Cyclists breaking the law

[GuyContinental]

@acc 17277 wrote:

…The first few times are harrowing and then you settle down, grit your teeth and do it.

I’m a pretty solid rider, but zoned out a bit there a few weeks ago and didn’t drop out of my big ring when I stopped- I grabbed my traffic gap and basically didn’t move. Then I flubbed my clip-in and had to scramble like a crazed duck to the median. It was ugly…

[acc]

Yes, it happens. My mouth went instantly dry visualizing that situation. My biggest challenge at the moment is coming up with the guts to take the lane when I’ve got a big truck behind me and essentially nowhere to go except into the curb. This is my next teeth gritting experience.

ann

[GuyContinental]

@acc 17298 wrote:

Yes, it happens. My mouth went instantly dry visualizing that situation. My biggest challenge at the moment is coming up with the guts to take the lane when I’ve got a big truck behind me and essentially nowhere to go except into the curb. This is my next teeth gritting experience.

Make eye contact and smile- that guy really doesn’t want to run you over. Also, be super-aware of the right hook and never never never hang out at the FR corner of a stationary truck.

If it makes you feel any better, I run operations for a company with a fleet of class C (14K lbs) box trucks. As a result, all of my drivers are keenly aware that an aggressive driving complaint from a cyclist would be a very very bad thing for their career… (not that an aggressive driving complaint from a driver isn’t taken extremely seriously)

[Dickie]

Thanks GuyContinental, it sounds as if we ride a similar route in a very similar way. Your thoughts and comments are very concise and articulate…. much appreciated. My initial thread was really directed towards riders sharing the roads with cars, specifically on Wilson at rush hour, however I am glad to see so many witnesses and cyclists discussing such a variety of traffic/law issues.

[Author]

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