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Date: 04 Jun 2007 13:18:50
From: marian.rosenberg@gmail.com
Subject: Close Encounters of the Four Wheeled Kind
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I'm currently living at 18 degrees north latitude in lovely tropical
Sanya. Less mountains than Wuzhishan more mountains than Haikou and
the beach two blocks away from my employer provided housing. I'll
skip the details as to how this happened (long, complicated,
bureaucratic, and stupid) just that I've been here for a tad over two
weeks.
There are seven other road bike riders in town:
Mr Liu is still a newbie at biking and even though he is uber
athlete for his age and social class he is still a newbie at biking.
Being as he's a he it is inevitable that if he keep up at being a
biker that he'll eventually be able to do fast better than I do fast
but last we rode together I was still better.
Mr Zhao could probably still beat me pedalling one legged if he felt
like it. Been a triathlete coming up on twenty years. Zhao and Liu
are both high level busy managerial types at expensive resorts and
don't have time for afternoon training rides that start from downtown.
Hei Gui climbs better than I do (that whole weighing 20kg more than
him thing) but I'm much faster on the flats.
Xiao Wu has had a road bike for under two months.
Ah Wei currently has an injured foot and was going slower than me on
climbs and flats six months ago.
Which leaves Xiao Cui. Personally I don't think he's been up
against Mr Zhao much but he's supposed to be the local best. At least
according to both repair shops anyways. I was so pleased the first
time I went riding with him. It was so very nice of him, what with
being male and all that, to ride alongside me the whole 35km out and
back. To ride with me instead of in front of me. To refrain from
dropping me until we got to doing stupid fast sprints in the last
5km. Really nice of him to ride girl speeds. Until the next day when
he politely asked me if I would mind riding a little slower today
cause he was feeling a bit stiff and sore. Oops.
Needless to say the training rides of the last two weeks have been
going somewhat slower than I would have liked. It's hard to get your
heart rate really pumping when you haven't got anyone to chase.
Frank Ji Yang, my wonderboy from the town in the mountains, was
visiting Sanya this past weekend. He and a classmate of his were
doing a challenge ride. It was a challenge for both of them. For the
one boy it was a challenge because 85 kilometers in one day is really
long and really hard. For the other boy it was a challenge because he
not only had to ride at an achingly slow pace for 85 kilometers he
also had to refrain from making snarky comments to his friend.
(While some uphill was involved they started at 1500 meters above sea
level and finished at the beach.)
In the not so distant past when he had no road bike, no gloves, no
bike shorts, no jersey, no odometer, and no clue he used to ride to
Sanya in the morning, go swimming in the ocean for an hour, eat lunch,
and bike back in time for dinner. On an entry level mountain bike
with wide buzzy tires.
While his classmate was continuing to sleep off the acquired fatigue
and muscle strain of Saturday's challenge he met me to go biking and I
took him along to meet Xiao Cui and Ah Wei who were going to have an
afternoon ride anyways. First decent fast fast ride I've gotten in in
over a month. I not only got dropped more than once I was actually
tired at the end of it. Fun for Frank too since no one in his town
comes anywhere near him (few people in the province do) and training
rides up and down the nearest big mountain have happened enough in the
past month that he's beginning to feel he could do it with his eyes
closed.
Being as it was a Sunday we met earlier than usual and did the usual
course plus a bit. In this case the 'a bit' they we added on was
heading into the mountains for around ten kilometers. Cui and I went
up the first real climb while Frank stayed at the bottom talking with
Ah Wei. Personally twenty one minutes up, four minutes down, and I
prefer not to think about what my average speed must have been.
We're riding pretty fast (probably around 30kph) on a deceptive not
flat when a cow started to cross the road. There was lots of time to
be aware of the situation. Frank swerves right and I swerve left
crossing the dashed yellow line. It never even occurs to me to look
behind me because I'm going significantly across the yellow line and
my sense of hearing (no music, no earbuds) betrays no sound of
anything else over the wind. Besides which, turning around for even a
quick shoulder glance could result in painful crashiness because cows
aren't exactly the most predictable of beasts.
I swear the clearance between me and the mirror of the sedan that
passed me was about the same as the clearance between the sedan and
the meter deep cement drainage ditch on that side of the road. It was
so nice of them to wait until they had already started the passing
maneuver (of a vehicle that was in the middle of a passing maneuver)
and were already abreast of me to start honking. Since the cow chose
this time to come to a complete stop in the middle of the road and was
still in front of me it is not as if there would have been anywhere
for me to go.
By all rights their left front wheel should have gone into the
ditch, the car should have then scraped along the pavement, the then
fishtailing rear end should have hit me and the cow, my new race bike
should be wrecked, and a number of people including yours truly ought
to be on the wrong end of the emergency medical care system.
But it didn't happen that way. They squeezed by me with the most
minimal of clearance (felt like inches) and probably never even
noticed that I was a bike riding foreigner in a group with three other
cyclists, two of whom were also doing the spandex warrior thang. I
was merely an on road obstruction that was going slower than they. So
if you think drivers in the US or England or wherever you may be are
appalling and impatient do consider the amazing amount of on road
carnage in a country where far more than half of the drivers have been
licensed for under ten years, probably cheated to pass their license
exam in the first place, and drive like it's always a race.
-M
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Date: 05 Jun 2007 04:59:47
From: marian.rosenberg@gmail.com
Subject: Re: Close Encounters of the Four Wheeled Kind
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On Jun 5, 9:37 am, "Roger Zoul" <rogerzo...@hotmail.com > wrote:
> marian.rosenb...@gmail.com wrote:
>
> ::
> :: How often do you look behind you on mostly empty rural roads?
>
> Those are the type of roads I ride! Of course, that's how I describe them
> but that doesn't mean we both mean the same thing using that term.
How many minutes between one car and the next?
That close in to the city it was running about one vehicle every three
or four minutes including motorcycles, motortrikes, farm equipment,
large cargo trucks, busses, military transports, and cars. This
includes traffic coming from behind and traffic coming at us.
Farther out from the city and depending on the time of daylight it can
be up to ten minutes between vehicles though, if the road is paved,
five minutes is more likely.
The motorcycles share the lane.
The motortrikes share the lane.
The farm equipment rarely passes anything.
The large cargo trucks and the busses honk loudly early and often at
anything on the road or anything looking like it might be thinking
about being on the road in the near future, including chickens.
The military transports tend to have good drivers. So do the WuJing
(armed military police).
The cars are the only unpredictable factor.
> :: I check frequently in situations where I expect vehicles to have a
> :: chance of being behind me. I check more frequently if I'm wearing
> :: earbuds. If the majority of the dozen or so passing vehicles in the
> :: last thirty minutes were busses (with professional drivers who start
> :: honking with plenty of time to spare) and farm trucks (which are not
> :: only noisy but smelly too) one begins to get rather complacent about
> :: shoulder checks.
>
> I guess. Perhaps I'm not a racer so I just approach riding differently. I
> rarely make any aggressive movements when riding...I would have slowed for
> the cow before moving to the left, for example.
I know I didn't speed up and didn't sprint but I can't say for certain
that I did or did not brake before moving to the left.
:
> :: Yes, shoulder checks before merging left should be more ingrained.
> :: And I probably ought to consider using a mirror at least some of the
> :: time. But I didn't have any reason to expect him to be there and
> :: even if I had expected him to be there wouldn't have thought he'd've
> :: tried to squeeze pass me while I was passing the cow.
> :: Notwithstanding the fact that squeezing past me worked I still
> :: wouldn't have thought someone would do it.
>
> I guess I don't see it that way...since you share the road with faster
> vehicles...it's not infrequent that you have cars passing you on the left.
> And perhaps he starting his pass before or just about at the same time you
> started your shift to the left. I must admit that it seemed really deadly
> for him to keep trying to move passed you with so little room. The dirver
> probably overestimated his/her abilities.
Since the driver in question successfully completed the pass without
anyone being injured (just scared) I'd say that he will view it as
confirmation of his skills rather than overestimation. That is, if
the incident even registered. It might not have.
And it is infrequent for a vehicle of any kind to pass me while I'm in
the middle of a passing maneuver, especially one that has required me
to cross over the dashed yellow line.
-M
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Date: 05 Jun 2007 01:20:57
From: marian.rosenberg@gmail.com
Subject: Re: Close Encounters of the Four Wheeled Kind
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On Jun 5, 3:18 am, "Roger Zoul" <rogerzo...@hotmail.com > wrote:
> marian.rosenb...@gmail.com wrote:
>
> As always, nice story. Glad you didn't get creamed, too.
>
> ...snip...
>
> :: We're riding pretty fast (probably around 30kph) on a deceptive not
> :: flat when a cow started to cross the road. There was lots of time to
> :: be aware of the situation. Frank swerves right and I swerve left
> :: crossing the dashed yellow line. It never even occurs to me to look
> :: behind me because I'm going significantly across the yellow line and
> :: my sense of hearing (no music, no earbuds) betrays no sound of
> :: anything else over the wind. Besides which, turning around for even
> :: a quick shoulder glance could result in painful crashiness because
> :: cows aren't exactly the most predictable of beasts.
>
> I do get the wind noise thing...but I don't get the "why don't you check
> your six" frequently so you can afford to sweep left/right when needed - or
> not? You had time, right? Is this not instinctive for you racer types?
How often do you look behind you on mostly empty rural roads?
I check frequently in situations where I expect vehicles to have a
chance of being behind me. I check more frequently if I'm wearing
earbuds. If the majority of the dozen or so passing vehicles in the
last thirty minutes were busses (with professional drivers who start
honking with plenty of time to spare) and farm trucks (which are not
only noisy but smelly too) one begins to get rather complacent about
shoulder checks.
Yes, shoulder checks before merging left should be more ingrained.
And I probably ought to consider using a mirror at least some of the
time. But I didn't have any reason to expect him to be there and even
if I had expected him to be there wouldn't have thought he'd've tried
to squeeze pass me while I was passing the cow. Notwithstanding the
fact that squeezing past me worked I still wouldn't have thought
someone would do it.
-M
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Date: 04 Jun 2007 21:37:38
From: Roger Zoul
Subject: Re: Close Encounters of the Four Wheeled Kind
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marian.rosenberg@gmail.com wrote:
::
:: How often do you look behind you on mostly empty rural roads?
Those are the type of roads I ride! Of course, that's how I describe them
but that doesn't mean we both mean the same thing using that term.
::
:: I check frequently in situations where I expect vehicles to have a
:: chance of being behind me. I check more frequently if I'm wearing
:: earbuds. If the majority of the dozen or so passing vehicles in the
:: last thirty minutes were busses (with professional drivers who start
:: honking with plenty of time to spare) and farm trucks (which are not
:: only noisy but smelly too) one begins to get rather complacent about
:: shoulder checks.
I guess. Perhaps I'm not a racer so I just approach riding differently. I
rarely make any aggressive movements when riding...I would have slowed for
the cow before moving to the left, for example.
::
:: Yes, shoulder checks before merging left should be more ingrained.
:: And I probably ought to consider using a mirror at least some of the
:: time. But I didn't have any reason to expect him to be there and
:: even if I had expected him to be there wouldn't have thought he'd've
:: tried to squeeze pass me while I was passing the cow.
:: Notwithstanding the fact that squeezing past me worked I still
:: wouldn't have thought someone would do it.
I guess I don't see it that way...since you share the road with faster
vehicles...it's not infrequent that you have cars passing you on the left.
And perhaps he starting his pass before or just about at the same time you
started your shift to the left. I must admit that it seemed really deadly
for him to keep trying to move passed you with so little room. The dirver
probably overestimated his/her abilities.
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Date: 04 Jun 2007 15:18:34
From: Roger Zoul
Subject: Re: Close Encounters of the Four Wheeled Kind
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marian.rosenberg@gmail.com wrote:
As always, nice story. Glad you didn't get creamed, too.
...snip...
:: We're riding pretty fast (probably around 30kph) on a deceptive not
:: flat when a cow started to cross the road. There was lots of time to
:: be aware of the situation. Frank swerves right and I swerve left
:: crossing the dashed yellow line. It never even occurs to me to look
:: behind me because I'm going significantly across the yellow line and
:: my sense of hearing (no music, no earbuds) betrays no sound of
:: anything else over the wind. Besides which, turning around for even
:: a quick shoulder glance could result in painful crashiness because
:: cows aren't exactly the most predictable of beasts.
::
I do get the wind noise thing...but I don't get the "why don't you check
your six" frequently so you can afford to sweep left/right when needed - or
not? You had time, right? Is this not instinctive for you racer types?
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Date: 04 Jun 2007 11:03:29
From: Lynne Fitz
Subject: Re: Close Encounters of the Four Wheeled Kind
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On Jun 4, 10:58 am, "Leo Lichtman" <l.licht...@worldnet.att.net >
wrote:
> "amakyonin" wrote: I think the lesson is to get a mirror so you can check
>
> your six quickly (clip)
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> I am intrigued by "check your six," which is new to me. Only association I
> can make is the 6 o'clock position on the clock dial. Is that a good
> guess--please fill me in.
:-) Watch Stargate SG-1 more often. Or 12 O'Clock High, if you can
find it on late-night reruns. I think it is a military positioning
term, with 12 being in front of you, 3 being your right, 9 being your
left and 6 directly behind you.
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Date: 04 Jun 2007 10:02:58
From: amakyonin
Subject: Re: Close Encounters of the Four Wheeled Kind
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On Jun 4, 9:18 am, "marian.rosenb...@gmail.com"
<marian.rosenb...@gmail.com > wrote:
> anything else over the wind. Besides which, turning around for even a
> quick shoulder glance could result in painful crashiness because cows
> aren't exactly the most predictable of beasts.
I think the lesson is to get a mirror so you can check your six
quickly without losing track of what's going on in front of you. The
whole bizarre situation with the cow in the road and the passing car
was most likely pre-ordained to teach you this.
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Date: 04 Jun 2007 15:13:19
From: Roger Zoul
Subject: Re: Close Encounters of the Four Wheeled Kind
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amakyonin wrote:
:: On Jun 4, 9:18 am, "marian.rosenb...@gmail.com"
:: <marian.rosenb...@gmail.com > wrote:
::: anything else over the wind. Besides which, turning around for
::: even a quick shoulder glance could result in painful crashiness
::: because cows aren't exactly the most predictable of beasts.
::
:: I think the lesson is to get a mirror so you can check your six
:: quickly without losing track of what's going on in front of you. The
:: whole bizarre situation with the cow in the road and the passing car
:: was most likely pre-ordained to teach you this.
I don't think the racing types believe in mirrors like us "lesuire" cyclists
do.
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Date: 04 Jun 2007 17:58:33
From: Leo Lichtman
Subject: Re: Close Encounters of the Four Wheeled Kind
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"amakyonin" wrote: I think the lesson is to get a mirror so you can check
your six quickly (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I am intrigued by "check your six," which is new to me. Only association I
can make is the 6 o'clock position on the clock dial. Is that a good
guess--please fill me in.
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Date: 05 Jun 2007 01:04:40
From: Stephen Harding
Subject: Re: Close Encounters of the Four Wheeled Kind
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Leo Lichtman wrote:
> "amakyonin" wrote: I think the lesson is to get a mirror so you can check
> your six quickly (clip)
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> I am intrigued by "check your six," which is new to me. Only association I
> can make is the 6 o'clock position on the clock dial. Is that a good
> guess--please fill me in.
"Fighter pilot" talk.
"Check six" means watch what's coming up astern ("6 o'clock"
position, as opposed to the more famous, "12 o'clock high"
position).
If you don't you might end up watching tracers of 20mm canon
or worse flying by or into you.
On a bike of course, you don't worry about 20 mm canon fire
too much, but that knucklehead in the motor vehicle may be
just as dangerous.
SMH
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Date: 04 Jun 2007 15:12:18
From: Roger Zoul
Subject: Re: Close Encounters of the Four Wheeled Kind
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Leo Lichtman wrote:
:: "amakyonin" wrote: I think the lesson is to get a mirror so you
:: can check your six quickly (clip)
:: ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
:: I am intrigued by "check your six," which is new to me. Only
:: association I can make is the 6 o'clock position on the clock dial.
:: Is that a good guess--please fill me in.
Where in the world you do live, Leo?
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