Thanks Jerome, it stuns me that a person with such a wide reach can have such a clueless attitude about cyclist safety. Some of the comments are very good, though.
toweliesbong09.14.10 - 5:04 pm
reply
In many respects, Dave Whiting is one of us. But I think he spends too much cycling time with the Lycra clad fitness set down on PCH, and not enough riding for other purposes.
I prefer the more "militant" stance of Midnight Ridazz.
Concentrating on cyclists changing what seems to be " bad" behavior is the wrong focus.
I consider myself a very safe rider, but I've been "right hooked" 4 times, all in O.C.
The ghost bike used to illustrate the story was installed by the Midnight Ridazz, BTW.
Creative Thing09.14.10 - 6:24 pm
reply
"But I think he spends too much cycling time with the Lycra clad fitness set down on PCH, and not enough riding for other purposes."
That's precisely it. Totally out of touch with those who ride the streets for reasons other than sport.
toweliesbong responding to a
comment by Creative Thing
09.14.10 - 6:34 pm
reply
I don't think it matters which cyclists he is interacting with - lycra clad sport cyclists or skinny jeans hipsters, he is an a-hole! His central premise is that cyclists on the road are a menace to be eliminated. He seems to be blaming cyclists for the injuries and deaths that they suffer on the roads.
He's got it all wrong! He doesn't for a moment stop to think that there is nothing wrong with cyclists on the roads and that drivers are the ones who need to be educated/bitch-slapped.
liquidpremium09.15.10 - 7:27 am
reply
Maybe someone could contact him to air our grievances? He seems open to meeting with cyclists.
I don't think we should make sharp distinctions between lycra clad cyclists and others. We all have common interests to advocate.
liquidpremium09.15.10 - 12:37 pm
reply
Leslie's right, but not 100%. Most of the clubs he namedropped are MTB clubs and the Laguna Rads in particular are responsible for poaching a ton of illegal trails, which is contrary to MTB advocacy in a big way. I'd wager that if he were to come out to Wolfpack or any other fast-paced MR/LAF ride he'd get dropped like a hot potato. I've emailed him a few times over the past few years with invitations to come out and ride with us non-clubbies and he has declined every time.
Greg's notion that the main sadness of it all is that he has the ear of many ignorant people who need to be informed properly, not fed hype based on assumptions and very limited experience.
Jeronimo09.16.10 - 6:12 pm
reply
OC just sucks balls.... sorry but i can't shake off that stereotype....
DI sung it best.... " I hate surfing in HB " ....
sparky80809.17.10 - 12:25 am
reply