Bicycle Basics of the Road

Bears versus Packers. Beatles versus the Stones. Good versus evil. Brizz versus bicyclists. Since the beginning of time, great rivalries have existed. It is the last of the previous match-ups that I'm focusing on today. First of all, I'm out of shape. As a child I never was winded when I rode my bike. I could ride that thing for ten miles at a crack and never think about exhaustion. Such is the miracle of youth. Being indestructible. Today? I can't take my bike off the hook in the garage without taking a breather. However, I do enjoy taking nice long weekend drives through farm country on rural roads. I encounter very few cars, but once the spring and summer comes along the bicyclists come out to play.

I certainly have no issue with folks getting some great exercise and taking to the roadways for a nice bike ride. What I do have an issue with is the lack of etiquette I encounter from bicyclists, and yes I do understand that they come across plenty of jerk drivers out there. There is nothing quite like driving down the road and coming up on half a dozen people on bikes taking up the whole lane. I understand that with little car traffic, it's only natural to spread out a little. That's cool. What's not cool is not being able to pass because they refuse to move to the side of the road to let me pass. I have had this discussion many times with two-wheel types. They claim, "It's our road too," or how it's the law to allow three feet of space between the car and bike when I do pass.

Well let me tell you something. Bicyclists are supposed to follow the rules of the road too. That means stopping completely at stop signs and stoplights. That means waiting your turn at a four-way stop before proceeding. That means using proper hand signals. That means giving pedestrians the right of way. That means stopping completely at a red light before proceeding to make a right turn. In other words, bicyclists are required to follow the same rules of the road as motorized vehicles.

I am hardly a stickler for rules set up by 'the man.' In fact, I feel a bit dirty insisting on following the rules. They are made to be broken, to be sure. But if you are going to dress up in your bike-riding costume and travel at 11 m.p.h. without having the decency to let a car pass as you scream at me, "roads are for bikes too," then let's look at the Bicycle Rules of the Road in Illinois.