Bike "rage" guys on Hawthorne Bridge, 6/8

[Haven_kd7yct]

Shoot, thought of something else:

Most bike riders always want to beat their previous time-- If it took me 25 minutes yesterday, I want to do it in 23 today. It's subconcious. I don't think most bike riders set out deliberately to beat their previous time to work. Or, I don't know, maybe they do? It's easy to try, when riding to work or home.

It's like riding slow. It's hard to do, until you think about it and consciously decide to do it. Why does it have to be something you have to think about?

Weird.

[wsbob]

A lot of people can't or won't do anything without the adrenaline kick.The body has to be pushed to get the adrenaline flowing. It doesn't take hardly any energy at all for a person well conditioned to riding a bike to travel at a civil commute speed on a multi-use path such as the Hawthorne has.

So there's isn't going to be any kick from that, at least not originating purely from muscle exertion. There's always someone for whom beautiful scenery and the delight of doing something positive together with other people is never enough.

Then there's the adrenaline kick brought about by stress and tension. Seems like people on the Hawthorne multi-use path have been seeing more and more of that. Some of this may be intentionally brought about by people that know how that works, and like the results.

[brock]

Originally Posted by Haven_kd7yct

Most bike riders always want to beat their previous time-- If it took me 25 minutes yesterday, I want to do it in 23 today.

With a 30 mile roundtrip and all this nice weather this time of year, if I want to ride more than a couple of days in a week, I've got to really slow it down. My goal lately has been to see if I can exceed my previous time. Recovery isn't what it used to be

I hear you though, sometimes it's tough to slow it down, I've got a host of tricks to help get in that groove. Crossing the Hawthorne and riding up the Esplanade was one of my tactics (can't (reasonably, safely) go fast when no one else is), but with the crowds and volatility lately that's not my best option.

Adrenaline kick from the stress and tension riding the Hawthorne? Oh boy do I have better suggestions for them - take the knobbies to Browns Camp, bomb down Germantown, check out PIR, nail the light cycle from the Broadway bridge to PSU early morning

[Psyfalcon]

Move to Beaverton. Its your own personal time trial every day! I can beat 40 minutes if I pretty hard. I havn't ever gone under 39 though. 45 is a pretty easy ride.

Even on the east side, there are plenty of mid traffic streets you can take and go fast. To follow the car racing analogies, think of the Hawthorne (and/or Esplanade) as your pit lane. Exceed the pit speed limit, you take a penalty.

[shewmaker]

Hormone levels influence riding style, there is no doubt, but the fact remains that bicyclers executing inappropriate passing maneuvers have made the Hawthorne Bridge a hazardous area. You won't see any "NO PASSING" signs put up until the City has to defend a lawsuit brought by a victim of its hands off policy.
If motorists set out everyday to beat their best time, wouldn't that be anarchy?
That's the way it is with bicycling in Portland.

[peejay]

Sorry, I disagree. I don't race the bridge, but I still find myself at enough of a speed differential from other riders that I feel passing is the civilized thing to do. Nobody wants someone breathing down their neck for hundreds of yards. I try to pass as politely as possible, and allow others to pass me. It's really not a hard thing to do. As for those who are going to glue themselves into the left side, you're just creating a more difficult situation for those who want to pass you and expect you to let them by on the left.

Once, after a couple of friendly "on your left"s, a rider said "why don't you just pass on the right?" and I told her because it's more dangerous for you if you have to expect people to pass on either side, and it's more dangerous for me because I don't know if she's going to veer into me in a belated attempt to pull over.

We're smart enough to make this work. Don't insult my intelligence, or that of other commuters, by telling me I can't handle passing.

[specialed]

Peejay,

Respectfully, I always ride on the left on the hawthorne bridge to avoid weaving back and forth or crowding pedestrians. If you feel you can pass me safely on the right that's OK.

The hawthorne bridge walkway is a sidewalk shared with many pedestrians (who have the right of way over bikes) and so the situation is a different from say a bike lane or roadway where I will attempt to be on the right and out of your way when I'm going "slow".

If you are in a hurry I recommend using the automobile lane on the bridge which is perfectly legal and safe unless its raining.

[Starkmojo]

seems to me what is needed is a line separating the pedestrians from the bikes. There is room for two bikes to pass on the left half of the sidewalk.