Taylor County: A great place to ride with a great cycling history

Taylor County is a beautiful place to ride bicycle or walk and run, with many miles of roads and trails.

Over the years, there have been a number of cycling clubs with organized group-rides on the scenic roads of Taylor and Price counties.There are plenty of solo riders that venture through our farmland, wooded forests and who love the variety of hills and flat-land. Clubs like the Rib Lake Riders and Flambeau Freewheelers organize several grouprides each year.

With summer season in full swing, obviously now is the time to be out riding.

“As a member of the Rib Lake Riding Club, I have enjoyed riding in every corner of the county and Taylor County has some of the nicest rides you can find,” said Norm Hoyt, the club’s riding coordinator. “Our neighboring counties also have beautiful roads. Just ride from Rib Lake up Hwy C up to Timm’s Hill some time.”

While enjoying their time on local roads, the cycling enthusiasts ask that when automobile drivers encounter groups or solo riders on the highways to be courteous and drive with care.

“As a cyclist and a motorist, I live on both sides of the questions, ‘how to be safe while riding’ and “how to drive carefully when I encounter a solo rider or a group of riders?’” Hoyt said. “It seems that we often find ourselves in a bit of a hurry to get here and there, but slowing down is always a good idea, and slowing down also has a huge impact on safety on our roads. The fact is, all our roads are intended to be shared by motorists, cyclists and pedestrians and this includes farm machinery and buggies.”

According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in Wisconsin in 2019, 14 of 566 traffic fatalities were pedalcyclists, accounting for 2.5% of those deaths. The national average was 2.3%. The pedalcyclist fatality rate per 100,000 population was 0.24, just below the national average of 0.26.

Some of the most recent numbers by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation come from 2016 when there were 918 crashes involving bicyclists in the state. Of those crashes that year, 11 bicyclists were killed and 849 were injured. Those numbers equated to one bicyclist being injured or killed every 10.2 hours.

The good news in those 2016 numbers was they marked a 42% decrease in bicyclist injuries from 20 years prior in 1996.

Safety on the roadways is something all parties –– motorists, cyclists and pedestrians –– have to keep in mind. Chief deputy Corey Dassow of the Taylor County Sheriff’s Department offered a list of laws and best practices all parties should keep in mind to keep our area a welcome place to both drive and ride.

Bicyclists

Safety reminders for bicyclists include:

_ Wear bright high-visibility or refl ective clothing, and avoid dawn/dusk/ nighttime riding.

_ Wear a helmet while riding.

_ Use a battery powered red flasher if possible.

_ Ride single file (preferably), but state law requires no more than two riders abreast.

_ By law, bicyclists must ride on the far right side of the roadway, with flow of traffic and use hand signals when turning.

_ Stay off busy highways and/or while traffic volume is high.

_ Stay alert to traffic, both visually and by listening.

Motorists

Safety reminders for motorists include:

_ Be attentive/aware of surroundings.

_ No texting while driving.

_ Slow down and move over (if possible) when overtaking bicyclists. Be patient, as bicyclists are oftentimes traveling much slower than motorized traffic.

_ Give bicyclists plenty of room (3 feet) when following and passing.

_ When passing cyclists, be sure it is safe to do so considering on-coming traffic to give riders plenty of space. This is the same for farm equipment and Amish buggies.

_ Check mirrors for bicyclists (especially in urban areas).

_ When turning left, watch for and yield to oncoming bicyclists just as you would yield to oncoming motorists. This is the most common type of auto/bike collision.

_ When turning right, yield to any bicyclist traveling on your right. Do not try to pass a bicyclist if you are planning to turn right at the next intersection or driveway.

Pedestrians

Safety reminders for motorists include:

_ Walkers and runners, by law, must use the far-left side of the road, going in the opposite direction as motorists.

_ Wear bright high-visibility or reflective clothing, and avoid dawn/ dusk/nighttime n Stay alert to traffic, both visually and by listening.