Attitude? Here goes. I am a cyclist, therefore, I can use roads, but much prefer pavements Lights are for Jessie's, especially at night And the darker the clothing the better at night I am unencumbered by road tax or insurance, and who cares if the brakes don't work, MOT's not my problem Red traffic lights? What are they? Helmets, like lights, are for Jessie's. If I want my brains splattered all over the road, let them. Why bother with the off chance I just may be OK if said head has some sort if protection. I will, in all weather conditions, get my head down and pedal as fast as I can. I find pavements are best for this due to the lack of motor vehicles Going uphill on a group bike ride, it is safety in numbers, so riding three abreast is the approved method I am a cyclist, I am right. Two wheels good, four wheels bad.
And part of the attraction is that it's busy which enhances the speed with traffic ' pulling ' the riders along - less traffic , slower times , apart from the consequences at the turn ( winning positions can be lost waiting for a gap in the traffic ) . This is why I think time trials are better suited to a closed circuit - no benefits or hindrances to any rider other than the weather . However , I don't get why it's so difficult for some drivers to accommodate an event which is well signposted for a couple of hours , it's not compulsory to drive at the maximum speed limit , and at least it is a dual carriageway - you should see some events on single carriageways , I have had a few heart in mouth moments ! This isn't to say there are no poor cyclists , but as a general rule they tend to do less damage than a poor car or lorry driver . As far as I am aware time trial helmets don't work well in the ' head down ' position , so it's unlikely many riders adopt this , and those that do tend to be ' old-school '
If these are properly organised events the council ought to at least close off one lane IMO. It's the Facebook gangs that go out on a big jolly that are the real problem. And they tend to be the dickheads who behave like nazi's.
A knobhead is a knobhead regardless of their mode of transport. Cycle during rush hour for a week, it'll make you a better driver.
It can't be a legit time trial unless the road is closed in someway How can bob say he got a faster time than jim if jim had more traffic to deal with Far too many variables It'd be like an apline skier doing a time trial on a public ski hill full of tourists Plus why ride next to 2+ tonne fast moving objects?
I have nothing against cyclist or the cycling community. My Son enjoys mountain biking, this is Nevada The Alps Proper Mountians proper bikes. Back to the flat A63, I drive back home from Hull on Sunday mornings and have quite often come across the time trials. It really isn’t a problem. With one exception, there is nothing on the road to say that the road is now clear. I have thought it was clear only to find that in fact there is a massive gap and then two or more riders close together. Whilst a long flat road is good for time trials it also increases motor vehicle speeds and decreases driver concentration levels. It’s a bit of a bad mix.
Though I think this is dangerous and should have been dealt with years ago, personally, I'd have no issue with them closing one lane instead.
Car drivers, cyclists, motor-cyclists just mirror the society we live in - (most) people are impatient, aggressive and far too easily distracted by outside influence. Since car drivers far outnumber other road users they're going to be the cause of the majority of road 'incidents'. As a motor-cyclist I have to be ultra aware of what's going on around me, I never miss an approaching junction or road sign, I'm sat above the roof line of the majority of traffic and looking way ahead for brake lights and breakdowns etc; another thing you're able to see sat at height is the HUGE number of people driving while using/holding mobile phones - it's shocking to see people (of all ages) looking at mobile phones hidden on their laps, an accident only takes a split second. As for the A63 - I can see it's a great piece of road for cyclists but, with the volume of traffic and people driving without due care at all times, cyclists, the most vulnerable road users, need protecting from four wheeled vehicles - I can't see how closing the inside lane for a few hours on a Sunday morning would be a huge problem?
Agree wholeheartedly - when you see a close friend and wife cut from the wreckage of a mangled car, and the aftermath of such an event, you can see the that the penalties for mobile use are far too inadequate. The woman causing this accident was genuinely mortified, she just didn't see the danger of using a mobile to text while driving on a dead straight section of an old 'Roman Road'
