Never have I heard a more perfect comparison.

OP is very much in the wrong. You can't ride on the wrong side of the path (or road for that matter) and impact people who are using that side of the path for their rightful travel. Has nothing to do with hills. This is very obvious. If you're driving down the road and another car is driving in your lane but the opposite direction, honking (or yelling a verbal warning in this case) is not uncalled for.

Do not try this on the MUP I sometimes ride on, unless you can sustain an elbow strike to the head.

Threats now? Wow. I can, and have, sustained multiple elbows to the head. Can't you tell I have a hard head? And if you give me one, you will go to jail or one of us will go the hospital, depending on our relative moods. Assault to teach someone a lesson for violating MUP etiquette is still assault.

cofgrn, the other rider was not "using that side of the path for their rightful travel". They were traveling well over the allowed speed, so that would be "using that side of the path for illegal travel".

I understand that avoiding the MUP is one of my options. However, I was out there specifically to ride on the MUP.

Very cut and dried opinions here. Glad everyone's so sure of themselves. No one has even asked any questions to clarify their opinions.

It was well within my capabilities to blast past this family. I didn't want to speed on a crowded greenway. Sightlines out there don't allow for fast, safe riding.

Is your position that since I can't safely and legally pass while accounting for speeding riders possibly coming the other direction, I'm restricted to the speed of slowest riders out there? Not an unreasonable opinion, I think.

But I say bring on the elbows, that sounds much more interesting!

Look...dude....it's really simple:

Pass if it is safe to do so - correct

Pass if it is safe to do so based upon unverified assumptions concerning the behavior of others - incorrect

The other person probably did not mean it as nasty or sarcastic as you took it. She was just yelling out to warn you in the same good spirit as you were yelling out the family you were passing. It just caught you off guard because you were not expecting it. I doubt her "thanks" was sarcastic, because when I'm annoyed with someone about anything, I'd never say thanks. She likely thanked you because she appreciated you letting her go by without interruption.

On busy days with lots of traffic in both directions I'll pass on the right (i.e. on the grass/gravel/dirt/etc) where possible when I come across a bunch that's moving slowly along a MUP.

chipcom - all decisions we make are based upon unverified assumptions concerning the behavior of others. It's just a matter of degree.

Subdermis - I've been thinking this, too. It sounded gruff, and her face was contorted - but that could easily have been from exerting herself on the other side of the hill. And what I interpreted as anger in her initial call could have been anxiety at realizing the situation as she crested the hill.

Anyway, thanks for the input.

Thanks, Capt Obvious. You go ahead and pass on hills using the assumption that everyone drives the speed limit and let us know how it works out for you.

Thanks, Capt Obvious. You go ahead and pass on hills using the assumption that everyone drives the speed limit and let us know how it works out for you. I'm sure we'll hear about it in yet another rant thread.

I do try to learn from my experiences.

I will be more vigilant in this sort of situation in the future - but I think I would still try to pass.

Second lesson - don't look for subtlety or constructive criticism in an internet forum!

Incorrect. I have found many a useful advice on BF.
The simple fact is that people are getting frustrated with you. How many ways do we have to say the same thing?

Warm showers and Kumbaya can be found in Politics and Religion forum.

Sounds like a normal ride on a MUP to me.....

OP: if you cant learn when to and when not to pass SAFELY, dont pass. Period.

End of discussion.

Ride safely, ya'll...

If you were driving a car on a 2-lane road (one lane for each direction) and decided to pass someone in the other lane, and someone came speeding over a hill or around a blind corner at you, would you still be posting up that you were justified to make your pass, because they shouldn't have been speeding?

No, because you'd probably be in the hospital (at best).

Anytime you choose to pass in a lane intended for vehicles going the other direction, it's best to assume that there is a fast-moving vehicle coming towards you just around the next corner or just over the next hill. You'll find this will help you make much safer decisions about passing.

i think we've all been had. no way this dwight guy is serious.

I dont think its as cut and dry as "upon unverified assumptions concerning the behavior of others - incorrect". If the OP or anyone else on a MUP wants to pass a family of 4, regardless of hills or oncoming traffic, there is no possible way to know for sure that one of those wobbly kids won't veer right in front of you just as your passing. Just like when driving on two lane blacktop you have no way of knowing if the oncoming car at 60 MPH won't have a blowout and veer right into you. What can you do to 100% avoid such "faulty" assumptions? Stay home and be an agoraphobic?

All I'm saying is that it is just about impossible to do anything in life without *some* assumption of the expected behavior of others.

If the golden rule is "pass when safe to do", I think the OP made a judgment call that based on his line of sight, and based on what he reasonably expected the speed of oncoming traffic on a crowded day to be, he decided that it was indeed safe to pass. When his reasonable assumption was proven incorrect, he took action to be safe and merged back into the right lane.

You can't fault the OP unless you are trying to say that he deliberately decided "its not safe to pass this family, but I'm gonna go for it anyway".

Here I find online skaters to be very cool - they see my bike, they take up their lane and not mine. Two women on bikes are among the worst - they weave back and forth turning the MUP into a kill-zone. No matter how loud you yell: "On the LEFT!!" Single women with cell-phones can be just as bad. Joggers tend to stay on a straight line. But walkers are the most unpredictable. One of those slapped me in the face while taking my lane and forcing me into oncoming bike-traffic in the opposite lane. Flailing her arms about in some hysterical performance piece...

I can fault the OP for faulty judgment....even a beginning driver has the sense to not pass when they can't reasonably verify that it is safe to do so...passing on a hill where you assume that you have space, but only if the other guy is doing the speed limit, is poor judgment. Period.

As far as your what-ifs...adding idiocy to the discussion doesn't lend any credence to the OP's poor judgement, nor to the rudeness of the OP's rude woman knave.