by Kurt » Tue Dec 13, 2011 5:03 am
Yah, I don't like them.
I do not blame bicyclists for their actions though. Back in 1996 when I was driving some local deliveries in Manhattan we would have bike messengers or people mimicking them hitch on us. The thing is when that goes wrong it goes horribly wrong. On second avenue that year there was a scene I drove by where a truck about the size of mine (34' six wheels) had a thick red puddle right underneath it. Turns out one of the hitchers hit a pothole while holding on to the steps near the fuel tank (blind spot) as the driver changed lanes and he got bounced underneath the truck bike and all into the spinning axle and it wrung all the fluids out of him and probably made him about 8 feel long.
An accident like that with these group rides would probably not appear on youtube and doing such things would mysteriously halt without much explanation.