photo credit: richardmasoner

Hardly a week goes by that we don’t hear about a cyclist being hit by a car. It happens way too often even though there are laws protecting the cyclist. One of those laws is Florida Statute 316.083 Overtaking and Passing a Vehicle. This statute, commonly referred to as The Three Foot Law among cyclists, says:

The following rules shall govern the overtaking and passing of vehicles proceeding in the same direction, subject to those limitations, exceptions, and special rules hereinafter stated:

(1) The driver of a vehicle overtaking another vehicle proceeding in the same direction shall give an appropriate signal as provided for in s. 316.156, shall pass to the left thereof at a safe distance, and shall not again drive to the right side of the roadway until safely clear of the overtaken vehicle. The driver of a vehicle overtaking a bicycle or other nonmotorized vehicle must pass the bicycle or other nonmotorized vehicle at a safe distance of not less than 3 feet between the vehicle and the bicycle or other nonmotorized vehicle.
(2) Except when overtaking and passing on the right is permitted, the driver of an overtaken vehicle shall give way to the right in favor of the overtaking vehicle, on audible signal or upon the visible blinking of the headlamps of the overtaking vehicle if such overtaking is being attempted at nighttime, and shall not increase the speed of his or her vehicle until completely passed by the overtaking vehicle.
(3) A violation of this section is a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable as a moving violation as provided in chapter 318.

In addition to Florida, the states of Connecticut, New Hampshire, Oregon, Illinois, Tennessee, Minnesota, Utah, Wisconsin, Arizona, South Carolina, Washington, Oklahoma and Maine have variations of this law. Even though these laws are out there, we see the news reports every week of cyclists getting hit, even killed, by vehicles passing them. Why is that? I believe it’s because most vehicle drivers aren’t aware of the existence of The Three Foot Law. Not to mention the fact that most drivers are always in too big a hurry. What do we do about it? We educate and Joe Mizereck of 3 Feet Please has taken a big step in that endeavor.

3 Feet Please Jersey Option 1

An avid cyclist himself, Joe took matters into his own hands and designed the 3 Feet Please cycling jersey. Designed to help educate drivers, the jersey prominently displays “3 Feet Please” on the back and “IT’S THE LAW” on the front. For those of you who live in a state that doesn’t have a 3 foot law, you can get a jersey where “IT’S THE LAW” is omitted on the front. The left sleeve has the “3 Feet Please” text while the right sleeve has the 3 Feet Please logo. The jersey has three back pockets and a full-length zippered front. It’s available in men’s sizes from medium to 3X and women’s from small to large.

Joe has taken a big step in trying to educate drivers in the law. You can help educate them too by picking up one of his jerseys at 3 Feet Please.

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Photo Courtesy of TDWsport.com

Astana Team Manager Johan Bruyneel (former US Postal and Team Discovery Channel manager) is already comparing Contador to Lance Armstrong. “I think we’re seeing a new phenomenon like Lance. I don’t like to compare riders, but from what I’ve seen in him I’ve only seen in Lance, especially in the mountains,” said Bruyneel. “It’s a very unexpected victory. If he can win the Giro at 80 percent, I see a very big future for Alberto.” Personally, I think it’s way too early to make that comparison. Sure, Bruyneel managed Lance for his seven Tour de France victories but to begin comparing another Contador to Lance after one Tour and one Giro victory is a stretch in my book. Especially after his Tour win last year was basically given to him after race leader Michael Rasmussen was booted from the race with only four days to go. Let Contador win a couple more Tours and then I’ll be open to begin drawing comparisons.

Photo Courtesy of TDWsport.com

Aside from Contador coming off vacation to win the Giro, I think the story of this year’s race was the success of Team High Road and Slipstream-Chipotle. In the final stage, Team High Road took first, second, and fourth positions while Slipstream-Chipotle took fifth and sixth. That’s five of the top six positions going to American teams. The first place finish of Marco Pinotti in stage 21 gave Team High Road four stage victories in this years Giro while Slipstream-Chipotle took the opening Team Time Trial victory in stage 1 with Team High Road finishing the Team Time Trial in second place. Team High Road managed to take first and second on stages 17 and 21. Both teams had multiple top ten stage finishes.

I know Contador pulled off the victory but I think the team of the race has to be Team High Road while Mark Cavendish of Team High Road should be considered the rider of the race. Cavendish finished the 2008 Giro with two stage wins, two second place finishes, and two other top tens. Very impressive. As to be expected, though, he struggled on the mountain stages and gave up lots of time there.

Now the big question is, “Will Astana be asked to participate in the Tour de France?” With Contador stating that “This was better than a second tour win” I’m sure this has only added fuel to the already growing fire. Astana was only given about a weeks notice that they could ride the Giro and then pulled off a major upset. That’s proof alone at how strong a team they are. Should they be allowed to ride the Tour? I think yes. This is not the same Astana team as last year that removed itself from the race following Alexander Vinokorouv’s positive drug test. They are under new management and have new riders. They have both the first and third place (Levi Leipheimer) finishers from the 2007 Tour De France and now have the winner of the 2008 Giro de Italia.

Can the Tour afford to not invite them?

I welcome your opinions.

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Photo Courtesy of TDWsport.com

Team High Road hammered out another impressive win in the Giro today with Greipel sprinting to the win followed closely by Cavendish. This was Greipel’s first win of the Giro while Cavendish already has two stage wins this year. Alberto Contador of Astana remains in the pink jersey by 41 seconds over Riccardo Ricco’ of Saunier Duval.

Team High Road was in full-force in the final 500 meters with four riders in the mix-Greipel, Cavendish, Brad Wiggins, and Tony Martin. Wiggins and Martin took care of the lead out duties through two 90-degree turns and with 250 meters to go it looked like Greipel was set to lead out Cavendish for another win. But Greipel continued his sprint all the way to the line and took it for himself.

Skeptics are already questioning if Cavendish “let” Greipel have the win. During post-race interviews Greipel seemed taken back by the insinuation and was adamant that there were no such plans.

Regardless what you think, with multiple stage wins already, and now this one-two finish, Team High Road is making a statement to the Pro Peleton.

GC after stage 17:
1. Alberto Contador (ESP), Astana in 72:14:40 at s.t.
2. Riccardo Ricco’ (ITA), Saunier Duval in 72:15:21 at 0:41
3. Gilberto Simoni (ITA), Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni in 72:16:01 at 1:21
4. Marzio Bruseghin (ITA), Lampre in 72:16:40 at 2:00
5. Franco Pellizotti (ITA), Liquigas in 72:16:45 at 2:05
6. Danilo Di Luca (ITA), Team L.P.R. in 72:16:58 at 2:18
7. Denis Menchov (RUS), Rabobank in 72:17:27 at 2:47
8. Emanuele Sella (ITA), CSF Group Navigare in 72:19:05 at 4:25
9. Broeck Jurgen Van Den (BEL), Silence-Lotto in 72:19:06 at 4:26
10. Domenico Pozzovivo (ITA), CSF Group Navigare in 72:20:05 at 5:25

USA Notables:
20. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Astana in 72:31:21 at 16:41
40. Christian Vandevelde (USA), Slipstream-Chipotle in 72:54:34 at 39:54

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http://www.cyclepig.com/archive/family-on-bikes/

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A quick check of the Internet has yielded zero events in my hometown for National Bike Month, Bike-To-Work Week, or Bike-To-Work Day. That totally blows me away. I believe I may have a mission for next year.

Is your city putting on any official events related to National Bike Month? If so, please tell us about it by leaving a comment below.

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http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/health/chi-cycling_09may09,0,5550228.story

Mr. hood is attempting to set the world record for consecutive hours of riding a stationary bicycle.  He expects to break the record sometime on Sunday, May 11, but wants to ride another 20 hours to make sure the record lasts a while.  According to Guinnes rules he gets a 5 minute break every hour and can carry those 5 minutes over if he wants to skip one.  He’s maintaining 12 mph which I find amazing.  A more mind-boggling number is the number of calories he’s expected to burn….23,000!

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During the month of May, bike shops, tour operators, and accommodation owners that link their site to TheCyclePeople.com will get free listings for the remainder of 2008.

Manufacturers have already uploaded thousands of products to the site’s database, making it easy to search for the latest cycling gear. And over 7,000 US and UK bike shops are listed as well. Shop owners that take advantage of this opportunity will get an enhanced listing for their shop, complete with details on the product lines they carry. Tour operators and accommodation owners can upload photos and detailed descriptions of their offerings as well.

It’s a completely risk-free way to gain exposure to over 1.5 million cyclists this year, on a site dedicated to becoming the one-stop site for cyclists around the world. Businesses wishing to take advantage of this offer should visit www.TheCyclePeople.com/Advertise - offer closes May 30th, 2008.

About TheCyclePeople.com: The portal for cycling enthusiasts allows users to search by product (more added weekly), to search for a bike shop anywhere in the US and UK (expanding to other countries), to find cycling holidays and accommodation worldwide, and to access the forums (link) for interacting with other cyclists. Over 20,000 businesses are currently featured. For more details about TheCyclePeople.com or the May Free Listings Offer, please contact info@thecyclepeople.com

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