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!
