Bicyclists and the pack mentality.

[sourland]

Bakerjw, if your last post is true, please go back to my original post and explan what I did wrong on those two occasions to draw the ire of the bikers? I was at a dead stop both times, admittedly with a bit of braking especially with the group that crested the hill 5 across. When I approached them at the corner story, they could not give me an answer. Perhaps you can.

 

[Capvin]

Sour...jerks anywhere, whether the be on bikes or on forums, do not really have a good reason for acting like jerks. As for me, if I had approached them when they stopped I would have run over a couple of their bikes and then told them how sorry I was. At my age, living in a small country town, shotgun in back window, I am sort of like MFB short a few inches but large on firepower.

As for my friend...Speckledhen...I would suspect that some jerks on bikes just ticked her off one too many times and it is too easy to sit here and spout about road courtesy towards bikers until you are on a winding country road trying to get somewhere and in front of you are a couple of jerks in tights dancing in the middle of the road with their bikes.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Bakerjw, if your last post is true, please go back to my original post and explan what I did wrong on those two occasions to draw the ire of the bikers? I was at a dead stop both times, admittedly with a bit of braking especially with the group that crested the hill 5 across. When I approached them at the corner story, they could not give me an answer. Perhaps you can.

I agree that I dont see a reason for what happened to you Sourland. Some other peoples stories on the other hand...

40 foot loaded rig on a blind corner an cant stop on a dime an no where to go is driver error not biker error. I would be happy to have gotten away with nothing more than getting flipped off. Sounded like a good description of how someone almost got 20 years for manslaughter..

 

[cafarmgirl]

I agree that I dont see a reason for what happened to you Sourland. Some other peoples stories on the other hand...

40 foot loaded rig on a blind corner an cant stop on a dime an no where to go is driver error not biker error. I would be happy to have gotten away with nothing more than getting flipped off. Sounded like a good description of how someone almost got 20 years for manslaughter..

Oh really?! The fact that my husband is a very experienced driver and drives very cautiously on our mountain roads is THE reason why an accident was avoided!!!! That particular road is NO place for a biker to be riding. There are blind corners and no shoulders everywhere! I would like to know, what exactly YOU would have done differently! We were traveling at a very low rate of speed, that is what saved the situation!! Where, pray tell, is the driver error?! And it doesn't take much to get to a 40 foot loaded rig, camping trailer or loaded stock trailer plus vehicle? Of course you can't stop on a dime like a compact car. Yes, tell me where WE were in the wrong?!

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Quote: You said there was no where to go an the biker flipped you off plus the fact that it was enough to make you remember it.. That sounds to me like you are saying you came close to hitting him. That is no ones fault but the person that came close to hitting the slower bike. What would I do different, same thing I have always done driving my 10K pound trailer... Drive slow enough that I can stop safely if something is in the road around the next bend. That the law. Anything less is called driving to fast for conditions. The load on your truck, how many blind turns nor how much shoulder a road has, has no effect on where a bike should be. It does effect how you should drive though. I am sure if the thing around that bend was a cop or firemen working a wreck you would not blame the cop for you having a hard time stopping.. Well I say that but I have seen people try an fail many times... There should not have been an accident to avoid just cause a bike was using the same road as you are.

 

[Carols Clucks]

You said there was no where to go an the biker flipped you off plus the fact that it was enough to make you remember it.. That sounds to me like you are saying you came close to hitting him. That is no ones fault but the person that came close to hitting the slower bike. What would I do different, same thing I have always done driving my 10K pound trailer... Drive slow enough that I can stop safely if something is in the road around the next bend. That the law. Anything less is called driving to fast for conditions. The load on your truck, how many blind turns nor how much shoulder a road has, has no effect on where a bike should be. It does effect how you should drive though. I am sure if the thing around that bend was a cop or firemen working a wreck you would not blame the cop for you having a hard time stopping.. Well I say that but I have seen people try an fail many times... There should not have been an accident to avoid just cause a bike was using the same road as you are.

A thought......

#1 the cop, fire men etc all keep and use road flares and other signalling devices to keep them safer in similar situations. They also park so their vehicles would be the first thing hit while tending to the accident.


Also, using a place like Yosemite National Park's south entrance, Hwy 41 as an example (Central CA mountain road heavy use by everything from bikes to logging trucks)

A road I avoid in peak travel times, like all summer. The speed limit is 35 for most of the road. The lanes are just wide enough for RVs. The side of the road is granite boulders going up, the other side is a bit of DG and down. YARTS (the park rapid transit) bus drivers are rather aggressive and do the speed limit. Many places you can not see around the bend in the road. It is 31 miles of turns and twists uphills and down with several thousand feet of elevation changes.

A cyclist who determines they should ride in the middle of the lane after 25 miles of this road doing 10-15 mph pumping uphill at 6000 feet is a danger to themselves and everyone else on the road. There is no shoulder no turn out when you come across one. I am surprised you would determine that it was automatically the drivers fault for not seeing around the corner to anticipate a cyclist in the center of the lane and not on the right hand side. Yes, drivers need to be careful!!! That is a given and if you are heavy and fully loaded you need to give yourself extra extra time, but cyclists also need to ride to live and use caution and good sense. One of the last times we were there the heavy tow truck came by with a wrecked truck, seems they had to avoid a cyclist and went over the side, should the cyclist have been charged with manslaughter if the driver died? Does the law only protect the cyclist? Like I said I love riding my bike, but I also use a mirror and ride on the shoulder and will always look out for my safety, it is my responsibility in sharing the road.



I am glad the other cyclist can hear cars behind them, too bad the ones here can't or have a conversion that does not include yelling. One of those things you discover living on a popular cycling route, is that 6am on a Sunday morning is not quiet here, it is full bits of yelled conversations. I have heard (while inside with the windows closed) about colon exams and extra marital affairs, bet they would not stand in a crowded place and scream out those personal details....but they sure do on a bike!

 

[cafarmgirl]

You said there was no where to go an the biker flipped you off plus the fact that it was enough to make you remember it.. That sounds to me like you are saying you came close to hitting him. That is no ones fault but the person that came close to hitting the slower bike. What would I do different, same thing I have always done driving my 10K pound trailer... Drive slow enough that I can stop safely if something is in the road around the next bend. That the law. Anything less is called driving to fast for conditions. The load on your truck, how many blind turns nor how much shoulder a road has, has no effect on where a bike should be. It does effect how you should drive though. I am sure if the thing around that bend was a cop or firemen working a wreck you would not blame the cop for you having a hard time stopping.. Well I say that but I have seen people try an fail many times... There should not have been an accident to avoid just cause a bike was using the same road as you are.

In case you didn't notice, I clearly stated in my post that the reason an accident was avoided was BECAUSE my husband was driving that road very cautiously and SLOWLY!!! He is no stranger to driving big rigs and mountain roads. No, there was no place for anyone to go, straight up rock on the right, oncoming traffic and a drop off on the left. A biker in the middle of our lane. We avoided an accident. That biker had no business being there. Emergency personal or road workers would have had warnings up well in advance so that is not a reasonable comparison.

 

[bakerjw]

Wow, I got referred to as a jerk on BYC. Thanks Capvin, that's a first.

That out of the way, admittedly there are jerks in any activity and cycling is no exception. I cannot condone bad behavior and find it deplorable. But as a cyclist, I've seen more disrespect from motorists that I have fellow cyclists.

 

[Capvin]

Wow, I got referred to as a jerk on BYC. Thanks Capvin, that's a first.

No, sorry, was not referring to you.

 

[bakerjw]

My apologies for taking it the wrong way. No harm, no foul.