Bloody cyclists

[Squeak the Rat]

Competitive riding will not be able to happen if this behaviour is eliminated. Not all clubs have the time and resource to organise proper racing controls, and cyclists also need to practice their sport.

So, get rid of this behaviour if you like, but also get rid of people like Sarah Ulmer competing at an international level because most people like her would have started out in a cycling club doing just this. Can't have it both ways.

Actually, most of the tractors I've encountered take pains to move out of the way of other traffic when it is practicable to do so (when there is a place to move a 3m-wide tractor into, safely).

If we can cope with tractors blocking the road then we can cope with bikers, ie. it's not a safety issue (remember it's the law that you have to be able to stop within the visible road ahead), so what's every ones beef again?

a) you get inconvenienced. Well you have a right to get annoyed, but you have a choice to not let it bother you.

b) Some one is flouting a "rule". Fair enough, but I'd have thought most bikers would be more inclined to be anti-authoritarian. Take a photo and post it on snapt.

[Wolf]

Competitive riding will not be able to happen if this behaviour is eliminated.

Shit, makes you wonder how any of our other sports survive and how we produce world-class sportspeople in lots of disciplines that are forbidden to race/practise on the roads.

Apparently, it being illegal to digitally sample other musicians' copyrighted music and use it as your own backing track makes it "impossible" for rap perpetrators to perform their "art", as well...

Not all clubs have the time and resource to organise proper racing controls, and cyclists also need to practice their sport.

So do racing motorcyclists, race car drivers and pistol and rifle shooters - and it's not acceptable for any of them to practise on our road ways. The responsible ones find appropriate places to practise where they won't endanger themselves or other members of the public. As do responsible cyclists, I suspect. It's just the disorganised wannabes who don't feel there's a need for proper safety or consideration for others.

If a club lacks the time, organisational skills and resources to attend to appropriate safety matters then the club's organisers are retarded and have no right to be organising anything - quaint expressions concerning inability to organise a piss-up in a brewery, or a fuck in a brothel, spring to mind.

The message I am getting is that all you need for a "race cycling club" is a pack of wannabes with pushbikes and no knowledge of road safety "led" by someone with no organisational skills.

It does not take a fantastic budget to paint "Warning, cyclists ahead" on a couple of slabs of ply, nor a lot of organisational skills park them at strategic points along the "regular route", so that if some learner driver encounters them he doesn't freak out and cause an accident and more experienced drivers/riders don't feel like this is just some random pack of wankers who're behaving like arrogant cocks.

What I'm understanding from the posts of a lot of the cyclists is: "We expect you to show us consideration for what we're doing and be responsible, safe road users when you encounter us riding in an unsafe fashion and not showing consideration for you - and if you can't deal with that, fuck you!"

But yeah, fine. Cyclists: by all means ride push bikes on the road in a manner which expects all other road users but yourselves to be responsible for your safety and trust that all other road users have the requisite skill levels to respond appropriately without panicking. Behave as unpredictably as you like and trust that the other road users will have read your minds and will do the right thing.

Personally, I'll stick with conducting myself on the road as if everyone I encounter is a brain-dead lunatic, whether I'm walking, riding a push bike or a motorcycle or driving a car.

[Pixie]

Perhaps the cyclists here can help me with a question that has been nagging at me for years:Is cyclosporan an item of clothing worn by a Scotsman cyclist,and what is it's connection with treatment of organ transplants?

[Lou Girardin]

4 dead during "Bikewise week".
It strikes me that it'd be wise to stay the hell away from psycles.

[marty]

from all acounts, NONE of them were breaking the law when they were killed, so i guess that proves the point.

[Squeak the Rat]

Shit, makes you wonder how any of our other sports survive and how we produce world-class sportspeople in lots of disciplines that are forbidden to race/practise on the roads.
...snip...
So do racing motorcyclists, race car drivers and pistol and rifle shooters - and it's not acceptable for any of them to practise on our road ways. The responsible ones find appropriate places to practise where they won't endanger themselves or other members of the public. As do responsible cyclists, I suspect. It's just the disorganised wannabes who don't feel there's a need for proper safety or consideration for others.
.

That argument doesn't really stack up. No other sport races solely on public roads at an international level.

Sport & Where they race
Motorsport = Track (mainly)
Rowing = Rivers
Swimming = Pools, sea
Shooting = Range
Running = Footpath
Rugby = Field
Roiad Cycling = Road

Road cycling is one of the only sports that you need to practice with other people. And it's not feasible to train on a track because there are no hills. And no, it's simply not feasible for the Otorahanga road cycling club to put on marshalled training rides 3 times per week, or put out signs over a 120km course.

PS - I'm not a road cyclist. God forbid, maybe I'm tolerant. But kiwi's attitudes to the every day cyclist is dangerous, as shown by the 4 dead last week.

[NordieBoy]

That argument doesn't really stack up. No other sport races solely on public roads at an international level.

Sport & Where they race
Motorsport = Track (mainly)
Rowing = Rivers
Swimming = Pools, sea
Shooting = Range
Running = Footpath
Rugby = Field
Cycling = Road

Cycling is one of the only sports that you need to practice with other people. And it's not feasible to train on a track because there are no hills. And no, it's simply not feasible for the Otorahanga cycling club to put on marshalled training rides 3 times per week, or put out signs over a 120km course.

PS - I'm not a cyclist. God forbid, maybe I'm tolerant. But kiwi's attitudes to the every day cyclist is dangerous, as shown by the 4 dead last week.

Ummm...
NO.

Road cycling rides on the road.
Track cycling rides on the track.
BMX rides on track.
MB rides on dirt.
Freestyle BMX rides on anything they can get their grubby hands on.


PS - 1 triathlon bike, 2 road bikes, 3 mountain bikes. I'm tolerant but not of idiots or people flagrantly breaking the law and putting others (and themselves) in danger.

[Squeak the Rat]

Ummm...
NO.

Road cycling rides on the road.
Track cycling rides on the track.
BMX rides on track.
MB rides on dirt.
Freestyle BMX rides on anything they can get their grubby hands on.

That's just being pedantic. I will go back and put the word road in front of any mention of cyclist in my previous post (i thought people reading this thread would understand the context).

[Wolf]

That argument doesn't really stack up. No other sport races solely on public roads at an international level.

Isle of Man Tourist Trophy.

'nuff said.

[Kickaha]

Isle of Man Tourist Trophy.

'nuff said.

Once a year event closed road event, it's not a valid comparison

[Squeak the Rat]

That argument doesn't really stack up. No other sport races solely on public roads at an international level.

Isle of Man Tourist Trophy.

'nuff said.

Yep, says it all really.

Track and road motor-racing are effectively the same sports. Most TT racers practice and race regularly on race-tracks. The skills are transferable between the two. You can train on a track and race the TT.

You can not train to be a road racing cyclist just by riding on a cycling track.

[KLOWN]

rally driving is done mainly on raods, only on track with a special stage.

[Squeak the Rat]

rally driving is done mainly on raods only on track with a special stage.

Bastard! (Where do these guys practice?)


Still though, road cyclists need to practice riding with other riders in bunches, up and down hills etc etc. My point being I can't see anywhere else for them to do this.

[Jantar]

That argument doesn't really stack up. No other sport races solely on public roads at an international level.

Except for every marathon race, Every fun run, International car rallys etc, etc.

[KLOWN]

from all acounts, NONE of them were breaking the law when they were killed, so i guess that proves the point.

what point does it prove? one was a delivery driver who was, possibly tired, i don't know the circumstances on the others but were any road rage?? I think we ALL know the inabillty of drivers as we, motorcyclists, almost get hit on a daily basis. The fact that these people were killed has nothing to do with this thread and the way SOME cyclists behave. I believe the cyclists who were killed were all staying left and behaving responsibilly, good on them, not good that these stupid fuckers can't drive but if ANY point is proved it is if your in the middle of the road when you encounter these shit drivers your definatley going to be killed and you have a chance to be avoided if you stay left, which isn't the case about the people killed, R.I.P .
On a side note I hope the fuckers driving get thier balls nailed to the wall.