Donations in memory of rider killed in Race Across America

[Ron Hardin]

mapsno2 wrote:
> > No, it's an anti-busybody instinct. The
>
> ..which makes you a busy-anti-body...hmm... busybody-anti... no busy-anti-busybody,...
> busybody-anti-busybody???

Anti-organizer. The practical joke is the best remedy for local organizing types (``There's no
reason that _everybody_ shouldn't ride their bikes to work'' type), like the bicycle tied up
in a tree.
--
Ron Hardin [email protected]

On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

 

[Whitfit]

Jasper Janssen <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> On Sun, 22 Jun 2003 22:40:56 -0500, Tim McNamara <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >God, how horrible. Horrible for Malin, horrible for the driver of the truck, horrible for Malin's
> >father and brother who had to wtness such a nightmare. Words fail to express...
>
> Absolutely, except for Malin. The stupid git brought it on himself, and was the *cause* of the
> rest of the horribleness.
>
> Jasper

I've made a few mistakes in my life when tired, and not riding carefully. None of those moments ever
ended in this kind of accident, but they might of if I had been unlucky. This is good for no-one,
and if you want to blame this guy for putting himself in a situation that many of us might have at
some point in our lives(not even 2 or 3 times?), and having bad luck then you must be perfect and
righteous. I hate perfect people.

Whitfit.

 

[Tim McNamara]

In article <[email protected]>, Jasper Janssen <[email protected]> wrote:

> On Sun, 22 Jun 2003 22:40:56 -0500, Tim McNamara <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >God, how horrible. Horrible for Malin, horrible for the driver of the truck, horrible for Malin's
> >father and brother who had to wtness such a nightmare. Words fail to express...
>
> Absolutely, except for Malin. The stupid git brought it on himself, and was the *cause* of the
> rest of the horribleness.

Well, you know more about him than I do, then. I never met him so I don't know if he was a stupid
git. Even if he was, it was still horrible for him too.

 

[Tim McNamara]

> Doug wrote:
> > difference I'd say. Serious bikers are part of a larger club that is more meaningful than
> > driving.
>
> Well, am I a serious biker? Yet I am not part of a larger club.

You may not feel like you are a part of the larger club. Bummer for you.

> Try riding without the politics sometime.

Like you're not?

>
> Ron Hardin [email protected]
>
> On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

You seem to be trying very hard to prove your sig wrong.

 

[x]

RE/
>I've made a few mistakes in my life when tired, and not riding carefully. None of those moments
>ever ended in this kind of accident, but they might of if I had been unlucky.

>having bad luck then you must be perfect and righteous.

There's a certain personality (seems like a lot of pilots have it) that reacts to somebody's getting
themselves killed as just that: somebody getting themself killed - i.e. their primary reaction is
that the guy screwed up and deserved it.

I *guess* this goes along with being highly-competant and not screwing up themselves....

As one who quit flying when he realized once the realization that the kind of simple mistake that
I'm capable of making with some regularity would kill me in an airplane finally sunk in...I keep
thinking of the time last year when I was in my car stopped at a traffic light.

Light on my side turned green, I just stepped on the gas. WHOOOOSH!...18-wheeler that ran the light
at highway speed passed right in front of me. I think my hood was under the tail of the trailer as
it cleared... Yeah, I *should* have been looking...but...

Everybody screws up and there's definately an element of luck in getting beyond a certain age...
more, perhaps, for some people than others but still...

-----------------------
PeteCresswell

 

[Ron Hardin]

(Pete Cresswell) wrote:
> As one who quit flying when he realized once the realization that the kind of simple mistake
> that I'm capable of making with some regularity would kill me in an airplane finally sunk
> in...I keepell

I quit flying when I realized that on a nice day you could either spend more time putzing around
over the Boonton reservoir once again or go for a really long bike ride. I sold the airplanes after
1,200 hours and never looked back.

For mistakes you can simply get a simpler airplane. The old Cubs and Aeroncas are inattention-proof.
--
Ron Hardin [email protected]

On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

 

[Dashi Toshii]

"(Pete Cresswell)" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> RE/
> >I've made a few mistakes in my life when tired, and not riding carefully. None of those moments
> >ever ended in this kind of accident, but they might of if I had been unlucky.
>
> >having bad luck then you must be perfect and righteous.
>
> There's a certain personality (seems like a lot of pilots have it) that reacts to somebody's
> getting themselves killed as just that: somebody getting themself killed - i.e. their primary
> reaction is that the guy screwed up and deserved it.

Not among professional/military pilots.

> I *guess* this goes along with being highly-competant and not screwing up themselves....
>
> As one who quit flying when he realized once the realization that the kind of simple mistake that
> I'm capable of making with some regularity would kill me in an airplane finally sunk in...

That's why real pilots use a check list.

>I keep thinking of the time last year when I was in my car stopped at a traffic light.
>
> Light on my side turned green, I just stepped on the gas. WHOOOOSH!...18-wheeler that ran the
> light at highway speed passed right in front of me. I think my hood was under the tail of the
> trailer as it cleared... Yeah, I *should* have been looking...but...

Here in WA state you have to look both ways before proceeding after the light turns green. Idiots
always run the red light.

Better look both ways even on a one-way street, Yep, I've had encounters with three dummies that
were going the wrong way.

Dashii

 

[Misnomer]

Life is too short.

take care Liz I guess he died doing what he loved.

Hey! Look what "Jeff" <[email protected]> wrote :

>From http://www.raceacrossamerica.org/raam2003/days2003/day4.htm

 

[Anonymous]

Ron Hardin wrote:

>> difference I'd say. Serious bikers are part of a larger club that is more meaningful than
>> driving.
>
>Well, am I a serious biker? Yet I am not part of a larger club. Try riding without the politics
>sometime.

Actually we don't disagree much. I resent too the lumping of all doers of an activity into a group
to be represented by some self-appointed leaders, for political reasons. The larger club of serious
cyclists to me means nodding of heads when we pass, a short chat at the top of a climb, stopping to
help in case of a flat or equipment malfunction, etc. I don't do those things with car drivers.
That's my point.

It's just that I would not have used the time of a biker's death to voice my displeasure.
Overreaction by me to your post perhaps.

Doug

 

[John Albergo]

Ron Hardin wrote:

>
>
>If you like listening to and identifying birds as you ride, it's assumed that you must be an
>environmentalist, and somebody tries to speak for you. No, wrong. That's how politics comes in and
>has to be stamped out.
>
>
I have to agree with your observations. This week someone congratulated me for bike commuting
because it was a "spare the air day". Puh-leeze! I ride because I like to ride, and I need the
exercise. At 104 degrees and high pollution it was exactly the time NOT to ride. I did it to test my
limits, not for some silly notion that I was "helping" society. The comment made me uncomfortable in
the same way that "bike to work day" does. When I got home I turned the air up full blast,
environmentalist that I am

 

[John Albergo]

whitfit wrote:

>
>
>I've made a few mistakes in my life when tired, and not riding carefully. None of those moments
>ever ended in this kind of accident, but they might of if I had been unlucky. This is good for
>no-one, and if you want to blame this guy for putting himself in a situation that many of us might
>have at some point in our lives(not even 2 or 3 times?), and having bad luck then you must be
>perfect and righteous. I hate perfect people.
>
>Whitfit.
>
>
This sounds like the same phenomenon that Chuck Yeager mentions in one of his books -- test pilots
would react this way when hearing that one of their group had died in a crash. "Stupid *******
augered in...", to paraphrase. It's a way to reassure one's self psychologically that they are
immune from such misfortune because they are smarter and more skilled. It also reinforces the notion
that we are in control of our fate when engaging in our activity, knowing that a loss of confidence
is dangerous in itself and can lead to accidents. Finally, it is a way to remind ourselves "don't do
that!". It really isn't necessarily borne out of jerkism.

 

[Matt Temple]

In article <ihNJa.3136$3d.1488@sccrnsc02>,
"Dashi Toshii" <[email protected]> wrote:

> "(Pete Cresswell)" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> > RE/
> > >I've made a few mistakes in my life when tired, and not riding carefully. None of those moments
> > >ever ended in this kind of accident, but they might of if I had been unlucky.
> >
> > >having bad luck then you must be perfect and righteous.
> >
> > There's a certain personality (seems like a lot of pilots have it) that reacts to somebody's
> > getting themselves killed as just that: somebody getting themself killed - i.e. their primary
> > reaction is that the guy screwed up and deserved it.
>
> Not among professional/military pilots.
>
>
> > I *guess* this goes along with being highly-competant and not screwing up themselves....
> >
> > As one who quit flying when he realized once the realization that the kind of simple mistake
> > that I'm capable of making with some regularity would kill me in an airplane finally sunk in...
>
> That's why real pilots use a check list.
>
> >I keep thinking of the time last year when I was in my car stopped at a traffic light.
> >
> > Light on my side turned green, I just stepped on the gas. WHOOOOSH!...18-wheeler that ran the
> > light at highway speed passed right in front of me. I think my hood was under the tail of the
> > trailer as it cleared... Yeah, I *should* have been looking...but...
>
> Here in WA state you have to look both ways before proceeding after the light turns green. Idiots
> always run the red light.
>
> Better look both ways even on a one-way street, Yep, I've had encounters with three dummies that
> were going the wrong way.
>
> Dashii
>
>

Oh so many years ago when I took Drivers Ed, the teacher of that course, though generally useless
said this: "You have to be GIVEN the right of way." There's no such thing as having it. People who
simply believe they have the right of way because a sign or light tells them so, people who don't
verify that they have actually been given the right of way by all drivers, wind up in accidents. It
may not be fun, but presuming the right of way will get you sooner or later.

Matt Temple