Trail Courtesy and Yielding Etiquette state who should stop for who and what to do to be polite to others on the trail. Most of the time it isn’t an issue as the trails aren’t crowded so most of the time people ignore (or never read) the rules. But with the exceptional weather recently there has been a lot more traffic on the trail so it is more important than ever to be aware of other people, cyclists and animals on the trail.
Case in point: I saw these two and their horses yesterday on the trail and they seemed fine. I still stopped and waited for them to pass (it also give me a chance to take a drink and a breather!) so I could have probably have ridden by them today with no problem. However as I rounded the corner I noticed the Bay was upset and his rider was walking. This right there let me know to stop earlier then I normally would have an wait until they passed. Sadly my fellow cyclists (no one I knew, just some randos) continued to ride by at high speed further upsetting this guy. Let me tell you – horse are big, strong animals whose “flight or fight response” usually involves kicking you as they run away. Not something I want to mess with. It cost me about 1 min to wait for these guys to pass and made the day more pleasant for everyone.
If you are riding toward a horse, stop and wait (or get the ok from the rider to continue past), if you are coming from behind, announce yourself and let them know you are passing and slow your speed. Its trail courtesy, and its common courtesy. Be polite to your fellow trail users.
I biked with MapMyRide!
Distance: 10.15mi
time: 55:36
pace: 5:29min/mi
speed: 10.96mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/1853350520
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