL]

Originally Posted by Hawker

I havne't read every post in this thread; however, Georgia passed a hands-free law last year which makes it illegal to hold any electronic device while driving. You can talk on your phone but you cannot hold it. No calling, texting or even using the GPS at a stoplight when you are on a public road.

They worked the law in slowly and most people got used to it fairly quickly. It's not THE ultimate solution for distracted drivers, but it helps and other states should consider it.

New York has a similar law on the books. My anecdotal study of fellow road users indicates it is adhered to as much as the 55 MPH speed limit and prohibition. Which is to say, it is universally ignored. It's going to take a huge change in public habits to get people to put down their phones while driving.

Greg

[johnmdesigner]

You do not have any rights or protections as a cyclist because:
1. You don't have a license to cycle.
2. Your bike is not registered like a motor vehicle.
3. You are not required to have liability insurance in case of an accident.
4. In most cases you are required to obey the same rules as motorists with none of the protections.

If municipalities actually encouraged cycling and would guarantee me the same rights as a motorist I would happily comply with the first 3 items.

Instead they have decided to discourage you from cycling by writing bogus tickets, not enforcing the rules about the bike lanes, pretending it's all your fault when you are injured by a car.

It's all well and good to put in bike lanes but when law enforcement decides not to enforce the law regarding their use then they are just worthless.

[mjb266]

Two words:

Dinotte Quad

[johnmdesigner]

We (NYC) just had a vehicular accident.
An off-duty cop and a Parks Department garbage truck collided head-on.
The cop was killed.
The police have determined that no one was at fault.
It's a 2-lane road. Even a bald headed idiot can look at the skid marks and determine who went left of center.
But because sometimes the sides of the road flood it narrows.
It's perfectly obvious that neither side was willing to wait on the other.
So who is covering up for who?
The local media makes it worse by saying how dangerous the road is.
It"s total BS. Can you expect any justice from a system like this? I don't think so.

[johnmdesigner]

Originally Posted by Gummee

I read that when it first came out. No sympathy from me because I deal with the same stupid stuff too.

...and yes, I've been hit.

You wanna be a pro road cyclist? Suck it up Buttercup.

No. I don't wear ear buds. I want to use ALL my senses 'just in case.' In fact, the most frequent thing I do is cock my head and listen for cars coming up from behind. I'm rarely surprised.

I do, however agree with the statement that drivers don't treat driving with the respect that it deserves. Piloting a multi-ton projectile that can injure and kill and you're doing what instead of paying attention?!

M

This is pretty offensive whether you are directing it at a young woman or anyone else.

Sooner or later an inattentive motorist will hit you and split your skull open. As long as you don't come on here and complain about it you will be fine.

But until then I will put you on the Paceline "Hypocracy Watchlist".

[Gummee]

Originally Posted by johnmdesigner

This is pretty offensive whether you are directing it at a young woman or anyone else.

Sooner or later an inattentive motorist will hit you and split your skull open. As long as you don't come on here and complain about it you will be fine.

But until then I will put you on the Paceline "Hypocracy Watchlist".

Whatever dude. Suck it up and drive on applies (aka Rule #5)

M

[Bruce K]

And with this ridiculousness we are done.

BK