On 2018-02-23 09:22, jbeattie wrote:
On Friday, February 23, 2018 at 7:44:39 AM UTC-8, Joerg wrote:
On 2018-02-22 19:40, John B. wrote:
[...]
But Frank, given the dangers of riding a bicycle think how manly
and brave one appears when doing it. Why all the neighbors likely
stand on the edge of the road and applaud "the brave one".
No kidding, that is indeed the case. Not along the road though. A
few weeks ago I stopped at my usual pub. This time it was unusually
crowded. Someone asked "Who rides that vintage bike out there?" ...
"That's me" ... "So how far do you still have to go?" ... "Cameron
Park, only about 7mi" ... "But not on Green Valley Road, right?"
... "Sure, otherwise I would be late" ... Almost everyone turned
around and looked at me in disbelief. Then came comments like that
I must be a fearless dude and so
You drink with a bunch of rubes. Go to a real bike bar, and they
won't give a sh** where you ride.
https://companyweek.com/media/HUB_interior.jpg
That pub _is_ a hangout for MTB riders. On dirt they ride hard, much
harder than I do. Yet most won't ride on Green Valley Road.
It's unusual that riders congregate there at times and it might be
because the owner is a serious MTB rider. Plus two nice singletrack
routes start there. The other pubs in El Dorado Hills and in our village
have only few cyclists visiting them. As I mentioned before cyclists
around here prefer bike infrastructure which is why cyclists rather hang
out at pubs in Folsom and elsewhere along the American River bike path.
I don't think that or similar roads are particularly dangerous as long
as they have a reasonable shoulder most of the way. Unfortunately most
people interested in cycling do not think that way and that's what I
wanted to convey here. A tree stump coming at them at 25mph is something
they think they can stomach, a huge Diesel truck at 60mph from behind isn't.
The cyclist traffic on that road has increased probably ten-fold since
they widened the shoulders and put in a bike lane in some segments.
Build it and they come? Yes, they do. That was nice to see but compared
to your area the number is miniscule. Also, those are mostly the more
hardcore sports riders who tend not to drink alcohol and sometimes not
even coffee. The more casual riders and the more utilitarian riders shun
such roads. That's the vast majority.
All I am doing here is relaying what other cylists and potential
cyclists told me, not what I think.
--
Regards, Joerg
http://www.analogconsultants.com/