Just a quick note. I have had several people ask me about where to ride, how to ride, how I fight with traffic, etc. The more you ride, the more comfortable you will become on the road. But here are just a few quick tips for cycling safety.
I always try to stay over on my side of the road, and I always obey the rules of the road, like stopping at all stop signs and red lights. If you are riding with a group, ride single file when cars are around. Do not react to a car that honks or does something to you first. They will always have the upper hand since they are in a motorized vehicle and you are on a bike. Just wave with a smile on your face (as hard is that is) and hopefully it will make them feel like an a@$. In extreme situations, you can always call the police and report the driver (which my buddy has done several times since he is a policeman). And I usually try to find roads that tend to have lower amounts of traffic. What happened at the Tom Sawyer triathlon is something that cannot be prepared for. It was an anamoly that rarely happens. The few deaths that occured during the year of 2008 in triathlons in the USA all happened during the swim portion of the race. When someone gets behind the wheel after drinking, it is dangerous for everyone on the road around them. And this time this driver just so happened to be intoxicated at 8 am and was driving in the wrong place at the wrong time, while also making some absolutely horrible decisions after hitting the cyclist.
Being aware of your surroundings and riding defensively will help you stay out of harms way.
Hope that helped.
Tony
2 comments:
Thanks Tony!
Being an older cyclist (and your Aunt), I agree with your advice. - be aware of your surroundings, be respectful of cars. If you are on a road and the car is courteous to not pass,give them a hand signal that allows them to pass when it is safe - for those of you that ride - you know the signal. I have been riding for 20+ years and have not had an incident.
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