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Bicycle Route 66 / Re: Skeptical about Bike Route 66
« on: January 12, 2013, 09:03:31 pm »
I love Route 66! I did most of it when I ran from Huntington Beach, CA to New York in 2010. I have switched it up and gotten into bicycle touring and on my second long ride this year I decided to ride from Boston back home to Huntington Beach and riding all of Route 66 since I didn't do the California or Illinois sections on my run. I was 21 days and 1,200 miles in when on October 25th about 60 miles south of Chicago (right past Wiimington) on I53, I was struck from behind by a pickup truck. SOmeone mentioned that there isn't a shoulder a that road and that is correct. No shoulder and the guy said he didn't see me, he was going about 60. I ended up with a broken ankle, broken rib and 9 broken vertebra. I was fortunate there was no spinal damage and no internal injuries.
Route 66 is so cool and I am going to go back out and finish the ride, but I would say that there are sections where I will be willing to go off the original path to ride safer roads. Most of the rest of 66 seemed much safer. Of course I was running it and always going against traffic. It is a different beast on a bike and now, a bit more sketchy when I hear someone coming up from behind.
Route 66 is so cool and I am going to go back out and finish the ride, but I would say that there are sections where I will be willing to go off the original path to ride safer roads. Most of the rest of 66 seemed much safer. Of course I was running it and always going against traffic. It is a different beast on a bike and now, a bit more sketchy when I hear someone coming up from behind.
