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CycleVision Helmet Camera Captures a “Punishment Pass”

The Advantages of a CycleVision Helmet Camera Capturing a Motorist Enacting a “Punishment Pass”

Cyclists are Safer When they take the lane.
This lane is too narrow to share. The shoulder is not the legal definition of the road. Visibility on this road is unlimited.
The cyclist is safest in the lane.

Road Cycling is NOT inherently dangerous. Road Cycling is Safe, it is Easy, and it is Legal. It does, however, require some simple skills that can be taught and practiced in about 3 hours. Unfortunately, Traffic Engineers, Law Enforcment Officials, District Attorneys, and non-cycling motorists, tend and trend towards harassing and marginalizing cyclists to the edge of the road or the shoulder of the road, and then use those efforts to pass closer, faster, and with less regard to the welfare of everyone or anyone. This is why I purchased a CycleVision Helmet Camera, and on Sunday of last week, I captured a “Punishment Pass” from an agressive or careless motorist.

The CycleVision Helmet

The CycleVision Helmet has front and rear cameras.
Front and rear cameras with a 4-hour battery will capture most rides, most of the time.

The CycleVision Helmet is a product out of Australia. It was originally funded through Kickstarter, I believe, and I have followed the product for years. I finally purchased one and it arrived a few weeks back. The helmet has 1080p cameras front and rear, with a wide angle lens. It records in 30fps, and the cameras have about a 4 hour battery. There are microphones front and rear. It records in 2-minute chunks, complete with a time stamp. I’ve tried connecting the helmet as a USB thumb drive, but that doesn’t seem to be working right now. Instead, I use the App to find moments, then download them to my phone and icloud. Getting the clips is a little convoluted, but it’s worth the effort. The picture is good, and clear enough to capture license plates, car types, and colours, which is what matters most to me. The whole thing works through a proprietary wi-fi signal. I’ve sent CycleVision an email asking about the thumb-drive usb thing, but it’s just not a big deal. The memory overwrites itself, so if you have something you want to save, it’s best to do that after the ride, and not wait or forget.

The helmet is only slightly heavier than a regular helmet, and it fits well. I almost always order helmets in white, and I think this one comes in white, or black.

What is a “Punishment Pass”?

A Punishment Pass is an event where a motorist will pass a cyclist uncomfortably close, with no regard for that cyclist’s safety, or even their own. The de facto standard for passing a cyclist is to provide 3 feet (1 Meter) of lateral gap, but honestly, and legally, that’s not adequate. NHTSA defines a Standard Lane Width as 14 feet (3.5m) wide. However, 98% of all the roads in the US are SUB-STANDARD (about 11′, 2.5 meters). A SUB-STANDARD LANE may not be shared with two road users, unless it’s motorcycles or bicycles. Therefore, it’s safer, and legal, to JUST CHANGE LANES. That leaves about 8′ (2.5m) of lateral gap, which avoids the physics of wake turbulence, the inherent instability of bicycles at slower speeds, etc.

But these laws are NEVER enforced. Legally, most states use the word “Practicable“, when applying laws for cyclists, and it’s interpreted to mean “As far right as the road user deems to be safe.” Well, guess what – the edge of the road is NOT SAFE. It invites “Punishment Passes”. The shoulder? That’s not even the legal definition of the road! But before I get into proselytizing, I’ll back off. Suffice it to say, 99.99999% of the time, when a motorist sees a cyclist out on the road, no matter what their position, they’ll pass safely and legally.

But there’s always that ONE JERK.

And that’s why I bought the CycleVision; to capture the RARE, but THREATENING AND LETHAL “Punishment Pass”.

CONCLUSION

I’m going to use the CycleVision Helmet Camera to Record and Produce Punishment Pass Videos, but I’m going to do this with a twist.

I also own a Garmin Varia Radar. This device records approaching motorists from behind, and with a Garmin Field, it records the traffic count, the nearest motorist’s absolute speed, and relative speed. ALL of this information is kept in the Garmin .FIT file, and you can upload it to a special website. This website shows the cyclist’s interactions with traffic, and highlights high-speed passes. I intend to use this information to show this; PUNISHMENT PASSES ARE SCARY AND DANGEROUS, BUT THEY ARE ALSO EXTREMELY RARE!!!!

Here’s an example; One Saturday in February, I rode a course with a friend, and we had 643 motorists pass us. Only TWO passed at speeds above 50mph, and both of those showed RELATIVE speeds above 40mph. That’s 0.3%!!! The point is, and I’m reiterating this – Cycling on the road is SAFE, LEGAL, and COMMON. BE VISIBLE. SIGNAL YOUR INTENTIONS. RIDE PREDICTABLY. TAKE THE LANE. FOLLOW THE RULES OF THE ROAD. The only way to improve confidence and competence is practice, and that’s been my goal since 2000 – improving novice cyclists’ competence and confidence.

Thanks for reading, and ENJOY THE RIDE!

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Xert Time-To-Exhaustion Field – PART 1.

Xert Time-To-Exhaustion
The Xert Time-To-Exhaustion Field is a very powerful tool for your training.
The Xert Time-To-Exhaustion, Time-To-Recovery Field is one of the most powerful, yet least-understood or used Fields in the Xert Ecosystem. But when you use it correctly, it can be one of the most powerful tools on your Garmin head unit.

What Is the "Time-To-Exhaustion" Xert Field?

The Xert "Time-To-Exhaustion" Field (TTE) is a little-understood field that performs a couple of functions. It can be found in the Garmin Connect App Store. Primarily, enter a known wattage in the "TTE" setup, and another known wattage in the "Time-To-Recovery" Field (TTR). Then install the Field on your Garmin Profile. When the phone syncs with the head unit, the field will populate two times. The "TTE" time will show how many minutes a seconds a cyclist has until their MPA (and High Intensity Energy - HIE) is exhausted, and the "TTR" will show how many minutes at a certain wattage are required for the athlete to recover. Alternatively, there's another setting. You can enter a known MPA as a "Floor", and another known MPA as a "Ceiling", Then, when you ride at ANY intensity, it will count down the time to reach that MPA, and then count down the time required to hit that MPA Ceiling for recovery. This is a GREAT TOOL for a lot of reasons!
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Xert Daily Ditty for January 6th, 2021 – A Fitness Breakthrough and more!

I finally bucked the trend and performed a hard workout yesterday. It led to a Fitness Breakthrough, a new fitness signature, and more.

But I want to get my Weekly Intensity set for my 5 Minute Mean Max Power (5MMP – or “Breakaway Specialist”). So, it’s back on the rollers for more intervals!

Here’s Today’s Video. Don’t forget to Subscribe on the Channel for more Videos as they get rendered and uploaded!

100 Rides (Hours) on Rollers With Xert

100 Rides (Hours) on Rollers With Xert.

Yes, you read that correctly. I have set up my Xert Adaptive Training Advisor for a 5MMP, “Breakaway Specialist” Breakthrough, on January 30th of 2021. This is roughly 9 weeks away. I’ll be riding almost exclusively on my Rollers.

Rollers Work

Rollers are a training tool that requires a cyclist to balance on cylinders under the front and rear wheels. Usually, the front wheel has one cylinder under the tire, and the rear has two. My rollers are a little different. They were purchased from Inside Ride, and they have extra cylinders on the back, to stabilize the rear wheel. They also move forward and backward, up to several cm. The rollers have bumpers on the side so you don’t roll off, and there is a drag unit on the rear cylinders so that intervals are possible. 

Rollers work because they force the body to stay balanced, while working the cardiovascular system. The cyclist is required to pay attention; one moment of distraction, and BOOM! Down you go! At the same time, these rollers work in a biofeedback way – if your pedal stroke is not smooth, the rollers will move forward and backward. Not only can the cyclist feel this, they can see it. Minimal motion under more frequent loads means the ride is more realistic in terms of balance, power, and the economy of form. 


Rollers With Xert

Using Xert on Rollers is going to be a great challenge. I did this before in 2016 and 2017, when Armando was just releasing the product, and it really worked well. But the FOCUS becomes the FOCUS. Xert FOCUS is one of the best things about the Xert Fitness Program. My intention is to try and follow the plan more rigorously, and to attempt most of the rides, intervals included, on the rollers. Xert reads off of the 4iiii’s power meter, and I’ll be able to raise and lower my intensity based on gear selection, cadence, and speed. The drag settings and load curve on the rollers will help me do the rest. 

Wish me luck, and let’s see if we can get that 300 watts another way!! 😉

Xert Garmin Fields – Set Up Your Garmin for Road Cycling

This is how I set up Page 1 of my Xert Garmin Fields for my road bike. I don't use all of them on the first page, but these are the ones I have found to be most important when I cycle. Xert Garmin Fields Fat Carbs Focus Strain BioShift XSS Difficulty KiloJoules
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