FLCC> one person's view of Tuesday night

[Shan Mohiuddin]

Having the A group and B group converge on the road
caused a lot of confusion last night.  One easy fix to
this problem is to have the groups always ride the
same course.

Shan



--- Glenn Swan <gs37 at cornell.edu> wrote:

> 
> >Nick Robertson sent this observation of Tuesday
> night's ride/race.....  He 
> >may not think he has the respect of everyone, but I
> know he deserves all 
> >that and more.  I think I am glad to have missed
> this one, since I might 
> >have blown a gasket and really reamed some people
> out.  I know that many 
> >of the riders who show up for Tuesday nights aren't
> necessarily on this 
> >listserve, so we will need to "educate" some of
> them before the next 
> >outing.  We truly are lucky that over the years we
> have avoided most 
> >serious accidents and traffic incidents, and we
> have read about the 
> >experiences of enough other clubs who have been
> shut down or worse, 
> >suffered accidents, injuries, or deaths during
> their weekly events. It is 
> >up to all of us to instill a strong sense of
> responsibility in each and 
> >every rider because we are responsible for our own
> safety, and both 
> >directly and indirectly the safety of those who
> ride around us while we 
> >race. Stupidity, carelessness, or just plain bad
> luck on the part of any 
> >one of us can lead to the end of what is now an
> institution of about 25 
> >years. It is up to each of us to protect it by
> being smart and aware of 
> >our total situation while we race each week.  We
> must be better...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> >Riding last night was interesting to say the least.
>  I think I saw
> >more stupid riding last night that I ever have
> before.  I want to
> >send an email to the listserve, but don't have the
> necessary respect
> >of the field to have the message be received.  I
> think that we are
> >lucky that no one was hurt, killed, or that we
> weren't shut down by
> >the police.  There was almost no adherence to "car
> back" yells.
> >Several times while riding out to the start there
> were cars that
> >tried to pass just to find a car coming the other
> way, but had
> >nowhere to go because the group was filling the
> whole lane across.
> >Most of the way out, the whole lane was filled.
> >
> >But, the worst part was during the race.  The A's
> went out yellowbarn
> >and back up Irish settlement.  B's were doing
> something that had them
> >coming down midline.  After Irish settlement I was
> in a chase group
> >with Bill Erikson and John Compton.  The A's passed
> up the intersection
> >with midline and then the B's came out right before
> us.  A few B
> >stragglers never even checked to see us coming, I
> had to yell to get
> >them to not blow through the stop sign right into
> us.  If I had been
> >a car doing 55 or 60, that could have been bad for
> them.  But it gets
> >worse.  As we were approaching the Bs, I looked
> behind to see a
> >sheriff.  We yelled car back and I know that others
> in the field
> >heard us because they looked back, but did nothing.
>  For over a mile
> >the sheriff was behind trying to pass, but
> couldn't.  Bill and I were
> >both thinking this was the end of Tuesday night
> races.  Right in
> >front of the sheriff, people were going two wide
> over the yellow line
> >up one of the short steep hills!  So they were
> taking up over a lane
> >on a blind hill.  Finally the sheriff decides to
> try to pass, but
> >just as he/she does, an on coming car comes and the
> sheriff had to
> >turn their lights on to prevent a head on
> collision.  Finally the
> >sheriff was able to pass on the approach down to
> 79.  To my surprise
> >they passed and just kept going.  Maybe they had
> somewhere else to be
> >or maybe they were just letting this one slide. 
> Either way, we got
> >lucky I think.  I thought for sure the were going
> to stop the field
> >and put an end to things.
> >
> >Finally after the ordeal, I was able to get around
> the B's and get
> >back up with the A's.  On the way up to the
> observatory, people in
> >the A field were well on the left side of the road
> nearing both
> >crests.  I was sitting there watching this in
> disbelief.  If a car comes
> >over the top and there is no way there would be
> time to move.
> >
> >All in all, I was embarrassed to be out riding with
> the group.  I
> >know that this discussion seems to come up every
> year, but it never
> >seems to be taken seriously.  I am afraid of
> someone getting hurt or
> >killed at some point if nothing changes.
> >
> >
> >Nick
> 
> 
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> 



       
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