Did you catch white line fever during the 1992 Pan-Massachusetts Challenge?
More than 45 cyclists were the sudden victims of the mysteriously slick road way surface.
Here's what happened according to the PMC Spokesman Newsletter:
On the final stretch of the 1992 PMC, when the skies over Provincetown turned gray and the rain began, a new stretch of pavement on Route 6 became a cyclist's nightmare.
It seems that a particular style of roadmarking paint, when freshly applied and combined with water (rain) begins to resemble a skating rink. Although fine for automobiles, this surface when wet is no place for a bicycle.
More than 45 cyclists fell and countless others experienced that heart-stopping feeling of their wheels sliding out form underneath them. Thankfully, there were no serious injuries.
On a more positive note, as this surface is exposed to the elements, road dirt, salt and traffic, a coarse texture develops which prevents a similar recurrence. By this year's PMC this should not be an issue—although one would be smart to avoid white line fever anyway.