From: dick@ncs.com
Subject: Re: Idiot bicycle races on non-closed courses (was Re: ignore - test)
Organization: National Computer Systems, Inc.
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 17:08:04 GMT

In article <zebee.719101198@sirius.ucs.adelaide.edu.au> zebee@sirius.ucs.adelaide.edu.au (Zebee Johnstone) writes:
>randy@megatek.com (Randy Davis) writes:
>
>
>I've been a motorcycle marshal for bike races, and it is almost impossible
>to keep the silly buggers on the correct side of the road.
>

I've raced bicycles for several years , and I have seen several races
where cyclists spread out into the oncoming lane of traffic.  This is 
of course very dangerous, illegal, and against USCF rules.  I think
it is up to USCF officials to crack down on this sort of behavior.  

I was in a cat 3 race this spring, where the leader tried to "gutter"
the field by riding on the yellow line.  The entire pack except for a
couple of riders ended up violating the yellow line rule.  At the finish,
the officials threatened to nullify the entire race,  but never did.  I
think they should have.  It would have prevented future occurances.

On the other hand,  I do think that cyclists do have the "right" (I hate
to use this word, because it is over-used and mis-used) to take
up the entire lane in the direction they are going.  This right is 
granted by the permission from appropriate authorities to use the 
roads for the bike race.  If such permission was not obtained, then
the race was not properly conducted.  Upon issuing permission, it is
up to the authorities to judge that this is an appropriate road and
time of day to use the road for such a purpose.






Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles,rec.bicycles
Subject: Re: Idiot bicycle races on non-closed courses (was Re: ignore - test)
Organization: National Computer Systems, Inc.

In article <zebee.719101198@sirius.ucs.adelaide.edu.au> zebee@sirius.ucs.adelaide.edu.au (Zebee Johnstone) writes:
>randy@megatek.com (Randy Davis) writes:
>
>
>I've been a motorcycle marshal for bike races, and it is almost impossible
>to keep the silly buggers on the correct side of the road.
>

I've raced bicycles for several years , and I have seen several races
where cyclists spread out into the oncoming lane of traffic.  This is 
of course very dangerous, illegal, and against USCF rules.  I think
it is up to USCF officials to crack down on this sort of behavior.  

I was in a cat 3 race this spring, where the leader tried to "gutter"
the field by riding on the yellow line.  The entire pack except for a
couple of riders ended up violating the yellow line rule.  At the finish,
the officials threatened to nullify the entire race,  but never did.  I
think they should have.  It would have prevented future occurances.

On the other hand,  I do think that cyclists do have the "right" (I 
hate to use this word, because it is over-used and mis-used) to take
up the entire lane in the direction they are going.  This "right" is 
granted by the permission from appropriate authorities to use the 
roads for the bike race.  If such permission was not obtained, then
the race was not properly conducted.  Upon issuing permission, it is
up to the authorities to judge that this is an appropriate road and
time of day to use the road for such a purpose.

The fact is, you can't have a bicycle road race without using a road.
It's also the fact that it's almost impossible to totally close a road
to traffic for a bike race.




-- 

Dick Anderson
Minneapolis