Posted on 01/23/2007 1:20:01 PM PST by GeorgiaDawg32
With its flat surface, wide shoulders and lack of parked cars, Columns Drive near Marietta draws dozens of cyclists on a nice day, including many who use the somewhat remote road as their training track, riding lap after lap up and down the 2 1/2 mile street.
But angry residents who live along the road in upwards of million-dollar homes say the cyclists whip along the street three or more abreast, cutting off cars, robbing the roadway and scaring people even as they step out to check their mailbox.
(Excerpt) Read more at ajc.com ...
My soul says I owe it to myself and my family to provide for them without having to endure impediment from selfish rolling recreational fashion statements.
Okey dokey...go take care of your family...We see your care does not extend to your country.
BTW, cycling and running are a fundamental way our troops stay fit. But don't let that slow you down. Just push em out of the way.
Those "toys" are vehicles too.
I am with you regarding the yahoos that are riding 2 and three abreast and blocking traffic for no good reason other than they are being idiots. I'd react the same if it was a car or a motorcycle.
When I am on my way to work and a particular stretch of road does not have a marked bike lane, you can either wait behind or go around. The lanes are generally wide enough to allow you plenty of clearance to go around.
Otherwise, I'll meet you at the next red light (grin)
Stop means stop. If your were fluent in the English language or knew what those little red signs meant, you'd know that.
hehee...you're not stupic. It's a shame most of your friends think you are.
Will they try to ban joggers next?
Pssssst. I don't have a seatbelt on my motorcycle either. As far as having the same rights, here in Texas I do. It's the law, end of story.
Actually yes, huge ones. The back of a cycling jersey has huge pockets. I carry a pump, gels, cell phone, wallet and car keys in my jersey pockets.
Speaking as a cyclist myself. That involve muscle groups I don't often use, and I'm it would be difficult. However, that's a sorry measure of fitness. Instead let's use a real benchmark. Let's compare the resting heart rates (a real measure of cardiovascular fitness) of a random sampling of cyclists vs a random samplling of equestrians. I have a hunch you'd be too smart to take that bet.
P.S. we can compare average hunters vs average road bikers too. I'd be more than willing to stake money on that one. I've been hunting, it simply isn't all that aerobic.
That's ok. What comes around goes around. If some cyclist was injured due to your juvenile, criminal antics, God was watching. Jerk.
That's already been tried (grin).
I have no resentment against high-performance athletes - I am one, in my own discipline (OK, then, medium performance. ;-) ) I'm sure some motorists may feel a pang of jealousy or resentment because they're not out there battling . . . but I don't.
I just don't want to get a guy on the hood of my car (or worse, under the wheels) because he was the end man of five riding abreast and strayed over into my lane on a blind hill. I used to do auto accident investigation, and it's ugly. I don't object to cyclists, just to the ones who are engaging in behavior that's likely to get them killed.
If somebody wants to struggle and push himself to his physical limit, he should not be doing that on a steep, narrow, winding road that happens to be a major thoroughfare. People who are putting forth their utmost effort get tunnel vision and become less aware of their surroundings. In fact, now that you mention it, I think that's a far more likely cause for the risky behavior I've observed than deliberate law-breaking or a death wish.
Less heavily-travelled roads and dedicated bike trails are a better choice for pushing the envelope. Especially in large groups.
Nothing more juvenile than playing with your toys in traffic expecting people who have to be somewhere to wait on you. Jerk.
Of course, some days there's nothing doing and everybody just sits around and the horses yawn. But the hounds started a coyote the last time I was out, and we didn't have a check for 30 minutes. We were strung out all over the countryside, and my horse was blowing so hard that she was shaking. I was ready to toss my guts. That's aerobic.
I'd agree to a random sampling of resting pulse, so long as you include the round-the-block riders with the bells and baskets on the handlebars (the equivalent of your average equestrian). The range of people who say they're equestrians includes folks whose experience consists of sitting on Ol' Dobbin, and unlike a bike you don't have to keep moving to keep Dobbin from falling down. As I said, you probably get more exercise in a rocking chair. Or, alternatively, we can compare resting pulse of combined training competitors - I'll even concede to Tadpole or Pre-Novice - with road bikers.
I can't say the same about the ABC and their regular ride through our neighborhood. It's a weekly occurrence and it's always a problem. I wish they would police their ranks a little better . . . or, better yet, move the ride to a less dangerous route.
I do have a feeling that a number of the guys in the multi-colored outfits are the same sort of folks who start riding horses and go out and buy $1,000 custom Vogel boots, $500 German leather breeches, and a bespoke shadbelly coat. Some folks actually ride at the level that they need that stuff ("A" shows and the Garden, mostly) -- some are just poseurs.
Awfully big of you.
I know guys that have quarter acre lots and insist on having a huge riding lawn mower to cut their grass. I like my $200 Sears push mower for my one acre lot. It takes me two hours to cut the grass, but I move swiftly and I get a workout.
There are always a few people out there trying to impress others with their toys. My philosophy is KISS (keep it simple stupid).
My Bike is a 15 year old steel frame TREK 400 purchased at a yard sale for $35. Of course it took a few bucks updating the bike, but it was a lot cheaper than paying $2500 for a new lightweight bike. I can average 18-9 mph on flat terrain. Perhaps I could do 23 mph with a new lightweight model, but I am out there for a workout and not trying to impress others.
But I still am fine with cyclists - so long as they obey the law and don't try to kill themselves right before my eyes.
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