12 Things You Should Know

12 Things You Should Know
About Bicycles, Safety and Crashes
From League of Illinois Bicyclists...


1. Bicycles are legal. Illinois law states bicycles are legal vehicles on the road.
Despite the law, some motorists insist that bicycles belong only on sidewalks or
should be restricted to paths. The problem: sidewalks and paths don’t go
everywhere bicyclists need to go. Bicyclists are more visible and safer, particularly
at intersections, if they ride in the road.

2. Helmets. Helmets should be worn by children and adults to prevent or reduce
injuries and save lives. Wearing a helmet, though, will not prevent a crash. In the
Netherlands, few cyclists wear helmets, yet the fatality rate is 1/5 of the U.S.
because Dutch motorists respect the rights of bicyclists.

3. Accident vs. crash. The word “accident” means the mishap was unavoidable,
and no one was to blame. Traffic safety experts say most crashes involving
motorists and bicyclists are avoidable and can be prevented through better training
and being alert. “Crash, collision or mishap” are more accurate than “accident.”

4. Typical crashes involving child bicyclists: Most are caused by the bicyclists,
such as riding out of a residential driveway, alley or side street without first
looking, failing to stop at stop signs or traffic lights and making left turns without
first looking over the shoulder for approaching traffic and signaling. With training,
these crashes can be prevented.

5. Typical crashes involving adult bicyclists: Most are caused by motorists, such
as failing to yield when making turns in front of bicyclists and failing to yield at
stop signs and traffic lights. The exception: bicyclists riding against the flow of
traffic. By sharing the road, observing traffic laws and being patient and courteous,
these crashes can be prevented by motorists and bicyclists.

6. Speed matters. Excessive speed by motorists is a leading cause of crashes and
a major factor in the seriousness of a motorist-bicyclist crash. The higher the
speed of the motor vehicle the greater likelihood a bicyclist will be killed.

7. Distractions. Distractions and drowsiness make drivers as crash-prone as
driving drunk. While drunk driving gets reported, other risky actions -- using a cell
phone, eating, doing make-up, using a hand-held computer or a music player -- are
rarely reported. A distraction of only three seconds can cause a collision.

8. “I didn’t see him.” It’s a common response by motorists after a crash and often means a
driver was not paying attention to the road and not alert to the presence of bicyclists. Claiming
not to see a bicyclist, pedestrian or another motorist is not a valid excuse to avoid being charged
with a traffic offense.

9. Getting hit from behind. Many bicyclists do not ride on roads because of their fear of
getting hit from behind by a car. This is a relatively uncommon crash, but it can occur especially
on rural roads with poor visibility and at night. For a bicyclist to be safe, a motorist should allow
at least three feet of space when passing, more if the car is traveling faster.

10. The bicyclists’ safety mantra: Bicyclists fare best when they act and are treated like other vehicles on the road. Bicyclists, just like motorists, have fewer crashes when they obey traffic laws and follow driving conventions -- observing the right-of-way, being in the proper lane and intersection positions, signaling and being predictable.

11 Bicyclists’ typical traffic violations: Bicyclists riding against the flow of traffic, failing to
stop at stop signs and traffic lights and impeding normal traffic by riding side-by-side or more
than two abreast. Riding more than two abreast is prohibited by law, except on paths or
roadways designated for exclusive bike use.

12. No justification for intimidation. Although bicyclists’ traffic violations disturb and even anger some motorists, they are usually not the major causes of crashes with motor vehicles. Nonetheless, motorists have no right to intimidate bicyclists for riding in the road, where they have a legal right to be. Everyone gets where they’re going safely when everyone shares the road and shows patience and courtesy.

(For more information on bicycling safety and other bicycling issues, visit our website at
www.bikelib.org or contact Dean Schott, outreach director, League of Illinois Bicyclists, 847-
291-1213, dean@bikelib.org)

Jaws!

Maybe it's a good thing I won't be surfing for a little while. An article about a shark attack that just happened landed in my inbox. Moss Landing is where I was surfing last weekend, just a few miles from Marina State Beach.

A Short Ride and Gardening

So does gardening count as an outdoor sport? Probably only if your over the age of 65. Anyways FGB (who from now on would like to be called Dirt Magnet Jr. or just Dirt Jr.) and I went for a 19.5 mile ride and averaged 15 miles per hour. The wind was pitching a steady 10 miles per hour from the straight south so of course we headed south and a bit East. A good ride with only one minor mishap, Dirt Jr. ran over a dead possom thankfully he missed the skunk.

The recent rains have kept us indoors and now that the sun is shining again we are relegated to catching up on yard work and gardening. I mowed our 2/3 acre of assorted weeds and pathetic grass with a push mower while Dirt Jr. used the neighbors riding mower to cut the neighbors 1 1/2 acre lot. With all of the habanero peppers and tomatoes that our garden has been producing we have been making and canning salsa like a home factory. We've canned about 15 quarts and 10 pints of salsa and pickeled 8 pints of peppers, not to mention the salsa that I have already consumed and there are more Peppers and Tomatoes on the bush/vine that are just about ready. We should have enough salsa to keep both Dirt Jr. and I gas powered for the next year. By the way 5 of the pints we canned were dubbed Stupid Hot Salsa as each had 10 peppers in them (a regular batch has 2).

Cracked Up

I took my waveski out again Saturday. After a little time settling into (or onto) it again, I started getting some good rides. I could feel my balance improving, sometimes to the point where I could actually concentrate on surfing! And my friend who's on the national surf kayak team said as much.

Unfortunately, my session came to an abrupt end. As I was riding along, I got pointed straight down the wave as it peaked up in shallow water. The result? The waveski plunged straight down and bounced nose-first into a sandbar before flipping end-over-end. When I rolled up, I noticed a crack straight across the front-top of the ski. Luckily it didn't snap in half, so it should be repairable, but in the meantime I'll have to be content in regular old kayaks.

A lot better than Nothing

I got to ride with the best today. It was just a quick run to the Bonner spur and back but it included some interals of sprints and I think my companion was holding back. I may try moving the seat to be more reclined. I was really weazing. Could it have been that I wanted to fall behind so I could see my smoking hot wife? I'll never tell. It was great to be out there with her.

Pop, walk, and great service

Mundelein'sFriday football against Buffalo Grove was rescheduled to Saturday afternoon so I agreed to help take tickets. Traffic would be heavy. I could not think of a reason not to ride. I left early and although my computer is not set right the timer works and I made it in less than 30 minutes. The game went fine (not that I could see it). Since I don't think I ever went to a game as a student you can guess that I coped with that OK.
I got very sunburned at a ticket table but all was well. I was pushing it to try for 30-40 minutes on the way home. Upon crossing Fairfield I missed the cutout for the ramp and hit the corner hard. A loud Bang and Hiss followed and my front tire was instantly flat. I called my awesome wife and started walking. I could have made it home walking but I wanted to get to the shop and get that rim looked at before they closed. At the forest preserve exit my rescue crew intersected my path and had already put the rack on...perfect. Upon arriving home I darted to the shop and as usual (especially when you show in full gear) Tim and Larry got me in right away, swapped my tube and most importantly, trued my rim.
I have never had such a quick flat. If you never have had that happen, and you probably have, you know it is very loud. Keep those wheels spinning and pointed toward the ground.

Maiden Voyage

The video pretty much captures the maiden voyage of the waveski... except for my best ride of the day which of course happened while my friend was putting the camera away.

Slipping and Sliding

It must be something about vacations and flat tires. I've been off all this week and we had scheduled another single track ride for Thursday. I went out to the garage and wouldn't you know it I had a flat tire. After searching high and low for my spare tube we finally gave up and decided to go and buy a new tube. Before we left for the bike shop I checked my tire fore thorns etc... I found a thorn and a tear in my tire, so a new tire was in order. Down to the bike shop we went I grabbed two tubes and a new Specialized Roller Pro. Back in the car FGB was examining the purchase when he exclaimed, "Dad you bought a tubless tire!" which of course requires a special rim. Back to the bike shop to make an exchange. When we arrived I found that there were no Roller Pros only the more expensive S-works tires. The manager was with me and said just take the S-works for the same price. Yea something went right!

Well the drive down to the J Edward Roush trail in Huntington was uneventful and as we passed the picturesque lake we were once again greeted with the excitement that accompanies a single track ride. Upon arrival the park was quiet with only one other vehicle in sight and it was a utility truck, probably on break. It had rained quite heavily the night before so we had called to make sure the trails were open. We headed out from the trail head and I could tell that this was going to be a slower ride. The trail was still a hard packed dirt trail but there was an eighth inch of slippery mud on top. It was like riding on oil. FGB and I struggled to make it up each climb and experienced a lot of fishtailing around many of the sharp turns. At one point my front tire dug in and and my back tire slid out... I started to jack knife thankfully the front tire realeased and I was slingshotted to the other side of the trail... still rolling.

The first ravine was a bit much for FGB with the fishtailing and sliding so he slowly worked his way down to it and then gently dropped in, but still he lost his traction and had to walk up the other side. One hair pin turn left my heart racing. There was an eight foot drop off to the right side and as I leaned into the turn I felt the back tire begin to slide. I thought I was going to pull a CK and go flying into a deep ditch but at the last moment my knobbies grabbed the trail and the bike righted itself. Both FGB and I had to walk it up the rootiest hill as there was virtually no traction on the wet roots and slippery mud face. This was the hardest work out we have had in a long time but it looks like Dirt Magnet has a Dirt Magnet jr following in his footsteps or should I say following in his single track. One negative note I could really sense the humidity as it weighed heavily on my body. I was dehydrating but I didn't feel like drinking. After a two hour ride I had barely dented my water pack and had only drank half a bottle of gatorade. The thick humidity was just brutal. All in all it was another great ride!

Trial Ride and 5 mile Walk in the Rain...

Well we were on vacation in the North Woods just outside of Minoqua WI in the small town of St. Germaine. I had brought the bikes for a nice ride and when my folks came to join us my dad would be able to ride with us. On Monday we rode about 6 miles of REALLY NICE trail while I Pulled Darth Jr on the Trailer bike. Grandpa was really tired by the 3 mile mark so we turned around and that made the trip just right. My parents left on Wednesday and the plan was for me to take a good portion of the day to ride the trails.

Thursday just after lunch I took the van to the trail head and hit the road. I was cruising along enjoying a sunny day and protection from the wind from the really large trees. I get to a super steep hill at about the 2 mile mark and go down and push up the very steep opposite side and make it rather easily. I push past the 3 mile mark of Monday and see an amazing site. Rolling hills and trials as far as my eyes can see. Mile mark 4 I cross the road and make my way up a hill... Thump, Thump, Thump... I look down and my back tire is flat. No big deal I came prepared. After getting everything undone, full of dirt and grim and back together I was excited to get up the really big hill and see what is ahead. The tire was inflated probably about 80% of what I normally like, but appeared to be in good order. The flat tire seemed to have a messed up valve. So after packing everything up I made my way up the large hills to see the path go on in the distance through the pines in what looked almost like a roller coaster track of perfectly paved trails. Since I had just replace the tire I felt it was best to make it back toward the van and turned around at the 6 miles mark. 12 miles would be a good ride with all the hills. I go down he first hill and begin to go up the next when I feel the tire give and slide funny under me. I get off the bike and look at the tire. FLAT! I attempt to pump it, but it will not keep the air for more then a few minutes. I make it to about the 7 mile mark (5 from the van) and realize I am not going anywhere on this. I look at it and it appears that the valve is broken as well. My guess is when I was using the frame pump I pushed or pulled too hard breaking the little head of the valve. The sun is still shining and there is a slight breeze so it looks like I am walking. I give a quick call to the wife to let her know I will be really late, but her cell phone is off being charged! Not that it matters the van is a long way from the cabin. As I walk at a nice 3 MPH pace the wind picks up and the distant sound of thunder begins to roar. Within minutes the storm front is on top of me and the rain comes pouring down. Not only did I get two flats it is raining on me as well. What else could go wrong? As I get to the steep hills about 2 miles from the van the tire will not stay on the rim. I pick up the bike and carry it up the hill to a wayside park and inflate the tube enough to keep it on the rim. I finally make it back to the van and get the bike loaded when I look down at my hiking shorts and see a 8 inch hole in the side. I wear hiking shorts over my bike shorts for storage and to avoid the bike shorts look.

Stats...

• 7 miles ride
• 5 mile walk in the rain
• 2 flat tires
• 1 ripped pair of hiking shorts
• 1 soaked pair of shoes
• dirt and grim everywhere
• Trip up North with trails rides...opportunity lost...

On the somewhat bright side I the way up to the cabin we stopped at the Hostel Shoppe in Steven's Point. This place is amazing. It is the largest bike store I have ever been in and they were right on a trail. The selection of Bikes, Accessories and of coarse RECUMBENT bikes was amazing. There must have been 50 different Bents in the shop and a TON of bikes in my size... XL!!! I rode the RANS Stratus XP. What an amazing ride. It was super smooth and despite the extreme length of 95.5" I was able to take the 90 degree turns of a normal sidewalk. I rode it around and was extremely excited, however that excitement began to fade when I realize I was about $2,000.00 short of purchasing one. I did have some nice discussions with a couple bike shoppe people about size, style and value of some bikes. I really like the ride of the Long Wheel Base Recumbent, but the stability of the Trikes are rather inviting. My only concern about the trikes was the width. While riding CK's trike I realized my thighs are rather wide and his narrow trike is not really that comfortable for me. We discussed this at the shop and they came up with a few other options that are in the same range, but have a wider profile. At this point the kids were getting a little restless and it was time to go. I may have to make a day trip up to the shop and spend some serious time testing bikes for size and feel.

Mchenry Dam Hot Ride

Handy and I rode from Darth's house to the red trail then to the Road leading toward the Prairie Path. We then turned around and skipped the yellow trail and could not go to the dam because the viaduct was flooded and did the red. We had a heat index of well over 100 degrees. My calfs are killing me and there is almost no way to stay hydrated enough so I begged off a second run of the Red trail. I wanted to but I was pushing and my legs just started shaking. I am done when that occurs I can push harder but it will not help. My muscles rebel. The 14-16 miles was probably enough in this heat. I Stopped to catch my breath twice but still averaged only 8.8. It was hard to breath in the thick humid air. Handy is a Clydesdale and could have kept going. I appreciate his patience in riding with me.

Number Ten

Toys! More toys! This new (used) waveski is the latest addition to my stable. Part surfboard, part kayak, tippy, fast, and ultra-responsive! We'll see how much salt water I can ingest when I get this thing out in the surf next weekend!

Red sauce and trail

I called up Handy who was at Darth's pooch sitting. We would head toward each other and then decide what to do. We met on Dayrl and decided to head back toward Morain Hills. We made it as far as Rosotti's and got some pizza and tomato bread while we waited out the rain that had been with us all day and was increasing. The tomato bread w/ cheese is preferred and will be the choice next time. I then made the executive decision that we would do the red trail. I had to be home by 5 and time was running but Darth said it took 45 minutes or less.

The run was kind of quick.

I averaged 10.5 for my whole trip. Handy much faster. I am very unfamiliar with each turn and twist. I had to use my breaks A LOT to avoid tipping and almost did anyway. With such a long chain I can't be under any load at all if the front derailer is to shift and it still prefers not to go to the granny from the middle. I only had to push my wheel with my hand because it wouldn't shift on one hill. It was dangerous, exciting, and fun.

Single Track Again

It was a Monday, a day like any other day. I left the small town for the Apple in decay. Oh wait that’s not what we did, but it was Monday and we did leave the small town of Auburn to head to the slightly bigger town of Huntington Indiana.

FGB’s MTB bike had been recently tuned up and he and I were itching to ride some single track again. I looked online and although Fort Wayne, which is closer, does have a few trails they were described as intermediate to advanced trails. FGB doesn’t have much experience on Single-Track and I wasn’t sure what advanced riding entailed I decided to take the hour and five minute drive to Huntington as the trail there was described as beginner to intermediate. The trail was also described as being fast, twelve miles long, and circling Lake Huntington. The whole thing is located in the J Edward Roush State Park.

We loaded up Gatorade, bananas, our water packs, bikes, shoes and other gear and headed out. AS we approached the state park we crossed a dam, which afforded us a good look at the lake we would be circling. It was a largish oblong lake. The two longer sides were bordered with trees while the two shorter side were bordered by fields and roads. The excitement to ride a new trail began to mount and soon we were pulling into the park.

In no time we had donned our riding gear and were ready to start out. The trailhead was clearly marked and only a mere 50 feet from the parking lot. The beginning of the trail wove through the trees and then out along the edge of a cornfield. The ground was packed hard and worn smooth so the trail was fast. After riding along the cornfield for a bit the trail turned back into the woods and picked up speed. The fact that we were picking up speed should have been a warning. As I rounded a bend I saw in front of me a rock filled ravine and about a two-foot drop, our first intermediate encounter. I have had some experience dropping into ravines and handled it with ease unfortunately it all happened so fast I had no time to warn FGB. From behind me I heard the cry of surprise and terror as FGB dropped the two feet into the ravine. I shouted, “You okay?” what I heard was the adrenaline-charged “yea that was cool.” FGB is definitely hooked on single track and biking in general.

There was another ravine that caught us off guard and neither of us made it up the other side, as we were traveling quite fast and had no time to shift. We were not in the proper gears for the steep tree-rooted climb. The rest of the trail twisted and turned through the woods occasionally following old fire roads and finally popping out on the damn we had crossed on the way in.

I think before we attempt one of the intermediate to advanced trails we will ride this trail a few more times. Next time we’re down at the J Edward Roush Trail we will take some pictures of the ravines. It may be a while before go again since FGB fell off a four-foot high truck bed onto the cement and bruised his elbow quite severely. I don’t thinks it’s broken but if it gets worse not better then it’s off to the E-room. He insists that he is fine I think mostly because we having a fishing trip planned for later today.