I routinely commute between Evanston and Chicago’s Loop. Most days, a good chunk of the ride is on the Lakefront Trail. Now that the weather has warmed up, I no longer have LFT to myself. In particular, the triathletes are back.
I have no problems with triathlons. I think a triathlon is a fine activity. However, I do have a problem with people who insist on riding in their aero tuck in congested traffic. I see people on their tri bikes tucked and hammering quite often these days. This morning (the straw which broke this camel’s back), I encountered an apparent novice triathlete wobbling along at speed, navigating through congestion which included not only me, but a couple joggers. The four of us were about to meet at roughly the same point. I had no problem slowing down, and at least one of the joggers would have been able to see the other rider. I’m sure she processed what was about to happen as well, but all she could do was plow through.
Unless an aero-bar-equipped bike is set up as a fixie (highly unlikely), there is no way to stop quickly. I don’t know how dicey it is to get in and out of the aero position, but it’s certainly going to slow down your move to the brakes in an emergency. Please, if you are a triathlete, don’t use your aero bars in congested situations. Tell your tri-friends as well.
