Originally Posted by Cramic

Here in Perth one of the main routes into the city from the western suburbs is Mounts Bay Road. It’s a 60km dual carriageway that runs next to the river and is a pretty awesome commute.

Next to it, even closer to the river is the cycle path. It’s shared, but given the length of Mounts Bay Road, with nothing really along it, it’s left essentially to cyclists and you can move rapidly along it. Not even that many fellow cyclists and you’ll usually see very few, if any pedestrians.

There really does not seem much reason to use the busy, fast dual carriageway at all if you’re a bike.

Often on the weekend you’ll see large pelotons on it, travelling quickly, and this seems fair enough. Fast, easily seen, take up a whole lane, and wouldn’t fit on the cycle path. And then you do rarely see the odd solo cyclists on it.

That is, in my opinion, foolhardy enough, but this guy I saw was another level.

I was on the bike path heading out of the city, mid afternoon on a weekday, when one of those mobile cranes passed. Think large, very heavy lorry. Not going 60km, but also not holding traffic up so at least 40kmh.

Inches behind him, right in the middle of the lane, was a cyclist using him as a windbreak. Maximum 1-2 feet. No way he could see anything ahead of the truck. If he looked up all he’d see was tailgate. And absolutely no way the truck could see him.

I was stunned. What was the point of putting yourself at so much risk? Just a weekday afternoon, trying to get the fastest Strava time? I mean I don’t know how you’d even take pride in that KOM, you might as well have attached a tow rope to the lorry.

Anyway, I don’t know, I worry sometimes about the amount of injuries I hear about for cyclists, but then remember guys like this probably make up the majority.