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Bicyclists take care on rural roads

It's on these rural roads, when sharing the road with bicyclists becomes imperative.

Dozens of cyclists training for next month's ACT 7 AIDS ride are riding 89 miles on a training ride Saturday. Much of that covering rural roads in Dane and Sauk counties.

Ray Pearson, training for the AIDS ride, says, "This is where it's the most dangerous, because there's a lack of consistent traffic."

According to the latest statistics from the National Center for Statistics and Analysis, nearly 700 bikers were killed in traffic crashes across the country in 2007. That doesn't even count the 43,000 that were hurt.

Last weekend, 62-year-old Allen Belonger was biking with a cycling group based in Waukesha. He was killed when a truck turned left in front of him in Iowa County.

Pearson says, "There've been a couple incidents where I've been nervous, going down a hill or intersecting a major street."

On rural routes, terrain is bumpy, hills are numerous, paved shoulders are rare: and cars and bikes might not expect eachother.

Another ACT 7/AIDS rider, Demi Rolfes, says, "When you're riding down rural roads, you get all involved in how beautiful everything is, it's important to watch for any cars coming up behind you, especially coming up to steep hills."

Drivers on these roads are going upwards of 55 miles an hour. Bicyclists are heading out at speeds around 15 miles an hour. That means cars could come upon a bike fast.

Bikers say it's all about sharing the road and communicating.

Jacob Wright, ACT 7/AIDS rider says, "You see a car, say 'Car up,' or 'Car back.' If you see gravel or other kids of debris, call that out too. Even if you're slowing down, let everyone know."

Wisconsin has been fairly safe overall for bikers. The latest traffic safety stats show Wisconsin had 10 cyclist traffic deaths in 2007. The most took place in Florida with 119.