Cycling Tweoples are chatting about Why We Ride today.

There are lots of good reasons to ride. I posted this haiku on one reason I ride:

Why do you ride? Tweet about it or post a comment!

 
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Early this year, the U.S. League of American Bicyclists adopted an “EQUALITY” statement, adding this as a sixth E to the traditional “Five Es” (engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement & evaluation/planning) in which bicycle friendliness is evaluated. The League’s policy is to promote equal legal status and equal treatment of cyclists in traffic law. All US states must adopt fair, equitable and uniform traffic laws, that are “vehicle-neutral” to the greatest extent possible. Cyclists’ ability to access to all destinations must be protected. State and local laws that discriminate against cyclists, or restrict their right to travel, or reduce their relative safety, must be repealed.

Discriminatory laws are on the books in most states that apply only to cyclists and to no other vehicles. In California, for example, CVC 21202 is the familiar “far to the right” law, when another law on the books (CVC 21654) already provides a “as far right as practicable” provision for all slow vehicles.

Other discriminatory laws that apply only to cyclists and no other slow vehicles include mandatory sidepath laws (13 states have this), mandatory shoulder use laws (5 states), mandatory bike lane laws (5 states, including California), and far to the right laws that apply only to cyclists (41 states, including California).

What do you think? Are “Far to the Right” laws discriminatory and should they be repealed? For some background, read California LCI Dan Gutierrez and Amanda Eichstaedt’s article promoting the Equality clause, and then read the discussion that follows discussion of the Woolley case in San Diego, in which bike lawyer Rick Bernardi believes “Far to the Right” citations are easier to fight than a Slow Moving Vehicle citation.

You might remember San Diego cyclist Andrew Woolley, who received a ticket for failing to stay far to the right when he split the lane through heavy traffic. The traffic court judge upheld the ticket.

Woolley appealed the conviction and the appellate court filed a brief acknowledging Woolley didn’t violate CVC 21202, which is California’s Ride Far to the Right law. The San Diego Superior Court Appellate Division acknowledged that CVC 21202 did not apply to Woolley because the cyclist was riding “at a speed less than the traffic at that time.”

Serge Issakov, who followed this case in San Diego, also notes, “For what it’s worth, the appeals court also noted that Andrew may have been in violation of 22350.” This is the California Basic Speed Law.

View brief [PDF] here.

This guy is hanging it up and selling everything he owns on eBay:

I am looking for a good home for all of my cyclocross gear. You will need a large garage or basement to house my collection. With the 2010 cyclocross season 9 months away just think of all the time you will save if you buy all of my stuff.

My loss is your gain. I am selling everything I own that involves cyclocross. I had the car packed and was headed to Bend for cyclocross nationals. The weather report and course conditions sounded brutal. I searched deep into my soul, and I have become too soft to finish my 2009 CX season. This sport has broken my heart and crushed my dreams for possibly the last time. Everything must go. Everything is included. If you win this auction you will have everything you will ever need to race cyclocross, and look like a complete pro. I have decided that I enjoy buying cyclocross stuff more than racing it. So do me a favor and buy it all. Unfortunately for me I will probably buy most of it back piece by piece on Ebay later this summer when my mental stability and optimism return. Maybe I will return in 2010 rocking the one cog? Just think how much simpler and cheaper that would be. My motivation is high…. my spirits are low. Everthing listed below is real and is yours if you BID.

Via Curtis

How do leg cramps happen?