On the way to pick up my son at school this evening, I passed a biker going the other way. No biggie, except it was 5:30pm on Monarch Blvd
(hilly, 2-lane striped rural road & freeway alternative
) in Castle Pines, and the guy was barely visible...black tights, dark jersey and helmet, black bike, no light, no reflectors or bright tape, and the road is poorly lit.
Fast forward to the return trip 10 minutes later. He's out of the neighborhood near the top of the big hill, where there are no lights at all, pitch black. His bike is on the side of the road, and he's sitting
in the bike lane now. I wouldn't have even stopped for the shape, had I not seen him going the other way.
We pull over, I wait for traffic to clear - speed limit is 45, people do more like 50-60 up there - and run back to where he's now getting to his feet and when I ask if he's OK, did he get hit or crash, he says "Oh I'm waiting for a ride to come get me".
Dude! Clue in, please!! The only worse place to stop would have been in the center of the road, honestly.
Please be extra careful this time of year. It gets dark earlier and faster, there's lots of ice and debris on the shoulders, and people on cell phones driving fast tend to not see dark objects at dusk!
</climbing off soapbox>