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Top 10 Lessons Learned About Biking

11.05.2009 by Ray Niekamp // Leave a Comment

Joe
Joe Ferguson

One of the mainstays of my club is Joe Ferguson, who leads our Sunday morning “A” rides. Earlier this year he got clipped by a pickup’s side view mirror while on one of those rides. He wound up at the hospital, but thankfully, his injuries weren’t too serious. Joe posted this list of things he’s learned about staying safe on a bike to our club Yahoo group, and gave me permission to share it on Bike Noob.

Several times I have been “taught a lesson” myself over the years and here’s what I’ve learned.

1. You can’t count on laws, rules, human decency, common sense, or the fear of retribution to keep you safe. Awareness of your surroundings is your best defense.

2. Flipping someone off who is blowing their horn at you rarely leads to a desirable outcome. Wave instead. It has the same meaning (if you want it to) but is less likely to be construed as inflamatory by a dispassionate observer or aggravated antagonist.

3. If an EMT offers you a ride in an ambulance, take it. Toughing it out on the ride home shows dubious judgement and you will see the doctor much faster if you take the ride than if you shower first and present later. And, you will be signing a form stating that you declined emergency service and so may be adding to your own responsibility for a negative result.

4. Even when you “take the lane” for good reasons it is not a good idea to ride more than two abreast. May even be against the law. If you have someone in the group with a good rear light they should ride in last position so as not to surprise drivers who may be (hah, scratch that) ARE distracted.

5. Not a single bike part is irreplaceable. You are the one and only you. Don’t let your ego get in the way of a good time.

6. If you live to laugh about it later it’s a good ride.

7. Truck mirrors break off (and cost a lot more to replace) nowadays but the difference between being smacked by a 1974 Ford right rear view mirror and a late model F150 driver’s side mirror is miniscule.

8. The body follows the head. Even the worst drivers tend to shift their head in their intended direction just before “heading” their vehicle that way. That turn signal may have been on longer than their Goldwater for President bumper sticker but a slight nod of the noggin makes a better indicator of where the bozo driving in front of you is going.

9. A helmet is much more than a fashion statement, it is a sacrificial offering! Get one that fits and gives both good ventilation and protection front, side and rear. They are a single use item. Don’t hesitate to replace yours if it has worked just once on your behalf.

and finally…

10. If you get hit by a truck the day before moving day when you should be packing instead of riding, your wife will be more upset with you than with the driver of the truck. He’s probably the same dummy who tried to run her down in the supermarket parking lot, but you should know better!

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Categories // guest post, Safety Tags // guest post, Safety

The Bike Fest

09.19.2009 by Ray Niekamp // 3 Comments

This morning I decided to forego my usual Saturday morning ride to volunteer for the Kiker Bike Fest. This is the second year in a row that my club, the Circle C Ranch Cycling Club, sponsored the bike fest at Kiker Elementary School in southwest Austin. It’s a chance for kids to learn cycling skills and have some fun in the bargain.

Last year, the bike fest attracted about 300 kids from the area, and we expected that many or more this year. Stations are set up to fit kids with new helmets, do quick bike repairs, learn the correct way to start and stop, ride a tight figure 8, ride in traffic with correct hand signals, and even ride a mountain bike trail behind the school.

JoeJoe, who leads our Sunday morning A group rides, fits a girl with a new helmet donated by the Texas Medical Association.

Stay inside the lines!
Stay inside the lines!

Pat and I handled the Straight Line – Scanning station. The kids had to ride a straight line between two chalk lines 18 inches apart. Then, we brought them back again to practice looking over their shoulders. Once they got halfway down the lines, I yelled “Look!” and they were supposed to look back, make eye contact with me, and continue. Because most of them were quite young, I did not point one way or another, as is usually done in this exercise, and they did not have to say which way I pointed. For many of them, staying upright on the slight downhill track was challenge enough.

It’s been awhile since we had kids at home, and both Pat and I were disconcerted to see how some parents hover over their children. One mother grabbed her little girl’s handlebars, and pulled her down the lines — nearly tipping her over several times.

But mostly, people seemed to enjoy the event. Parents liked how well organized the whole affair was, and many indicated they would be back again next year.

DebDebra gets a young rider rolling on the traffic safety course.

One highlight of the morning was a group ride on the nearby Veloway, led by former Tour de France racer (Motorola, Cofidis, U.S. Postal, Telekom) Kevin Livingston. This was assuredly not a hammerfest, as kids on BMX bikes jockeyed for position with their sometimes-wobbly parents and fully kitted-out weekend warriors.

KevinKevin Livingston waits for the group ride to begin.

RideHold your line!

“Just to show you how committed I am to this,” said my friend David, “I’m missing ESPN Game Day — and it’s here in town.” Texas is playing Texas Tech today, so I guess that is a good barometer of club participation. Besides, the game isn’t until this evening. Cycling education AND football — now there’s how to spend a Saturday.

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Categories // clubs, Community, Safety Tags // clubs, education

Dealing with biking tickets — not so easy

08.25.2009 by Ray Niekamp // 5 Comments

Ever since the bicycle ticket incident, the four hapless riders have been trying to decide how to deal with their citations.

Pippa (“I shall go to court because I’m British and like a good argument” – gotta love her) filled in a form stating that she wished to contest the fine and mailed it in. She should hear from them within 30 days regarding the next step.

Bob is mulling it over. He wanted to go to deferred adjudication or take a bicycle safety class (similar to a defensive driving class) to reduce or eliminate the fine, but those are not options. Another blog quotes a local judge as saying a bicycle violation will not affect your driving record, and since that’s the most important outcome Bob is seeking, he might pay the fine. But he hasn’t decided.

Judy is going to fight it. She thinks $217 is excessive, and the way the ticket is written it looks like she ran a red light (she turned right without stopping, but after slowing).

And Penny, seen getting the ticket in the original post, decided to just pay the fine and get it over with. But she found it’s just not that easy. Penny tells the story from here:

It’s funny how a society will create its own rules in the absence of structure. Daughter Emily and I arrived at the Manchaca municipal court substation to find a line out the door. But these folks weren’t standing. They were sitting in a row of chairs lined up along a wall. It was apparent that we would be in for a long wait. So we took our place in line.

As each person was called to the service counter, the whole row of people would get up and move one chair down. Everyone understood the implied order — everyone moved.

Penny with her ticket. You'd look a little put off if you'd waited in line for an hour, too.
Penny with her ticket. You'd look a little put off if you'd waited in line for an hour, too.

When we reached the counter, I presented my ticket, explained that it was for running a red light (on my bicycle) and asked if it would reflect on my insurance. This discourse on my part was met with a blank stare. The clerk didn’t know so she offered to let me speak with a prosecutor. No thanks, I told her. I wanted to pay and do whatever I needed to do to keep this off my record. Bicycle traffic offenders are not offered the deferred adjudication or defensive driving options.

So, she tried to call a prosecutor to get the answer. Dial, busy signal, hang up, dial, busy signal, hang up — this went on for awhile. I watched mesmerized as the partially-painted fingernail punched relentlessly at the telephone keys.

No answer in the prosecutor’s office so she called the judge. Well, actually, she called his office. They didn’t know but said they would ask the judge when he got out of court. They would call back.

Waiting, waiting, waiting…

In the meantime, Bubba next to me gets his call to the counter. He peels off $168 in small bills and hands it to the clerk.

“Well, how ‘bout that,” he muses. “I still have enough for a beer.”

The clerk thinks this is a great idea and comments that she would go with him if she didn’t have to work.

“Oh, you don’t wanna go with me,” he exclaimed. “I go to Expose’.”

I could see my daughter’s face — giving some thought to this.

“What’s Expose’?” she asked as she watched me roll my eyes. “Oh, I get it…Mom, can you do that with your eyes again?” Bubba is still talking to the clerk. He doesn’t have a clue.

Finally, the judge returns the call. If the ticket is coded properly for bicycle violation it does not go against insurance.

I pay my ticket — $217. Bubba pays his ticket, and we walk out together. How special. Bubba comments that he’s just wasted $168. We’re thinking he must have been fined for “child riding in bed of truck,” or “too many people in vehicle.”

I looked at Emily. She looked at me.

“I guess that means he doesn’t have enough money for a lap dance tonight,” I said.

She rolled her eyes.

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Categories // Safety Tags // police, traffic laws

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