tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post1452252026358652199..comments2024-03-19T05:40:22.017-04:00Comments on Sprinter della Casa: How To - Link to "Think" by Josh HorowitzAkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-54418430186504246012009-05-15T01:09:00.000-04:002009-05-15T01:09:00.000-04:00I've been honked at a bunch of times and also done...I've been honked at a bunch of times and also done a bit of yelling myself.<br /><br />After getting yelled/honked at, I gave someone the finger, only to realize that it had been an older lady probably just letting me know she was there. <br /><br />I don't do that anymore.<br /><br />I just smile and wave. I feel that I'm being cheeky doing that sometimes, but it can come off as nice even if I'm being an ass by doing it sarcastically. Makes me feel better in my head anyway. <br /><br />The group ride I do here is pretty fast and we're rarely doubled up unless the roads are super clear, where we fall back into single file if a car comes up. <br /><br />I love that the guys running the ride make sure to tell everyone to follow all the guidelines when the ride gets started. Single file, be nice to cars, you don't want to be a hood ornament.<br /><br />Kapish!Rishabh Phukanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10099720485421851653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-25308822033070041702009-05-14T21:41:00.000-04:002009-05-14T21:41:00.000-04:00Let me play mediator for a second. I take Colin's ...Let me play mediator for a second. I take Colin's comment on "we know what you're doing wrong" as "if you get honked at legitimately then you know what you're doing wrong". However, if you get honked at for no reason, you still know what you're doing wrong - "nothing".<br /><br />With doubling up, I believe it's illegal in CT if there is traffic behind you. Last year a local club was told that if they didn't ride single file in certain areas, they'd be ticketed. Apparently there were/are a few yahoos that blocked traffic on these rides (during rush hour), and they refused to alter their behavior (and apparently yelled or worse back at the drivers). It must have been frustrating for the other riders to witness these things, forget about the drivers who were being held up needlessly.<br /><br />If a situation presents itself where it would be dangerous to try and squeeze by (downhill sharp turn, or a right turn lane opens up and I want to go straight), I'll take the lane.<br /><br />I do agree that doubling up reduces driver "exposure" time. It's ironic to get a tight, bunched up group of 20 riders to spread out over 50 yards in the name of "safety". Now the car can't pass at all. I don't know how to approach this idea. It depends on both the driver and the riders making good judgment decisions, and that usually means it's a disaster waiting to happen.Akihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-4399682249257715792009-05-14T21:02:00.000-04:002009-05-14T21:02:00.000-04:00I strongly disagree with the idea that riders shou...I strongly disagree with the idea that riders should single up when traffic approaches from the rear. <br /><br />If the group is riding in the lane, 12 to 18 inches to the left of the fog line (which is almost always the case - very few roads have wide and clear shoulders), a passing car needs to be almost entirely in the oncoming traffic lane to safely pass a single file line of riders.<br /><br />By doubling up, you effectively halve the distance the car needs to be in the other lane - since they are going to be over there anyway for a proper pass (2 or 3 feet of clearance, depending on your state), there is no negative to doubling up.<br /><br />In addition, it discourages cars from trying to illegally "squeeze" by. <br /><br />The only time, in my opinion, that singling up is a good idea is if a single file line would fit easily and safely in the shoulder, but a double paceline wouldn't. For this to be safe, you need a shoulder about 6 feet wide - 2 feet to the right of the riders, 2 feet wide at the shoulders, and 2 feet between the riders and the traffic lane.<br /><br />I agree with you that running red lights in a large group is asking for trouble. I've ridden with some riders that don't even slow down or check for traffic when they have a red light, and bomb into the intersection at full bore.<br /><br />Colin I disagree with your last paragraph. Based on what you said I should immediately yield the road I am legally entitled to the second some idiot lays on his horn because he has to tap his brakes. F*ck that. The burden to execute the pass safely is on the traffic doing the passing - I am just as entitled to the road as any car, and that's where I am going to ride.crispyhttp://www.collegecyclist.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-62556653495658779152009-05-14T10:40:00.000-04:002009-05-14T10:40:00.000-04:00I get those "I'm here" honks too, which are typica...I get those "I'm here" honks too, which are typically timid taps on the horn. I once got a long honk from an oncoming car when I moved around a big puddle - it stretched across most of my lane, it was probably 40 or 50 feet long, and I had no idea how deep it was (a remnant of recent flooding). I guess the oncoming driver thought I was trying to become a hood ornament. I waved a "thanks" as I navigated around said obstacle.Akihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00430651087205849350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-51317786176203478412009-05-14T09:58:00.000-04:002009-05-14T09:58:00.000-04:00Aki I like that "businesslike" approach--that's a ...Aki I like that "businesslike" approach--that's a good word for it. Another word might be "professionalism". I believe being <I>PRO</I> entails professionalism. If you want to be PRO, the first step is to be professional. Not like the self-serving pretentious 'roadie' attitude that seems to sometimes prevail among the lower-category amateur racers.<br /><br />---<br /><br />I don't think I can remember the last time I was honked at. The worst, though, is a "just letting you know I'm here" honk. That is to say, the "just making sure I don't startle you as I pass" honk. Duh.Gileshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18201728865343446456noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36139180.post-25917586718085726662009-05-14T08:40:00.000-04:002009-05-14T08:40:00.000-04:006. You'll rarely get honked at for any valid reaso...<I>6. You'll rarely get honked at for any valid reason.</I>Cyclists seem to have trouble understanding that pissing off drivers is a bad idea, and that some times you might get honked at because the driver has no other way to suggest you move over. They just assume that all drivers are road-raging idiots anyway, I mean, that must be why they're honking, right?<br /><br />I would say that any time you get honked at and you immediately know why, you/your group should stop doing that. It's a shame so many riders take it as an affront to their manhood instead of a plea for them to move over.Colin Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06289923497258059725noreply@blogger.com