IMSG Cattle Guards
In Olivia's post she mentioned cattle guards. Some of you city slickers may not know what she's referring to. So, just in case I shed a little light on the subject. Olivia mentioned 4 to 5 on the IMSG course. Honestly, I only remember one but that's because I ride over them several times per week and don't pay much attention to them other than consciously avoid riding over the seam(s) while cycling; I'll talk more about that little later. Cattle guards typically aren't a big issue. Yeah, when you ride over them you get the bumpty, bympty...turbulance but it's generally short lived, a fraction of a second. The key is to miss the seams.
Cattle guards are placed in roads where ranchers can't exend a fence across a main thoroughfare to keep cattle in designated areas. Some locals own vast acres and State & Federal lands are leased to the ranchers for grazing so ranching is somewhat still alive & well in southern Utah.
Here's the best way to properly proceed:
Notice the cyclist is riding in the middle of the panel section.
So, what are the seams you want to avoid? In the photo below you can see the seam (It lies between the two closest suppot rib runners lying parallel with the road). In the photo its about 1/3 of the way from the left, not quite in the middle.
If you hit the seam you'll endo and crash big time. Why? Your tire and rim drops into the pit below the cattle guard---Ouch! It's not a pretty visual. I've seen it a few times on rides. Seams occur because not all cattle guards are one piece operations and some require 2 to 3 panels to complete the distance across the road.
As a I recall the cattle guards on the IMSG course were slightly different than the photos above. If you drive the course before you race: Stop and check one out. As long as you have mometum on the bike, preferrably at least 10 mph, you'll role over them no problem. The one cattle guard I do recall on the couse has the support rib runners slightly diagonal verses running parallel to the road. Still ride like the photo above suggests--miss the seams and avoid the support runners too.
There are some other tricks such as bunny hopping or riding on top of the rib runners distanced from the seams but if you're new to cattle guards don't pretend to be all pro, just get across them safe. If you're descending, traveling at great speeds, then by all means stay alert and prepare to steer clear of the seams before you get to the cattle guard.
Maybe this is just old knowledge to most of you but just in case, it's a safety issue for the newbie.
Comments
Hopefully I will have a chance to ride over a couple a few days before the race. But if I don't, I now know the proper way of getting over them.
Thanks again!
Folks, I've ridden over a thousand cattleguards in all conditions, including rain. It really is a non-issue, as long as you hit them square (you're not turning/having the bike leaned over when you cross). Knowing WTC they will likely place plywood and astroturf over them the day of the race.