Yielding On A Single Track, Who Gets Priority?

Last month on 10th November 2012, Tay KC and me together with our families attended KLMBH annual dinner. It was a fun event as it was held at a venue with a pool and what do you expect when you get a bunch of mountain bikers who has good sense of humour and camaraderie? Wet! Well, at least the outgoing and incoming committee members, some guests and winners of the lucky draw including Tay KC who won a free bicycle.

The following day was more interesting as we got to cycle Kota Damansara community forest reserve led by Winston and some friends from KLMBH. 

After we finished cycling and chatting while waiting for the rest to come out, an individual rider came up to us and blew his top that he almost crashed into another cyclist coming from the opposite side. The trail in Kota Damansara are all single tracks (sweet) and this rider was going on a downhill gradient when he crossed path with another rider cycling uphill. He claims that as a rider going down in faster speed, the other rider should yield and give way.

I believe many of you including me have never crossed our minds on this subject as who is to give way on this matter. Winston shared with the rider what is the universal understanding practised in US. I looked up Google "yielding on a single track" and got the same answer as what Winston told this rider.

The rider cycling down yields. Why? It sounds dangerous right? Well, the reasoning behind this is that it is harder to get going again on a climb than on a downhill.

So, there you have it. No more quarreling over who gets the right of way. If you are in a cycling group or club, please share this news to everyone.

Since we are on this subject of Trail Etiquette, I might as well add that as a cyclist, it is our duty to yield to hikers, people walking on the trail and animals such as horses, cows, etc.

Last photo is a note to myself. Never inspect one's fork on while moving on a tarmac road going downwards. Makes one look stupid doing the front endo before hitting the off road trail.