Rules of the Road
I've been impressed at the numbers of riders who are turning out on Saturday mornings at New Spring. This weekend will probably be light thanks to the frigid weather, but hopefully we'll all be back out there in force next weekend.
Since I don't live in Anderson and I'm not the most socially interactive rider even when I am there, I don't know who is a "newbie" and who's an old hand. I know there are some newbies out there. This is for you ... and for anyone else who needs a reminder about etiquette and safety rules of riding on the road.
There's one law of cycling from which most of the rules derive. That law is that, it's not the person who causes a crash who gets hurt. It's always someone else. Nobody knows this rule better than me. It's been over ten years ago now, but I was riding in a fast paceline on wet roads when we crossed some RR tracks. The rider in front of me crashed on the tracks. When I changed my line to avoid him, I hit the tracks at a bad angle. I went down and my kneecap went squarely into a rail and shattered. The guy who caused the crash got up and rode off. Ambulance ride, surgery and months of rehab for me.
You don't want to be the cause of somebody else being seriously hurt, so please read and follow these rules:
Be predictable and smooth. When people are riding in a pack or a paceline, an unexpected move can cause a chain reaction.
Keep your eyes ahead. Know what's coming in the road ahead and keep an eye out for loose dogs, cars backing from driveways, etc. This is especially important if you're the lead dog of the paceline.
Call out obstacles in the road. Don't call out every twig and leaf. Then people will tune you out. But if there's something that could really cause riders behind you a problem, call it out for all to hear -- but don't startle people.
Call out cars. You'll hear folks yell, "car up," "car back," "car right" or "car left." Do the same.
Share the road. This is a two-way street. Cars are to respect our rights to the road, but we also need to be courteous to drivers as well. If we hog the road and refuse to move over to help a car pass, we just create another driver who hates cyclists. If you hear "car back," get to the white line.
Triathletes and TT bike riders ... do not ride on your aerobars unless you're at the very front of the pack or you're off to the side or hanging a few bike lengths off the back. You may think you can reach your brakes quickly, but when something really bad happens, it'll happen faster than you thought possible.
The following rules relate to when you're riding in a paceline:
ABSOLUTELY DO NOT ride on aerobars in a paceline. I allow for the exception of the rider at the very front. Many folks don't even find this acceptable.
Being smooth and predictable in a paceline is more critical than anywhere else.
Do not overlap wheels. Leave the rider ahead of you complete freedom to move left or right as they may need to in the event of a sudden emergency.
Keep your eyes up the road so you know what the people ahead of you must react to. Do not fixate on the rear wheel (or the rear end) of the rider ahead of you.
When it's your turn at the front, "pull through" at the same pace the line was going when the last rider was still ahead of you. Don't suddenly surge. The person who just pulled off is probably a little spent and needs a chance to catch onto the end of the line without having to surge to catch up. If you want to increase the pace, it's OK to do so AFTER the person who pulled before you is comfortably tucked in at the back of the line.
Keep your pulls short. The paceline will go faster and everyone will stay together longer if everyone shares short, fast pulls. Fitter riders can take longer pulls.
When you're done pulling at the front, pull over out of the line BEFORE you slow down. The classic rookie mistake is to suddenly sit up and stop pedaling. There are a string of riders lined up behind you. If you do that, there'll be a crash and someone will get hurt.
Communicate. You'll be flying down the road. It's essential that you keep your eyes and ears open and that you let each other know of any potential hazards.
Know your fellow rider. It's a good idea to size up the folks you're riding with in a paceline. Give the squirrely ones some extra room and don't hesitate to point out these rules to them ... for the sake and safety of everyone else.
Have fun. A fast-moving, smooth-flowing paceline is what road cycling is all about. It's like being one of the Blue Angels without the barf bag.
Since I don't live in Anderson and I'm not the most socially interactive rider even when I am there, I don't know who is a "newbie" and who's an old hand. I know there are some newbies out there. This is for you ... and for anyone else who needs a reminder about etiquette and safety rules of riding on the road.
There's one law of cycling from which most of the rules derive. That law is that, it's not the person who causes a crash who gets hurt. It's always someone else. Nobody knows this rule better than me. It's been over ten years ago now, but I was riding in a fast paceline on wet roads when we crossed some RR tracks. The rider in front of me crashed on the tracks. When I changed my line to avoid him, I hit the tracks at a bad angle. I went down and my kneecap went squarely into a rail and shattered. The guy who caused the crash got up and rode off. Ambulance ride, surgery and months of rehab for me.
You don't want to be the cause of somebody else being seriously hurt, so please read and follow these rules:
Be predictable and smooth. When people are riding in a pack or a paceline, an unexpected move can cause a chain reaction.
Keep your eyes ahead. Know what's coming in the road ahead and keep an eye out for loose dogs, cars backing from driveways, etc. This is especially important if you're the lead dog of the paceline.
Call out obstacles in the road. Don't call out every twig and leaf. Then people will tune you out. But if there's something that could really cause riders behind you a problem, call it out for all to hear -- but don't startle people.
Call out cars. You'll hear folks yell, "car up," "car back," "car right" or "car left." Do the same.
Share the road. This is a two-way street. Cars are to respect our rights to the road, but we also need to be courteous to drivers as well. If we hog the road and refuse to move over to help a car pass, we just create another driver who hates cyclists. If you hear "car back," get to the white line.
Triathletes and TT bike riders ... do not ride on your aerobars unless you're at the very front of the pack or you're off to the side or hanging a few bike lengths off the back. You may think you can reach your brakes quickly, but when something really bad happens, it'll happen faster than you thought possible.
The following rules relate to when you're riding in a paceline:
ABSOLUTELY DO NOT ride on aerobars in a paceline. I allow for the exception of the rider at the very front. Many folks don't even find this acceptable.
Being smooth and predictable in a paceline is more critical than anywhere else.
Do not overlap wheels. Leave the rider ahead of you complete freedom to move left or right as they may need to in the event of a sudden emergency.
Keep your eyes up the road so you know what the people ahead of you must react to. Do not fixate on the rear wheel (or the rear end) of the rider ahead of you.
When it's your turn at the front, "pull through" at the same pace the line was going when the last rider was still ahead of you. Don't suddenly surge. The person who just pulled off is probably a little spent and needs a chance to catch onto the end of the line without having to surge to catch up. If you want to increase the pace, it's OK to do so AFTER the person who pulled before you is comfortably tucked in at the back of the line.
Keep your pulls short. The paceline will go faster and everyone will stay together longer if everyone shares short, fast pulls. Fitter riders can take longer pulls.
When you're done pulling at the front, pull over out of the line BEFORE you slow down. The classic rookie mistake is to suddenly sit up and stop pedaling. There are a string of riders lined up behind you. If you do that, there'll be a crash and someone will get hurt.
Communicate. You'll be flying down the road. It's essential that you keep your eyes and ears open and that you let each other know of any potential hazards.
Know your fellow rider. It's a good idea to size up the folks you're riding with in a paceline. Give the squirrely ones some extra room and don't hesitate to point out these rules to them ... for the sake and safety of everyone else.
Have fun. A fast-moving, smooth-flowing paceline is what road cycling is all about. It's like being one of the Blue Angels without the barf bag.
posted by psycholist at 1:22 PM
1 Comments:
Great Info Bob- Thanks!
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