“Responsible Riding” has become a common topic of conversation with people that I regularly ride with. Some are receptive and some take it as personal criticism, but at the end of the day cyclists need to get on the same page to prevent more conflict. At fault are new cyclists as well as old cyclists, racers and recreational riders alike, all needing to reconsider how they operate a bicycle….

What is going to make all cyclists safer and raise mutual respect on the road is an awareness and mindfulness by riders for other road users(Yes, cars). It started for me with the basic act of waving to thank vehicles that yield to pass or give me space when passing. Something so simple as a wave AND moving to the right of the road before a car goes by shows: 1) You are aware that a car is approaching from behind you, 2) You acknowledge the driver with a positive and proactive gesture before they have passed 3)  You reinforce the notion that cyclists can be respectful of motorists and appreciate when motorists do the same. I do this daily on rides, even when commuting to work, and a vast majority of drivers wave back giving me plenty of room and certainly appreciating the fact that I am riding with their safety as well as mine as a priority. Anyone who is out for a ride while not paying attention to laws of the road and not constantly aware of the cars around them is putting themselves in danger as well as hurting the reputation of all cyclists. On any road and at any time, safety and courtesy need to be the top priority when stepping onto a bike.

Anyone involved with Steamboat Velo should recognize the importance of Responsible Riding because poor behavior or even one incident will ruin the reputation of everyone involved with the team. There has been a big jump in the number of new road riders in Routt county, so a part of the equation might be reaching those folks through the bike shops in town with some sort of “Responsible Riding” campaign in the paper, etc. It would be different than Share the Road by focusing specifically on how cyclists should operate their bikes and get people thinking about how dangerous riding can be if they are not paying attention.

To the skeptic cyclists who complain of aggressive drivers as the issue, it is fairly simple and equally important to have clear in your mind when someone is breaking the law with a vehicle, what your riding rights are and how you should respond/report them. Is someone honks from behind, don’t assume it is a sign of aggression because it might just be me giving you a heads up that I am passing. I have been riding in Routt County for near five years now and can count all of the serious encounters with motorists on one or maybe two hands.  The vast majority who pass me daily in their cars get along just fine, but part of it might be that I am making sure to respect their rights to the road as well as mine, which leads to a peaceful coexistence. If someone crosses the line with their car and threatens me, I know exactly how I am going to react and it is not with a middle finger, but with a cell phone camera and the Colorado state patrol aggressive drive line (*CSP).

Everyone should keep the conversation going and be part of the solution to make the roads of Routt County a safe and respectful place to operate a car and bike. What have your experiences been as a rider in Routt County? What steps would you like to see taken to make road safer and more enjoyable?

In the Stage 1 Mogollon Road Race, Bryce and Corey rolled out with 100 competitors in the category 1-2 race. The combined category field included a number of teams that had 6+ riders and brought aggressive race tactics. After 94 miles of racing and a 6 mile finishing climb, Corey would end up in 70th place and Bryce finished in 80th out of the 100 starters. What happened in between? Corey took a flyer with two other riders in an attempt to bridge up to a lead group of 10, riding off the front for 20 minutes(bad idea). Then after 30+mph cross winds sent the peleton single file into the gutter, a crash occured and Bryce ended up riding his Moots RSL through a rider’s Cervelo frame, snapping it in two, followed by a tuck and roll into a grassy patch. Picture 100 riders single file on the far right one inch of road doing everything possible to hold the draft in front of them while winds gust from the left.

Bikes ride in the back of the Short Bus.

Amy Charity spent the day racing with a field of 65 women, the majority of which were riding for professional teams. In fact Amy was one of very few riders in the pro-1-2 women’s race who did not have team mates (and a follow vehicle). Despite the highly organized teams that included internationally ranked female riders like Kristin Armstrong, Amy hung to the base of the finish climb and ended up in a very respectable 45th place.

The Women's pro field rolls out through downtown, can you spot Amy?

Stage 2 will be another long day of road racing with three major climbs and close to 5hrs in the saddle leaving plenty of opportunity to move up in the GC.

March 3 – Frostbite TT, Fort Collins

March 11 – CU Criterium at Stazio.  (Daylight Savings Time)

March 17 – School of Mines Lookout HC TT, Golden.  Last year in the USA Pro Challenge, the leading rider did the climb in 15:25. 

March 18 – DU Criterium.

March 24-25 – Colorado Mesa Univ Race Weekend – TT, Crit, RR, Grand Junction

March 31 – Louisville Criterium.  Super Fast and Super Fun! 

Stay tuned for more info on our season kick off party and member sign up!

-Corey

Amy Charity at 2011 Salida Crit

” The Salida Criterium was a figure 8, tight corner, fast course in downtown Salida.   The Pro 1, 2 and 3 women all raced together, so the field was large (30+ women).  It took about 30 minutes for me to feel comfortable riding with the pack around the tight corners.  I was finally able to settle into the race and move my way up from the back.  With 5 laps to go, I was closer to the front and hoping to pull off a respectable finish.  In the end a group of us sprinted for the final line and I was 6th in the bunch.

Partial results are on the ACA website: http://www.americancycling.org/results/road#year=2011

And you can view some great pics of the crit here: http://www.sportifimages.com/BikeRacing2011/Salida-Crit/SW-12/18326542_7C5jgR#1411141815_kNwJqjD

“I have checked the timing sheets from the summit. The automatic timing did not capture a time for you, however the judge on the line wrote 227 whereas the volunteer past the line wrote down 222; you were immediately following rider 207, who was recorded by the automatic timing, the judge, and the volunteer. There was no 227 registered in your category. Your net time is 2:23:24. 

Your category started at 9:40 AM, and you thus finished at 12:03 PM. Allowing for just over an hour to descend Mt. Evans, that would have put you back in Idaho Springs around 1:15 PM or so. The initial set of results for your category, which included 74 places, was posted at 1:35 PM. Unfortunately, it appears that you did not check results on-site as specified for the top 25 places. If you had, you would have notifed of us of your omission, and we would have been able to correct results prior to their download to the ACA website.

There were 96 finishers in your group so your top 25 finish is quite an achievement. I hope you enjoyed the race!”