New Year's Plea for cyclists

Hey folks,  I have not died nor have I have I given up riding the ole bike. Just had a few setbacks - torn rotator cuff and broken ankle last May and surgery to fix it. Rotator cuff surgery this month, 4 month recovery and hopefully back to full time cycling. But I have squeezed in some riding since the broken ankle.

So why crank up the old blog now - well when I am out biking by myself, I get a chance to think about lots of things. Mostly biking things. Mostly safety issues when biking.  My motto - MAKE YOURSELF SEEN ON THE ROAD, RIDE DEFENSIVELY

So here goes my whining for the New year.........

1. ya just might be an unseen cyclist if you go out in an all black outfit, no one can see you, moron! get some day glo yellow or green, dress like a bumblebee

2. ya just might be an unseen cyclist if you have no light on your bike, get a good light, not some cheap blinkie light - use it day and night, I highly recommend the Dinotte 300R





3. ya might be an unsafe cyclist if you do stuff on your bike that you would not do in your car  such as riding up alongside waiting cars at a red light, stay in LINE, be like a car, take your place in line

4. ya might be an unsafe cyclist if you ride in large groups and make yourself one big pain in the neck on road, ever try passing a line of 15 riders on a back road in your car, come on man, split the group or pullover if you have a parade behind you

5. ya might be an obnoxious cyclist if you pass a rider and do not announce yourself,  now many of you guilty folks in this regard have never been passed, so you have zero idea how it feels

6. ya might be an unsafe cyclist if you ride in groups and forget to avoid riding down the center of the road, stay alert and stay safe

so my advice, stay safe, make sure the cars see you and know what you are doing and where you are going, use hand signals, get lights, get bright clothes so STAY ALIVE and bike courteously, share the road means just that - share the road, it goes both ways

Group riding and riding 2-3 abreast

Biker Chicks are moving to promote single file biking at all times when on a two lane road with heavy traffic which happens to be many roads in Chester County. Biker Chicks are cracking down on riding near the center yellow line.

Now we all have ridden 2-3 abreast and have been talking and not paying attention. But I think at this time with all the hostility of car drivers towards cyclists, our lives are at stake.

We must ride on the side of the road, when there is no shoulder, it is suggested that we ride about 2 feet from the white side line. This gives the cyclist some wiggle room if buzzed. If there is a wide shoulder, we should ride near the white line.

I also highly recommend the rear view mirror on your helmet or glasses so you can watch what is coming from behind. Many guys think this is whimpy but I would rather be alive and whimpy than dead and not whimpy.

So when out with the Chicks, I will be serious about single file riding, and using common sense. When we bike through a housing development, single file is not necessary but most of our rides are on busy roads. When I yell single file, move over immediately. Hey wait, I should not have to yell out single file cuz Chicks will always be riding single file. Roads where single file riding is required are rt 842, rt 82, rt 162, rt 100 and Sconneltown Road. There are no exceptions on these roads

how not to get the universal finger salute when biking

We all get harassed from time to time when riding on the roads in Chester County. But there are things we can do to avoid this problem. One simple thing to do is to bike just like you are driving your car. Think like a car driver and act like a good car driver.

1. When riding in groups, DO NOT stop and gather at intersections, stop earlier or find a spot that will accommodate several bike riders.

2. Stay single file on busy roads and if riding 2 abreast, move over quickly.

3. Obey all stop lights, I try to stop just like I was a car and I do not move way up front. I proceed in the same fashion as if I was a car. I do not like to see bikers squeezing up along the curb to get to the front of the line. Wait your turn.

4. NEVER talk on the cell phone and this includes the Schuylkill River Trail. Stop and talk off the trail or road.




5. If riding in a group and crossing busy intersections, do not just go along like a lemming, make sure you check both ways before simply following the crowd.

STAY alert at all times, suggest that you consider getting the rear view mirror on your eyeglasses or helmet to help you see approaching cars.

lessons learned, what to do if you get hit by a car

(not my son's bike)

We had a lady from the WhiteClay Bike club involved in a hit and run. Not sure if she filed a police report or not, will have to ask her next time I see her. She was knocked unconscious and had to be taken to the hospital.

Also, my son was recenty hit in Florida. He was fine, bike was damaged. As soon as he was hit, he immediately dialed 911 and got the policemen to come and filed a police report. He got insurance information and contact information from the hitter while the cops were there.

Long story short, he just got a check from the insurance company in less than a week to cover ALL the bike repairs and a visit to a doctor to be checked.

SO it pays to file a police report. Not sure if this helped to facilitate the quick insurance response or not. My son got estimates for the bike repair quickly and had all the information ready when the insurance company called him.

GET riding, get informed

Come on out Ladies, if you want to get better you MUST ride. Ride up for tomorrow morning and a NEWBIE ride for Sunday morning.

All rides take off from Hot Foot Cycles unless otherwise stated on the blog. Rides are posted on the blog and on the West Chester Cycling Ride page. Rides posted on the calendar in the right column of blog. Also, click on the icon in the right column for Rides for the Week of.

Please learn to use the WCCC ride page and this blog for ride updates. Last minute changes will be posted to Twitter. YOU can check Twitter updates on this blog as well at upper right corner of blog.

riding in a bike group with Chicks

Biker Chicks tends to attract riders of many levels. This makes the ride tough for those who want to go fast and it is tough for those who need to go slow.

Changes I am making to Saturday rides ONLY which are posted to the entire club:

1. If group is larger than 8 riders, we will split up according to riding skills.

2. Everyone must bring a cue and be prepared to lead a group. If I know you are a fast rider, I will be asking you to lead a group.

3. Get a cue sheet holder and HAVE IT ON YOUR BIKE with the cue in it.

4. Before the ride, take time to look at cue. DO NOT COME to a ride unprepared as to where we are biking. I have had chicks come and say where are we going? This is frustrating for me as I have put in a lot of time preparing for the ride and hope that you do too.

5. Chicks and guys who come flying into the ride last minute with no cue ARE on their own. You will make your own group.

6. I will not give oral turn by turn directions anymore unless I decide to make a change in the cue for some reason, traffic, weather etc.

7. If you want to bike with the Chicks on Saturday morning, you MUST get out during the week and do some rides. Once a week riding will not be enough for you to keep up through the season. We do ride on hills, it is impossible not to.


I get out myself at least 2x during the week. Check out the map on the post below for the Malvern ride. I do this ride and feel very safe on it. Much of the ride is on back roads and in housing developments. A few miles are on busy roads.

I have this ride up for Thursday evening of this week, 5:30, it is 20 miles and we must go a decent pace to finish before dark. Come and try it. If you have been riding during the week, this ride should be fine for you. At 11 mph, it takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes. That is about as slow as we can go and still get home in time.