Be wary, there is a disturbance in the Force

I'm a cyclist. And not just any cyclist, I'm a roadie. What I do is dangerous. I know the risks of riding and I accept them every single time I swing my leg over the bike and clip in. There are potholes, gravel slicks, gutters filled with sand and glass... there are automobile drivers who aren't looking for someone on two wheels. Like most cyclists who've ridden for years, I've had my share of close calls.

I've swerved through snow, lost control going through sand, been buzzed by horn-honking teenagers, and nearly shoved into raised curbs by SUVs. But, I've never really worried about being attacked, mugged, or otherwise harmed intentionally. Perhaps I should re-think that after what happened to a young bike shop employee a few days ago. Woman Knocked Off Bike, Assaulted On Greenway

It isn't enough that we have to worry about all of the above, but we've got to worry about jerks who want to jack our stuff and hurt us, too?! So, for all of us who commute on two wheels, here are the things I do to keep myself as safe as possible:

Ride with presence. To ride in an urban setting, on the roads and on the trail, you have to have confidence. I don't mean ride stupid, but ride like you own the road, like you belong. Others will sense that confidence, even through a car's windscreen.
Be aware of your surroundings. I ride with lights in the mornings and evenings. I keep my head on a swivel at all times when I ride in or near traffic. Stay away from the iPod if you're riding in the city. If you know what's going on around you, you are better prepared to act.
Safety in light and numbers. As much as possible, ride while it's light out and ride with other people. The old saying is true, there really is safety in numbers.
Consider hornet spray. Mace isn't legal to carry in Minnesota, but hornet spray is. And man, is that stuff nasty to get sprayed in the face with.

Until next time, ride long and keep the rubber-side down.

Money Can't Buy Love

But I guess it can buy you out of trouble.
Driver sentenced after controversial plea deal in Vail hit-and-run

I wonder if he'll be able to pay someone to do his community service and probation for him, too?

I was so hoping for a better result.

What makes me justifiably angry about this case is the fact that the defendant was handled with such kid gloves by the prosecutor. A prosecutor that has a reputation for aggressively prosecuting defendants for incidents that, according to common sense, are a lot less serious. Throw a snowball at someone at Copperhead? Prosecute. Fudge a race entry to Leadville? Prosecute. Nearly kill a cyclist with your Mercedes and you've got a s**t-ton of money? Plead him out. Read The Explainer article in the link below, it'll give you a good perspective on the whole case and the circumstances surrounding it.

This double-standard isn't supposed to exist in our justice system. I know that it does, and our courts would collapse under the sheer number of cases without plea bargains; but the prosecutor was very wrong not to take this case to trial. A trial, win or lose, would have brought attention to the issues of safe driving and how vulnerable cyclists really are out there. No matter how many cyclists ride on the roads, as is our right, a car will still outweigh a cyclist, both literally and otherwise.

Wow, don't I sound cynical.

More on this case:
The Explainer: Thoughts on Erzinger and why I won't boycott Vail
Friday's Foaming Rant: Restitution or retribution?
District attorney seeks to bar Vail victim's testimony in plea hearing

Until next time, ride long and keep the rubber-side down.

Shouldered

I've crashed my bike a couple times out of the thousands of miles I've ridden. Pretty good odds, I'd say. And I got off fairly light injury-wise: Painful road-rash and multi-colored bruises. However, both times I messed up my shoulder something nasty.
VN.com: Shoulder Separations Explained
I think I had a Type I separation that first crash. Ugh, it took forever for that to heal.

When you crash, don't hesitate to go see your doctor if something isn't working the way it should. Better to go get it checked and find out it's nothing than to wait and make it worse by omission.

Until next time, ride long and keep the rubber-side down.

Fanning the Flames

More reaction from the cycling community, et cetera about the Erzinger case in Vail, Colorado. Yummy!
Vail Daily: Hurlbert stands by plea bargain
Vail Daily: DA explains controversial plea bargain
Good. I hope he gets thousands more e-mails asking him where he put his brain when he made that [now] infamous comment; especially if it doesn't reflect the "real" reason he offered the plea deal. Last time I checked, it was the prosecutor's job to represent the interests of the law and the victim of the crime, not the fact that the defendant "could write a check and his case would be dismissed".

Vail Daily, Editorial: Judge should reject plea bargain
The Explainer: Is having a Mercedes an affirmative defense?
"In what has to be the most boneheaded public comment made by a prosecutor in recent history, Hurlbert noted that 'felony convictions have some pretty serious job implications for someone in Mr. Erzinger’s profession, and that entered into' his decision."

Read this whole write-up; take note of what happened a woman gave her Leadville 100 race entry to a friend and that friend was entered in the wrong age group. *wince* I'm not sure this prosecutor has his head screwed on correctly. Fudging a bike race entry, getting caught, returning the award, etc. is more serious than a hit-and-run offense? Okay, that's f***ed up.

Until next time, ride long and keep the rubber-side down.

Un-Flipping-Believeable.

UPDATE 11:42pm
This thing has gone viral. Check out the Huffington Post article, note the explanation within bottom two paragraphs. If the DA's goal was to limit potential impact to this guy's job, he mis-calculated; it's blown up in his face.

This makes me sick.
Vail Daily News: Alleged hit-and-run driver may not face felony
Summit Daily News: DA Hurlbert won't press felony charges...

Responses
New York Times: Cyclists Fault Prosecutor's Decision
BikePortland.org: Another black-eye for bikes in Colorado
BikeSnobNYC: Wheelsucking...

Wait, because this guy manages million-dollar accounts and being charged with a felony "could jeopardize his ability to pay restitution", he gets a pass on hit-and-run charges? Mr. Erzinger will be charged with misdemeanor traffic violations, but won't be charged with a felony for leaving someone broken and bleeding at the side of the road!? How is nearly killing someone with your car only a traffic violation? That's attempted manslaughter in some places! WTF!

I like BikeSnob's response to this news. A nearly perfect blend of sarcasm, anger, and his trademark dry wit: "Also, the District Attorney who dropped the charges doesn't want to cost the doughy money manager his job because 'justice in this case includes restitution and the ability to pay it.'
In other words, treating him like the criminal he is might make it slightly more difficult for him to buy his way out of this and any other future vehicular assaults, and that would be downright un-American."

I don't care what this guy does for a living; this should be about a driver hitting a cyclist, severely injuring him, fleeing the scene of the accident, and not reporting that accident to the police. Did Mr. Erzinger really think no one would know/find out what happened? What if Dr. Milo had died as a result of the crash? Would the prosecutor decline to press charges then? I rather doubt it.

Ugh, I'm going for a ride. If you hit me while I'm out there, please stop and make sure I'm okay. If I'm not okay, call the paramedics. Thank you.

Until next time, ride long and keep the rubber-side down.

Eating Pavement Sucks...Again

Ugh, ouchy. If you have an aversion to descriptions of injuries, skip the third paragraph.

I was finishing a 40+ mile ride yesterday afternoon and zipping through an intersection when my front wheel got sucked into one of the gaps in the railroad tracks set into the pavement. Down I went and over the bars, too.

My right knee and leg are rashed up and swollen. My right elbow has a new hole and plenty of road rash. I wasn't wearing gloves (stupid!), thus the palms of my hands are scuffed and my right pinky knuckle is missing several layers of skin.

Reasons I'm Annoyed:
1.) This could have been avoided. I was in a hurry and cutting though the intersection on a line very close to one I'd done two days previous. Obviously, it didn't go so well this time.
2.) I wasn't wearing gloves; my hands were hot and I was trying to get some color on my "Mickey Mouse" hands. The possiblity of crashes like this are the reason you wear gloves in the first place!
3.) My injuries, while not as bad as my crash two years and 27 days ago, are in the same spots. My elbow was just starting to look a lot better and I was at peace with the nasty scars. Actually, I kinda liked them. Now, I've got to start the process all over again. Thank goodness my shoulder is only stiff and sore, not impinged like last time.
4.) Until my elbow heals a little and my shoulder can support more of my weight, I'm off the bike. It'll be at least a week, phooey.

How's my blue bicycle? Both brake levers are badly scuffed and turned inward, the shifting is carnage, and my back wheel is out of true. Thankfully, a mechanic I know is fixing it right up and it should be good to go in the morning. I'll have to make him cookies or something.

Until next time, ride long and keep the rubber-side down.

A Cyclist Masquerading As A Runner

The weather has taken a turn for the cooler here in the northland. Windy, temps in the 50s and clouds. Not the greatest riding weather.

So, I've started running on the treadmill. I've got a 10-miler at the end of October to prepare for, and it isn't going so well. Something funky is going on with my left knee. Sharp pain that starts on the outside of the joint, and creeps upwards and downwards, and after only about a quarter mile. How the heck am I supposed to get ready for a 10-miler, when I can only do two before the pain has tears in my eyes?!

Eh, I'll try a few more times this week, and see what happens. Have I mentioned that I really don't want to go to the doctor? Even for this?

Until next time, ride long and keep the rubberside down.