Northern California - Even more idiocy in Woodside

So yesterday, my husband and I were driving east on 84. We got stuck behind a couple of cars that were having real difficulty passing some bicyclists descending down from Skyline (typical of weekend drivers).

The riders were on the brakes the entire way down, too wobbly to hold their line (making them more difficult to pass), riding stiff-armed and white-knuckled on the hoods. The cars in front of us finally managed to pass one, only to get stuck behind the next one.

That wasn't the bad part, though. We got down to the intersection with Portola, which as many of you know, is a blind right-hand U-turn. The bikes and cars in front of us were all planning to turn (we continued straight on 84).

Right around the corner on Portola were a group of about 10 cyclists, standing there waiting for the descending riders in the middle of the lane. :rolleyes:

Of all places to hog up the lane, it had to be while stationary, just past a blind corner, on one of the sharpest and busiest intersections off of the busiest road in the area. :mad:

If you want to blame someone for cyclists getting ticketed in Woodside, blame people like that.

I completely agree here. Though there isn't a big pullout, there is still one on the shoulder right around the corner. I have stopped there myself.

Lots of flatlanders on all sorts of vehicles go up into the mountains on the weekend and think that the roads are empty and they can stop (or even back up) at will. When they are not stopping randomly they are crawling along and hugging the center of the road, scared of the edge. They rarely pull over for faster traffic but will sometimes panic and stop in the middle of the road to wave you by, even though you can't see far enough up the road to see if it's safe to pass.

Dealing with this is just part of living in the mountains. Just wait until christmas tree season. It gets worse starting the day after thanksgiving.

OTOH there is a culture among the locals to pull over and let faster traffic by. I like that and do the same when I am on a bicycle.

"The riders were on the brakes the entire way down, too wobbly to hold their line (making them more difficult to pass), riding stiff-armed and white-knuckled on the hoods"

You must have seen me riding down Kings Mtn yesterday. That describes me on the first 2 miles to a T. :rolleyes:

WRT the rest of the tale - yeah, I've seen a lot of idiocy among our cycling brethren. One of my favorites is on Bicycle Sundays, when there's the roadblock at Filoli, I'm heading north, and the people in front of me go through the roadblock and come to a dead stop RIGHT THERE, while I'm going about 18-20 mph. Or worse, they swing a U-turn, deciding to look over their shoulder only after they've swung right into my path! :mad:

OTOH there is a culture among the locals to pull over and let faster traffic by. I like that and do the same when I am on a bicycle.

Yep, driving (and riding) on the weekdays with the other locals is great, it's just the weekends that are annoying. I'm kind of missing the stormy weather from February now. ;)

Thanks for the heads up about christmas tree season, I wouldn't have thought of that.

So yesterday, my husband and I were driving east on 84. We got stuck behind a couple of cars that were having real difficulty passing some bicyclists descending down from Skyline (typical of weekend drivers).

The riders were on the brakes the entire way down, too wobbly to hold their line (making them more difficult to pass), riding stiff-armed and white-knuckled on the hoods. The cars in front of us finally managed to pass one, only to get stuck behind the next one.

That wasn't the bad part, though. We got down to the intersection with Portola, which as many of you know, is a blind right-hand U-turn. The bikes and cars in front of us were all planning to turn (we continued straight on 84).

Right around the corner on Portola were a group of about 10 cyclists, standing there waiting for the descending riders in the middle of the lane. :rolleyes:

Of all places to hog up the lane, it had to be while stationary, just past a blind corner, on one of the sharpest and busiest intersections off of the busiest road in the area. :mad:

If you want to blame someone for cyclists getting ticketed in Woodside, blame people like that.


They're probably the same type of people that pull onto the freeway, immediately head into the fast lane, and drive the speed limit.

OT, regarding Team Milosh... did their kit say "Godspeed Tattoo" on it?

They're probably the same type of people that pull onto the freeway, immediately head into the fast lane, and drive the speed limit.

OT, regarding Team Milosh... did their kit say "Godspeed Tattoo" on it?

Yup, that's team M. Did they make an appearance this weekend?

Yup, that's team M. Did they make an appearance this weekend?

:lol:

Yup, that's team M. Did they make an appearance this weekend?

Is your new avatar from one of my over-the-shoulder shots at DR?

Is your new avatar from one of my over-the-shoulder shots at DR?

Uh huh. You have a way of capturing me at my finest moments. :thumb:

Yep, driving (and riding) on the weekdays with the other locals is great, it's just the weekends that are annoying. I'm kind of missing the stormy weather from February now. ;)


I can only agree with this! :)

This morning I was riding up Hwy 84 on the west side of Skyline. I first heard voices around a corner and expected to see cyclists. Sure enough, and there were about half a dozen of them coming down it. They were going at a social pace (chatting and all), yet taking up the whole lane! A poor red car was sitting behind them and obviously had to brake constantly. It made me cringe to see such inconsiderate behavior of fellow cyclists. We brushed by each other too fast. I regretted not having shouted "car behind you!" Not like they didn't know though. *sigh*

This morning I was riding up Hwy 84 on the west side of Skyline. I first heard voices around a corner and expected to see cyclists. Sure enough, and there were about half a dozen of them coming down it. They were going at a social pace (chatting and all), yet taking up the whole lane! A poor red car was sitting behind them and obviously had to brake constantly. It made me cringe to see such inconsiderate behavior of fellow cyclists. We brushed by each other too fast. I regretted not having shouted "car behind you!" Not like they didn't know though. *sigh*

Black and White kits? Wild beards and tattoos?

Black and White kits? Wild beards and tattoos?
I'm bad at identifying and remembering such things. But the group overall is a colorful bunch (all kinds of kits if I remember right). I found this a pretty typical group riding behavior unfortunately.

Black and White kits? Wild beards and tattoos?

There's only one guy I know that meets that description, but he's pretty fast, and reasonably polite with traffic, at least when I'm riding with him. He's also a pretty nice guy.

Yeah it's really frustrating getting stuck behind the weekend warriors. After climbing OLH, not even a reward of a fast descent. :(

UD

Yeah it's really frustrating getting stuck behind the weekend warriors. After climbing OLH, not even a reward of a fast descent. :(

UD

Now that's just plain wrong!

Yeah it's really frustrating getting stuck behind the weekend warriors. After climbing OLH, not even a reward of a fast descent. :(

UD

Are you descending OLH or 84?

Descending OLH sucks :crash: I've done it 1x, and it was so lame, I've never done it again ;)

Actually, apart from the topmost section of OLH, the road surface has been renewed, and the descent is a lot smoother than it was when I first saw it. Twisty though...

Actually, apart from the topmost section of OLH, the road surface has been renewed, and the descent is a lot smoother than it was when I first saw it. Twisty though...

I like twisty. I'd just rather do Kings or 84 down.

Descending OLH is almost as hazardous to your health as smoking is :p

Descending OLH sucks :crash: I've done it 1x, and it was so lame, I've never done it again ;)I've descended both sides of OLH once, just to see what it was like.

Skyline to 84 (in either direction) is much more fun.

Descending OLH is almost as hazardous to your health as smoking is :p

What If I descended OLH whilst smoking? Cigarette attached impossibly to my lower lip, cycling cap on backwards, in a nonchelant 1950's British club cyclist stylee?

Yeah I meant 84. Descending OLH just sucks.

UD

Actually, apart from the topmost section of OLH, the road surface has been renewed, and the descent is a lot smoother than it was when I first saw it. Twisty though...

The problem with OLH is not the road surface, it is the very narrow road width. Cars and trucks going up OLH will usually take most of the road so you need to descend very slowly to avoid becoming road kill. Also, maniac bicyclists sometimes climb OLH on the wrong side of the road so head-on bicycle crashes are not unlikely.

Yeah it's really frustrating getting stuck behind the weekend warriors. After climbing OLH, not even a reward of a fast descent. :(


Two points:

1) Yeah, sorry about that - that's me.... ;)

2) You need a really loud freewheel. The Fulcrums on my Bianchi sound like a crowd of angry bees. The few people I've passed on downhills get right out of the way when they hear it. :D

Yeah it's really frustrating getting stuck behind the weekend warriors. After climbing OLH, not even a reward of a fast descent. :(

UD

I rarely use Hwy 84 on weekends, especially heading east. The slow cars are even more of a nuisance than slow bikes. Nearby Kings Mountain Road and Page Mill Road have very little traffic, downhill or uphill.

The problem with OLH is not the road surface, it is the very narrow road width. Cars and trucks going up OLH will usually take most of the road so you need to descend very slowly to avoid becoming road kill. Also, maniac bicyclists sometimes climb OLH on the wrong side of the road so head-on bicycle crashes are not unlikely.

True, although this never bothered me unduly - but I think this is something to which one can get accustomed, just like commuting in traffic. Once you know the route, you can anticipate the tricky spots and ride appropriately. Of course, by comparison it is lots more fun to return via 84.

2) You need a really loud freewheel. The Fulcrums on my Bianchi sound like a crowd of angry bees.Yep, Campy/Fulcrum wheels are great for that. I don't even really need a bell on my bike, I just have to stop pedaling. People practically dive for cover on the bike path.

I rarely use Hwy 84 on weekends, especially heading east. The slow cars are even more of a nuisance than slow bikes. Nearby Kings Mountain Road and Page Mill Road have very little traffic, downhill or uphill.

Except for the cyclist I almost ran into on the way down Kings on Sunday, who was climbing smack dab in the middle of MY lane on a blind corner....

I don't know why there was so much traffic on 84 east of Skylonda on Sunday. My friend Ed & I had to wait a while for the traffic to clear. We still caught up rather quickly to a Mercedes. The driver of the Mercedes was kind enough to pull over after a bit and let us by. (We were NOT tailgating, either!) It wasn't long before we caught up to the next group of cars that were lined up behind a cyclist descending slowly. :notamused:

It's been a spell since I had a nice unobstructed descent down Hwy 84. :mad:

- SteveE

Wait for the TDF to end and all will return to normal...

Wait for the TDF to end and all will return to normal...

Ding ding ding! we have a winner :)

Oh, I've been riding motorcycles on those mountains for years and I've seen it all - stupidity from cars, motorcycles and bicycles. It's gotten to the point of where NOTHING surprises me. Even the story of somebody spreading oil on the road at the apex of a turn, somebody shooting riders with a BB gun, and somebody throwing a log (yes, like Donkey Kong) at a motorcyclist. I've seen helmetless road riders descending and trying to draft a car (which they got a ticket for) and the Corvette club, while racing sportbike riders, hitting triple digit MPH's on Skyline.

It's an absolute clusterfuq up there.

Oh, I've been riding motorcycles on those mountains for years and I've seen it all - stupidity from cars, motorcycles and bicycles. It's gotten to the point of where NOTHING surprises me. Even the story of somebody spreading oil on the road at the apex of a turn, somebody shooting riders with a BB gun, and somebody throwing a log (yes, like Donkey Kong) at a motorcyclist. I've seen helmetless road riders descending and trying to draft a car (which they got a ticket for) and the Corvette club, while racing sportbike riders, hitting triple digit MPH's on Skyline.

It's an absolute clusterfuq up there.

And that is why I never ride on Skyline on the weekend.

Skyline from Hwy 9 down to Hwy 17 is lovely and a lot less traveled. Or do the northern section at night, like after 9pm :)

and somebody throwing a log (yes, like Donkey Kong) at a motorcyclist.

Jump it and demand $100 from the thrower. *rimshot*


And that is why I never ride on Skyline on the weekend.

I actually prefer Skyline over Portola Valley on the weekends. A lot less casual cyclist traffic since it's a bit of a commitment just to get there.

OTOH there is a culture among the locals to pull over and let faster traffic by. I like that and do the same when I am on a bicycle.

That's one of the many things I really love about CA compared to where I grew up (WA). People actually GET it. They're okay with being passed and don't get their panties in a bunch because someone wants to go a little faster than them.

I was on Skyline northbound in my car one day.. north of Page Mill, south of 84.. vague I know. There's a low point in the road where there's a park off to the left and a center turn lane and everything.. big wide-open section.

I was slowly gaining on a pickup that was doing 45+ (but did have a treadmill or something in the back), I was only a few mph faster and still a ways back.. and in that section he actually pulled over for me! Laid into the throttle and got by him half in the turn lane, half in the normal lane, gave him a wave, and continued enjoying my day.

By the way, I really enjoy descending OLH. Not much traffic because only the locals use it, and the locals seem okay.

and that is why i never ride on skyline on the weekend.

+1

Oh, I've been riding motorcycles on those mountains for years and I've seen it all - stupidity from cars, motorcycles and bicycles. It's gotten to the point of where NOTHING surprises me. Even the story of somebody spreading oil on the road at the apex of a turn, somebody shooting riders with a BB gun, and somebody throwing a log (yes, like Donkey Kong) at a motorcyclist. I've seen helmetless road riders descending and trying to draft a car (which they got a ticket for) and the Corvette club, while racing sportbike riders, hitting triple digit MPH's on Skyline.

It's an absolute clusterfuq up there.

hahahaha. I was drinking diet coke when I read this (the part about donkey kong) and spit it out via my nose.

I've got a new one to add to the list. It happened less than an hour ago. This mid-20's girl was riding down the hill between Whiskey Hill and 280 on a hybnrid/mountain bike. There was a whole line of cars going by. The guy that she was with was no more than 7-8 feet behind her. I was about 40-50 feet behind them. I saw her stretch one of her legs out. My thought was that she was doing just that, streching a bit. Then I saw her stretch the other one out at the same time. Is she trying to do the superman? No, can't be. Wait, she is! This is when I saw her get all wobbly and almost eat crap. This could have been a very bad situation and she would have been on the losing end for sure.

I did not want to be behind her, so at the stoplight, I took the lane and got by them as fast as I could.

I have seen quite a bit of interesting things happen on bikes, but this girl surprised me. All I could do was shake my head.

It's an absolute clusterfuq up there.

I believe the proper term is charlie foxtrot. lol

UD