When we start working outside, we get to encounter a lot of new people we didn’t know were out there beforehand. It’s probably mostly because we have never given it any thought before.
Good Samaritan
I am going to start on a high note, so it doesn’t look like complaining. There are actually two sub-groups in here. Or at least my experiences divided them into two groups.
Type 1: they check on you when you get hurt. And I don’t mean yell ‘are you ok’ while they are zooming by. Actually stop and talk to you to verify that you are going to make it. Here is a little illustration of what I’m talking about: I once tripped over my feet when on a run and hurt my knee pretty badly. As I was trying to recompose, this nice gentleman on a bike stopped to make sure I was ok. He hang out with me until I pulled together and was on my way home:
It took me a LONG time to hobble home that day. I was just grateful that somebody checked. The trail was deserted that day and my knee was hurting badly. I also think that have somebody distracting me for a bit helped a lot with recovering enough to walk home.
Type 2: repair guy. If you bike enough on the trails, you will have a mechanical problem sooner or later. It’s going to be most often a flat tire, although my seat once broke off. Ok, when your seat breaks off, you have little alternative to finding a shop. But changing a tire can be addressed on the fly. I have a general idea of how to do it. I once got a flat on the trail and I’ll admit it: I was struggling a bit. Fortunately, a nice gentleman pulled over and offered to lend me a hand. And ‘by lend a hand’, he clearly meant ‘do it for you’. I swear he was of a NASCAR pit crew school… I didn’t even get a chance to truly rest up before he was done!
File it under ‘not all superheroes wear capes’!
The plugged-in
I will get back to good people at the end of this post, so I can end on the high note. For now, let’s see a few more questionable people. One of my ‘favorite’ categories are people who are walking (usually walking) and they are so plugged into their phone that they don’t see the reality around them. They may be talking, watching something or listening without being able (either due to volume or attention) to hear those around them. I am sure you have seen them:
I admit openly that I listen to stuff when I ride or run. However, I make sure I can hear when people talk to me and I am responsive to various stimuli. For example, I have a habit of turning off my podcasts when I come up on road crossings, so I can see cars coming up – in some places, you can hear them way sooner than you can see them, especially around bushes. I actually heard before about a runner who was so plugged in that she ran into a cyclist and hurt them really badly. If memory serves me right, she was found guilty of hurting the cyclist because he had right of way and she hurt him. So don’t be that person.
The invisible man
That’s for the night time runs and rides. I have a feeling that people who follow me and most definitely people who interact with me regularly in person know what my feelings are about staying visible when you are on the trail when it’s dark.
I know you can sort of see them, but the results may vary based on other factors, such as trees and moon. Either way: it’s hard to see people who are not wearing lights at night. I have seen a number of people assume that reflective surfaces are enough. Guess what? If I’m going 25-30 mph, it’s too late by the time my light reflects off of you. I won’t even mention the dogs – they may be hard to spot, especially the small black ones. Please put lights on everybody and everything out there! It’s not that hard and we will all be safer for it!
The windshield wiper
This one is my personal observation and for the longest time, I thought it was just me… Every now and then, you see somebody power walking and swinging their arms side to side with unnecessary exaggeration:
I’ve had to dodge those arms before… I have always been shocked how far people can reach! It’s another issue that can be easily addressed, so please don’t be that person…
The herd
I also sometimes call them the gaggle (as in gaggle of geese). Those are groups (can be as small as two, let’s face it) who position themselves in such a way on the trail that they block everybody else from going in either direction. It’s half a problem if they are responsive to others asking to be allowed through. But I have seen herds disorganized enough that they couldn’t figure out how to get out of the way of people passing.
Ugh! This has happened to me way more times than I care to admit. Surprisingly, I encounter them mostly on my rides to the office on Tuesday morning. They occasionally double with the previous problem type – they don’t carry much light with them. Or just the leader does. In case you travel at night with a larger group on a trail: person in the back left should be the one with the most light. Why, you ask? Well, person most likely in need of seeing you (assuming you stay in your lane) is a cyclist that is coming up from behind and passing you. They need to know who is the first person they need to dodge. Keep people without lights as far to the right as you can and in the middle of the line.
The kid
I have nothing against kids on the trail. In fact, I bring my daughter with me. However, as the parent/ adult, it’s your responsibility to make sure everybody is safe. Kids can pose a couple of issues. One of them is when they are just playing, especially with a ball. And I am using term ‘kid’ in this case liberally – I have seen older teenagers doing this: playing, pushing each other around, chasing the ball:
I promise: I don’t want to as much as startle your child! Please meet me half way and watch out for your little one.
The other thing is kids riding their bikes. I know it’s a challenge. I am working with my ‘mini-me’ on it right now. The little beginners tend to swerve a lot and frequently ride in the very middle (issue when there are cyclists coming up from both directions). I have a solution that for now works with my daughter and me:
She feels safer when I’m between her and the cyclists and I know I can hold onto her and prevent her from swerving into others. It’s a win-win and will work until she gets fast. I’m hoping though that by then, she will be going in straight line.
Tour guide
Sometimes, we all go places we are unfamiliar with. Or we always choose the same, beaten path. Occasionally, we will run into somebody who will tell us about alternative routes or neat places to go. I think they are great and doing a public service! I recently chatted with a guy at a rest stop about lack of challenging hills. He said that if I take the bike path, I am correct. But parallel to the bike path, there is a usually empty road with plenty of hills to practice on. He went with me (bless his heart – I know it was at a snail pace, since I am slow on uphills) and showed me the road. It was fun!
Ah, so many interesting types of people you get to see out there! Some are amazing and helpful, some – not so much. But one way or another, they make your time on the trails that much more entertaining! Now go and enjoy 😊