May 19 and 20; 4 races in 2 days.

Interior Grasslands Cycling Club in Kamloops is inviting you to do one or do them all. Peter and John have put together an impressive schedule for all Masters riders with flash-back to the venerable Tour of the Grasslands. Many points up for grabs in every age group.

Sanctioned by BCMCA

To assist the organizers with logistical issues:

Please use ONLINE PRE-REGISTRATION:

https://reg.ccnbikes.com/index.php/event/2012-bc-masters-stage-race

 Details and info available in the Upcoming Races and Event Calendar.

For riders who have not got enough riding after 4 events; stop at the Falkland Stampede on Monday. Just swap your Pinarello for a Palomino.

spills, drills, thrills, bills, ills, pills and wills

 Stuart Lynne gives us The Seven Stages of Road Racing:

Here is Stuart Lynne’s educational  Letter from a Start-Finish-Start Line:

 The Seven Stages of Road Racing…

1. First time out – your goal is to not get dropped. You get dropped and hopefully find someone who also got dropped to finish the race with. When you get back to the car your ride already has his bike in the rack and is looking at his watch.

Start-Finish - then repeat and repeat

2. Seeing your first sprint – you don’t make the break, but do manage to stay with the pack and actually see someone sprinting at the finish. It is not known why they are sprinting as the break finished well over five minutes ago.

3. Your first sprint – you make the break, but get dropped, get collected by the pack. You are still close enough to the front to actually be one of those trying to sprint, even though the break did finish five minutes ago. But it does seem like the right thing to do.

4. You stay with the break – at the final turn the first ten or so riders sprint away. But you do get to see it. And you finish within a minute or two of the winners. You are now officially a road racer, your immediate family refuse to acknowledge this though.

5. In the sprint – you stay with the break, keep to the back saving your matches, get to the front in the last lap, in the top six or seven around the last turn and actually get to participate in the sprint. Possibly finish in top 10. A significant milestone, fellow club members are envious.

6. Podium – you lead the break, in the top three around the last corner, get a perfect lead out and sprint into a podium finish. You have arrived, life is good, you get mentioned on the club website. Your immediate family still refuses to acknowledge this though and your wife just mutters every time she sees your bike in the garage.

7. Upgraded – The race organizer tells you that you have been upgraded, which is not as good as it sounds. The race is 30% longer at with a 5% higher average speed.. You hope that at least you can finish in the pack but you’ll be looking for someone to finish the race with. You are back at stage 1.

Please review current race info below, and map info under Event Calendar.

He is confirming that the distance of Giant’s Head Hill Climb is 3 Killermeters.

The fine print: Read all waivers before signing.

 Race start

May 5, @ 6p.m. – Hill Climb TT

Giants Head Mountain Park (Milne Rd.), Summerland

 Race start

May 6, @ 10a.m. – Australian pursuit Road Race

 Willowbrook (Willowbrook Rd.), BC

Note: Registration 1.5 hour before start time

Sanctioned by BCMCA

Giants Head hill climb

May 5/2012

Registration: 5pm (Memorial Park, Wharton Street)

Race start: 6pm (top of Milne Road to Giant Head Park)

Race Format: time trial 30 sec intervals

Duration and distance of climb: 10-15 min & @3km

Average and maximum gradient: 15% and 20%

Elevation: 850 m from sea level and 350 m from start to finish

Climb description: short and steep on new pavement, you will need low gearing

Important: -Park on the left side of Milne Rd.

• Do not use the neighbours cul-de-sacs blocked with barriers

• We will have a van at the top if you need clothing brought up.

• We will present medals at the top, weather dependant

 May Pursuit Road Race

May 6/ 2012

 Registration: 9am on Willowbrook Road.

Race Start: 10am on Green Lake Road (in front of Willowbrook Fire hall).

Race Format: Australian Pursuit (check masters website for start intervals).

Distance: 3 laps of 26 km for all age groups.

Course Description: Mostly flat with gradual climb after Fairview road turnaround.

Race Support: 1 lead car / 1 motorcycle (mid pack) / 1 follow vehicle (sweep).

 Important

 Keep as far right as possible (there is no center line).

• Road is open to regular motor vehicle traffic.

• Be aware of oncoming vehicles.

• No more than 2 abreast

• We will discuss tech-support at race registration.

 Check Google maps on Event Calendar for race locations.

”Mayor Kettle found using GPS. UCI is investigating”.

Here is Nipper Kettle’s Letter:

Spring has sprung, the grass has greened, bet you are wondering where I is ..

On the road cycling between the meetings, lol.

April showers bring May flowers. The warmer weather has settled in the Boundary region as is evident by the numbers of cyclist hitting the highways and byways.

The yellow and black jerseys of the GFCC can be seen everywhere and the numbers turning up at club rides is growing every year.

Canada's Smallest City

We have many new riders and of all levels. As i look out the window this Saturday morning all I can see is blue sky and i get excited because I know it is ride day.

So fortunate to live in this area where its close to some of my favourite rides.

The number one fav is the Curlew Loop ride from Greenwood-Midway-Curlew, Wa, -Danville- Grand Forks- up the long 24k climb of Spencer’s Hill to Eholt summit and back to Greenwood. Next fun ride will be tomorrow’s event in Spokane, Wa.

The Lilac Century fun ride that is followed by the usual potato feed.

Our Grand Forks club will be out in full force again sporting their new club jerseys…still yellow and black a but a fresh new look.

Just got in from the Lilac Century ride in Spokane and from the sound of the BIG GUNS when they cruised by with 10 miles to go, and GFCC’s Brian Marsh towing a breakaway of 5 riders, I’d say the club gave a strong performance there..

Get out and ride..

The Mayor.

When the Flag drops, the BS stops.

Race start times are convenient for ferry travelers, but contact organizers for last minute changes.

this video is for all riders who want to perfect their cornering.

And those who wish to get ready for Crits around figure-of-eight courses.

Or simply up to speed; two Italians, Rossi and Lorenzo, will give this lesson.

You will not forget it. With Camelbacks.

Dear Tony,

Tony Hoar still going strong

We wish you a speedy recovery following your recent bicycle accident. We note with pleasure, that an outstanding MLA provided tribute on our behalf in the BC Legislature:

April 17, 2012 ~ Member’s Statement: “Tony Hoar” ~ Doug Routley, MLA Nanaimo-North Cowichan

We still hope to see you here at The Buckingham Palace in July. The most comfy settee has been reserved for you on the balcony.

Luv and Regards,

Elizabeth

Please share this Letter with all cyclists.

Here is Bill Riley’s lengthy Letter from Lotusland  (he is a lawyer after all, not an editor. Oops, we almost broke our promise)

April, 2012

Dear Mr. Editor-in-Chief,

I write, firstly, to express my astonishment that you would grace me with the title, “Foreign Correspondent”, and, secondly, to get on with the task of earning that honorific title. Although it reminded me of my regular and formulaic insobriety a lifetime ago within the hallowed halls of the Foreign Correspondents Club (the “FCC”) during a stint in Hong Kong, I am now no longer certain, in the days of the www, exactly what constitutes a foreign correspondent. A correspondent is surely anyone who corresponds, writes a missive or notice and includes great poets, statesmen and evangelists, but also ranting bloggers, spam artists and those pesky collection agents threatening foreclosure yet again. “Foreign” could easily mean unfamiliar, strange or from outside, such as those nasty foreign bodies lodged deep in the road rash upon one’s buttocks, for example.

Bike Law

I must say, this “foreign correspondent” gig is feeling less distinguished by the moment.

Now, to the task. As I let you know in advance, a minor but persistent injury kept me out of competition in 2011(a gluteus medius in spasm, if you really care to know). I am on the mend though, and may yet contest some late season races in 2012, just when you least expect me. Until I can report more fulsomely on bicycle racing from a firsthand perspective, I thought I might instead feign expertise in the litigation of negligence and highway traffic laws as they pertain in British Columbia to cyclist/motorist interactions and, indeed, to collisions.

Rather than lecture you and your readers on the subject generally, I have chosen to report on three recent (2011) case reports from the Supreme Court of British Columbia, all of which concern cyclists being hit by motor vehicles. I can’t say that any of the three cases is precedent setting, but they are all current and illustrative of what cyclists and motorists might expect should they choose to seek recourse in the Courts for damages incurred on the road. They all address the respective duties and responsibilities of cyclists and motorists.

I will tackle the three cases in the chronological order in which the Court issued its decisions. In this letter, I will address the first of them, the case of Ireland v. McKnight, a decision of the Supreme Court issued February 11, 2011. In my letters to follow in June and August respectively, I propose to address the other two cases.

The Plaintiff, Ireland, was a medical doctor who sustained career-ending injuries in a September 2007 collision with an overtaking car driven by Ms. McKnight. The collision took place southbound on Henderson Road, a two-lane, asphalt-surfaced roadway in or about Victoria. Dr. Ireland was within 200 meters of his home and returning from a one-hour ride when the incident took place. He was nearing the point where he would have made a left turn off Henderson Road to reach his home which was situated on the east side of that road.

While Dr. Ireland had no memory of the incident, it was his theory that Ms. McKnight had, by failing to allow a one meter separation between bike and car (as recommended in the ICBC publication, “Learn to Drive Smart”), approached him on a “collision course” and overtaken him at an unsafe distance, contrary to s. 157 of the Motor Vehicle Act.

It was Ms. McKnight’s evidence at trial in January 2011 ( the trial was restricted to determining liability only and not damages) that she saw Dr. Ireland some distance ahead of her car and that he was then riding his bicycle about 3 feet from the curb. She also testified that the left side of the car was then about 4 feet from the centre line of the road, but that she moved the car to within 2 feet of the centre line as she approached the cyclist, Dr. Ireland.

Please take all precautions

Ms. McKnight’s passenger, Ms. Judd, sat in the right front seat of the car and witnessed (that is, she heard) the collision. She saw Dr. Ireland look toward the car which was more than 3 feet to the cyclist’s left and then she heard an impact on the side of the car to the rear of where she sat. Based on that, it was Ms. McKnight’s theory that she had commenced overtaking Dr. Ireland with enough distance between them, but that the cyclist had turned to his left so as to close that gap before the car could completely overtake him.

Expert evidence was called by the plaintiff. A professional engineer, Mr. Lawrence, measured the road width at the scene of the collision as well as the width of the car, including its mirrors. He also examined photographs of the car (but, apparently, not the car itself) and concluded that marks on the right side passenger door were made by the trailing edge of the bike’s front tire. On this he based his opinion that the bike and car were travelling parallel with one another at the time of contact.

Another witness (and it is not clear from the decision whether or not she was an expert witness), Ms. Wilson, gave evidence that the marks on the passenger door pre-existed the collision but that some horizontal scratching on the right rear quarter panel of the car near the right rear wheel well was fresh damage to the car.

The Court preferred Ms. Wilson’s evidence and found that the car had passed the cyclist at a safe distance and that at least three-quarters of the car had passed the bike before contact occurred. The Court found as a fact that the cyclist had, when turning his head to the left, also moved his bicycle to the left. Were it not for that leftward movement, the Court found, there would have been no contact with the car. To accept Dr. Ireland’s version of the events, the evidence of marks on the car would have had to support a collision with the right front corner of the car.

The other arguments of Dr. Ireland (that the car was not properly maintained and that its owner, Ms. Cook, had failed to properly instruct Ms. McKnight in its safe operation) were also dismissed as not being causative of the plaintiff’s injuries.

The Plaintiff’s claim in negligence was dismissed entirely (and, so, it was not necessary to consider the calculation of his damages).

So, while the case was determined on its facts as presented by the various witnesses (the Court preferring the evidence of one witness over that of another), the moral arguably is that, when a cyclist performs a shoulder check prior to turning left, he must maintain his line or risk reducing to an unsafe margin the distance between him and an overtaking vehicle to his left. While the operator of the overtaking vehicle has a duty to pass a cyclist at a safe distance, that duty is apparently restricted to initiating the overtaking maneuver at a safe distance and maintaining that distance while overtaking. The overtaking driver cannot be responsible for any reduction in the safe distance caused by the actions of the cyclist.

I can think of an exception to that: where an overtaking motorist has seen or ought reasonably to have seen an obstruction in the road which could have caused the reasonable cyclist to move to the left to avoid the obstruction, the motorist has, I think, a duty to take that into account in judging and maintaining what is a safe distance at which to pass the cyclist. The same might be so where there is strong, gusting wind blowing the cyclist to his left. In such a case, a wider berth ought to be maintained by the overtaking motorist.

Was Dr. Ireland moving to the left to avoid a dangerous hole in the road or other debris? We will never know. One witness, Mr. Barronette, who attended on the scene while the injured cyclist was still lying on the road, might have seen some such obstruction, but his evidence as cited in the decision makes no mention of it. Dr. Ireland himself had no recollection of the events, presumably as a result of his injuries.

Dr. Ireland’s inability to recall the events was a significant detriment to his proving his case in the absence of another witness, say, a fellow cyclist, an observant pedestrian or the driver of a vehicle following behind Ms. McKnight. In a civil case of this sort, the onus was on Dr. Ireland to prove, “on a balance of probabilities” (rather than “beyond a reasonable doubt” as applies in criminal prosecutions) that Ms. McKnight had acted negligently and failed to exercise the duty of care owed to a fellow road user in the circumstances.

In closing, it would be wise of me to warn you and your readers that the information and links in this letter are not provided as legal advice, should not be treated as such and ought not to be relied upon by you or your readers without further, detailed legal counsel being sought.

I remain, Mr. Editor, your loyal foreign correspondent.

W. D. Riley

P.S. The full text of the Court’s decision in Ireland v. McKnight [2011] BCJ 222; February 11, 2011 can be found at: http://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/jdb-txt/SC/11/01/2011BCSC0174.htm

Also, for your readers’ ease of reference, s. 157 of the BC Motor Vehicle Act reads as follows:

Duty when overtaking

157 (1) Except as provided in section 158, the driver of a vehicle overtaking another vehicle

(a) must cause the vehicle to pass to the left of the other vehicle at a safe distance, and

(b) must not cause or permit the vehicle to return to the right side of the highway until safely clear of the overtaken vehicle.

(2) Except when overtaking and passing on the right is permitted, a driver of an overtaken vehicle,

(a) on hearing an audible signal given by the driver of the overtaking vehicle, must cause the vehicle to give way to the right in favour of the overtaking vehicle, and

(b) must not increase the speed of the vehicle until completely passed by the overtaking vehicle.