all these cycling related deaths recently really suck.

I don't get why drivers don't give us more room the one time i came close to a cyclist i almost punched myself, haven't done it since. Hitting 4 cyclists, killing 2, really? how the **** can you do that with out lining it up first. But I kinda agree with some of the comments about not letting bikes on the hard shoulder of the TCH. I have ridden on it and it was the second most scary thing i have ever done (18 wheelers passing you at 150km/h with 5-30 cm room) I think they should put up a path off to the side for bikes (it would cost a lot i know, but you would only need it for the stretches of the TCH where there parallel side roads)

i am new to driving (not an excuse, just a statement) and i cut off a cyclist once and i still feel bad. he was about 20ft from me when i made the turn, but i still feel i was too close (he had to slow down a bit).

I think being aware generally, and being aware of faults/close calls/near misses is one thing sorely lacking for a lot of drivers. Kudos to you for actually noticing the 20ft cut off. I've had drivers come a lot closer to me, close enough that I could clearly see their faces in their mirrors and not even notice my existence.

It was always hammered home to me that the overtaking vehicle is the responsible party, period. I've always kept that in the front of my mind not matter if I'm riding and passing other cyclists, or when I'm driving. If one can't pass safely at that moment, just wait a couple seconds. It boggles the mind that cars need to be wherever so quickly they can't give up a few heartbeats for another person on the road. This also applies to the way I've noticed them treating peds in the intersection and on cross walks, let them pass for cryin' out loud.

I haven't done the cross-canada drive myself, but I'm guessing that there are a lot of zoned out/exhausted drivers on the long stretches through the prairies. The article says that alcohol wasn't a factor, but I'd argue that a driver that is tired enough to fall asleep at the wheel is just as impaired as one who is drunk. Unfortunately, I don't think the Criminal Code feels the same way..

I know the TCH seems to turn into a goat path in some places, but to wipe out a group of cyclists....... seriously a heads up is all that's needed. The prairies indeed have incredible stretches of nothing at all, it's not hard to zone behind the wheel. Hence the need to be aware when driving. The speeds we drive at one these roads, gotta be on top of the game as it were. When I drive onto a two laner with a gravel shoulder I, by default, slow down, as my escape/trouble avoidance vectors are severely reduced with the lack of lane choices, brakes become the main option.

I have done the cross-Canada drive many, many times. I usually drive to Winnipeg in one go (24hrs), then Calgary or as far as Golden the next day, making the coast the following day. Once, I was driving through Rogers Pass late at night. You know how sometimes your subconscious picks up things you don't notice consciously, like animal movement in the ditches? My subconscious saw one of the black/yellow striped avalanche control road barricades, tipped up (road open) and screamed at me "Look out for that giraffe!!". I pulled over and had a nap.

Less easy to demonstrate impairment in the case of a sleepy driver, certainly.

Unfortunately people in cars are always killing others in cars or themselves whether they are in a rush, inattentive, or outright impaired. Sometimes you hear about it and wonder how the hell it happened but unfortunately bikes are traffic too and so aren't immune to these predations.

Most of the transcanada is lightly travelled, certainly by 401 standards, so there's often no excuse for not moving into a passing lane. In the prairies there's absolutely no excuse. Have driven there a lot, I know how the road can paralyze you after driving straight for an hour or more, but you're rarely pressed for lane space and can see long distances in advance.

I wish I had a magic solution. But I don't so once again my thoughts to the friends and families of these cyclists.

I don't think I could drive for 24 hours. If I did I know I'd certifiably impaired long before 24 behind the wheel. I think my best is 16hrs. I'd rather try 24 on my bike before doing it in my car. Least that way hopefully I'd only fall asleep and roll into the ditch. Even then if I doing a road 24, I'd love to have a support car.

In the last 23 years since University, I have been a shift worker most of them. My body has always taken quite readily to it, and hence I can stay awake and alert longer than most people. I actually hate working straight days. I find that when I'm tired of driving, a stop at a truck stop for a shower and a shave always helps. That, and drinking coffee only in the hours before I reach a planned destination, not when I first start out that day. No large meals on the road, just a frequent sandwich or V-8. No fruit juices.

A really strange thing I have noticed is that if you get off the beaten path, you frequently will lose all radio stations, even AM, except for French CBC. Its coverage is absolute.

individual cyclist anatomy may contribute to knee and hip pain. Cyclists with leg length discrepancies may develop knee pain as only one side is correctly fitted to the bicycle. This leads to increased stress inside the knee and hip joints on the improperly fitted side. Cyclists with flat feet may be more prone to excessive pronation (internal rotation) of the lower extremity causing greater stress on the IT band at the knee. Orthotics (anatomic shoe inserts crafted by podiatrists) may correct the alignment of the knee and decrease or prevent medial or lateral rotational stress on the connective tissue of the ankle, knee or hip, thus reducing the pain.

from: http://www.roadcycling.com/training/kneepain.shtml

Hmm from flat feet you say, that would explain some of the inner knee twinges I feel when I've been over doing it on the pedals.

ps: you know you have ****ed up when your sitting in your apartment in milan eating reheated pizza, and looking at your shelf of small change wondering what your gonna do for laundry tomorrow. the microwave burned my pizza.


a well i got like 20 66cl bottles of beer (works out to $2 per 66cl bottle)





pay day is tomorrow night

IS it still hot like hell in Italy generally? I'm in Rome in a couple weeks.

Folder on CL: http://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/tor/bik/737805184.html

Really sucks to hear of more cycling accidents resulting in death. People just take their driving for granted so much that it becomes almost a second nature habit, and so sometimes is perhaps prone to bad attention lapses / judgement lapses.

I've not been able to find anything about the accident I saw on College, so I assume the cyclist (girl I was told) was OK.

I saw this on the HTATBL blog ... oh my god: http://www.freecaster.com/live/1000006_1005144

One of those announcers was losing his ****. Pretty good.

Well... after that I'll never feel fast again.

Wow... what a run, incredible - what a result, too! Incredible riding, just incredible.

its been 33-40C all week here in milan. Rained last night so it just got humid and went down to 32.




thanks for answering my lacing questions... always felt kinda stupid not knowing the difference...

Hey good news for all youse who want a "fixie".... I was talking to only who I can assume is uncle jacob (I couldn't hear half of what he was saying cause he was eating a sub). After trying to bargain him down hundreds of dollars for a bike for a buddy... he was happy to tell me that he was getting a couple hundred "columbus" frames with "flip flop" hubs and is going to be offering a building course. Awesome/WTF?

Went to Durham forest yesterday, It dumped for about 30 mins then cleared up for an epic ride on the new 29er. Simply amazing. Oh btw Somnamb, I rode with your competition at the worlds SS (Tristan) who also went for a road ride earlier that morning ;)

isnt uncle jacob a well known re-seller of stolen bikes? either way, i do not think i would trust the "columbus," "flip flop," or "building course" elements of his story.

What did you get?

Specialized stumpy comp 29 through Bikesports Newmarket. I didn't have a chance to take a pic before I got er all muddy. So damn fast. The other guys all got misfits 29 ss so they make me feel like a dork cause I have to change gears... just can't win. Whatever, I don't want to hear any crying cause you can't climb certain hills. http://www.bicycletherapy.com/i2/big...-comp-29er.jpg

Oh common. Maybe he has had a consultant come in to greenwash his image. :)

Well that certainly looks like fun. :)

Holy crap!!! I love how the one announcer is saying "blah blah Sam has been training hard" or whatever and the other guy is like "OH MY GOD THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!". I just don't understand how that is humanly possible. Wow. Just wow.

The other guy is just out of hand. It's pretty good...:D

Did you see the 2nd place run by Steve Peat?

Quote: "He's doing for downhill what the Egyptians did for construction!"

Hahaha, ya ... I wonder how long the announcer had been waiting to use that one? ;)

haha amazing