Quote Originally Posted by withm View Post
Hmmm there seems to be a sense of entitlement that slower cyclits, pedestrians, dogs, whoever are required to give way to the the faster ones.
I haven't seen that sense of entitlement on this thread.

There are two very different scenarios being discussed however.

1) The OP's predicament. Passing two other cyclists who are side-by-side on the roadway. In most places riding side-by-side is technically illegal with some exceptions for conditions, etc (but ok, we all do it, especially when traffic is light, it's nice to talk to your buddy). Even where it is not expressly illegal it IS illegal to "impede the normal flow of traffic". Thus, it is not only courteous, but a legal requirement, to yield the lane (normally written as "move as far right as is practicable" or similar) on a roadway after a passing vehicle has announced their presence and intent (for cars a short honk is accepted, for cyclists it's typically "on your left" or similar verbal cue) as soon as it is safe and practical to do so. Obviously that doesn't mean you have to dart right as soon as someone says "on your left", the "as soon as it is safe and practical" is very important, but you are legally required to help expedite a safe and legal pass when it is safe to do so (and it is clearly safe for riders riding side-by-side to single up to let another cyclist pass). In Colorado the law also goes so far to say that after a vehicle has signaled that they are behind you and wish to pass it is illegal to move left to attempt to block that pass (that's not just bikes, that's vehicle code in general), and it sounds like these riders did that on one or both occasions. It is ultimately the duty of the passing vehicle to pass safely, but there ARE rules governing the overtaken vehicle as well. In this scenario we are all vehicles, on the road, and the vehicle code applies in full.

2) MUTS, passing all sorts of users. Whether or not there are technically rules, all rules and beats are off. It's all on your shoulders to pass safely. We can hope for common (or not so common) courtesy after we've announced our presence, but ultimately we have to expect erratic and unexpected behavior. We aren't really vehicles anymore and certainly the pedestrians aren't so all the stuff from 1) doesn't apply.

Even if I don't think anyone is required to move out of the way, especially on MUTS, I still think grown people that *intentionally* block the whole path and impede other users are jerks.