Why is it sooooo hard for roadies to stay on their side of the trail?

I mean come on... Was doing some mud slogging yesterday in the general vicinity of Whiting Ranch and came back out on the Aliso Creek trail to head back to my car.

Encountered two separate roady packs - and both were using the striped center line of the trail as their line of travel. WTF? Move over, douchebags!

And the saddest part of all - they sucked ass and weren't even that fast. I felt like doing a u-turn and coming back after them and passing their lame asses with a muddy mountain bike.

Share the trail, idiots!

 

I haven't encountered that yet. I have seen several roadies get snarky and irrate with my friend who can't hold his line when they pass.

 

Roadie groups, in general and while riding pacelines, arrogantly assume everyone else should get out of their way.

I detest riding in groups on the road for that very reason. The biggest group I'll ride with is 4. Including me.

I took out the outboard rider in a gaggle of 5 abreast on the Long Beach beach bike path because she was clueless.

 

It is not only roadies. Some members of all user groups are clueless. Some are just plain asses.
It's the thing we all deal with.
I ride the paved Aliso Creek Trail a few times a week - and I've pretty much seen it all.

 

Those paved "bike" paths are for everything but! I have encountered dog walkers, runners and people just hanging out. They are all pretty much clueless as to what a bike path is for.

 

There's an assumption that bike paths are safe zones, but in the past I always felt more comfortable on the road. Without the potential to be run over, people engage in all kinds of unpredictable behavior on bike paths.

These days I feel safest on trails.

 

Oh man, I've seen urban dirt bike gangs, city trolls (squatter punks), park nymphs ( sex workers) and some silent space shuttle looking thing that took up the entire path and moved very slowly( some kind of bike space shuttle).

 

This all sounds way to dangerous. I think I should just stay inside, lock the doors and watch TV.
Wait, what if there's an earthquake, or daytime TV Rots my brain!
Oh crap, I hadn't thought about the dangers of being alone. What if I fall and can't get up!

Uh oh, I'll have to rethink this and find a safer place.

 

Worse...you've fallen and can't reach your beer. Horrors!!

 

The unpredictable behavior sucks for maintaining speed and rhythm, but I like that I can't get into a death by car situation on the bike paths.

 

This is why I like riding with you...

 

Did you see the time I got taken out by a skate-boarder? That one was a classic. Guy should try out for a defensive back position for the Rams.

 

Well yesterday I had a girl at Mission Viejo high school walk into the side of my parked car. Apparently cars can be dangerous even when they're not moving.

 

The worst people on bike paths are moms with jogging strollers. They are worse than a paceline.

 

The luge, Motorway, Cannell Plunge, Wrightwood, Middle Merrill, SART, Stairsteps, Manzanita, PCE, 5 Oaks... None of them are as technical as the paved path around the RSM Lake. You haven't experienced the pucker factor until you dodge the double wide strollers and 16 foot dog leashes for that 1.1 mile tech fest!


And, for the record... When I do ride down there, however infrequently, I stick to the road. I can't stand that bike path.

 

I was cruising up the Upper Rio Hondo River trail towards Arcadia minding my own business in the lane to the right when a group of older sausage encased roadsters passed by my left trying to run me into the fence like it was roller derby. The lead jackwad gesticulated at me like the 4 feet of trail to the left wasn't nearly enough for a line of geriatric narrow tubers. Whatever, I caught up to them up by Peck Road Park reservoir, gave 'em a bit of stink eye and continued on until the paved trail runs out and the horse trail works its way up the Santa Anita wash. Sorry to ruin their day out, but I try to let stupidity and jerkness slide on by me. Just another day on the trail. Today I was honked at by a flock of geese coming in low over the San Jose Creek. Was happy to yield.

 

no such problems on the floop....

 

Welcome back @Danimal Pull up a chair and stay a while!

 

Just happened to me on the Golden Gate bridge. Everything is orderly except you have some roadies in full kit. They pull out and pass lines of peeps with me coming at them. I don't even sweat it, I do not intimidate and I am on a mtn tandem, so I have the mass and wide bars. Every one dove into line when they realized I was not yielding. They were thinking "No way I am locking horns with a bus". And really where was I going to go, into the rail? Nope, I just hold on and play chicken.
Happy tourists trails

 

I always think back to physics... Momentum equals mass x velocity. My mass more than makes up for their velocity advantage!

 

Speaking of the Aliso Creek Trail, I have seen a group of 15-20 people spread across the entire width of the bike path while doing group exercises by the parking lot at the 241 -- unbelievable. I have also seen numerous people driving a car down that path towards cook's corner.

 

Welcome to the IMTB JT!

 

Unfortunately, no matter that Caltrans requires that they be designated as Class I Bike Paths, they are in all actuality shared-use paths. The Triangle is posted on them too.





And who knew there was such a thing as this??? Obviously we have too many federal departments, boards, and offices: