Bike Racing Chief Writes Apology to Car Drivers and Talks about Sharing the Road

In the Wednesday Statesman, Kenji Sugahara, Oregon Bicycle Racing Association Director, wrote a public apology for the way racers and club riders sometimes cluster in a peloton that occupies an entire lane or more.

I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to any drivers who were inconvenienced one evening last week while driving on River Road S.

There were about 40 cyclists on the road and the group did not ride in a manner that meets the expectations of our cycling community.

We understand the frustration some of you may have faced while trying to get home from a hard day at work. We ask that folks share the road and, in this instance, we did not do our part.

It's a welcome return to advocacy for Sugahara, who has been busy with racing activities - so much so that he posted a "missing persons" ad on a milk carton on his blog.

The remainder of Sugahara's piece talks about principles to share the road for both people who bicycle and people who drive autos.

Comments on the piece are largely predictable, but the piece does point out what amounts to an institutional problem for bicycle riders who race and participate in club rides.