Cyclists... A Deeper Understanding

THE CYCLIST, PART 2

"If you have an apple and I have an apple, and we exchange these apples, then you and I will each have one apple.  But if you have an idea and I have an idea, and we exchange these ideas, each of us will have two ideas."  George Bernard Shaw

To the issue of "group rides" - as discussed in Part 1 there are those pesky packs of cyclists who seem to be just about everywhere on the highways and byways nowadays.  You expect them to share their piece of the road with you and, likewise, you are obliged to share the road with the cyclist.  Above all else the interaction between motorists and cyclists must be safe; if a cyclist is struck by a motor vehicle it could be game over.  If you were driving the car that hit and killed or maimed a cyclist the memory would hang on your conscience like a load of wet laundry.  My point here is to put forth at attitude of understanding so when we see the road signs encouraging us to Share the Road we will all try to abide.  So, in the fine words of Mr. Shaw, let's "exchange these ideas."

In my last posting, the final thing I presented to you was a video of an intense rotating pace line.  The video depicted a group ride that was moving along very fast with a constant rotation off the front.  If you did not take the time to view the video, I urge you to at least watch a portion of it now.

Note the following from this rotating pace line:

• The group is riding two-abreast and they took up the travel lane almost entirely.
• There is no bike lane or decent sized shoulder on the road they are riding on.
• Many cars were seen approaching the group but absolutely no cars passed them out during the video; assume most vehicles traveling in the direction of this group ride were backed up behind them... unhappy and impatient.

While those readers with a cycling background were likely impressed by this ride, the video was presented as an example of a group of cyclists who did not adhere to the Share the Road philosophy.  What should they have done?

• Save the rotating pace line (two abreast) for a more appropriate road (wider travel portion, a designated bike lane, or at least a nice wide shoulder)
• On this particular road, ride single file and ensure the leader who is "pulling" on the front rotates to the back only on straight-aways when line-of-sight is ideal for all - cars and cyclists.

Questions posed by readers, friends, and co-workers....

• Why do cyclists ride in a pace line?  The reasons vary but the most prevalent are as follows: 
• Physical Fitness / Exercise: Two hours of hard cycling burns many hundreds of calories and is an outstanding cardio-vascular activity.  
• Efficiency of effort - able to cycle farther and faster with less energy - drafting close behind others is the hallmark of the pace line.  
• Social - working as a team is a basic and positive human trait (unless a politician).  A well executed pace line represents the ultimate in teamwork.  Activity is sometimes followed by coffee, conversation, and camaraderie.
• Why do cyclists break the law (ignore stop signs, run red lights, etc.): First and foremost, cyclists have the right to ride on the road with you, the motorist.  Most experienced cyclists are very aware of their legal requirement to follow all posted laws.  That said, the laws applying to cyclists are not clearly understood by most motorists.  I'll provide two examples of  what motorists view as breaking the law - when it is not.  
• Most modern traffic lights are tripped by sensors buried under the pavement.  A bicycle is too light to trip that sensor.  Cyclists (and motorcycles) are allowed to treat a red light as a stop sign if they are the only one in that lane and the light does not change within 2 minutes.  In other words... stop, wait, and then move on through the red light.  
• At a stop sign a cyclist in Virginia has the right to take a right hand turn and ride completely through a stop sign if taking the turn onto a road with a bike lane - treated just like a yield sign for motorists.  As the cyclist never enters the portion of the road traveled by cars this move is deemed safe and is within the law.   
• When there is a white line on the right side of the road, why don't cyclists keep to the right of the white line?  Many roads have white lines along the right side but they rarely denote a bike lane - just the right side of the road.  The white line is simply a safety feature designed to assist motorists in figuring out where their lane boundary is at night or in low visibility conditions.  Many of these white lines have less than a foot to the right of them. These are considered "shoulders" and are often full of debris and pot holes - unsafe and dangerous for a bicycle.  Cyclists have a legal right to ride in the travel portion of the road such as this.  When there is a designated and marked bike lane they should ride in the bike lane unless the condition of the bike lane makes this unsafe.
• Bikers (bad term) move out into the travel portion of the road - why?  This is called, "taking the lane" and there are many reasons a cyclist will do this; two examples: 
• A cyclist is riding down a street with a line of cars parallel parked.  An alert cyclist has eyes peeled for drivers opening their doors and, if a driver in a parked car even looks like he is getting out into the traffic lane, the cyclist should signal and then take the lane.  Getting "doored" is one of the most common cycling accidents.  
• When making a left-hand turn a cyclist, after signaling, has a right to safely enter the main lane of traffic getting as close to the center line as possible.  Like a motor vehicle, the cyclist then yields to on-coming traffic and, when clear, safely makes the turn left.  There are actually a number of other circumstances when a cyclist takes the lane - the key is signaling intent and moving safely into the travel lane. 

Being Predictable:  A responsible cyclist is schooled in the art of being predictable.  After learning basic bike skills the next step is to learn to ride on the streets and coexist in a positive and safe manner with motorists.  This includes communicating by signals as well as sometimes loud verbal communications.  As a driver you may witness some of this activity and, up until now, would likely have no clue what was going on. Just a few examples of what every good cyclist already knows:

• Cyclists must be aware of the road conditions and communicate them to all in their cycling group.  The lead rider who is pulling the group will also be on watch for unsafe conditions to include glass, potholes, sticks, rocks, or gravel.  When one of these obstacles is noted the rider shouts out the obstacle and normally points to it.  If the group needs to divert into the travel lane to avoid it, a waving signal is given so all can move left.  If in a large group, other trailing riders also make the shout out.
• Be aware of surrounding motor vehicles and communicate them to all in the group; this includes cars entering the bike lane forward of the group, cars approaching the group from the rear, and cars passing the group.  This verbal notification is not always done when riding in a wide bike lane but cars would certainly be called out on a narrow road such as depicted in the pace line video you watched earlier.
• Being predictable means that everyone around the cyclist knows exactly what his/her intentions are - fellow riders, drivers, runners... yes and even those pesky squirrels that dart out in front of cyclists.  An important aspect of this skill involves hand signals - if "taking the lane" for a left turn, the trailing cyclist in the group calls out when it is safe for the group to move into the travel lane.  All cyclists in the group normally point with their outstretched left arm signaling the group's intentions.  Other signals include pointing right for a right turn or the palm of a hand pointing down and backwards if slowing or coming to a stop.
• Verbal communication is also an important aspect of riding in a group.  Motorists or pedestrians often hear this and wonder what's up?  This is just another means for a cyclist to remain predictable.  The following might be heard... "slowing, stopping, car-back, car-up, runner-up" to name just a few.   We once had a misunderstanding with a passing motorist as a group of us came upon a broken bottle followed by a pot hole - the shout out to the group went something like this... "GLASS!"  "HOLE!"  The motorist who was passing us out did not hear it that way and had some words for us at the next stop sign.

As far as the motorist is concerned, you very simply need to be cautious.  As mentioned in the previous posting, there are idiots on bikes who have no concept of being predictable or sharing the road.  When approaching a group of cyclists, assume they know what they are doing, be patient with them, and approach with care.  Pass the line only when you can do so safely and provide a separation of at least 3 feet between your car and the group, know that you can make it past the group before the next corner, and do not toot your horn - we know you are there.

So what scares the crap out of me when riding in a group or pace line?  A new rider who is unpredictable, a bike snob who blows through traffic signals and shows complete disdain for motorists.  As far as motorists are concerned, the driver who passes a group of cyclists too closely as well as a tentative motorist who passes far to the left in the on-coming lane with no regard for site lines.  And then there are the idiots, "the texters" or an otherwise distracted driver, "the goobers" who may be drinking or just have an issue with cyclists who wear spandex.  True story... in Williamsburg there was an issue with a pick-up truck containing two young males who would pass by a cyclist very closely and the passenger would then fling his door open into the cyclist - usually knocking the rider off balance and into a crash mode.

Following is a video of another pace line - a bit more controlled with some good tips for all of us.

In sumary: I have been riding my road bike out amongst cars and trucks for about 2 years now and have experienced a number of close calls and, thankfully, witnessed only a few nasty bike accidents.  This article is my attempt to allow you to view the cycling world from another perspective.  So... on behalf of all of the cyclists out there, I apologize for the bike snob idiots who have no regard for safety or sharing the road.  I simply ask you to be careful, be predictable, be vigilant, be patient, and share the road when driving around or near a group of cyclists.  As we hear you approaching from behind we have no option but to trust that you are being as predictable in your action as we are in ours.  More often than not you will get a smile and a friendly wave from an appreciative bunch of cyclists.