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View Full Version : Disgusted at the Cycling Community today.



swak
07-28-2012, 08:57 PM
Went to ride road bikes with my sister this morning to do a Calgary - Cochrane - Bragg Creek loop. Needless to say, we didn't even make it to Cocrhane really.

We took GlenEagles drive into town and im a little faster than my sister so made it to the bottom first and was waiting at the old shell station right off highway 1a at the edge of town.
Waited 3min - still no sign of sister.... Start getting worried, so head back up gleneagles drive make it to the top and dont see her - turns out she's right in the tunnel under 1a as a car ran her off the road causing her to have a broken collar bone, and bruised body to shit.... impossible to see that section going up the hill as its a one way under the tunnel. So it took me a while to finally find her, but when i did, she had been sitting there with many CYCLIST's and motorists passing by offering no help - seeing a cyclist face down in the dirt, bike mangled, etc...

Makes me sick.
Ambulance ride back home later and some slings, she's back home and trooping it out amazingly!

Extremely pissed off though at:

A) the danger motorists place place cyclists in - thinking they own the road, and are the greatest fucking gods gift to the world

and
B) that no cyclist would even ask her if she's okay. It's kind-of a cyclists unwritten rule to watch out for eachother out there, motorcyclist's do the same, no different on road bikes.

However, thanks to the "off duty" rcmp officer and the "off duty" conservation officer than came to help, if you're on here you know who you are... i can't say thank you enough!!

btimbit
07-28-2012, 09:31 PM
People in general are pretty fucking disgusting. Sorry to hear about your sister, glad she's back home!

I give cyclists a full lane when passing, and I'd expect others too if I were on a bike. People are just too uneducated and stupid.

corsvette
07-28-2012, 09:58 PM
Very sad story, people are very self minded nowadays. Years ago I remember coming across a guy on a trial that did a pretty good endo and knocked himself out cold (and a good concussion) inside of 1/2 hour there were 8 guys helping him out, the way it should be in any situation where someone needs help. Hope your Sister makes a speedy recovery.

firebane
07-28-2012, 09:59 PM
Sucks to hear about your friend but there are good cyclists and bad and I've dealt with my share of bad in Calgary.

Hope she recovers well.

flipstah
07-28-2012, 10:08 PM
This happened to me years ago.

Broke my jaw after a bad fall and the cyclists just biked by as I laid on the asphalt, bloody as fuck.

It wasn't until my friends came down after me that I got the "are you okay?" sympathy speech.

ringmaster
07-28-2012, 10:12 PM
Hope your sis recovers fully. Both people on bikes and people driving need to be respectful of one another. For bikes, this means not taking up the whole lane while going considerably slower than traffic (happens downtown and specifically around Eau Claire A LOT) and drivers of cars need to give bikes the room they need, when they need it (like when turning left, when the shoulder is not fit to ride on, etc...).

msommers
07-28-2012, 10:25 PM
Sorry to hear about your Sis, Brett. Hope she has a speedy recovery and gets back on the saddle soon.

Fact is there are assholes and selfish people wherever you are and the cycling community is no exception. There are plenty of bikers who think that motorists owe them a favour and dismiss any rules of the road. And plenty of motorists who think it's funny to clip cyclists with their mirrors and cut people off knowing full well what they're doing.

When I got my flat on my way to Bragg Creek for the first time, I got a pinch flat on my front and rear tire. I had never changed a spare and plenty of people who were riding by asked me if things were alright. I ended up having some guy bike back to my truck and drive it to where I was. Since then I kind of felt this unwritten, "we look out for each other" mantra when on the road for leisure/training.

There are plenty of good people out there but it definitely leaves a sour taste in your mouth when things like this happen. Hopefully it's the first and last time we hear of something like this.

J-hop
07-29-2012, 09:35 AM
Originally posted by corsvette
Very sad story, people are very self minded nowadays. Years ago I remember coming across a guy on a trial that did a pretty good endo and knocked himself out cold (and a good concussion) inside of 1/2 hour there were 8 guys helping him out, the way it should be in any situation where someone needs help. Hope your Sister makes a speedy recovery.

That's the difference, downhill/xc riders are there to have fun and there is a large amount of camaraderie amongst them (just head to moose and you'll see what I mean). Road bikers are there to beat their times, have a higher average speed, with the most efficient cadence and don't want anything getting in the way of that.

I have never met a group of cyclists more disrespectful to their fellow riders until I started associating (unfortunately) with road bikers.

Hope your sister heals up quick and isn't turned off riding after this experience.

swak
07-29-2012, 11:58 AM
Thanks for the kind wishes everyone, she's a trooper and is taking it well. REALLY sore to say the least, but is coping amazingly.
She wishes she could be healed up before the cycling season was over so she could get back out :rofl: (cant see cycling going away after this).

Agree with you J-Hop, but i work closely with local cyclists and as a roadie first mtn biker second, i hate dealing with roadies. True bike racers are rad. Try-hards, and try-fags i cannot stand. This goes for anything - mtn bikers are the same. Hell even DH mtb'ers
However, many road riders will still wave at eachother - those who don't as a roadie fall within the two of the three road cyclist personalities i listed above (try-hard, try-fag // racer).

For me, even if a cyclist is taking a break in a weird spot on the highway i'll slow down to make sure he's not in need of help or some shit. A personality trait that is deeming to be pretty rare out there i guess.
Whats slowing down gonna cost you, 30seconds on your ride? If thats your biggest concern, get FUCKED!


EDIT: With that, still no excuse for motorists not stopping, "gotta make it to that hair appt, cant be late!!"
Just as bad here. Just more-so disgusted with fellow riders passing by not saying shit.

D'z Nutz
07-29-2012, 12:27 PM
Jesus, that's fucking horrible. I was biking on the highway once and someone pulled over and was having car trouble and it didn't even occur to me NOT to offer help even if it was just to use my cell phone.

Glad to hear your sister's doing well.

CanmoreOrLess
07-29-2012, 12:50 PM
Time to mount cameras front and back on road bikes. Bad drivers need to be outed. The main story here is the bad driver in the vehicle who basically did a hit and run. If I cannot give a cyclist a car width, or better a lane worth of space, I wait until I can to pass. No sense in being wrong as the result is not going to be pretty. A couple months cycle touring in Europe taught me to value a safe zone between a bike and a vehicle. Bikes can and do have wipeouts on seemingly safe, flat, clean roads, never mind the crap roads one finds as well, so give them plenty of space. In the OP case, his sis was assaulted.

The cyclist will always lose in this scenario, having evidence is the only recourse to some sense of justice while getting healthy again.

SmAcKpOo
07-29-2012, 12:53 PM
Why is it that legally cyclists have to use the road lanes but yet can't keep up with the speed of traffic? Then they give you a dirty look when you pass them?

I dunno, most cyclists I see on the roads are retards. Wobbling into the middle of the lane while peddling, biking in the farthest right of the lane when they aren't turning, not obeying road signs, speeding/going to slow, etc etc.

TomcoPDR
07-29-2012, 12:54 PM
Hope your sis gets better. Is there anything I can do for her?

Can't trust society.

speedog
07-29-2012, 01:14 PM
Originally posted by SmAcKpOo
Why is it that legally cyclists have to use the road lanes but yet can't keep up with the speed of traffic? Then they give you a dirty look when you pass them? Because on most roads, there is no "no slow vehicles" rules like Deerfoot - it's completely legal for a cyclist to use a highway, the question is how safe is the cyclist in doing so. Example of an incident I saw in the past two weeks - a group of 4 cyclists (obviously touring across country) going eastbound on 16th Avenue and just as they went under the railroad tracks by the Totem in Bowness, 2 large transport trucks were upon them. Certainly there's no extra room there for a cyclist or a pedestrian and yet there they were in a very dangerous situation. Luckily everyone go through safe, but I am sure some of those cyclists had to clean out their pants - a few dirty looks from the cyclists but in reality, they placed themselves in a situation that most locals wouldn't have - certainly no their fault as well as they were most likely unfamiliar with the area. Unsure if there are cycling maps/info available that could've helped them possibly pick a better route.
Originally posted by SmAcKpOo I dunno, most cyclists I see on the roads are retards. Wobbling into the middle of the lane while peddling, biking in the farthest right of the lane when they aren't turning, not obeying road signs, speeding/going to slow, etc etc. Lots of crappy drivers out there as well - as a fairly active cycle commuter in the past, I never placed myself in a position that was dangerous - I would ride the sidewalks on 32nd Ave NE by the golf course instead of being on the road, figured the CPS would see the sense in that as opposed to giving me a ticket for riding in traffic in a dangerous position and also possibly slowing traffic down. Also rode along McKnight regularly, but would also be in the dirt trails on the side - mixing it up on the pavement in 70-80kph traffic just didn't make sense to me. Problem is though that there are many cyclists who seem to have this almightier than god complex - cruising on Crowchild or John Laurier, Glenmore or even Deerfoot (saw that a month ago), these types of cyclists really need to have their noggins checked. Where's there's a ton of 4 or more wheeled conveyances blasting by with a huge differential in speed, there's just to much risk IMHO - the cyclist is never going to win. Rural highways/roads - often a different case, less traffic and on some roads, decent shoulders that afford a bit of room.

civic_epidemic
07-29-2012, 08:56 PM
Hey Swak, glad to hear your sis is as alright as can be....how bad is the fracture? Is it at least a simple compound break? I've still been out since velocity with mine, it sucks when you look outside and realize it's absolutely gorgeous

FraserB
07-29-2012, 09:13 PM
Originally posted by CanmoreOrLess
Time to mount cameras front and back on road bikes. Bad drivers need to be outed. The main story here is the bad driver in the vehicle who basically did a hit and run.

So do shitty bikers though, it is high time that people who want to ride on the road have to have a plate and abide by the same rules that motorists do.

I don't see where OP said she got hit? Maybe I missed:dunno:

As far as stopping on the highway goes, by the time you can tell someone is stopped and in trouble you are far past them. Slamming on your brakes and then reversing, even on the shoulder, is a very bad idea.

phreezee
07-29-2012, 09:18 PM
Sorry to hear and hope she gets well soon.

The one time I've been stranded, only 1 out of 7 riders who passed offered any help so I know the helpless feeling and it sucks.

Kritafo
07-29-2012, 09:23 PM
my husband has had some shitty moments on the roads cycling. Hope your sister heals up quick and is able to get back into the saddle.

There are plenty of bad drivers, but I have seen some very sketchy cycling as well. They are always leaving Valley Ridge on Saturday rides from the gas station, they will ride shoulder to shoulder like 5 or 6 abreast out around the traffic circle taking up the entire lane of traffic on a regular basis. Makes me insane.

swak
07-29-2012, 09:28 PM
Originally posted by civic_epidemic
Hey Swak, glad to hear your sis is as alright as can be....how bad is the fracture? Is it at least a simple compound break? I've still been out since velocity with mine, it sucks when you look outside and realize it's absolutely gorgeous

Yea, not a huge break, should be back in action in October.
; and yes its beautiful out! We'll have to put the trainer out in the backyard :rofl:


Originally posted by FraserB


So do shitty bikers though, it is high time that people who want to ride on the road have to have a plate and abide by the same rules that motorists do.

I don't see where OP said she got hit? Maybe I missed:dunno:

As far as stopping on the highway goes, by the time you can tell someone is stopped and in trouble you are far past them. Slamming on your brakes and then reversing, even on the shoulder, is a very bad idea.

Id say running a cyclist off the road is an even worse idea, and yes - you're right, she never got physically touched by the car (and i know more drivers are fucked in the head anyways - thats why i address cyclists in the title).
& in addition to that, if i saw someone laying, bloody on the edge of the highway, regardless if i passed them - with no others stopping, you'd better fucking believe i'd be over there. Really think about that one... Id hope you would too (rather have a dented bumper (worst case scenario) than knowing someone died that i could have helped).
PLUS, one car did stop (a Camaro - who came and addressed me later) - that off duty rcmp officer, who knows the rules of the highway better than us all. Funny how he would put himself in such a vulnerable and dangerous position to help someone out laying on the side of the highway knowing the risks to himself and his new car.
Give your head a shake.

However, if she had moved over an inch to her left - she probably would have been under that cars wheel... which i cringe regarding.
Motorists are required to pass cyclists with at minimum 6 feet between the bike and the car for very good reasons. When it is impossible to do so (ie under highway 1a, you fucking wait) - as per garmin, she was going 60kph at this section too, at the legal speedlimit for this stretch of road - or at least the speed limit of the road once you get out from under the tunnel.


... and again, thanks for all the comments, and Tomco, we're good - thanks again! :thumbsup:



EDIT: For all you who don't agree with cyclist's rights and actions pertaining to these, pretend she was on a motorcycle - uncomfortable with ripping through the corner only going the speedlimit, or vaguely below (60kph), with room to pass her on her LH side, would you?

rob the knob
07-29-2012, 10:04 PM
you are DOUCHE


sorry for you sister.. yet you are douche


Originally posted by swak
still wave at eachother - those who don't as a roadie fall within the two of the three road cyclist personalities i listed above (try-hard, try-fag // racer).

swak
07-29-2012, 10:18 PM
Originally posted by rob the knob
you are DOUCHE


sorry for you sister.. yet you are douche



I'd beg to differ... But thanks for the respect towards her - she's fairing well!