Re: [MBZ] 3 ton Sprinter v. 18lb Trek -- I lose

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 06:10:56 -0700

Well, you are mostly correct there. I value my life, which is why I only go out on our roads on a Sunday morning when the traffic is pretty light and the contractors are not maniacally driving (though a bit earlier an AT&T van gave me a brushback and honk, just because I guess). I keep near the right white line so there is room for cars to get around fairly easily, though they might have to wait a few seconds to do so (again, very light traffic on a Sunday morning). And here in SC we have a bike law that makes me just as entitled to the road as a car, and even having more "protections" in that regard. I could ride near the centerline if I wanted to, and be well within my (dead) rights to do so. I don't because that would be stupid and inconsiderate, like sailing your dinghy in front of a big barge tow.
That said, mixing with cars/trucks is risky, I understand that, and why I do it on a Sunday morning. But it comes down mostly to the driver, and the driver's behavior to choose or not choose the proper mode of behavior. In this case the driver made a bad choice, the magnitude of which is yet to be impressed fully. 

I might be dead right.


All that said I am being forced into an agonizing reappraisal, which 
makes me really really angry.


--R

Loren Faeth wrote:

I always had the right of way sailing an 80 lb sailboat on the 
Mississippi.  Having the right of way does not mean you are smart to 
take it.  There is no way a tow with 15 barges can get out of the way 
of a itty bitty sailboat.   A little courtesy goes a long way.



Before you flame, yes, it is a little different scale, but it 
illustrates a point.



I like bike riding, and if you value your life, you stay out of the 
way of motor vehicles.  There are plenty of bike trails and 
sidewalks.  There are plenty of A**h*le bike riders.  There are plenty 
of people in motor vehicles who are trying to make a living, and that 
makes them be in a hurry.



Like it or not, riding a bike near the centerline is essentially 
flipping the bird to all drivers, and drivers know that.
If you want to ride on roads, come to Iowa and ride on Ragbrai.  A lot 
of effort is made to make the roads safe for bike for that trip.



Ride safe




At 07:05 AM 6/9/2009, you wrote:

Repressed internal loathing and blatant jealousy that you have done 
what he
can't.  Just be glad he doesn't run over you on purpose.  He had 
great world
changing plans for the 15 seconds you held him up, and because of you 
his
dreams of fame and fortune will not come to fruition. The world may 
never

recover, and it is your fault.
That's only a guess, of course.
BillR

-----Original Message-----

From: mercedes-boun...@okiebenz.com 
[mailto:mercedes-boun...@okiebenz.com]

On Behalf Of ernest breakfield
Sent: Monday, June 08, 2009 11:39 PM
To: Mercedes Discussion List
Subject: Re: [MBZ] 3 ton Sprinter v. 18lb Trek -- I lose

hi Rich!

    first, glad to hear you're relatively OK; it could have been so much
worse.

    as a side note, why does it seem that when i'm bicycling, the
lectures on "how to rid" usually come from a fat guy in a Cadillac? does
anyone else seen the irony in that?   ;-)


cheers!
e


Rich Thomas wrote:
> Was out for my Sunday morning ride, a gorgeous cool morning here in
> the Low Country.  About 20 miles into it on one of our 2 narrow
> picturesque 2 lane roads when a goober in a Sprinter decides to
> educate me on "bicycle safety."  I ride about a foot or two from the
> right white line, plenty of room for cars to pass, a car behind might
> have to wait for an oncoming car (of which there are very few on
> Sunday morning, why I ride then).  Most people are pretty good about
> it, esp on a Sunday morning.
>
> So this guy gets right alongside me, like a foot away and rolls down
> his window and starts to yell at me about bicycle safety and "riding
> in the middle of the road and can't pass blah blah."  I must say I
> told him what he could do with himself and his lesson, in fairly
> specific terms.  Well, about that time here comes a car the other way
> (double yellow lines, he is across the center), he tries to speed up
> and pass (acceleration is not a forte of the Sprinter it seems) then
> pushes right to miss the oncoming vehicle, I try to push off the back
> fender so he won't hit me, I and go down pretty hard on the pavement.
> One skids a ways when you are cranking along about 20 or so, spandex
> is pretty slick.  I will spare you the details of the damage to my
> left side, suffice it say my pale white skin is several shades of red
> now, and will likely develop other colors of the rainbow over the next
> few hours.  Doc wifey took some piccies, will go see my doc manana.
>
> The guy did stop, I was a bit rung but still pretty mad after I
> managed to drag myself out of the road a bit.  A couple other cars
> stopped a few minutes later, a couple called the cops (one had just
> passed me the other way a few minutes before, she showed up pretty
> quick) and bambablance.  I called my wife, she showed up wicked pissed
> and went off on the goober too, who confabulated quite a story.  The
> deputy was not familiar with the new bicycle laws, so only wrote him a
> ticket for improper passing.  Since no one had witnessed it, she could
> not get him for assualt with a deadly weapon, to wit, a motor vehicle
> though she wished she could.  The EMTs let me go after a bit of a
> checkup, I knew who the president was and what day it was.
>
> Earlier I had another close call with an AT&T van, I stopped and noted
> the time and place, was thinking about giving them a ring, I am
> definitely on that tomorrow.  I did not see any other vans, so finding
> who that was should be pretty easy.  We have a new, fairly stringent
> bike law here in SC, the deputy was not aware of it but said I could
> go to the judge to get more charges on the guy.  Anyway, there is a
> lawyer who works with the local cycling coalition, gonna call him
> tomorrow and I'm gonna find myself a junkyard dog advertising on late
> night TV.  This goober is in for the sh**storm of his life.  I might
> even get me a nice Sprinter out of the deal!!!
>
> The bike seems to have pretty much survived, though I need to check it
> out and see if it is salvageable (those new Madones look very nice). I
> am pretty banged up and sore but still upright.
>
> Off to find some happy pills...
>
> --R
>
> _______________________________________
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Loren Faeth

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