Quote:
Originally Posted by biker1
You need to "own the lane" in order to avoid being squeezed by cars. That is part of cycling 101. I ride BV and Morse regularly and don't have issues. The one time I rode the MMPs I had concerns. Again, the majority of serious cyclists prefer the roads for safety reasons and the quality of the ride. I am sure you like your motorized bike but the majority of serious cyclists are their own engines, are clipped in to their pedals, and having to stop and unclip at every Village entrance is not something most people want to do. You are comparing apples to oranges.
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I fully respect your opinion, and agree that most of the bikers you describe prefer the road. I can see a group of road cyclists, grouped across the lane...claiming the lane...feeling pretty safe on roads like in The Villages. I've been part of such a group. That being said...
I personally might try to think of another word other than "serious" to describe this group of cyclists though. I still consider myself a serious cyclist in the sense that I do it very regularly and do it for exercise, not just casually taking a joy ride. One big difference is that I now most often do it alone and on a hybrid bicycle...on the MMPs.
I would never feel safe on a road like Buena Vista or Morse riding alone, no matter what kind of bike I rode or how fast I traveled or how much I claimed the lane. To me, trying to claim the lane as a lone cyclists is just ticking off lots of automobile drivers. Of course almost all will avoid hitting you. But it only takes one at those kinds of speeds to cause a serious...life-threatening...problem.
Just to present the other perspective, when I ride the MMP, I take certain precautions that are very routine and do not effect the enjoyment or training aspect of my ride...
On typical full width section of path, I keep a good speed. Carts approaching from the rear who need to pass me are not uncommon, but not that frequent either. With no opposing traffic, I simply stay to the right and feel no threat as the cart passes. I may even slow just a bit to make the pass quicker. If there is approaching traffic, I make sure I have a section of grass to ride on for a short period if necessary. It rarely is. My hybrid handles the grass just fine.
As I approach a divided, narrower section of path, I check if any carts are approaching from the rear. If so, and I judge that I cannot make it through the divided section before they catch me (option 1), I slow as needed and ride on the grass a bit, making it very clear to the approaching cart it is clear to pass before the divide (option 2).
And after a couple years of riding, I have yet to have a situation where I couldn't easily adjust my ride to have a brief grass "enable-an-easy-pass" section as needed.
For tunnels and other similar situations, simple common sense precautions are of course necessary. But I've never seen these as problems. The change of grade, gear change requirements, etc. just add a bit of variety to the ride.
Well, there's my two cents. As a lone rider, I would never feel as safe on the road as I do on the MMPs...with or without striping of any kind.
(I realize now that this is a bit off-the-op topic. Please accept my apology and take the content of this post FWIW.
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