[Supermau]

@jrenaut 93290 wrote:

Welcome to the forum. We all do dumb stuff sometimes. Best you can do is apologize and learn from it.

Thank you!

[Supermau]

@Emm 92635 wrote:

WTF was up with the cyclists on the MVT by the airport this morning?!?!? I have never seen so many unsafe passes within a minute.

There were probably about 5 riders going up the bridge by the airport heading towards gravely point. This bridge includes a couple of curves with really bad sight lines for those who don’t ride it regularly. All of the bikes were about ~1 “cycle-length” behind the other. I came up to the end of this pack at the base of the hill. I think most of us wanted to pass the riders at the front since they were going slow, but recognized the bridge wasn’t a safe place to do this because of the limited sight lines. As I’m starting the hill, a guy passes me. At that moment, a cyclist comes the opposite way, so the passer has to fall back and cut into the line. Except there is no room for him to cut in, so he nearly hits me as he swerves right into my bike. I hit my brakes, curse, and watch as moments later he cuts back out, passes the guy in front of me, and the whole process is repeated since he still can’t see far enough ahead of him to safely pass and cyclists are coming the other direction at a steady rate. Moments later, a tandem bike comes by, and does the same thing. Which is even more terrifying because it’s much larger and going much faster. I hear some angry yelling as they cut back in between the riders at the front of the pack, almost knocking 2 cyclists into the side of the bridge.

On the way down the hill I see this repeated 2-3 more times, all with the people getting passed barely staying on the trail. At one point a cyclist kept passing, even though another cyclist was coming the opposite way and was ~10 feet away. I won’t repeat what the cyclist said as she narrowly avoided getting knocked into the highway by the cyclist who was in the dead center of her lane…all so he could pass another bike that wasn’t even going that slow.

All of this was added onto the fact I nearly got doored on commonwealth ave right as a truck was passing me, and was shoaled at every light on Jefferson Dr by significantly slower cyclists. Bleck. Today was just not a good morning for being on a bike. While on Jefferson Ave I seriously considered turning around, biking home, and going back to bed.

I began commuting to DC from Franconia last June. I love the ride, and as it takes place on Saturday mornings before the sunrise it’s all the more special. I’ve practically got the MVT to myself.

I hate to admit that I made one of those boneheaded passes last Saturday afternoon in the same spot on my way back when the trail was busy. Thankfully nobody was hurt or crashed but after the fact I felt really stupid for being so impatient. I do actually know better. I hereby issue a public apology and vow to practice safe passing and exercise great patience in the future. Lesson learned. It’s not worth it.

[Supermau]

Oops, wrong thread.

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