Did you ride the MS-150 this year in Memphis? Here is the report I sent to the MS Society regarding bike skills (or lack thereof) that I observed while I rode with you. ~~Cliff H.
After riding this year in the MS-150 for the first time, I thought it might
be helpful to tell you some of my thoughts about training cyclists for future
rides that are based on my observations.
This may be more detail than you care to read, so here’s the bottom line:
I think there should be training regarding the best way for cyclists to handle
intersections, where to ride in the road between intersections, and how to
interact with motor vehicle drivers in common traffic situations.
This is the same conclusion I have come to while riding with the Memphis
Hightailers, by the way. They need the same training.
What I
observed:
Riders who never have ridden in groups obviously will need some training and
experience in group riding techniques. The riders on the MS-150 were more
competent than I had thought they would be in terms of group riding skills. I
did notice that some riders were surprised here and there by unexpected actions
of a rider near them, but that happens at all levels of cycling, from beginners
to professional.
However, I personally didn’t observe anything too very dangerous in the group
riding techniques at the MS-150.
On the other hand, the riders were less competent than is desirable in terms of
sharing the road with motor vehicle drivers. They made typical 'uneducated'
errors at intersections. I saw many riders make poor choices regarding stop
signs, lane selection, and road position. The motorists I observed, to their
credit, managed to not collide with any of the errant, unpredictable cyclists.
Some examples:
Lane
Position at Intersections:
I was riding a little bit behind a group of 6-8 riders. We were coming to a
4-way stop and our route turned left. A motor vehicle passed me and then caught up
with the group of riders as they were stopped at the stop sign.
It was an interesting predicament. 4 or 5 of the riders were positioned on the
left-hand side of the lane, as they should have been, since they were turning
left. The auto was apparently going straight through the intersection and was in
the center of the lane. There were also 2-3 cyclists who were wrongly positioned
on the far right-hand side of the lane.
I was relieved that the cyclists who were wrongly positioned did not turn left
across the path of the car. There was a bit of awkward waving and looking by the
auto driver and by the cyclists who were in the wrong place—the cyclists waved the
car on, and then they turned left.
It was early in the morning so I think the cyclists were still fresh. Had they
been at the 70-mile mark for the day, however, they might not have been quite as
attentive or able to think as well.
This is no big deal, right? Well, it is no big deal most of the time. It becomes
a big deal when the motor vehicle operators, cyclists, or all, are not as awake,
attentive, courteous, or cooperative as was this group. As hard as it is to
believe, some cyclists will execute a left turn from the far right-hand side of
a lane across the path of motor vehicle that is passing them from behind. It is
one of the more common ways cyclists cause car-bike collisions.
Had the cyclists been in the proper position at the stop sign they would not
have created any problems, confusion, or danger.
Lane
Selection:
A similar problem: I observed cyclists who were intending to go straight through
an intersection stopped in the right-turn only lane at a traffic light. They
were blocking the turn lane for all motor vehicle traffic behind them that
wanted to turn right. Again, as long as everyone is attentive, most folks can
sort this one out. Occasionally, a cyclist will just pedal straight through when
the light is green and get clobbered by a right-turning motorist. Now and then
in one of these situations an inattentive or aggressive motorist will turn right
and hit a cyclist who is in the unexpected place. Had the cyclists been in the
correct lane to begin with, they would not have put themselves at risk.
Position
on the Road:
In my opinion, the most dangerous thing I saw was cyclists who were routinely
riding too far to the right on country roads with lanes that were too narrow to
share with motor vehicles passing them from behind.
When a cyclist rides too far to the right in a lane that is too narrow to safely
share, some motorists will choose to try to pass by squeezing closely by the
cyclist without changing lanes (this is illegal, but they do it). If the
motorist is unsuccessful at squeezing past the cyclist, they will sideswipe the
cyclist, hit them with their rearview mirror, or run over them. This sort of
accident rarely happens, but when it does, it really isn't good—it is one of the
more often-fatal car-bike accidents. It happens more often in rural areas than
in cities.
A cyclist riding in a lane that is too narrow to safely share should choose a
lane position that is either in the center of the lane or that is just barely to
the right of the center. This lane position causes most motor vehicle drivers to
pass the cyclist by moving over into the next lane instead of trying to squeeze
by.
This is one of the hardest things to teach—many adult cyclists have a deep "fear
from the rear" when they begin riding with traffic. They might think feel that
they are "in the way and the drivers will get mad if they have to slow down"
etc. However, what the traffic research shows us is that most motorists have no
problems avoiding cyclists from behind-- we are easy to not hit.
BUT-- drivers have to see us, perceive that we in the road, and then maneuver
correctly. If we are barely even on the road, riding too far to the right, we
look a lot more like pedestrians or a roadside object. Riding closer to the
center allows the motorist to see that “something is in the road” a lot sooner
and begin to figure out how to pass safely. Almost all motorists can handle
that, just as they routinely handle other slow-moving vehicles.
The errors the MS-150 riders made were not unusual or terrible-- they were
typical. Most of us learned to ride as kids from someone who didn't ride any
more and who wasn't a person with a lot of experience in sharing roads with
motor vehicles. When we get back in the saddle as adults, most of us don't stop
to think about the best way to handle riding on the public roadways-- we just
hop on our bikes and go, riding like we did when we were kids.
No one has taught us the best way to drive our bikes and we have never even
thought that such instruction was even needed—Everybody knows how to ride a
bike, right?
Knowing how to balance, pedal, and stop on a bike is great—It is the first part
of riding. However, it does not prepare us to be responsible road users
operating our bikes legally, respectfully, and safely.
So, I think for next year there should be training regarding the best way for
cyclists to handle intersections, where to ride in the road between
intersections, and how to interact with motor vehicle drivers in common traffic
situations.
Some helpful websites: