Carfee wrote:
"It looked like the rider was consistently making the noob mistake of riding just left of the fog line. He is "inviting", the unsafe passes. One needs to either commit to the shoulder or take the lane. You can't try to take just a foot or two of the lane unless you want trouble".
Agreed. and at that speed, you have only split seconds to see if you will fit into the mix.
1. "Most of the roadways didn't look like 50 mph roads to me, but I could easily be wrong here".
I dunno, they look pretty damn fast to me
2. "Marathons aren't bulletproof and there is some virtue in speed and the ability to accelerate. Marathons interfere with both".
Good point. I'm just saying it's probably better to just deal with the crap in the shoulder if you see a gigantic truck approaching, oh wait , it appears he doesn't have a mirror, never mind....
3. "Sure, carcissists are a bit more likely to aggressively express their bike hate if you are either in spandex or look like a homeless person. But there isn't much joy in the happy medium between those two either. Sometimes the clothing is just functional".
Ok. but reducing your chances of death by 25.2% according to DOT fashion studies may carry some weight, but it's up to the rider. What if you saw Michael Jackson...
4. If one only leaves the shoulder when there are no cars, one is not taking the lane at all.
LOL. Now we are entering into the study of Zen. I mean, does the lane even exist as a lane if there are no cars to witness it? Does essence precede existence?
5. "The cars are attempting to squeeze by because the cyclist isn't taking the lane".
Correct, but taking the lane is really best at road speeds below 30 MPH. I still think these are pretty fast roads. Just look at the footage again.
The speed factor, as we all know, amplifies everything. Notice how fast they blow past. I don't see that as a gentle "squeeze". A gentle squeeze is when they inch by you. Not apparent here. Listen to the whoosh of the draft....
Heyyyyy!!! Could somebody write to this poor bastid and see if he's still with us?