Curious if anybody is following the Tour De Lance

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I am certain that you know which one. Bird..... did you ever do it my way??? )</font>

I never had a problem with bicycles being in the way until I bought the place out in the country. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[RobS]

You guys are absolutely right, there are a lot of inconsiderate cyclists out there. Please though, don't try anything on your own to seek revenge. It takes very little to down a cyclist clipping along at 25-30 mph and the results can be horrific.

Instead, try this... Most of these groups you see are club rides or training rides of a local race team. Most ride similar routes on a given day of the week. The club or team will have a jersey with their name and sponsors on it. Try to get either the club name, team name or largest sponsor name and perhaps some photos. Then present to the club directly or work through your local law enforcement.

I ride with one of these groups and it does irritate me when my own comrades are behaving like this. Our team is sponsored by a local bike shop and his name is the biggest on our jerseys. He rides with us and is very sensitive to the road manners. If he were to get a call from the police he would very definitely have words with everyone before the ride.

One other thing. Most of us cyclists are trained/conditioned to ride a foot or so INSIDE the lane stripe (IN your vehicle lane). We do this to encourage you to swing wide to pass. If you don't we have some safety margin in that couple feet. I wouldn't do this if there were a nice clear shoulder but so many times the shoulders are littered with glass and such.

OK, there's the cyclist perspective. Now back to Lance...

He did it again, another stage win. The man is incredible /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[BigDave]

Country roads are good and bad for cyclists. They are good because they have light traffic, but they are bad because the country driver thinks it is safe to pass you at 60mph. Driving unimpeded on country roads is all well and fine until you clip a cyclist in the back with your side view mirror. Oops ya didn't realize there wasn't enough room in the lane for you and the bike. He's going to the hospital, and there's an APB out for your truck. I've seen it happen. I was part of a large racing team, and WE decided when it was safe to be passed. Yes, every once in a while a new police officer would pull us over and tell us we were blocking traffic, maybe even claiming that we were setting a bad example for the children. After we explained our procedures, we were never cited, and even told to keep up the good work by some. Think of us a guy on a tractor with his flashers on, we move slow but we are in the road when we need to be, and we will move over to make room when it is safe. I know it may inconvencience some drivers to lose 30 seconds on your journey, but we all get home alive. Vehicular homicde isn't what I would want on my record or conscience.

Here's an example of country driving: I was commuting to work alone not too long ago. I was riding on the inside bend of a curving country road with no shoulder near the inside lane marker, where I am required by law to ride, when a guy in Jeep Cherokee atempted to fly past me without slowing down. A near miss of a head on collision a school bus coming the opposite direction occurred when he locked up his brakes for a pretty good skid. I got off the road, risking crashing into the ditch and getting some bruises in order for my wife to see me alive at the end of the day rather than a body-bag. I kept my bike upright, despite having little to no mountain biking skills. The Cherokee guy, called me an [censored], because it was somehow my fault he was forced to share the road with me and didn't realize that crossing the double yellow line at 60mph on a curve could be a problem. I assume he probably complained to his friends how bikes shouldn't be allowed on roads at all.

If you watch the Lance Chronicles you will see they train two abreast, but they often have the added safety feature of a team car following them with its flashers on. Not all cyclists are inconsiderate, and not all drivers are dangerous. Please share the road, and no we all aren't Lance wanna be's, sometimes we are just trying to get from point A to point B.

 

[Yankee]

"Country roads are ..."

Very well said.

I'm an advocate of cycling and I don't mind sharing the road, meaning when I'm driving. As you pointed out, most of the time it's a minor inconvenience. The only thing I'd say on the other side of the equation is that it doesn't hurt for a cyclist to pull over once in a while if he sees traffic piling up behind. That happens most often on those country roads where people just can't get a chance to pass sometimes. I have to say that that particular frustration comes up a LOT more with slow cars (like several times per week) than with bicycles, though (once every other month or so).

 

[KubotaSteve]

I live in the country and there are a lot of people moving from the city who ride their bicycles on the narrow country roads. Most of them are intelligent about it and wear bright reflective clothing and right close to the white line, but then there are the others who are out in the middle of the road in dark clothing at dusk. Those are the one's that irritate me. While going past them at a slower speed, it always seems like a good time to clean the old windshield. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
There have been incidents of kids in cars using paint ball guns on cyclists. I think that is a bit far as someone could get hurt.

 

[TresCrows]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( <font color="blue"> Betcha can't tell this may just be a pet peeve of mine</font>

I would never have guessed it /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif, but I share it. This doesn't appear to be one bad apple kind of deal. Seems a high percentage of bicycle riders could give a rat's behind about anyone other than themselves. )</font>

I thought this thread was about Lance and not an anti bicyclist thread. It is not the bicyclist who have the problem--it is selfish and uncaring motorist and the same goes with motorcycles. Until you have been there you don't know what your talking about but I guarantee if a person hits a cyclist, pedal or motor, they are not going to be happy. It is called vehicular homicide and it has bad results for all parties.
If there are cyclists taking up more road than you think they should perhaps consider that they think you might be taking more road in your 3/4 ton 7,000 lb SUV than perhps you have a right to as well /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif. There is always two sides to every position, the side I like is being nice to other people and treating them as you would wish to be treated. Giving a little ground to a few cyclist is not going to ruin your life or cause you hardship.
I think cyclist suffer results from a certain homophobia populace that cannot come to grips with sports other than football and the spandex contributes to it /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif. Just remember, those are human beings on those cycles and they have a right to be on the road.

Lance--I read that he demolsihed all the competition going up a steep mountain road at high altitude, he put the hammer down and surged ahead crushing the hopes of his rivals /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif. Quite a feat for a guy who is in his 30s, nearly died of cancer and just think that next time a young cyclist get's in your way and holds your day up for a few seconds /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif that he could be the next guy that carries the US flag up an impossible road at impossible speeds and makes us all proud. J

 

[TWINKLE_TOES]

Tres,

Is it Ok if I add you to my high percentage list? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Atta boy Lance will he go for seven?

 

[TresCrows]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Tres,

Is it Ok if I add you to my high percentage list? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Atta boy Lance will he go for seven? )</font>

You can add me to whatever list you want to. Meanwhile consider that you are among the high percentage of irate drivers and road ragers that get all out of whack over loosing a few seconds for another person, after all, it is your pet peeve and not mine. Hope it makes your day adding me to your lists. You keep lists?---hmmm---OK---- /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif. J

 

[TresCrows]

</font><font color="blueclass=small">( Looks like taxes aren't the real issue. Courtesy is. If it were a few times a year, who would care? In our area, there are fairly large groups of Lance wannabes that just don't give a rip how many motorists are behind them while they ride two or three abreast and take up the entire lane of traffic. I frequently encounter a single rider who is out in the lane of travel - although there's a nice approx. 8' wide paved shoulder.

It would be neat to rig up something on my truck that upon hitting a button on the dash, would inject some foul-smelling (OK, but sky-friendly /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif) smoky chemical into the hot exhaust just as I pass them....................chim

Betcha can't tell this may just be a pet peeve of mine )</font>

Clearly you have never done any riding. The law gives bicycles the same rights as a car which means they get to use the lanes just as you do. The reason cyclists do not ride on the shoulder is that is where all the glass from broken beer bottles, nails, rocks and trash is. While zipping along in your 7,000 lb SUV you may not see all that trash or any of it but it is there and it flats tires constantly--I never ride on the shoulder except for an emergency or to let [censored] pass.
Frankly, this thread is outrageous the kinds of behavoir several of you guys intend to inflict upon people who may be your neighbors or even friends of friends or their relatives or their children.
I tell you what, this kinda talk is why I have considered carrying a .380 auto under my seat when I ride now, infrequent as it is these days, but then I realize that becoming what I dislike is not the solution, turning the cheek is the example that was given to follow. I do hope you have good insurance if you ever hit one of these people and that no regrets that will haunt you the rest of your life. If this is how one acts in public then I think one only needs to look in the mirror to see an example of a discourteous person. The cyclist may never see us again but God sees us all the time. Your (generic you) bad actions are never justified by the bad actions of another.
This is a bad thread and I am out of here /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif. J

 

[_RaT_]

We have some terrific places to ride out here. I'm always giving the bike riders my courtesy, I think they deserve it.

WAT TO GO <font color="red"> L </font> <font color="blue">A </font> <font color="green"> N</font> <font color="purple"> C </font> <font color="red"> E</font> ARMSTRONG!!! My favorite athelete!