A rant: If you're passing me, please let me know!

[OakLeaf]

I'd like others to see that roadies aren't all spandex clad yahoos.

Also that spandex-clad roadies aren't all yahoos.

[polly4711]

Totally agree!!! I just the the MS 150 from Houston to Austin with 13,500 riders. It was so great to hear people constantly communicating saying "on your left" which just became "left" by the end of the ride. But many people said "Riders on your left" when a group of people were coming by so that you knew not to come over to follow that first person.

I also must say that I had a guy brush shoulders with me and it completely freaked me out becuase he was that close. I saw him later that day get chewed out by the Ride Marshall because of his riding style.

[loopybunny]

I don't think I've ever been passed by someone who didn't call out. But then, I don't usually see other riders out when I ride. Last time I got out though, a couple on a tandem not only called out, but slowed enough for them both to say, "Hi, how's it going?"

That's my peeve... people who don't say hi or at least wave/nod/acknowledge your existence.

[owlice]

Well.... cars don't honk at one another when they pass.....

I was not commenting on the lack of audible warning with my "act like traffic" statement; please reread my previous post to put my traffic comment in context. Thanks.

If cyclists passing me give 3-4 feet of clearance, that's great, but most of these cyclists weren't. If they had, I'd have been able to move four inches over to avoid the upcoming manhole cover. But they didn't, I couldn't, and didn't get any warning, either.

These cyclists would be safer if they let me know they were passing me. So would I. THAT'S the bottom line.

This road is used by cyclists, walkers, skaters, runners, and strollers, and oh, yes, cars, too. It's not a training loop for cyclists.

I expect cars to give me a certain amount of space -- I can hear them coming easily. Bikes? Not so much; I'd still appreciate the space and if they aren't going to give me plenty of space -- and it's already been demonstrated that they are not -- they need to give warning. If they are six feet away, yeah, I can understand not giving a warning (and that's be okay), but if they are six inches away and are going to prevent me from maneuvering (and they are!), they need to give a warning. I don't care how spandex-clad they are, whether their helmets match their cycling shoes, whether they are with the "huge peloton speeding around and sprinting every lap," whether they are speedy grandmas in flowered dresses and straw hats (wouldn't that be a fun group to organize? ), whether they are on inline skates or whatever, I want a warning when they are passing within inches of me.

It's MY rant, dang it! (I did warn you it was, too! )

[Crankin]

Oak, are you correcting my grammar ?

You get the point, though. It seems as if everyone has his or her own level of comfort with this stuff. DH does not call out as much as I do, when passing on the road, but on the path, he was scrupulous. My friend told me I was like a "riding drill instructor," the day we went on the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. I think that was more because of the tone of my voice; I find if I use my "teacher voice" people tend to look up and listen.
It's been a lot of work for me to lose that voice when i am doing therapy sessions!

[OakLeaf]

Oak, are you correcting my grammar ?

Not at all!

Just that spandex or not, we're not all yahoos.

[lph]

In Norway there is no equivalent to "On your left!", and I have never heard anything called out to anyone. The only similar thing is "Hold right!" called out in races, and that's often considered a bit aggressive, a.k.a "stop weaving all over the place, you moron!"

Personally on busy roads and paths I ride as if I'm about to be passed all the time by anyone, and I try to always pass other people with plenty of clearance. If they look like they're paying attention (holding a straight line, moving fast, checking their backs) I do pass closer than I do someone who seems oblivious or jumpy, but never as close as inches. If I have to squeeze by someone who's not paying attention I have to think of something to call out, at the moment it's, in a singsong voice, "I'm passing you, on the LEFT-hand side..."...