"Hazardous" Segments

tangled_metal

Each to their own but back to the op's case, someone suggested it was a mixed use path popular with a range of users due to it's location. If the whole point of segments is to compare performance, among your peers or just your own, then there appears to be potential conflict. Performance monitoring implies an aim to improve, in cycling that's most likely speed (time over the segment another metric). Speed and paths used by families is not a good idea. I have a toddler who's quick and unpredictable. Leads to anxious moments whenever a cyclist comes close at times. I learnt to assess cyclists for hazards soon enough. There's cues to look for I've noticed. There is no doubt mixed use paths in my mind should be for a more leisurely riding style. You can't get your best performance dodging families, slow riders, horse riders, livestock, dogs, etc.

This post was started a few hours ago on the train home, others have posted similar and better ideas about this in between.

tangled_metal

As an aside, are there different types of Strava users? What are they?
I'm thinking those who track their rides for recording routes or fitness or performance (idea to improve) or to compare with other. I'm also getting the impression there are a type of collector out there. Who tries to get to top or near the top of as many segments as poss. Walking circles there's similar, the hill baggers/ motorists/wainwrighters/ppl doing the Corbetts Marilyns the Grahams the P500 the county tops the trig points and so on. There a whole group of them who compete to have the most number of complete rounds of all the Wainwright hills. Last time I looked it was 21 circuits BTW. I see this last type of Strava user as this same obsessive who needs a real life. That's talking as someone who nearly became a hill bagging obsessive. I recognise the type elsewhere. It is OK I'm not saying it's wrong just with the sound of some segments it is dangerous with a bike at speed and other slower users.

Frank Wilson

cougie wrote:

I'm happy to flag the segments on the OP's path - its a shared use path - owned I believe by the RSPB and they had threatened to stop cyclists from using it if there was inconsiderate cycling on it.

Its not rocket science - don't race the path with people or livestock on it. If you want a challenge - find a hill.
We should be grateful we have a great traffic free route into North Wales - lets not shoot ourselves in the foot by crashing into walkers on the path eh ?

But to be fair Cougie, when I went on it tonight there was only myself and two other roadies coming the other way, primarily I would think due to the rather strong winds. By your logic us cyclists should suffer all year round to appease the families and walkers who come out on the days when the sun is shining. Obviously I feel that I am intelligent enough to appreciate that when there is heavy traffic on said path one adjusts one's speed accordingly but on a night like tonight on an empty path I don't see your logic.

I can only presume that all these people who complain will be the same flag waving Carlsberg swilling "patriots" cheering on Bradley, Geraint etc at the Olympic games. Just where do these people imagine they got so good? playing TDF games on the playstation!

tangled_metal

Riding roads not mixed use paths I guess is one safer way to get good. I am right the op's example is a mixed use path not a road which cars, bikes, trucks and cyclists use. I'd be amazed to see Froome or Wiggins racing along on a team training ride along a mixed use path. One near us is Morecambe promenade, I will never see team sky in full time trial pace riding that with the other users on it. Extreme example I know but so is saying these special athletes only got good because they were left allowed to have their rides on a particular mixed use segment recorded on a Strava leaderboard.
BTW I did read about one of Wiggins' favorite local training route. I kind of know the area and it's nice country roads. That's roads not paths. Wonder if he's put any of it up on Strava as a segment?

cougie

Basically there are idiot cyclists. I was clipped by one the other week. He took two of us down and rode on because he was in a hurry to meet up with his mates. And on a bloody shared path too !

People will race the segment if its there. If they do that when there's pedestrians around it will cause accidents. Then we won't have access to that path. Then I'll be annoyed.

Are you trying to tell me that wiggins and co race on shared paths ?
Save your racing for the roads - not a path that is only ours to rude on thanks to the owners permitting us.

Frank Wilson

cougie wrote:

Basically there are idiot cyclists. I was clipped by one the other week. He took two of us down and rode on because he was in a hurry to meet up with his mates. And on a bloody shared path too !

People will race the segment if its there. If they do that when there's pedestrians around it will cause accidents. Then we won't have access to that path. Then I'll be annoyed.

Are you trying to tell me that wiggins and co race on shared paths ?
Save your racing for the roads - not a path that is only ours to rude on thanks to the owners permitting us.

By the same token though mate, and you obviously know the area, the entire length of Greenway from Mickle Trafford to Hawarden Bridge is a shared path. Are you advocating that all the cyclists on there, both leisure and work commuters, get off the shared path and take their chances on a very busy Sealand Road and crossing the A494 by whatever means they can.

The one and only reason that I (and I stress only when the path is deserted) enjoy cycling with a degree of velocity, as I stated In my original post is that it is a nice even piece of tarmac. When you ridden for some miles to get there on the chippings on tarmac multi rutted Chester High Road it is a godsend both for my bike and my body.

Personally I prefer to ride on the road rather than pathways as I actually find them safer for some of the reasons that you and others have previously mentioned but unfortunately the quality of the road surfaces in this area is appalling.

Find me some nice smooth tarmac roads around here and i'll never set wheel on the shared path again.

Cheers for now

Frank.

cougie

I've given money to sustrans since they started up - years ago - its great that we have this facility.
I'd encourage others to do the same - http://www.sustrans.org.uk/support-us without funds - they're screwed.

I do know the path well - I first rode it when it was mud decades ago - as far as I dared as it was all a bit scary with it being close to the MOD ground then...

Now the facility is excellent - but it is a shared path. If its deserted - OK ride a bit faster if you want to. Just watch out for the sheep etc.

You don't need a strava segment there - you can always have a private one if you want to.

Just because roads are harder work doesn't give you the right to race on the shared paths. They're not suitable for speed. I'm perfectly happy taking it easy on the paths and covering my brakes. There are plenty of roads that you can really test yourself on.

I'm not advocating cyclists getting off the path - it wouldn't exist if it was just for walkers. But its shared. So give way to pedestrians and ride safely.

Its the same advice I'd give to motorists on the road. Be aware of vulnerable cyclists and pedestrians. Slow down and pass wide when you come across them.

I'll probably be on it at the weekend - I'll be the one taking it nice and easy.

adr82

Totally agree with you cougie. If you want to "race" along segments find some that actually go up a decent hill, there's a somewhat understandable lack of families and dog-walkers daring to get in the way of your KOM attempts on those roads.

There are a couple of shared use paths near me that also have wonderful smooth surfaces, but you can't safely ride them at high speed because they're only about 1.5m wide and go through thickly wooded areas with blind corners. I'd much rather keep myself to a safe speed than come flying round a corner and hit a kid. Hasn't stopped some people clocking 25mph average speeds on these paths though... idiots.

overlord2

I think its pissed off 16st mountain bikers flagging them.

Father Faff

Well I think every segment round here should be marked as hazardous. If it isn't the bunnies, pheasants, sheep, ducks, hedgehogs, squirrels or dogs that get you, it will be the potholes, cowshit, slurry, tractors, quadbikes, BMW drivers, or lollipop ladies that do it. On top of that there are some very steep hills where you may have a heart attack if you try for an uphill KOM or you fall off at over 20mph on the descent. It also always rains and is very windy so you will be quite lucky to stay on your bike even with stabilisers on. There are no trees on the tops of the moors so you could get severe exposure and in the valleys where there are trees you may be hit by falling branches. And the Old Peculiar beer is also exceptionally dangerous.