Whether running in the morning or riding a bike on the road, safety comes first. Tour da Yoop board member Dan Dalquist says that pedestrians, regardless of their mode of transportation, will experience some level of anxiety while traveling in the city or on a main road.
You need to be very aware of people switching lanes unexpectedly. You need to be aware of pedestrians crossing unexpectedly. The worst scenario is the doors. So if I’m riding down Sheldon Avenue on the right-hand side, I need to be aware of a door, the driver’s door opening, and me getting caught. – Dan Dalquist, Member, Tour da Yoop Organizing Committee
Throughout the year, Dalquist trains with other bikers and rides solo around the Copper Country. He’s grown more comfortable with each ride.
Confidence is the biggest one, and that’s one you learn by doing. That’s the hard part. That’s where people like me come in. I rode last week with a gentleman doing the 10 days by himself. – Dan Dalquist, Member, Tour da Yoop Organizing Committee
Beyond what bikers can do on their own to improve safety. Tour da Yoop advocates for road safety improvements that keep all modes of transportation in mind. Dalquist says while most areas are very safe to ride, there’s more thought that can go into project planning.
And there are a couple places in the UP where the placement of the mumble strip was so poorly designed that it leaves maybe a six inch wide corridor for a bike to ride, which if you and I are riding together and you want to pass me, you have to go out into the traffic and it happens to be the road that feeds to Quamon and Park, which is quite busy with RVs and trucks and everything else. – Dan Dalquist, Member, Tour da Yoop Organizing Committee
Tour da yoop raises awareness for ways communities and individuals can improve bike safety. Dalquist adds that in Michigan, vehicles must give bikers at least three feet of space when passing.
And that requires drivers to give a minimum of three feet of distance between a bicycle, a construction vehicle, a stopped car, a person walking or running on the road. Anything that’s not moving at the same speed, you’ve got to give them three feet. Pass us like a car. Give us as much room as possible. – Dan Dalquist, Member, Tour da Yoop Organizing Committee
He says everyone needs to share the road, traveling by foot, two wheels, or four. Tour da Yoop begins its journey around the peninsula on July 25th in Manistee. The pack of bikers will arrive in Houghton for the Keweenaw Peninsula leg on the 28th. The tour will spend all day on Tuesday traveling to Copper Harbor and back before taking off for Marquette on Wednesday. Learn more about bike safety online.
