noglider 

Monday night, on my way home south on the Hudson River Greenway, I witnessed a bike-bike crash. Ahead of me, going in my direction, was a young man on a road racing bike. Oncoming was a young woman on a cruiser bike. The woman was shaky and unconfident. Seeing the man approach her, she panicked and collided with him head-on. From behind him, I watched him flip. He flipped to the right side (towards the river!) so he was upside down, and he continued to flip until he was right side up. I got to stop and comfort both people. I checked their bikes. The young woman was very sorry. It was her second crash on just that ride, and she insisted she would be walking home. I advised her to ride slowly next time (so she would be within her skill level), and I acknowledged that most of us ride fast and close to each other, that it's hard to ride with them when you're inexperienced. I said that in time, her skill would increase. I told the guy that his wheels needed a little truing but it wasn't necessarily the result of the crash. He had some road rash. I advised him not to move too soon because he might be in shock. He did seem very shaken up. I told him to ride cautiously. He said he would stay there for a while until he felt more sure of himself. He said he'd been riding seriously with this new bike for about two months. Honestly, I thought his skill level was pretty good for that short period. They both thanked me.

I'm not sure what the lesson is except don't ride too fast, especially if you're like the woman and nervous about people moving by you so slowly. She had been under pressure from her boyfriend into taking this ride, and she probably wasn't conscious of being pressured into taking the speed she took, which probably wasn't much at all but still beyond her skill level. Really, everyone behaved pretty well. It makes me think things are so much better on a bike than in a car. In cars, people would be cursing at each other because so much more is at stake.

FrankJ

I'm still new to bike commuting, and previously did not ride regularly, so I rode slow and was wobbly. Part of my commute is on a MUP, and it's pretty narrow. When you're new and see a Lance Armstrong type rocketing towards you it is quite intimidating and I believe there is a subconscious tendency to drift into that cyclist's path. I don't know why but it seems to be some kind of psychological thing.

The usual advice is to not look at the rider and instead look at where you want the bike to go. Myself, I shift my eyes toward the right so I don't veer left.

I think people look at the other rider and the bike tends to go where you're looking, so...

ThermionicScott 

If there's one thing that makes me nervous on trails, it's seeing a little kid approaching on a bike, weaving as they look around...

Dunbar

If you ride enough on MUP's you develop a sixth sense for avoiding that sort of thing. I ride as quickly as conditions allow but will never put myself in undo harm and slow down as necessary. My biggest fear on MUP's are small children on bikes. I've had them ride their bikes straight at me head-on.

alan s 

Ran into a kid head on at about 5 mph, which was how fast i was going while braking as hard as possible. I think her dad yelling at her to get over as I approached was a distraction. No one was hurt and no real damage, but the poor kid was a bit scared. I actually had to calm her dad down so he wouldn't make the kid feel any worse by yelling at her. Some accidents are unavoidable.

FrankJ

I find the scariest ones on the MUPs are the Lance Armstrongs. In an effort to get their best Strava segment times (I know because I check the flybys) they never slow down and have had them pass pedestrians coming head on at me and jerking back in their lane just in time.

So I have to be the one to slow down so they can get their PR.

jimincalif

So true. We have a lot of MUPs around here, I use them occasionally but when there are lots of other people out, it is just not safe for me to ride them at road bike speed. I slow way down for families/kids/dogs, both for my own self-defense, and to be considerate them. I will usually smile and wave at the little kids and say something like "nice bike" to them. I usually get a big smile back from the kid, a friendly acknowledgement from the parent, and then I'm on my way. I feel good, hopefully they feel good. That's what life's about. I wish Strava could filter out and not display MUP segments.

Dunbar

I had a small child on foot run into me on a MUP. I had slowed my bike way down as I approached him and, without warning, he just runs straight into the side of my bike. There was nothing I could do. He just kind of bounched off me and luckily I didn't get knocked over (or even stop.) The parents scolded him but a good parent wouldn't have let it happen in the first place.


I ride my bike on MUP's at road bike speeds. I only pass when it's safe and will slow down and wait for the right opportunity/gap to pass safely. I also don't buzz other riders when passing.

Steve B.

My commute recently has taken me on the new paved boardwalk in the Rockaway's, along the beach in Queens, NY.

It's a nice ride typically, for about 5 miles, as it avoids all the traffic lights on the adjacent street (one every friggin block).

Today on the ride home, I got off the boardwalk for about a mile, as on a hot day like today, everybody's at the beach and it's thus super busy and congested around the bathrooms and concession stands. Too many bike, people and kids and nobody's paying attention to bikes. No place to try to make time.

The Hudson River MUP is worse as it's just chock full of too many people, especially after work hours. Sometimes the street is better as well as safer.

Bike Gremlin

It is psychological: you end up going where you're looking. If you focus on the danger (car, other cyclist, or end of the road in a sharp bend) - you end up hitting it! The thing to do is make a conscious effort to look where you want to go, not where the danger is! Keep the danger in the peripheral vision, but focus on where you want to go.

Keith Code "Twist of the Wrist" video (and book) is a very useful read. Made for motorcycles, but in terms of avoiding danger works fine for cyclists as well.

"Sport Riding Techniques" by Nick Ieanatsch is also worth reading.

The only difference when it comes to cycling is that you don't necessarily pedal in a turn (adding throttle), and you need to keep some weight on the front wheel, not unload it as much as possible like when riding road motorcycle. Keeping elbows bent and relaxed goes for both vehicles though.

FrankJ

I don't blame Strava; it's the people who use it. If you're an athlete and you train/race and you want to make record times, great - do it off hours when nobody's on the trail.

I have racers blow past me all the time, and I get the feeling that I'm in their way/slowing them down/inconveniencing them.

To me, if you're Mario Andretti in an F1, great, just don't drive like it's Le Mans on public streets during commute times. And the MUP is not the Tour de France.

jimincalif

Agreed.

Exactly.

BobbyG

I used to just slow for unsure bikers, errant MUPpers, and confused cagers. But now I also stop and put a foot down before proceeding. That seems to help. But then again, Colorado Springs doesn't have the population density of many cities. Anyways, way to be helpful, concerned and neighborly, Tom!

aggiegrads

There is a Strava segment on a nearby MUP called "fastest time = di*&".

Lug

I ride the MUP like I used to drive county roads through open range country. Never pass on blind corners or hills because you don't know if there is a tractor coming the other way, and go slowly through the herd of sheep and cows because you don't know which way they are going to dart.

mcours2006

All the more reason to stay away from MUP's. At 6AM, probably no problem as only commuters and Lance Armstrong are on it. At 5PM, all kinds of traffic--dogs and their masters, kids on bikes, scooters, skates, strollers, etc. And if you are Lance Armstrong, for God's sake, slow the hell down!!

Good of you to stop and offer help, Tom.

Tundra_Man 

This thread reminds me that I'm coming up on the two year anniversary of my head-on crash I had on the MUP. There was a large group of cyclists (easily 50+) passing the other direction. One of them decided to pull out to talk to his friend. Unfortunately he pulled out directly in front of me. I had pretty much no time to react. We both were riding about 15 mph. My face hit his left shoulder and we both went down.

Part of the group he was with stopped, and one of them was a doctor. He checked us both out and didn't think we had concussions, just some road rash and bruises. I was pretty dazed and had to sit for a few minutes until my head cleared and I felt like I could finish my ride to work. In my haze I think I said some rather harsh things to the guy I hit, but frankly I don't remember enough to know for sure.

Later that day my jaw was still really hurting. I went to the doctor and they discovered it was dislocated. It wouldn't go back into place due to the swelling, so I just had to wait. Eventually it reset itself, but never did go back to normal. Two years later I'm still going through dental procedures because my teeth are so misaligned and rubbing funny that I'm starting to chip them.

mcours2006

What the heck is a group of 50 riders doing on a MUP? They belong on the road!

corrado33

I did something similar when I was a kid. My mother and I were riding on a local MUP and I was probably... 7-8 years old maybe? Perhaps a bit younger. I was on a 20 inch bike (first bike I ever got.) This MUP went through a bunch of woods and along a lake (Moraine state park for all of you from eastern PA.) It had a bunch of "off road" paths that cut corners and stuff. Basically just from people messing around. Well, as the young boy I was, I wanted to ride of ALL of these paths because riding on the paved trail was boring. I even wanted to ride on the ones that went off the left side of the trail.)

Well, as you can imagine, that didn't go well. Coming up on a hill I crossed onto the other side of the trail to get to one of those paths. I didn't see the family with a girl about my age coming the other way. By the time I noticed them it was too late. The girl and I collided head on. Completely my fault. I felt so bad (even as young as I was.) I don't think anybody was hurt, as we both rode off after we were picked up by our parents and dusted off. Neither of us were traveling quickly.

MUPs aren't a place to get your exercise in if you're a normal cyclist. They're a place for walkers and families riding bikes VERY slowly. Our place is on the road.

Tundra_Man 

They were part of a group that was riding across the country. They had stopped in our city for the night, and had heard about our greenway system. They were out riding a bit of the MUP before hitting the highway and continuing their trip.

The guy I hit was actually from Australia.

tarwheel 

I ride on the MUPs a lot but slow down when appropriate while approaching other cyclists, walkers and runners. I keep my hands near the brake levers and use my bell often. When I approach kids or adults who don't seem very confident, I am extra cautious.

MUPs are safer than the roads in many respects because you don't have to worry about getting hit by cars. However, you can still get hurt pretty seriously if you aren't careful or encounter the wrong person.

I was riding with a friend on one of the MUPs a few years ago and had a very close call. My friend was in front and riding too fast for the conditions, a curvy section of the trail with limited sight lines. As we came around a corner, a family was approaching with a young girl who appeared to be learning how to ride a bike. The parents were not paying attention, and she was weaving back and forth across the trail. My friend hit his brakes very suddently and I couldn't stop in time to avoid hitting him. I went down and got a few scrapes, but fortunately we didn't hit the little girl. She was terrified about the crash and started bawling. It really wasn't her fault and I told her so. Her parents should have been watching her more closely, and we shouldn't have been riding so fast in that section. Lesson learned.

Korina

Is it wrong that I envy you guys for having MUPs to crash on? My 'Bicycle Friendly' town, Arcata, has some bike lanes. In the door zone. I suppose I should be grateful for that much.

RubeRad

I think that's totally true. I remember teaching my oldest son to ride his bike, he'd be going along down the sidewalk, and I'd yell after him "straighten up, don't ride into that bush!" and wham, bush. Somehow me drawing attention to the obstacle, and causing him to focus on the obstacle, made it harder for him to avoid it. Like telling somebody "don't think about pink elephants". One time on a mup around the local lake, he did a header right into a patch of prickly pear cactus. It was not pretty.

OP, thx for the post, I'm surprised the racer guy didn't react more angrily/aggressively. I bet your intervention helped keep the situation under control. I hope the woman won't give up on riding altogether, but 2nd crash in the same ride?!

noglider 

Good points, everyone. When there is a child younger than about 13, I assume he is going to do the most unpredictable an strange thing, so I slow down to about 3 mph. If he does something weird like walk right into me, I won't assume he has bad parents. Stuff happens, and at a certain point, you can't have your kid on a leash or whatever. Some falls and bruises are useful lessons.

Thank you, @BobbyG.

KD5NRH

The only MUP we have here really doesn't do much except allow one leaving the park the opportunity to trade .3mi of 3% grade on a road with no shoulder, high curbs and intermittent sidewalks for 1.3mi of slower-sloping riverside MUP. (Though the last couple hundred feet are still just steep enough for a lot of beginners to gear way down or get off and push.) In heavy traffic, or in no real hurry, it's a nice option to have, but there are a lot of possible routes that would have been more useful for the price...for example, just providing a continuous MUP-designated sidewalk along the street.