stupid cyclists

[sloji]

I usually ride at 6:30 am, it's quiet and there are few cars but tonight I decided to ride about 4pm. I'm halfway done with my training ride heading into the wind and I come to a stop light and relax for the few minutes and the light changes, I crank it up to about 18mph and a "gentleman" on his "comfort bike" turns a blind corner going the wrong way in my lane... I swerve trying to avoid him and we smash shoulders with about a 25mph impact. I managed to stay upright and so did he, witnesses yell out at the guy and a couple of cars stop to make sure i'm alright.

It's only one event among many on the road I tell myself and ride on but i'm still thinking about it and later thought that I should have pulled a Lance and shoved him on his ...nah, but I did think it.

[GuyGadois]

Damn, that could have been much worse. Nice to hear you are ok and, more importantly, your bike is fine.

Riding in SLO in the afternoon is never as good as the morning. People speeding to get home and the wind are constant problems.

-GG-

[Blue Jays]

Hi, sorry about that, I was in a rush and I really apologize!
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[EPOJoe]

Let it go if you can. Maybe the guy learned something. Probably not, though. Been seeing a huge increase in cyclists riding on the wrong side/direction of the road up here and generally doing bone-headed stuff. Goes along with the new-found popularity of cycling I guess. Mandatory riding classes for new bike purchasers would probably be a good idea.

[false_Aest]

Nah, we just need a sort've dam to prevent the bike salmon from returning to the spawning area.

Donut shops maybe

[sloji]

Originally Posted by false_Aest

Nah, we just need a sort've dam to prevent the bike salmon from returning to the spawning area.

Donut shops maybe

made my morning!

[Steve in SLO]

SLOji,
I'm glad you're OK. The bike, too.
Don't let this event rent space in your brain...it's just a gentle reminder that there are clueless folks out there everywhere.
Taking a blind corner the wrong way means he hasn't completed the final step to psychological maturity, that of being able to realize the ramifications of one's actions. It is estimated that upwards of 30% of adults never reach this stage, so keep that in mind next time you give someone your "opinion" when riding or driving.

[Keith A]

The problem with these so called cyclists is that they give us (who obey the traffic laws) a bad name.

Just yesterday morning on my commute in to work, I was stopped at busy intersection where two heavily traveled four lane roads cross each other. This intersection has two lanes for turning left, two lanes going straight and one right turn lane.

I was going straight and waiting for the green light. The left turn signal just went from yellow to red and the signal for the traffic going straight just turned green -- and at this moment a guy on a bike riding on the wrong side of the road traveling from my right to left cuts across the intersection (his light was red) seemingly oblivious to the current traffic. Both cars to my left had just started moving and had to slam on their brakes to avoid hitting him. The dude just serves around the cars and keeps on going...luckily for him, the cars coming in the opposite direction hadn't made it across the intersection yet.

The whole time this is happening, I couldn't believe what I was seeing This guy was a complete idiot and appears to have a death wish…and he certainly doesn't help our image with the car drivers.

[rdparadise]

Last week, I took a left hand turn in my car. As I rounded the corner taking it in the outside lane, I almost hit a girl on her bike riding towards me on the wrong side of the road. She was nearing the intersection and riding on the wrong side, near the edge of the pavement. There isn't much of a breakdown lane, maybe 2 feet, so I was really close to wiping her out.

Anyway, I guess the point is bikes and motorcycles are everywhere so drive and ride with caution.

Happy trails,

Bob

[sloji]

I was reading stats on bike injuries and as I recall most fatalities are due to really bonehead moves like riding the wrong way at night while drunk with no lights and under 18 years old. That would fit my perception of bike safety that it's mostly a lack of attention to where you are and what you're doing more than just the inattentive driver.

[bkboom123]

Thats exactly why motorists get upset with the bikers out there. The bonehead moves that can not only injure the bonehead, but others as well. From traveling the wrong way, to ripping through red lights. I have seen it all in the Saratoga Area, and unfortunately its always the commuter bikers pulling these moves. Very rarely do I see the road bikers making such moves

[Louis]

What about joggers? Can they run on the wrong side of the road?

A few years ago on a blind downhill right turn I almost hit a local runner whom I've seen many times jogging with her dog.

[sloji]

Riding back to town prior to that incident I was riding in a group of three on a backroad with a very wide bike lane and yet two elderly joggers stubbornly refused to give up any room so that we had to enter the lane of traffic to go around them...i've always said we can count on two things in people "self absorbtion and denial."

[Onno]

When I run, I always run on the shoulder of "the wrong side" of the road. I want to be able to see what's coming at me. I always show respect to runners when I'm on the bike, and give them the right of way on the shoulder. Bikes, though, need to be on the right side of the road, and it infuriates me when I encounter them on the wrong side, since it makes it so much more dangerous for other bikers. In my experience it's kids who are the worst about this, either because they don't know, or, more often, they don't care.