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Sharing the road is not always easy, especially during Tahoe’s busy construction season. Common courtesy and awareness on the part of cyclists and motorists is key. |
Comments (2)Smooth Rolling: Rules to Road Biking in Tahoe
By Tim HausermanAugust Print Edition
Published: August 15, 2010
Whether it’s the price of gas, environmental awareness, the “Lance Factor,” or aging baby boomers whose backs need a break from mountain biking, road biking has caught on in a big way in Tahoe. And why not? It’s a lot of fun and a great workout. The tricky part is, how do you ride without ending up on the grill of a car?Published: August 15, 2010
What riders should do:
1) Realize you do have a right to share the road, but only to have your share. Nothing pisses off drivers more than coming around a corner and finding riders cruising along side by side, or worse, three or four across. Follow the rules of the road and use your head. Ride single file and as far to the right as you can.
2) Be seen. Find a bright, garish jersey and put that sucker on. Orange, lime, red. It’s all good.
3) Keep your hands on the bars and leave your cell phone, computer, bags of groceries, snowboards, or girlfriend somewhere else.
4) Be safe. Fifty miles per hour down Brockway Summit when that pile of gravel is lurking at the bottom is not smart. I know several friends and Tour De France racers who can attest to the fact that broken collarbones are more painful than not setting a new speed record. Wear a helmet. All the time.
What motorists should do:
1) Watch for bikes. They are small and quiet. You come around a corner and voila!, there they are. Especially watch out for them on popular rides such as: Barker Pass Road to the top of Blackwood Canyon, Ward Canyon, Donner Lake to Cisco Grove, Boca to Stampede, Alpine Meadows, Squaw Valley, Tahoe City to Truckee, Jackson Meadows, and the Sierra Valley. Also, keep an eye out for bikes when you are getting in or out of your car.
2) Just because there is a bike lane nearby doesn’t mean that bikes can’t use the road. Many fast-moving cyclists consider the bike paths to be a pretty scary place and they have the legal right to be on the road. Just take a chill pill and give the bike plenty of room as you pass, especially if you have those big honking side-view mirrors.
3) Realize that bikers might not be able to get as far over to the right as you may like. Riders are seeking a smooth surface and the edge of the road tends to be rough and dangerous as it is loaded with potholes, gravel, and broken glass. See “take a chill pill” above.
4) A bike trail is for bikes, not cars. If you park in the bike trail you become a dangerous obstacle and you are breaking the law.
What the community should do:
1) Take bikes into account when making decisions. When roads are resurfaced, make sure to provide a smooth few feet of lane on the right side of the white line for bikes. When transportation planners are installing improvements they need to consider bikes as well. For example, traffic lights need to stay green long enough for bikes to get through the intersection.
2) Unfortunately, some wonderful stretches of bike lane lead you to treacherous sections of highway. A classic example is the popular commuter route from Tahoe City to Truckee. After 13 miles of bike lane you meet West River Street, where your options are a busy, narrow road with no shoulder for bikes, or the Mousehole. What is needed is a linked system of bike lanes and paths that allow people to safely get from one place to another. If you build it, they will come.
~ Tim Hauserman rides frequently in the Tahoe/Truckee area and is a frequent contributor to Moonshine Ink. The second edition of his book, “Tahoe Rim Trail,” was published by Wilderness Press in 2008.
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