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[ST] LABiker: Theory and practice...



You know how they tell you to "always ride like there was a truck stopped
just around the next corner"??

Well...

..somethimes there is. I think I just had the closest call I've ever had
canyon riding on my commute in this morning, and since there a bit of a
lesson in it, figured I'd share with everyone.

Yesterday was Bike Maintenance Day, and we went over all the bikes (still
need the rearstand to replace the sidestand sensor on Strumpet), so I got
to ride MuZe this morning (the new-to-us MZ Skorpion).

Usual route, Las Flores>Rambla Pacifica>Piuma> etc.

Heading up Rambla Pacifica, near the place where it changes to Piuma,
there's a road off to the right as you come over the top of the hill and
the road switches from being on the south of the hill to the north.

Because you are cresting a hill and the road bends slightly left, it's
blind.

As I came up to it, I saw a wash of dirt, so started to slightly back off,
and as I came up the hill, suddenly there was the top of a large truck
oncoming; so I started slowed a little more. Suddenly this dirt-hauling
truck (not a semi, but almost as big) started to turn left onto the road,
didn't make the turn, and stopped.

Across the dirt-covered road right in front of me.

At this point, I'd slowed from a little over 50 (Dale I'm not) to maybe 35-
40. Looked past the truck to the left ... no room, as it was almost all the
way across the road and there was a ditch on that side of the road. Max
braking, and suddenly both ends are broken loose and I'm sliding. Straight,
fortunately.

I aimed for one of the tires (basic rule of crashing bicycles into cars-
look for the biggest flattest thing you can find and hit _that_) and kept
sliding on the dirt-covered road until I was going slowly enough to put my
foot down, and slid to a stop, about three feet from the front wheel of the
truck.

Looked up, and saw the driver, who looked like he was having a heart
attack...I think he was more scared than I was, I mean I had stuff to do,
and he was just sitting there.

I paddled the bike backward, and gave him a wave, and he backed up, made
the corner, and drove off.

I started down the hill, got passed by another truck on the way up the
hill, so spent the rest of the ride hugging the right edge of my lane.

I was thinking a bit about whether I'd have been better off on one of the
Triumphs, as I know them better, and might not have broken the tires loose
quite as quickly. OTOH, they're a lot heavier, and so I might not have had
as much luck stopping them by dragging my foot...<g>.

So, when they say "ride like there is a truck stopped just ahead of you",
remember that there just might be one!!


Marc D



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