Observation...

So, as you can tell from previous posts, I enjoy cycling. I really only started about 5 years ago and am pretty pleased with how well I do these days given the short amount of time I have been doing this and the amount of time I have to train. Anyway, I have tried to not only learn how to ride, but to ride safely and using proper bike etiquette. It amazes me these days at how many people ignore one or both of those factors.
The first one is annoying, but not horrible. Bike etiquette. Just like most other sports and activities, there are a few things that are common curtesy for a cyclist to do on the road. The first is that when you are riding on a busy road, you should stay single file. It's both a safety and a curtesy factor as cars can pass you as well as faster cyclists. When cycling with a group and a car is coming from behind or in front, you should notify the riders around you by yelling, "car, front!" or "car, back!". That way if someone is talking or not really paying attention, they are aware of the approaching vehicle. The last basic rule of etiquette is to notify a rider when you are going to pass them. A simple, "on your left" suffices to just give them a "heads-up" so they don't move over as you pass next to them. Along the same line, "passing on the right" is not acceptable in most cases.
You would be amazed at the amount of times on these bike tours and other charity rides that I do, that people completely ignore these "rules". Frequently, too, it is the better cyclists that are zooming past people quickly who completely ignore the "on the left". I understand that it probably gets annoying to continually tell people that, but it's for everyone's safety, so suck it up.
The other set of rules are obviously more important. The ones that are essential for your safety. A cyclist is expected to follow the same rules of the road that a car does. You must stop at stop signs and lighted intersections and signal when you are turning. And of course, you must wear a helmet. Now that a lot of people are trying to bike to work to save gas money, I am seeing more examples of poor safety on the bike. Many times, it is cyclists who refuse to stop and wait out a red light. And of course, I so often see people without a helmet. Helmets are so important. We had a team member on the MS 150 fall this year when his front tire got caught in a rut in the road. He had some bad road rash and hit his head hard enough to crack his helmet, but thanks to the helmet, he was able to get back on his bike and finish the weekend. Often, I will see people riding without a helmet. Sometimes even attempting to carry something in one hand or the other as well. But the one that takes the cake occurred yesterday and is what prompted this post. On my way home from work, I was stopped at a red light and a bike was crossing the intersection. The man was not only riding with a grocery bag hanging off of one of his handlebars, but hanging on his other handlebar... was his helmet. Sorry buddy, but it does you no good if it's not on. (and we're not talking a young kid who promised mom to wear his helmet and has now removed it once he is out of mom's sight- this was an adult man) I've been wracking my brain to try and figure out what would prompt someone to carry their helmet and not put it on. I have no idea. He had short hair, so helmet-hair is not an option. And he was crossing a major intersection, so it's not like he thought he wouldn't be at risk of getting hit by a car. Who knows- some people are just stupid. But those people make the rest of the cyclists look bad, too.