October 8 and 9 rides

[pll]

I'll start the thread...

Beautiful weather and light this morning in this part of the world. Fall is under way and the trees had gorgeous colors. I went for a 2 hour ride and got a little more than I bargained for.

On the way back, I was behind another female cyclist at a 4-way intersection. We were 3rd in the "queue". When it is our turn, we start through the intersection, except I see a black SUV rolling through the stop sign (not the driver's turn) and I think the driver wants to go through the intersection before the cyclists... I hit the brakes and see that the other cyclist is about to be hit by the SUV. Someone is screaming "stop!". I think of screaming but glance back at the cabin and the windows are closed... look back at the cyclist and, despite her attempt to open wide left, she is going down. She falls and rolls away somehow... I hear an "Oh, my god". I now see the driver's face, as she covers it in horror.

Anyway, the cyclist's companion was right behind me. We went to the fallen cyclist as the driver gets off the car and is apologizing ("I did not see you"). I call 911 for an ambulance. The cyclist eventually sits up on her own and is talking to her friend, but bleeding from the back of the head -- the helmet retention system made a cut, apparently. Patrol cars come, a fire truck and the ambulance appear. The cyclist was ok, but shaken. The driver melted down ("I have kids"), the cyclist melted down. My knees were shaking. After talking to the police, I rode home. Yikes.

Here are a couple of pictures:

[redrhodie]

Wow pll! That sounds like an awful ride. I hope she's okay. That driver. Grrr.

I rode with the shop, but only 2 guys showed up despite the gorgeous weather (due to the cyclocross races in Prov). It was fun and easy, down to Pt Judith and back up the bike path. I nearly hit Jon when I didn't realize he was stopping. Totally my fault. Luckily my bike was quick to react and I missed him. I really don't know how I pulled going around him off, but whew. Way. Too. Close. Haven't had a close call in a while, but I appreciate them when they end well. Keeps me on my toes.

I think we did 28 miles.

[hebe]

We went to the fallen cyclist as the driver gets off the car and is apologizing ("I did not see you").

How many people say this when what they mean is "I didn't look properly?" I hope not to offend anyone by saying this, but so many SUV drivers seem unaware of the damage that they can do in such big vehicles. I hope that lady is ok, and I hope that you are not too shaken too.

I'm glad your J is ok, red. Your ride sounds very pleasant.

I had a lovely short errand ride today. I was booked in for a flu shot at about 9am, and we needed a few bits of shopping, so I cycled into town and parked up at the surgery. There's a new crossing gone in on a super-busy road that I use, so now I can ride the fast road and use the crossing to get onto the scenic path, rather than turning across the traffic. Anyway, I had my shot and went to the butchers for a chicken, and stopped at another shop on the way back for potatoes, carrots and parsnips. I only had my basket on the bike, which ended up completely full. So only about 4 miles or so, but just a lovely perfect ride that set me up for the day.

[Fredwina]

geez, pll. hope she is ok . I tried a longer route today
Fall




Castleton-on-hudson:

lot of dutch place names Murder's Creek:

[Becky]

It was gorgeous here today, but neither DH nor I have had the "long ride" bug lately. Instead, we did 13 miles of errands, including a couple of stops at nearby car dealerships and lunch outside. I really enjoyed car shopping by bike. I feel like I'm sending an "I don't really need a car to get around" message

[Crankin]

Yesterday I did 41 miles with Hirakukibou; it was about 30 degrees when we started . Consequently I spent most of the ride feeling cool and then too hot, and I was not wearing the kind of layers that were easy to shed. This necessitated a couple of stops where I shed my heavy skull cap for a thinner one, and then eventually took it off. Took my wool glove liners off, and finally took the sleeves off of my Gore winter jacket. That did it, but I was not feeling it for most of the ride. Legs were heavy and by the time we parted I realized I was bonking, despite a good breakfast. Got home, ate a bar, had coffee, and then I showered and ate lunch. We congratulated ourselves on riding on the coldest morning since last spring.
OK, today is Yom Kippor. Being the bad Jew that I am, I went to temple, and since I don't fast, went on a 21 mile ride when I got home. Today is 78 and feels like summer. We rode to Great Brook Farm, staying closer to home, so I didn't see anyone I know... I just tell them my bike is my G-d.
Hope to go on a 50-60 mile ride tomorrow, and then do around 30 on Monday. I will hit my "acceptable" goal of 2500 miles tomorrow; I really want to do 3,000 again, but I don't have as much free time as last year. We'll see.

[goldfinch]

Yesterday I went from Fairfield, Iowa to Libertyville to Keosauqua (32 miles) by bicycle. Hilly. Windiest ride of my life, riding either cross wind to be tossed around or into the wind to slog along. I had to pedal down hills to keep going. My ears hurt from the wind. The uphill stretches were a relief from the wind because they were sheltered a bit. Got chased by a pit bull. Smelled manure on the fields. It was the hardest ride of my life. And when I got to Keosauqua I discovered the restaurant where I was meeting the spouse was closed permanently. Yet I had a great time!

[pll]

Yet I had a great time!

A true cyclist!

[Jen12]

How many people say this when what they mean is "I didn't look properly?" I hope not to offend anyone by saying this, but so many SUV drivers seem unaware of the damage that they can do in such big vehicles. I hope that lady is ok, and I hope that you are not too shaken too.

Wow! I don't drive an SUV, but I know that I have a big blind spot in my car. It drives me crazy when other motorists sit there and I can't speed up or slow down to get them out of that spot. In certain areas where I know that cyclists are frequent, I'm extra careful when driving.

For those of you who drive large vehicles...do you have a bigger blind spot than with a smaller car? I'm curious.

Anyway, I hope the cyclist is okay. That's not a good way to start a weekend.

[Becky]

For those of you who drive large vehicles...do you have a bigger blind spot than with a smaller car? I'm curious.

My personal car is average-sized, but I drive various trucks and SUVs for work. IME, the size of the blind spot doesn't seem to correlate to the size of the vehicle. It's more of an individual vehicle thing. "My" Dodge Durango had great side/rear visibility, but a horrendous front blind spot due to the size of the drivers-side front pillar. Left hand sweeps and turns were always fun. The pickup trucks are generally no worse than my car, even with a cap, but require lots of side mirror use due to the cap and the truck's length.

[Roadtrip]

No riding, even tho it's SUPER nice outside, which makes me want to ride that much more. Recovering from a cold and breathing/chest isn't right.

Visited the doc about shoulder that has been hurting since my crash five weeks ago and now have an MRI scheduled. Doc thinks potential torn Labrum. We'll see when the scans are done.

Shannon

[Owlie]

Yikes, pll!

I did 24 miles this morning. Beautiful day, though I spent the first half-mile freezing because I forgot my wool base layer. It's amazing how deconditioned I am after not riding (to any significant extent) for a month...

[PamNY]

pll, hope the cyclist is okay.

We had a warm, summerlike day and I had a delicious time visiting the monk parakeet nest and looking for the female hawk who has a (possible) new mate. Found her but didn't see him.

A pedestrian family frustrated me on the way home -- they were crossing the greenway; I saw them from a long way away and slowed; they just stood there so I finally started up again -- at the exact instant they decided to cross without even a glance in my direction. I truly am sympathetic to and aware of families with multiple little ones and strollers and such, and I honestly don't expect them to change their behavior for my convenience, but these people were a special kind of annoying.

More summer weather tomorrow!

[pll]

pll, hope the cyclist is okay.

By the time I headed home, she had stood up and walked to the side of the road, where she was standing and talking to a couple of the EMTs (who were not actively treating her). Her friend was on the phone. One of the EMTs had picked up the helmet and moved the bike, which upset the policemen.

[redrhodie]

I did a fast 18 mile ride this morning before traffic gets busy. It's crazy here this weekend. My rides have been around 30-40 miles long all summer, and I almost forgot how much I like riding under 20 miles. I think there's a real benefit to shorter rides where you make yourself almost puke. I feel really good right now.

I didn't get my clothes quite right, and ended up roasting. It's warming up fast, and may hit a record 85º today. I should have left the arm warmers at home.