[acc]

Rule #17 – If their kid gets hurt and you or your kid are nearby (that includes a radius determined by 3x Reasonable) then it’s your fault. I like most kids, just not their parents.

ann

[acc]

In a hazy moment I signed up for the 100 on the Back Roads Century Ride, Sept 18th

I’d like to start around 8:00 and get out there pretty quick with the idea of taking my time coming back after I eat half a hog.

I’ll do the Purcellville run again within a month. I like the ride, it’s fun, no stress.

ann

[acc]

Once the child is on the trail it becomes my problem whether I want it or not. I will do everything I can not to hit a child. I know they are unpredictable and act accordingly. It doesn’t bother me any more than having to work around my elderly neighbors with diminished vision and hearing but who still like to drive and/or walk along the street at night. We’re all in this together. And once I get fed up I may start carrying a Super Soaker

ann

[acc]

At the moment I’m playing with a tiny cowbell that I hang from my handle bars when I ride alone. Its pitch is so high, the sound carries but it does not sound aggressive at all. The slightest jiggle of my bars causes it to ring and I’m surprised how fast people get out of the way. Because it sounds “precious” I haven’t had any negative reactions. On the downside it drives other cyclists crazy when I hit a bump and it goes off 20 yards behind them and I’m no where near passing them.

Hey Tim, you’re welcome to draft off of me going 10 mph anytime. Bahahaha.

As for guys drafting off of me, I haven’t had that particular problem, but I do have the reverse quite often. Some great big guy pulls in front of me and is reluctant to let me pass. It’s not the young guys in the pretty clothes who are the problem, it’s their dads on hybrids. I just have to work harder and put more distance between me and them after I pass.

I like riding in groups but I like riding alone just as well. Once I’m doing a solo ride, I prefer to keep it that way and if someone is tagging along I’ll call over my shoulder some sweet nothing like, “Oooh Big Boy, you go ahead, I’m waiting for my pacemaker to kick in.”

ann

[acc]

And you can freely tell me how to ride, or even where to go anytime :p

-R

Yeah, right. Those discussions never go well…

You will see every kind of bike that rolls across the face of the earth and some that probably shouldn’t. My experience was the classes cut across age and experience demographics with more women than men attending. The instructors are great, the fun and games outside are sort of like a grownup version of a Bike Rodeo. Have a good time. I’m off for my weekly dose of humility @ Wakefield tonight.

ann

[acc]

Thank you for this thread, I read through it yesterday and decided I needed to add some lights just to ride through twilight. I think I’m fairly safe without lights around eight o’clock in the evening but after reading about lights I added a Blinky Superflash on the back and a Cateye on the front. I just want to be seen by traffic as the sun is setting and the shadows are growing longer. So thanks for the discussion, I probably wouldn’t have thought of it on my own.

ann

[acc]

CCrew, just for your added consideration and god knows I’m not trying to tell you how to ride, that would be an exercise in futility , but the exercises are done at slow speed. It’s harder to do them using the clipless system, I did but it was harder. And I was new on the bike, things like looking over my shoulder and maintaining a straight line seemed like mysterious skills known only to Bike People. A year later I’m looking over my shoulder, pulling up my shorts, and playing with my water bottle all at the same time. You’d be fine with your regular bike.

ann

[acc]

Holy Cow. That many miles?! I guess Mr. Kelley will have some company on my Dias of Worship. I am glad you called 911, I would not know what to do. My heart would want to protect anyone of a diminished capacity but I guess she probably would resist any protection I would offer. Thank you for being a gentleman and not taking pictures. Or at the very least, not posting any.

ann

[acc]

I’ve taken both classes and cannot count the times they saved me from getting hurt. Last weekend I had to make a split-second decision when a cyclist stopped directly in front of me. There was no shoulder to my right and a big SUV closing in fast behind me. Because an LCI took the time to talk through evasive actions and let me practice in a parking lot, I was able to think my way through what to do.

Happy trails,
ann

[acc]

Done!

ann

[acc]

Yup. Exactly. Thanks for saying what I was thinking.

ann

[acc]

I am so sorry she was injured, it could happen to any of us. How is she doing today? Can you get the bike fixed quickly? I know from two crashes that I needed to get back on Spartacus as soon as he was fixed, otherwise I’d lose my nerve. Nothing shakes me up more than a nasty crash. Flowers, and plenty of TLC for her until then.

ann

[acc]

Nude Beach Parking Next Left

[acc]

What a great save! This could have been so much worse. Great thinking, anticipation, and you even had a first-aid kit. I’m lucky if I have a granola bar. Sorry this happened but at least the kid was lucky enough to run out in front of you and not someone else.

ann

[acc]

There are so many fun names associated with the Wild West.
BULL – HOSS- CURLY- COLT- MISS KITTY- THE DUKE- TWO BITS

[Author]

Replies