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Have You Ever Called Out Another Cyclist?

05.01.2014 by Ray Niekamp // 10 Comments

I made a run for carry-out food this evening, and while driving home, I saw something that teed me off. A cyclist was in the bike lane on the four-lane street I was in, but was riding against traffic.

There are bike lanes on each side of the street. The direction of travel is clearly marked by arrows. The lanes are in generally good condition — not too much grit or gravel — but they’re wide enough for only one bike. And this guy was traveling in the wrong direction.

The bike lane in question, seen in a Google Street View. The cyclist was traveling away from you -- against both bike lane and street traffic.
The bike lane in question, seen in a Google Street View. The cyclist was traveling away from you — against both bike lane and street traffic. An arrow pointing the direction of travel in the bike lane is clearly visible.

He was on a higher-end hybrid bike. Wasn’t in cycling clothes, but normal street clothes, wearing a baseball cap instead of a helmet. That’s fine — he’s perfectly capable of deciding what safety measures are appropriate for him. But in this case, he would have caused problems for any cyclist who rode in the right direction in the bike lane. Or, he would have caused a problem for himself, because if he met another cyclist, he would be the one who would have to leave the bike lane and ride in the traffic lane — against traffic.

And there I was, in my car, windows up, radio blaring. I really wanted to yell, “Wrong way, you idiot!” or something equally derisive. If I had been on my bike, I certainly would have. But this was a missed opportunity.

Now, I’m by nature not a confrontational guy. Rarely do I call out other people’s behavior, and when I do, you know I’ve really been upset. But I’ve ridden with others who aren’t as restrained as I am. They’ll let other riders have it over what I consider minor, forgive and forget, infractions or breaches of etiquette.

Which camp are you in? Do you yell at other bikers when they do something wrong, or stupid, or illegal? Today’s incident gets me wondering if I should become more assertive out there.

 

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Categories // Odds 'n ends Tags // etiquette

Passing Tricia

03.07.2014 by Ray Niekamp // 3 Comments

A group of older cyclists can be found most Friday mornings at Austin’s Veloway, the three-mile track reserved for bikes and inline skaters. They are mostly in their 60s and 70s, but some are quite fast. They sometimes pedal easily around the track, and sometimes put the hammer down.

Starting a Veloway lap. (Not Tricia or the old guys.) (Click to enlarge.)
Starting a Veloway lap. (Not Tricia or the old guys.) (Click to enlarge.)

 

While some of these riders use Strava, others take a different approach to gauging their rides. You see, an acquaintance of mine — Tricia — likes to ride the Veloway on Friday mornings, too. She’s not in their league. In fact, she rides a mountain bike or a hybrid — not a road bike. But for her, the Veloway is a safe, nearby alternative to dodging traffic on the roads in our neighborhood.

 

So, as Tricia pedals around the Veloway, she’s likely to be passed by these faster, older riders. Not once, but several times. How do they keep track of segments and KOMs without Strava? By how many times they pass Tricia.

 

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Categories // Odds 'n ends Tags // Strava

Fun or No Fun

02.21.2014 by Ray Niekamp // 4 Comments

Once again, several of my biking friends from the club were sitting around after a ride comparing their Strava scores, KOMs, segment times, whatever those things show. I let it blow by me, because I have no interest. Time, distance, avg. speed are really the only figures I need.

One of our veteran riders, George, watched the conversation with bemusement, as well. George is well into his 60s, used to race motorcycles, and loves to pull away on steep hills. But on the ride that morning, I noticed he didn’t have a computer on his handlebars.

“I don’t use one,” he said. “Don’t need one.”

“I’m surprised to hear that, since you’re pretty fast,” I said. “You keep up with the A riders just fine.”

“You know how I record my rides?” he asked. “Fun or no fun.”

“Huh?” I said.

“Yeah. Am I having fun? That’s a good ride,” he said. “If I’m having no fun, that’s not such a good ride. Fun – no fun.”

I’m working from home today. When I finish, I’ll head out for a ride. It’s a nice, sunny day. Fun. But it’s quite windy. No fun. Hm. How will I judge it at the end of the ride?

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Categories // Odds 'n ends Tags // ride

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