Mark, preparing dinner in the Manning Park.
I personally have been cycling for the past 3 or 4 years and I’d like to think that I’m somewhat knowledgeable when it comes to cycling technique and safety. On the first day of our trip, however it became very apparent to me that, to gain group chemistry and safety on the road you need communication.
Communication between cyclists consists of a complex set of hand singles and one-word commands. Put yourself in the shoes of any one of the cyclists on this trip for a second, if you would. Visualize four riders - all traveling at about thirty kilometers per hour in a tight pack, with less than a foot between each of the bikes. Any movement, whether it be forward, back or side to side, must be telegraphed so that the other riders know what is happening before it happens.
On the third day of the trip there was an accident on
the road that involved three of the four cyclists. By the third day we all felt fairly confident with our own
personal abilities on our respective bikes.
Our fault lay in our lack of experience with regards to
“pack-riding.” I was in the
third position, with one rider behind me and two in front of me.
The wind was in our faces, which meant the lead rider had to work much
harder than the other riders to keep a consistent speed.
The third and fourth riders at the rear of the pack have the easiest time
keeping pace. The accident occurred
when the lead rider dropped the pace just slightly for a second.
The second rider, in turn, had to slow down and I (in the third position)
was unable to react in time to prevent my front tire from grinding up against
the back of the second rider’s rear tire. After about three or four seconds, about ten of my front
tire’s spokes had been busted or bent severely and the rim had bent so much
that it was unable to spin freely anymore.
You can guess the outcome of this. Basically,
physics has taught me that any object in motion, tends to stay in motion until
it is acted upon by another force. So,
when the tire stopped spinning, the bike stopped moving and I kept moving – or
at least I would have if it wasn’t for the fact that I was clipped into the
pedals on my bike. So, anyways the
end-all be-all of this event (at least in the physical sense) was that I hit the
pavement, hard.
After the whole ordeal, I sat on the pavement for a
while and thought about why it happened. Now
that we all have a week of riding experience, we tend to keep a safe distance
– one that allows for some reaction. And
I’m happy to say that it’s working, so far!
Mark, preparing dinner in the Manning Park.