[Stelvio]

Last Tuesday I decided to do a group ride I used to lead. The riders that would show up were usually pretty strong but a little undisciplined. This week the group leader suggested that the leading rider should move toward the middle of the lane to form a bit of an echelon because of the light crosswind.
No problem , I thought. Moving over 3 feet or so will help the draft but not be too dangerous on the lightly traveled 2 lane road. When my friend(the leader) got to the front he moved FAR LEFT and hugged the center line. The 8 of so other riders road basicly straight behind him since the wind was so light. One rider and I road off to the right a bit.
This continued for a couple of miles as I checked for traffic frequently. Eventually I got dropped on a big hill and took the established shortcut home.
Back at the shop my friend and I talked about it for a couple minutes. He seemed to think it was safe because the traffic is light on these roads and that we could just move out of the way when a car came along. I know from years of experiece that car encounters are likely to create a wide variety of problems. No need to antaganize motorist with sloppy, road hogging riding.
Anyway, he seemed a bit mad that I brought it up but I felt something needed to be said. He will get over it.

 

[jrm]

I ride with a group

Last Tuesday I decided to do a group ride I used to lead. The riders that would show up were usually pretty strong but a little undisciplined. This week the group leader suggested that the leading rider should move toward the middle of the lane to form a bit of an echelon because of the light crosswind.
No problem , I thought. Moving over 3 feet or so will help the draft but not be too dangerous on the lightly traveled 2 lane road. When my friend(the leader) got to the front he moved FAR LEFT and hugged the center line. The 8 of so other riders road basicly straight behind him since the wind was so light. One rider and I road off to the right a bit.
This continued for a couple of miles as I checked for traffic frequently. Eventually I got dropped on a big hill and took the established shortcut home.
Back at the shop my friend and I talked about it for a couple minutes. He seemed to think it was safe because the traffic is light on these roads and that we could just move out of the way when a car came along. I know from years of experiece that car encounters are likely to create a wide variety of problems. No need to antaganize motorist with sloppy, road hogging riding.
Anyway, he seemed a bit mad that I brought it up but I felt something needed to be said. He will get over it.

that rolls off @ 7 am on weekends. There is no real traffic to speak of at this time. Anyone who wants to take the whole road can do so at their own risk. I stay to the right most of the time unless im passing someone..which is very seldom.

Thing is that taking the whole of the road or lane when its not warrented is the reason drivers get so pissed at cyclists. Well that and running red lights and bulldozing peds in crosswalks.

 

[bulC]

yeah, you're right

Accommodating motor vehicle traffic is more important than somebody's desire to ride an echelon.
Here in Durango we have all kinds of strong roadies, yet a lot of them are idiot children when it comes to sharing the road with vehicles. Almost weekly there's a police report in the Durango Herald about a group of cyclists 5 abreast or more impeding traffic on twisty 2-lane roads. The incidents are always on Tuesdays, the day of the Durango Wheelclub group ride.
Now I rode with two different road clubs back east for like 20 years and we never, never rode like that. If somebody started wandering left or rode more than 2 abreast, the offender was immediately and sternly corrected.
I've been a roadie since the 60s when I rode my first century, so I can blame Roadie Arrogance without getting into that us vs them mtb vs road thing. I am a Cyclist.
Roadie Arrogance is how Boulder got so totally screwed up, and the same thing is gonna happen here. I don't want some pissed off motorist mowing me down because he's steaming about some incident with the Wheel Club that ticked him off earlier.

 

[forkboy]

Accommodating motor vehicle traffic is more important than somebody's desire to ride an echelon.
Here in Durango we have all kinds of strong roadies, yet a lot of them are idiot children when it comes to sharing the road with vehicles.
<snip>
I don't want some pissed off motorist mowing me down because he's steaming about some incident with the Wheel Club that ticked him off earlier.

I was at the Dirt Lovers race on Sunday. Some guy invited me to the Tuesday Night Worlds'. I said, it sounds like fun, but almost everyone I've met from the DWC is a D!cK. He agreed.

Yesterday at lunch a friend and I were out on our roadies. This guy blew by us in a truck and yelled "Get out of the road!" I was maybe 3 feet from the shoulder - no biggie. We passed him down College drive, and took a right towards Hesperus. I looked back, and the truck was next to my friend, and my friend was going OTB into a ditch. The truck pulled in behind me when I turned, and I thought he was going to run me over too.

He stops - and says "you better check on your buddy!". I say "WTF? Did you hit him?" "No."
Check on my friend - his BB spindle had snapped.

The guy in the truck ended up giving us a ride, and apologized for yelling a few times.

Weird experience.

 

[GuruAtma]

over here

In Norcal, especially recently, there's been lots of car/bike conflicts. Lately it's been drunk drivers hitting cyclists, but that just set off lots of car vs. bike rights things. It doesn't really matter who's right, the car will always win. 2000 lbs vs. 20 lbs.

 

[upstateSC-rider]

It doesn't really matter who's right, the car will always win. 2000 lbs vs. 20 lbs.

100% true. I really want to start road-riding but this fact makes me hesitant.
Some early-morning group rides sounds like the best bet.

Lou.