Stodge-Blog

On my way back from the Mountain Bike Orienteering  score and MTBO Sprint at Driffield, I drove via Derby on A516 and then onto the A50 to Uttoxeter. On the A516 I was amazed to see a road time trial in progress, at 6pm on a Saturday afternoon. These events tend normally to be held in the early morning on a Sunday when the roads are very quiet.

As I started to overtake the riders one at a time on the single carriage way, giving them a wide berth, it occurred to me I had seen no warning signs at all. On the next roundabout were a couple of marshals but they seemed more to be there to make sure the competitors went the right way.

I noticed several cars in front of me not giving the time trialists anywhere near as much room as they should. While I was thinking to myself that if this were a MBO score event, as an organiser I would probably had made this road out of bounds or as a minimum have warning signs displayed, I was approaching the A50 junction. At this point I was completely horrified to see the riders directed up the sliproad and on to the dual carriageway.

The A50, if you don’t know it, is a Motorway in all but name: slip roads, central reservation, the lot, & it’s intersected by a couple of huge roundabouts along its length as it bisects the country from the M6 to the M1 past Stoke and Derby.

So here, on a road where motorists are routinely doing  70-90 miles an hour, are time trialists in their own little world of head down, aerodynamic, hunched up riding, as far as I can see dicing with death for 10 miles in each direction.

Of course I am a cyclist so I gave everyone a full lane whilst overtaking, but many lorries and cars didn’t. 

Then on to the riders. I saw one rider pull out to overtake another without looking behind. I saw a couple of people completely dressed in black, only the fluorescent number on their back standing out. I saw a rider launch himself onto a roundabout with seemingly no idea of the traffic around him.

Many of the numbers were not visible at all, them being high up on the riders backs, so even that little bit of high viz was not doing them any good.

Just before my turnoff for Uttoxeter I came across, at last, a rider with a very bright flashing LED and high viz number showing  which even in the daytime got my attention.

Remember, this is all at 6pm on a Saturday afternoon not 7am on a Sunday morning. Drivers and riders were heading into a very low sun so contrast was a problem and traffic was heavy.
This year I was given a subscription to cycling weekly. Every month there are stories of time trialists and roadies injured or even killed, being hit from behind by cars. Letters complaining and then defending the wearing of dark clothing, complaints about the police’s attempts to ban road racing, arguments over the wearing of helmets, upset locals on cycle sportives etc etc. The answer seems always to blame the motorist which is probably correct in most cases but riders also have a responsibility to be sensible and make themselves more visible and take more care, after all there is a reason why all motorbikes have their lights on day and night.

Cyclists on dark nights light themselves up like a christmas tree. Multiple flashing red LEDs powerful front lights, reflective high viz clothing etc al. So why not make an effort during the day, particularly when road and weather conditions are challenging  (sun or rain, fast dual carriageways etc etc).

It would be very easy for race organisers of all types of events to insist on a high output flashing rear LED and some high viz arm bands that would not get in the way of sponsors logos. If everyone had to wear / ride with them a market would develop for ‘trick, lightweight, aerodynamic versions’ I’m sure a sponsor would be interested as what is worn by the elite tends to filter down to the masses……..