[caseycasebeer]

As a recreational bike rider (Mary and I met through the bike club and always ride with the club - not solo) it has been my experience that the club rider's are Very safety conscious. I have never witnessed a rider going the wrong way in a traffic circle(!). That sounds like a great way to die!! Frankly, we are ALL aware that if it comes to a duel with a car ... we'll LOSE, so we tend to be Very defensive rider's.

We always ride single file and tend toward the right half of the travel lane (if you hug the extreme right side of the roadway you will encounter more gravel/drainage grates, crumbled pavement, and debris that can actually cause the rider to slip or fall). By the same token it has been my experience that if you don't remain in the right half of the roadway, passing vehicles are less inclined to move to the other lane, which makes passing a biker even more problematic.

Every "club ride" has a leader and a "sweep" (the last person in the bike line). The leader/sweep communicates with the other riders in the group. In the Sumter Landing Bike Club the leaders/sweeps actually have a training session before they're approved to lead groups. I think it's Great, and having folks that are trained helps a great deal to keep thing rolling along smoothly. Example: if the group of 4-10 riders is about to change lanes for an upcoming turn or traffic circle - it helps to have the sweep call: "Change lane," and everyone makes the move in tandem rather than willy-nilly and taking-up both lanes.

Club rides are even grouped according to rider abilities regarding distance and speed. (In my mind, I probably aspire to be one of the fast "A" rider's; but in my heart I know I will be forever relegated to the "C" group. Such is Life.)

I am not aware of club riders blowing-through a stop light; again, that sounds like a great way to have an accident. By the same token, at a stop sign (particularly in rural or remote area), I have been known to not come to an absolute FULL stop - but I will ALWAYS slow to a 'creep and look for traffic. Again, I don't want to be anyone's hood ornament! As a ride club rule, we don't call "Clear" (some clubs do...but not SLBC) at intersections. We rely on individual riders to look-for-themselves, and only cross the intersection or roadway when it's clear.

I realize that bike riding seems to be a source of concern (hate...amongst some) but bikes really CAN coexist harmoniously with other vehicles. If you have some questions, I urge you to come to a monthly club meeting (7PM, first Monday of each month at Eisenhower Rec Center). You will hear presentations/discussions on ride events, safety, volunteerism, safety, bike maintenance and upkeep, safety, "away" rides, safety, and guaranteed to meet some really nice folks. Ooh ... did I mention that we sometimes talk about safety and road courtesy issues??

Best,
Casey