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Archives for August 2010

Passing on the Right

08.17.2010 by Ray Niekamp // 4 Comments

Lots of cyclists were on the road Saturday morning. Pat and I had hop-scotched with several beginners who were being led along the Mopac route by an experienced cyclist.

I had just passed them again, and was settling into an easy pace, when suddenly, a young woman zipped by me on the right!

I had no idea she was there.  I never heard her.  She never announced herself.

I was just on the verge of moving to the right side of the shoulder when she passed.  If I had made my move a second or two earlier, we would have crashed.

Uh oh. He's passing on the right!

One of the most basic rules of cycling you learn early on: Never pass on the right. Most organized rides specifically address that in their instructions to riders, e.g. the MS 150. Ride to the right and pass on the left.  It’s kinda like vehicular cycling. A car wouldn’t pass on the right (okay, it shouldn’t), so you shouldn’t, either.

You should never hear the call, “On your Right.”  However, there are many cyclists with varying experience.  Be on the lookout for those that will pass on your right.  If someone does this, kindly remind him or her that they should pass on the left.  Also, it is common courtesy to say “Thank You” to the person yelling “on your left.” This indicates to them that you’ve heard them.

Now, there are some sites that indicate that passing on the right is OK, but only in emergencies.  But that would be a rare situation. So rare, that if you must pass on the right be sure to give plenty of notice to the “passee.”

I’ve been kicking myself since that Saturday morning ride, because when she passed me on the right, I was so surprised, I said nothing.  In the past, I have complained to cyclists who pass me on the left without letting me know they’re there — I’m not sure why I let it go this time. It won’t happen again.

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Categories // Safety Tags // Safety

The Return

08.15.2010 by Ray Niekamp // 5 Comments

You might recall that regular guest poster Don Blount has been out of action for awhile, after a bad fall.  Well, Don’s back. How he handled his recovery could be instructive if any of us find ourselves in a similar predicament.

It has been three weeks since I was cleared by my doctor to begin riding without restrictions.

It’s good to be back.

I was cleared for activity on July 22. On July 23 I was back on the bike. The first full week back I rode a total of 101 miles, the second week it was 103 miles. I expect to be back in that range again this week. I even started doing intervals and plan on heading up to the hills soon.

I think the reason I transitioned back to the outdoor bike world so well was because of what I did during my recovery.

In quick review: On May 15 I took a nasty tumble from my bike, fracturing my left wrist and breaking my left arm. About a week later I had surgery and then spent another nine weeks on restricted duty.

Restriction meant to not do anything that put any pressure on my arm. Of course riding my bike was out. I was allowed to ride a stationary bike but only provided that I didn’t violate that restriction.

I became good friends with a bike at my gym. I think I had about six hours on it during the first week.

Later, a member of my bike club loaned me his Cateye CS-1000 cycle simulator. This trainer had adjustable settings that allowed the resistance to be increased to get a harder bike workout.

I found this time incredibly boring, even if I was watching videos or the Tour de France or listening to music. Particularly when the weather is good, bike riding is most enjoyed when done outdoors. I gained additional appreciation for living in California where I can pretty much ride outdoors year round.

But the time on the trainer helped. I focused on making sure I got saddle time and trying to keep my cardio level up so I wouldn’t suffer from saddle soreness or too much fatigue when I returned to riding outdoors.

And it worked for the most part. My wrist was a little tender initially but the discomfort was tolerable. I have stretches and exercises to help strengthen my wrist and arm. More importantly I gained a greater appreciation for an act as simple as riding a bike and its value to my quality of life.

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Categories // crash, guest post, Injury Tags // Injury, recovery

A Cyclist’s Heart Beats Again

08.13.2010 by Ray Niekamp // 6 Comments

Just about a year ago, I returned from vacation to learn that a local cyclist, Kevin Underhill, had died after crashing in a bike race.  I blogged about Kevin, who was a regular reader of Bike Noob.

What I didn’t know at the time was that Kevin was an organ donor, and his heart went to a man who also rides a bike.  Thursday, that man went back to the scene of Kevin’s crash.  Watch the story from Austin’s KVUE-TV.

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Categories // People Tags // people

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