Recreation
Rules of road for bikes

By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Situation: You're cruising down Kalaniana'ole Highway on your road bike when you notice that one of your tires is flat. What do you do?

Riders in the JASH Century Bike Ride should take care to stay within the marked boundaries of the course in order to avoid accidents with other bicyclists, vehicles and pedestrians. Advertiser library photo

Not exactly. If you're riding with, say, 2,300 other people at this month's JASH Century Bike Ride, stopping abruptly could lead to serious injury for you and the people riding behind you.

The Century Ride, Hawai'i's largest organized bicycle event, celebrates its 20th running — er, cycling — on Sept. 23. The noncompetitive ride is open to cyclists of all skill levels, with 25-, 50-, 75- and 100-mile options.

Given the large number of novice cyclists who take part in the ride each year, minor accidents are common. Many occur because riders aren't aware of road etiquette, pack protocols and basic safety precautions.

While serious injuries are relatively few — an average of one person per year is taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries sustained on the course — several riders each year get bumps, bruises and scrapes as a result of accidents that could easily be avoided, according to Liz Ryan, event director for the Hawai'i Bicycling League.

In the flat-tire scenario described above, for example, the safest thing to do is to continue pedaling as you signal your intention to slow down. Scanning your immediate surroundings, you should try to make eye contact with the people behind and to the side of you. Once the coast is clear, you can reduce your speed, move toward the sidewalk and step off the bike path to fix your tire or wait for a sag wagon.

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FREE CLINICS Island Triathlon and Bike is offering free Century Ride clinics Sept. 13 and 20, 6 p.m. at IT&B in Kapahulu. Clinics will include instruction on how to fix a flat tire and how to set up your bike and body position for comfort and efficiency, as well as training tips and other information. For information or reservations, call Frank Smith at 732-7227. CENTURY BIKE RIDE What: JASH Century Bike Ride When: Sept. 23, 2001, 6:15 a.m. Where: Starts and finishes at Kapi'olani Park, near the new bandstand complex. Who: Approximately 2,300 cyclists of all skill levels. How far: 100-, 75-, 50- and 25-mile options.

• Pay attention: "When people hear bike accident, they usually envision wholesale carnage from a car-bike collision," said Frank Smith, owner of Island Triathlon and Bike and one of the founders of the race. "But the majority of accidents are self-inflicted because the rider wasn't attentive to the road. There are a million things on the road that can cause a fall."

• Signal: In a ride the scale of the Century, it's not always easy to tell who's around you. Therefore, it's vitally important that you use hand signals to communicate your intentions. Most signals can be done with your left arm.

Your arm extended straight out to the left indicates a left turn; bent upward at 90 degrees indicates a right turn.

To signal that you are stopping or slowing, turn your bent arm downward with your forearm perpendicular to the ground.

"In addition to signaling, you also have to look," Smith said. "You're not Moses. Sometimes the sea doesn't part for you just because you signal."

Whenever possible, you should also use your hands to point out approaching hazards — such as glass, puddles, debris or grates — so people behind you have enough time to identify and react to them.

• Position yourself appropriately: Start times for the ride are staggered according to distance, with 100-milers starting first and 25-milers last. Within each group, riders should position themselves according to their anticipated speed. Faster riders should start at the head of the pack, slower riders at the back. This helps to prevent unsafe situations in which faster riders are forced to maneuver around slower riders. On the course, slower riders should stay closer to the right, leaving a lane on the far left for passing.

Speaking of passing, it's customary for passers to give those being passed a little warning. "On your left!" usually works. If you're being passed, move a bit to the right, if possible, to give the advancing bike adequate room.

• Stay straight: With more than 2,000 people expected to turn out for the ride, the course — particularly the first 12.5 miles — will be crowded. In tight packs, drifting from side to side can be very dangerous. It's important, therefore, for cyclists to ride as straight and predictably as possible.

"Don't be a squirrel," Smith said. "Sometimes (riders) jump around all over the place trying to move around people. Or sometimes they just drift; they're squirrely. Mellow out. Allow some space ahead, in back and side to side."

The Century course is relatively wide through most of the first leg, comprising the bike lane plus the far right lane through most of Kalaniana'ole. But the course narrows after Sandy Beach, making it very important that riders safely share their available space. In areas where the path narrows, cyclists should slow down and merge, if necessary, with riders on the left (traffic side) folding in first.

• Stay within the boundaries: This one is a no-brainer since what's on the other side of the boundaries are cars, which are bigger, heavier, faster and more likely to inflict major injury should you make contact. On areas of the course that are coned for your use, do not cross over into regular traffic lanes, even when passing. Riders will have to share lanes with cars en route to the farther turnaround points. If you notice a backlog of cars behind you, it's polite to pull over and let them pass, Smith said.

For more safety tips, consult the program in your Century Ride packet or call HBL at 735-5756.

Notes: About 200 cyclists from Japan are expected to participate in this year's ride, a result of HBL's new affiliation with title sponsor the Japan-American Society of Hawai'i.