So many things to do, and the Feed

Since we are in Mrs. the Poet’s old stomping grounds we are doing a lot of “catch up” visits with her HS and early college friends, and what previously had been hen parties are this year becoming couples meetings, I guess because somebody wants to show off a husband or new boyfriend (although at the ages of Mrs. the Poet’s HS and college friends, calling them “boyfriends” is kinda silly). So I have to get this done early so I can get into my “eating in public” clothes in time to drive to the restaurant. That means showering, shaving and the whole nine yards. 😛 I’m not a big fan of getting “dressed up”, as you may have noticed.

Opening with this because it makes me extremely perturbed. Woman gets 1-year jail sentence in Fort Collins hit-and-run that led to bicyclist’s death Kill a cyclist, run away for days while hiding the car, get one year of work release… TANJ!

A PA left cross wreck. Susquehanna Township crash Cyclists do not “go away” when you turn your head. This driver saw the cyclist coming, admits she saw the cyclist coming, and was surprised to find the cyclist bouncing off the passenger side of the car when she turned? I call BS on this one. It appears that the cyclist used the turn parallel to the direction of travel part of the protocols from the appearance of the bicycle wreckage and still got hit very hard on the head, so protocols not very effective in this wreck, probably due to available reaction time. Getting the infrastructure “up to Dutch” would be required to prevent a wreck like this in the future.

Another wreck in SoCal. Young boy killed in San Bernardino bicycling collision Another intersection wreck with no information forthcoming from LEO on what happened. Intersection protocols for the young cyclist might have helped, and getting the infrastructure “up to Dutch” would keep young people and multi-ton killing machines from making an acquaintance.

Don’t let the heading picture fool you, this wreck in the Great White North was on a sidewalk. Cyclist charged following collision in Kitchener Why was the weapon vehicle on the sidewalk, and why was the cyclist the only one charged in this wreck? Since sidewalk cyclists are evidence that whatever infrastructure is allocated to bicycles is perceived as “unsafe” by the cyclist I only see one option to prevent a similar wreck in the future, getting the infrastructure “up to Dutch”.

More on the UK cyclist killed riding the Alp d’Huez in France. British cyclist killed in head-on collision as he descends Alpe d’Huez and British cyclist killed in head-on crash in French Alps

About the best that could come from a bad situation over in Jolly Olde. Cyclist injured in Bridgnorth crash given payout From the article it appears the driver was 100% at fault in this wreck, and was lucky to get away with such a low settlement.

Our Daily Ted is … interesting today. Morning Links: Making up the law on PCH, Olin ghost bike goes missing, and Canyon Lake cyclist critically injured

A bit of Infrastructure! news from across the pond in Jolly Olde. Road traffic laws too “lenient” say widows of cyclists killed on charity ride

A little bike porn for you that like that kind of thing. The bikes of the Tour de France

I don’t know if you can see this bit of LifeStyle via Facebook, but if you can this is funny. Nearly 19 MPH does help keep you cool, but it’s the law of diminishing returns in effect.

And what used to be Mrs. the Poet’s favorite song to tease me with back when I was driving. Queen – I’m In Love With My Car (Official Video)

And those were all the links that gave me fits today, now I have to get cleaned up to go out for dinner tonight.

BIlled @€0.02, Opus

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My neck and butt hurt on a Wreck-Free (almost) Sunday

I finally finished making the modifications to my safety gear to bring it up to my needs and hopped on one of the BSO in the garage to go to the first Sunday morning service at my church in a very long time. Suffice it to say I have new imperative to create the crank-forward bike I was supposed to be creating. First time I stopped I fell over because I couldn’t reach the ground until I had leaned so far over I couldn’t catch myself. My reactions were all wrong after spending 6 years riding crank-forward bikes and 7 years riding recumbents before that. As I’m sure most of you know when a “normal” bicycle stops the rider has to get out of the seat to remain upright. Well for the past 13 years I haven’t been doing that to stop, all I had to do was take a foot off the pedal and place it on the ground. And as my right leg has been dominant I tended to lean to the left so I could start on my dominant leg. My first stop I did what I have been doing for 13 years, leaning to the left and putting out my left foot. First problem I wasn’t close enough to the ground for that to even touch, second problem is the left hip was the one that got broken and a whole bunch of muscles got damaged in the fixing and then removing the hardware after the broken bits healed up so it would not go as far out as the right leg would. So I was kinda waving the foot in mid-air trying to find something solid as I slowly keeled over and impacted the pavement when I stopped halfway through an intersection to let traffic going the other direction clear so I could continue.

A couple intersections further down I discovered another problem. Because the handlebars were so low I had a hard time craning my neck back hard enough to see past my helmet visor. Part of the problem is the handlebars are seriously too low for anyone but a X/C MTB racer, I think about an inch below the seat where I usually ride with handlebars anywhere from 4 to 5 inches above the seat. Basically my torso was nearly horizontal where I normally ride nearly vertical to slightly laid back (on in the case of the show bike from 2004 completely laid back). So I was moving my neck in the complete opposite way I have been riding for many, many years. Long story short I have a very sore neck that won’t stop complaining now that I’m bent over the keyboard (another position it doesn’t like to hold for more than a few minutes).

And another effect of the too-low handlebars is it rotated my pelvis forward on the seat. Instead of sitting on the broad soft cushions of the cruiser seat I bought just for this bike I’m sitting on the completely un-padded nose of the saddle, or even less cushioning than the seat I took off the bike. I got off the bike more than 2 hours ago and my backside is still complaining about the treatment I gave it this afternoon and morning. Add in the fact I rode in regular pants and underwear instead of bike shorts and not only were things compressed that don’t like getting compressed, but things got abraded that do not like being abraded.

Now you may ask why I don’t just adjust the handlebars up until all this nonsense stops? Well… Remember when I referred to this as a BSO back in the first paragraph? This BSO does not have standard hardware in many places, one in particular is the stem bolt. I tried 6mm and 5mm, one too big and the other too small, then tried the 7/32 SAE size that falls between the 2 and nothing fits where I can apply torque to the stem bolt to adjust the stem height. I might have to weld or epoxy a cheap SAE hex key into the bolt head so that I can apply torque to break the stem bolt loose from the rust and corrosion that is holding it in place. Or it could just be really tight, you know, and because I can’t find a hex key that fits the head I haven’t been able to move it. I’m thinking I have a torch and braze and solder, I might just flow some molten metal between the cheap SAE hex key I bought and the bolt head and apply torque that way, with the heat from the torch also loosening the bolt up a bit. I’ll have to pull the plastic light and reflector brackets off the bars and cover the brake and shifter cables with wet rags, but that would let me apply torque to the bolt.

Now about the (almost) in that headline. I was watching the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona yesterday after I got back from my trips to the nail spa and to Harbor Freight, and they had just thrown a red flag to clean up a serious wreck. And I mean SERIOUS WRECK. Well, watch for yourself Gidley & Malucelli Medical Update Yep, Gidley hit the back of that Ferrari at nearly 135 MPH closing speed, well over the 50 MPH barrier test the prototypes have to go through to get certified to run. The driver of the Ferrari (Malucelli) is shaken up but basically unhurt, Gidley has broken bones in his left side (either the arm or the leg, both are injured and they aren’t saying which one is broken as of the time I read the article), and broken vertebrae in his back, I’m assuming this was from the harness restraining his torso applying compressive forces as it tried to keep his face out of the instrument panel and steering wheel. This is not a design defect it is a geometric requirement of the way the harness has to go over the shoulders and meet at the lap belt. The restraining forces go from horizontal to stop the forward motion of the body to vertical after going over the shoulders to meet at the junction of the shoulder straps and lap belt. This is a requirement to apply the forces to a part of the body that has strong bones (shoulder girdle and pelvis) and still allow for the arms to move the steering wheel. They did cadaver tests back in the ’40s and ’50s but the rib cage just didn’t have the compression strength to resist the forces applied in a wreck. Sternum straps do move some of the forces off the shoulders and into the torso, but not very much, and certainly not enough to prevent back injury in a wreck like the one in the video. Because of the HANS device every driver in the series is required to wear before getting into the car on the race track neither driver had any kind of neck injury.

This is the first “big league” car race of the year in North America, of course I’m going to be watching it, but this year it ended while I was at church so I have no idea about who won, either overall or any of the classes.

So, that’s about all I have to say today.

Well, almost I just checked to see what was causing me pain “down there” and found blood-stained underwear. So, that’s another thing that having the handlebars down too low causes, abrasion injuries to the crotch when riding in regular clothing. If you want to ride in regular clothes the bike has to fit for that style of riding.

PSA, Opus

Struggling with some discomfort, and the Feed

My butt hurts again (still). The pulled or torn Gluteus Medius is still pulled or torn, and still hurts like the dickens when I move wrong. I have no idea when it will get better as it has been hurting since December. I have been using gel ice packs to help with the pain and ibuprofen to help keep my leg more mobile as the injury is interfering with my range of motion. What I have also had to do is change my normal habit of showering right before I have to go someplace to showering the last thing before bed the day before I have to go someplace, so that I have enough range of motion to get dressed. It’s embarrassing to have to go someplace and ask for someone to get your right sock on because you can’t fold up enough to touch your toe, so by showering the night before I can actually get dressed the next morning.

The really big story today is not a wreck, but a celebration, as 64 kids that participated in a bike parade to school during National Bike Month are suspended, then un-suspended. Students Punished for Riding Bikes to School in Michigan and High school seniors suspended for biking to school also Biking Kenowa Hills seniors punished last link High School Bike Riders Won’t Be Suspended There has been some rumors that the principal in this case has been fired or suspended without pay over her reaction in this case. I hope so but I haven’t been able to confirm or deny any of the rumors.

The next biggest story is more on the kid killed riding on the sidewalk in a pinball wreck caused by a stoned driver. Family mourns child killed by car crash and Prosecutors: Driver had pot in system when Skokie boy hit, killed more Prosecutors: Woman admitted smoking pot before crash that killed 8-year-old in Skokie another one SECOND UPDATE: Felony DUI charge filed in Skokie crash that killed boy, 8 An interesting note is that locals to the area say that the speed limit of 30 MPH is normally ignored and traffic moves much faster than the 30 MPH limit. There have been requests that the limit be enforced, but to date nothing had been done as far as a sting or other enforcement action.

From the most deadliest state in the US to walk or ride a bike for 6 years running, a drunk driver that was almost twice the legal limit when he killed a cyclist is caught driving drunk again. Flagler man on probation in fatal DUI jailed after alcohol check OK this is too much, this guy needs to lose his license and be permanently banned from driving, with a charge of illegal possession of a deadly weapon if he gets caught driving. I mean he as .155% when he killed the cyclist but got off because the LEO investigating the case went to great lengths to find the cyclist at fault in the wreck. Now he got caught at a DUI checkpoint driving over the .08% limit again. For the safety of every road user, not just the ones riding bicycles, he needs to be removed from the controls of motor vehicles permanently.

A driver in LA is excused from driving too fast for conditions because he “only” hit a cyclist. Bicyclist critically injured in crash in Bossier City Now if the driver had hit a slow-moving car or other vehicle, he would have gotten charged or a ticket, but a cyclist is different. Hit-from-behind protocols to avoid, and get the infrastructure right to prevent.

A cyclist is hit in PA near the MD border. Cyclist killed after being hit by car in Spotsylvania and Spotsylvania Bicyclist Dies In Crash The LEO in this case blamed the cyclist for not wearing reflective clothing instead of blaming the driver for driving too fast. Arrgh! Anyway, hit-from-behind wreck, use hit-from-behind protocols to avoid, and get the infrastructure right so bikes and cars moving at high speeds don’t mix or even get very close to each other.

Nothing in the article about how this PA cyclist managed to hit the car in the intersection. Boy critical, but stable after bike accident Intersection wreck, so intersection protocols would apply, but I don’t know if this was a hook or cross wreck or if one or the other vehicle ran some kind of traffic control. Checking Google Street View shows an offset intersection with a 4-way stop, but without knowing which vehicle was on which street I still can’t say what happened with any degree of certainty. Intersection protocols to avoid, and education with really slow speed limits to prevent as that area would be a shared space under the Dutch model of bike infrastructure.

A cyclist dies in MA. Bicyclist Harry Delmolino dies from Saturday collision in Northampton and Harry Delmolino of Hadley, who died from injuries in Northampton bicycle accident, was college graduate, Eagle Scout, adventurer This was in intersection wreck that I think I got earlier in the week when the cyclist was still alive, but now the cyclist has died from the injuries.

It took too long but the death of a political candidate during a campaign is finally going to trial. The fact that the candidate was riding a bicycle at the time might have had something to do with the delay in the case as getting charges filed took for-freaking-ever… Trial begins in hit-and-run death of bicyclist, Senate candidate The driver left a trail of sparks as she dragged the victim’s bicycle over 3 miles (5 km) from the wreck site to her garage but still claimed she thought she hit a deer? And just how many deer leave a trail of sparks on the road after you hit them?

Update on the cyclist hit from behind im WI. UPDATE: Cyclist Hit by Car in Mosinee Dies Hit from behind wreck on a straight stretch of road about 3/4 mile long, I don’t know if the cyclist was at the beginning of that 3/4 mile stretch or the end of it when she was hit. Hit-from-behind protocols to avoid, get the infrastructure right to prevent. More Updated: Bicyclist killed in crash with vehicle near Mosinee

More on that cyclist in Canuckistan I had a link to yesterday with nothing more than the news that she had died and a picture of her body in the street plainly showing her pink and black helmet with the statement that they didn’t know if she had a helmet. Cyclist killed Wednesday identified and Cyclist killed in collision on Higgins identified Can I say first, condolences to the deceased’s family and friends, for living in a city with such obtuse LEO, and from the comments there were more than a few obtuse drivers also.

From Far West Canuckistan, a drunk driver runs over a cyclist, flips her vehicle and catches fire and they don’t even know she hit him for an hour after the wreck. Cyclist struck and killed in Maple Ridge, drunk driving suspected and Cyclist killed in fiery crash in Maple Ridge Another wreck where the cyclist had no chance of avoiding the impact. If the LEO on scene didn’t find the cyclist until after the fire had been put out and the driver extracted I’m sure there was not much a cyclist could do to avoid that kind of impact. Getting drunk drivers off the roads would make major strides in preventing a wreck like this even without changes to the infrastructure, but getting cyclists on separated infrastructure outside the built up urban area would also make major strides in preventing drunk drivers from killing cyclists.

From the UK, a rather Important Cyclist is hit from behind by a driver following the imperative issued by the head of the cab company. Cycling MP ‘bumped from behind by minicab at red light’ And 2 guesses as the name of the cab company that was involved in the wreck? and the head of that company? That’s right she was hit by an Addison Lee minicab, the head of which made an editorial about cyclists deserving to get hit on the roads in the company magazine… can I just say I’m very glad I’m not in the UK and not the driver nor the head of the minicab company?

Infrastructure! news from NJ. When a sign means nothing – discussion of bicycle routes in Kinnelon Yep there’s pretty much nothing as useless for bike infrastructure as the “Bike Route” sign. It means nothing in legal terms and serves no purpose except as a sort of wayfinding if there is some destination sign under the Bike Route part of the sign like a bus headsign.

infrastructure news from PA as a road diet is stress-tested by a freeway closure. Carlisle puts traffic plan into effect after I81 crash Wednesday I don’t think they actually used the bike lanes for motor vehicle traffic, unless they made all the parked cars leave, too.

I mention how WoaB World HQ is in the suburbs of Hell, I’m not the only person that thinks so. Dallas: Worst Cycling City in America I’m sure Garland isn’t any better, just smaller so it got left off the survey.

And similar news about the Twin Cities in MN, but much better for them. What’s in a ranking? Minneapolis slips and climbs

LifeStyle news from Milwaukie, as the drivers from IndyCar go along with MPD bike patrol officers. IndyCar Drivers Ride With Milwaukee Police Well I thought it was cool, anyway.

A MA woman finds the bike she lost in a creek, more than 4 decades later. Weird News: Mass. woman finds bike she lost 42 years ago

And to close out, some bike porn from Campagnolo. Campagnolo presents the Triathlon/Time Trial Project Isn’t that the sexiest crankset you have ever seen?

And those are all the links that gave me fits today.

Billed @$0.02, Opus