UltraRob's Adventures

Last evening was the annual Ride of Silence. It's a ride honor and remember those that have been injured or killed while cycling on the roadways. I've taken part in the Ride of Silence 2 out of the last 3 years.

Last weekend I checked to find the date of the ride this year. I found out that it was this week. I also found that one wasn't being organized in Colorado Springs this year. David Peal offered to help organize a ride. We got busy getting the word out and making plans.

We had about a dozen riders show up at Old Town Bike Shop for the ride which was many fewer than for last year's Ride of Silence. I was happy with that since we didn't plan in advance.

After reading the Ride of Silence poem, we had a moment of silence for this killed or injured. We then did a loop around downtown before heading over to where EJ and Jayson were killed. We had another moment of silent at the ghost bikes before heading back to Old Town.

Although the risks of riding on the road don't stop me from riding, they are something I think about. Especially when I was training for RAAM, I was riding thousands of miles on the road. The deaths of Bob Breedlove and EJ and Jayson have impacted me the most.

KKTV 11 News covered the ride. You can view the video and report online.

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Labels: Colorado Springs, cycling, Ride of Silence, share the road

The 2009 Ride of Silence is this Wednesday, May 20th at 7 PM. It's a ride in honor of those killed or injured while riding a bike. I believe we need to raise awareness of cycling safety issues.

The ride is slow paced with a maximum speed of 12 mph so anyone can take part. You can also ride any kind of bike.

I've participated in the local Ride of Silence 2 out of the last 3 years. There are 260 rides in the US and more internationally. There isn't one listed for Colorado Springs this year but I'm checking to see if anyone is organizing one.

Update: David Peal is helping me organizing a Ride of Silence for Colorado Springs this year. Meet at Old Town Bike Shop at 6:45 PM. The route will include going to the ghost bikes where EJ and Jayson were hit last year.

Related Links: 2008 Ride of Silence report | 2006 Ride of Silence report

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Labels: cycling, Ride of Silence, share the road

The Colorado Bike Safety Bill (SB 148) passed this week. The bill went through a surprisingly complex legislative process, including two conference committees. As noted by House Speaker Terrance Carroll at last weekend's Bicycle Colorado Gala, even the state budget with about a billion dollars of budget cuts didn't go through two conference committees.

The bill sponsors, Senator Greg Brophy and Representative Michael Merrifield, worked diligently to ensure the bill passage throughout its many votes. Their strong support of safe roads has made them valuable partners for the bicycling community.

Governor Ritter, an avid cyclist, is expected to sign the bill. It's possible he'd sign it during a ceremony at the Elephant Rock Ride on June 7th. It would then go in to effect on August 4th.

The main safety provisions of the bike safety bill are

Passing

Motorists are required to give cyclist 3 feet of clearance when passing. To keep traffic from backing up on narrow, winding mountain roads, they added a provision for motorists to cross the center when safe and clear to do so.

Lane Position

The law requires bicyclists to ride as far right as they feel is safe. The key here is that the cyclist is the one to decide how far right is safe. Also cyclists will be allowed to ride on the left side of the road on one way roads with more than one lane.

Two Abreast

The bill clarifies that bicyclists may pass one another or ride side-by-side if they are not impeding the normal and reasonable movement of traffic.

Anti-Harassment

The bill increases penalties for harassing cyclists. The actual wording is projecting any missile at or against a bicyclist. Missiles are defined as any object or substance. Harassing a cyclist will be a class 2 misdemeanor.

By this definition, I've had missiles used against me. I've had bottles thrown at me, pop bottle rockets shot at me, ice thrown at me and other harassment while riding my bike.

According to an article in the Colorado Daily, Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle believes that the Colorado bike safety bill gives cyclists carte blanche. He says cyclist will be able to ride however they want without being able to prosecute them.

I think that most cyclist would agree with me that we'd rather stay alive than ride wherever we want to. The bill will allow law enforcement to better protect cyclists on the road if they choose to. We will still need to pay attention and watch out for our own safety.

You can read the full text of SB 148 online.

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Labels: Colorado, cycling, share the road

The Colorado House of Representatives has the Colorado Bicycle Safety Bill on the agenda for today. There are enough bills ahead of it though that it's not expected to be voted on until next week. There's still time to contact your state representative.

I've written about the bill a couple times before but the key points of the bill are

• Passing
• Lane Position
• More than 1 Rider
• Anti-harassment

Earlier this week the Colorado bike safety bill passed the House Transportation committee 8-3. I listened to the streaming audio the other day but didn't get the timing right and only heard discussion about an EMT law and old tire disposal. The Colorado Safety bill (SB 148) had passed the Senate about a month ago.

For more information on the bill, see Bicycle Colorado's information page.

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Labels: Colorado, cycling, share the road

The Colorado Bike Safety bill (SB148) passed the Colorado Senate on Tuesday on a vote of 27 to 6. The important 3 foot passing distance rule was kept in the bill. I just can't imagine people thinking they need less than 3 feet to pass.

The foot rule is opposed by Larimer County Sheriff because he says it would be impossible for his agency to enforce. He says there's no way to measure how close a motorist passes. State Sen. Greg Brophy says law enforcement officials are already allowed to make judgment calls while enforcing the law.

The bill is now in the Colorado State House of Representatives. I haven't seen a date for a vote. If you're a Colorado cyclist, let your representative know that the bike safety bill is important to you. Click here to find contact info for your representative.

Key points of the bike safety bill are

• Passing
• Lane Position
• More than 1 Rider
• Anti-harassment

Go to Bicycle Colorado's bike safety bill page to get the latest info.

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Labels: Colorado, cycling, share the road

Some years I ride my bike thousands of miles on the road. I've had motorists harass me in many ways. I've nearly been hit by cars passing too close, been intentionally buzzed, had a pickup pull into a gravel pullout and spin to spray me with gravel, had a couple bottles and ice thrown at me, had a bottle rocket shot into my back wheel and a passenger reach out and slap me. The list goes on.

The 2009 Colorado Bicycle Safety Bill will be voted on by the State Senate possibly as soon as this Friday, Feb. 13. This bill will help protect bicyclists on roads and makes it easier for motorists to pass bicyclists safely. Opponents are trying to remove the 3 feet safe passing distance. Bicycle Colorado has more information on Senate Bill 148.

You can help by contacting your state senator. You can find out contact info by clicking here and entering your zip code. Key points are

• I encourage you to support Senate Bill 148
• Please keep the 3 foot safe passing distance
• I believe this bill will improve road safety

You can also help by getting the word out or donating to Bicycle Colorado's efforts.

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Labels: Colorado, cycling, share the road

I posted the end of 2007 about the new Colorado Share the Road License Plates. I've had the certificates from Bicycle Colorado for both our vehicles since last January.

I've been meaning to go to the DMV to the new plates but since I didn't have to I kept putting it off. I put if off until the last day before expiration grace period on one of the vehicles.

Even though I got the plates, I didn't take the 5 minutes to put them on. My wife got pulled over today for expired tags today but didn't get a ticket since the new plates were in the van. The plates are on it now.

Bicycle Colorado now has Share the Road jerseys too. If I didn't have a closet full of race jerseys from over the years, I'd be tempted to buy one.

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Labels: Colorado, cycling, share the road

The Ride of Silence is tonight to honor those that have been injured or killed while riding their bike. There are 288 rides in the US and internationally. It's likely there's a ride near you.

The Colorado Springs ride is meeting at Old Town Bike Shop, 426 South Tejon. Ride starts at 7 PM. I plan on being there.

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Labels: Colorado Springs, cycling, Ride of Silence, share the road

The 2008 Ride of Silence is next Wednesday, May 21st. It's a ride in honor of those killed or injured while riding a bike.

Although it seems there have been several tragic cycling accidents in the news the last few months, cycling isn't all that dangerous. It seems that per hour it may even be less dangerous than riding in a car. Still I believe we need to raise awareness of cycling safety issues.

I participated in the local Ride of Silence in 2006. I had planned to last year but my daughter ended up being in the hospital. There are 240 rides in the US and more internationally. Once again Charlotte Miller will be leading a local ride from Old Town Bike Shop. Hopefully I'll see some of you there.

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Labels: cycling, Ride of Silence, share the road

One of the big problems cyclists face is motorists are looking for other vehicles not bicycles. Think you are aware of what's going on even if you aren't looking for it? Try this awareness test and let me know how you do. I'll admit I had to watch it 3 times.

Found via Cyclelicious

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Labels: cycling, share the road

For at least the last couple weeks, a petition has been circulating around that asks the Google Maps team to add a Bike There option to Google Maps. Currently there's an option for Public Transportation in some cities. GoogleMapsBikeThere.org has more information.

I think having a Bike There option would be great although I think it would probably only be done for the big cities. I'd really like to be able to pick a 100 mile route while I'm on vacation and know I wasn't headed on some suicide ride. A ride I did from near San Luis Obispo to Santa Barbara comes to mind.

Currently byCycle.org uses Google Maps for bike routes but is limited to Portland, Oregon and Madison, Wisconsin. Bike Metro provides bike routes for southern California but uses different mapping technology.

I listed several sites for mapping with GPS for cycling a while back. You'd think most of the routes that are shared would be relatively safe but some may not be. Just like if I had GPS and had shared my route from San Luis Obispo to Santa Barbara. Do you know of any other sites for safe bike routes?

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Labels: bike commuting, cycling, share the road

Yesterday I went and hung out at the Department of Motor Vehicles. I have been driving around all month with expired tags. I was nervous enough driving around town with expired tags but I'm going to be driving out of town in a couple days and don't want to get pulled over. While I was there, I asked some questions about the Share the Road plates.

If you pre-ordered plates before December 15th, you should get your approval certificate this week. If you ordered after that or are planning to order, it will take 2-3 weeks to get the certificate. You have to order the approval certificate online and have it before going to DMV to get the plates.

If your registration doesn't renew in January or whichever month you go in to get them, you will be credited for the time remaining until your renewal. Your registration renewal will change to the month that you get the Share the Road plates.

Although the plates are supposed to be made, they don't have them at the Chapel Hills location for El Paso county. The lady says they normally don't get the new plates by the time they're supposed to be available. She recommended calling before going in to get them.

Originally I had seen that they needed 3,000 pre-ordered or they wouldn't be made. Now the Bicycle Colorado FAQ says that 3,000 need to be in circulation by July 1, 2009. Let's make sure there are plenty of Share the Road plates to let other motorists know we care about cycling.

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Labels: Colorado, cycling, share the road

Last Monday the Fat Cyclist had a contest for when to use Laser Beams of Death. I commented

Assuming I hadn’t already used my LBOD on one of the other handful of rednecks that have threatened to intentionally run me over, I would have used it a couple years ago while I was riding in Vegas. I had gotten up early and ridden out to Red Rocks before I had to help set up the network for a conference.

It had been a great ride and I was headed back toward the strip. I was riding on a 6 lane road with a full traffic width bike lane. I was over half way over in the bike lane.

I was in my own world when I was struck in the back of the head. I was dazed but saw a bottle of water go bouncing with several ounces of water left in it. Then I saw the big, black Ford truck with a Go Fast sticker that was nearly as big as the tailgate. The passenger had the window down. I wan’t able to get the license plate number though.

The truck was probably going 50 mph but the light a block ahead was red. I started sprinting after them. I was going to at a minimum get the license number but hopefully get to yell at them and who knows what else I would have done.

Just as they were getting to the light with several stopped cars, the left turn arrow turned green. They whipped across 3 lanes of traffic and made the left turn and were gone. I had a headache most of the rest of the day but fortunately nothing worse. The bottle had hit my helmet. I think it would have been much worse if had hit my neck below my helmet. Had I had my LBOD they wouldn’t have been a menace to other cyclists.

Today I was riding near Grand Junction and someone threw a Pepsi bottle at me that had enough Pepsi left in it to really hurt. Fortunately they didn't have as good of aim as the guy in Vegas.

I've had someone slow down and the passenger smack me on the butt, a firecracker shot into my rear tire, ice thrown at me, a pickup pull to the right of me in a gravel pullout and then slide and spray gravel at me. Fortunately I've only hit a car once and I haven't had any serious injuries. Hopefully I'm not jinxing myself again. What things have you had done to you while you've been riding?

Below is a preview of my ride. I'll get a ride report and more pictures posted in the next couple days.

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Labels: cycling, share the road

Cyclelicious posted a good summary of an article on Raise the Hammer about whether cycling is safe. The Raise the Hammer article seemed focused on Toronto but some of the statistics were for the US. One of the stats presented is that there are less deaths per hour of cycling than for driving. From the numbers given, I'm guessing that there are more fatalities per mile for cycling though.

I think how you ride makes a big difference on how safe it is to ride a bike. The Cyclelicous post has links to some information on riding safely. Bicycle Colorado has rules for riding in Colorado.

One thing I won't do while riding on roads is wear headphones. I really think you need to be able to hear whats going on behind you and sense when a car is getting too close. Another important thing is to ride where people in cars expect you to be. One thing I like to do is ride a foot or two to the left of the edge of the road. That way when a car gets close to me I can move right and get a little extra space. Also I find when traffic is passing too close, wobbling a little bit makes them give extra room. I mainly just move my upper body back and forth and only slightly move the bike.

I'm not a cell phone carrying kind of guy normally but I've been taking one at least on my long rides the last few years. In Colorado you are allowed to use the hotline for report aggressive drivers to report drivers while you're cycling. The important thing is to get the vehicle license plate. In case the worst happens, I wear a ID/medical band from RoadID.

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Labels: bike commuting, cycling, share the road

Update: Info on 2008 Ride of Silence

This is just a reminder that the Ride of Silence is this Wednesday night. This is a ride to honor cyclists who have been killed or injured while cycling on public roadways. There are 264 confirmed rides in the US and international locations.

You can read my Ride of Silence post from a couple weeks ago for more information. I did the Ride of Silence last year and would encourage you to go. It's ridden about 10 mph so even if you only occasionally ride a bike you can take part.

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Labels: cycling, Ride of Silence, share the road

Update: Info on 2008 Ride of Silence

The Ride of Silence to honor cyclists who have been killed or injured while cycling on public roadways will take place this year on May 16th at 7 PM. I'd really encourage you to attend one if you can. There's plenty of dangers for cyclists out on the road. Currently there are over 200 confirmed ride locations.

I rode last year's local Ride of Silence from Old Town Bike Shop which was lead by Charlotte Miller. According to the Ride of Silence website, Charlotte will be again leading a ride from Old Town Bike Shop and Ann Brown will be leading another one from the Shops at Briargate. Actually that's not the right name for the 2nd Colorado Springs location. Apparently Shops at Briargate wasn't a sophisticated enough name so they've been renamed The Promenade Shops at Briargate.

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Labels: cycling, Ride of Silence, share the road

Last week the editor of the Colorado Springs Business Journal, Mike Boyd, wrote an anti-cycling article. I found out about the article from the Medicine Wheel list. His rant was in response to the Colorado Department of Transportation's public service tips on sharing the road with cyclists. I remember hearing CDOT ads last year. I'm guessing it was about this time of year since more people will be getting out on bikes once the weather gets nicer. It's been snowing most of the day so I doubt there were many cyclists out today to annoy Mr. Boyd. You can let him know your opinion at Mike.Boyd@csbj.com or 719-329-5202.

He complains about having to slow down for cyclists. The 10 seconds that a motorist has to wait for a cyclist shouldn't ruin their day. As a matter of fact in Colorado, we basically do have as much of right to the road as the gas guzzling SUVs. Cyclists are required to stay as far to the right as is safe. Unfortunately motorists think they're the ones that get to decide that it's safe for us to ride through the pot holes along the curb.

His comment about the tip for cyclists to remember to smile as you bicycle past the rows of cars waiting at the intersection — it’s just polite is "doesn’t this seem to contradict the whole play by the same rules as motorists thing?". I haven't looked at the driver's manual lately but last I knew it's legal for cyclists to ride up the right side of stopped traffic at a traffic light to the back of the first car in the line. About the tip for motorists to be patient and wait to pass until it is safe he asks, "for whom, the cyclist or the motorist?". Unfortunately that's the attitude of lots of motorists.

He does have a point about some cyclists running stop signs, red lights, and not riding single file but plenty of motorist break rules too. I try to always obey traffic rules because of motorists' opinions and it's the right thing to do. I had a friend run a stop sign because he got dropped from the group we were riding with. He did get pulled over by a cop. I went and talked to the cop since we had been intentionally buzzed by a motorist a couple miles before. The van mirror had to have been less than 6 inches from my elbow. We were on a 4 lane street and in the bike lane. We had a description and license plate but the cop said there was nothing he could do about it. Talking to the cop right after he caught my friend running a stop sign was bad timing but still cops are rarely willing to protect cyclists.

Labels: Colorado Springs, cycling, share the road

Bicycle Colorado is launching a Share the Road license plate campaign to reinforce that bicycles are welcome on roads. Proceeds from each plate will fund bicycle safety education programs across Colorado. Programs include:

• Educate motorists on how to safely share the road
• Educate bicyclists on the rules of the road and safe riding
• Educate event directors and bicyclists on best practices for event safety
• Provide guidance to bicyclists involved in crashes
• Outreach to law enforcement on the rights and responsibilities of motorists and bicyclists

Ten other states already have Share the Road plates, but Colorado does not – yet. When I was at Texas Hellweek last spring, I saw the Texas plate with Lance on it. With 1.5 million active bicyclists in Colorado (plus more than 699,000 bicycling tourists boosting our economy) the time for Colorado to share the road is now.

The State requires at least 3,000 Colorado citizens sign the petition to move the Share the Road legislation forward. The more who sign the petition, the better the chances. But the 2007 legislative session begins in January and the window to collect signatures will soon close. If you live in Colorado and are at least 18, you should sign the petition.

Our Share the Road license plate will remind motorists to watch for bicyclists, pass with care, and respect our place on public roads. Plus the bicycle safety education programs it funds will make bicycling safer for you. If the law gets passed, I'm certainly interested in getting them for my vehicles.

Labels: Colorado, cycling, license plate, share the road

Last night I did the local Ride of Silence. There were a little over 30 people for it. I had actually hoped for more than that but this is the first year for Colorado Springs so maybe it will take time to grow. It was a bit hard to ride for an hour and keep the pace below 12 mph but it was good time to reflect about the cyclist killed and injured on the roads. One of Dr. Breedlove's daughters was there and so was Alison Dunlap.

I chatted a little with Dr. Breedlove's daughter which was interesting because the official story on his death in RAAM last year left me with a lot of questions. Without me asking she gave me more details. The family believes there is evidence that the official report isn't correct and that there is evidence that suggests he never crossed the center line as the driver claims. However, the State Patrol believes the 15 year old driver that was driving even though his learner's permit was revoked because of an earlier hit and run.

Update: Outside magazine did an article on Dr. Breedlove's death in the November 2006 issue. I have some of my thoughts on it plus a link to the article online.

Labels: Bob Breedlove, cycling, RAAM, Race Across America, Ride of Silence, share the road