The Triathlon Coach - Coaching triathlon, IronMan and multisport athletes

Performance Improvement Guarantee - Click to see how NOW

Staying Alive on the roads this winter

In Simon Ward, Training of TTC (November 25, 2009 8:54 pm)

As I was out riding recently I was once again reminded of how close we are, on every ride, to a collision with other road traffic. This is compounded every time I hear about a friend or acquaintance who has been knocked off his/her bike. It’s like there’s a list and every time someone else gets hit I move closer to the top. Maybe it’s a cycling version of the film Final Destination. I’ve cheated death and now it’s out to get me.
With that in mind, here are my top 7 tips on how to stay alive on the road this winter;

1). Assumptions –
a – Assume that every motorist is incompetent until they prove otherwise
b – Assume every motorist is out to get you until they prove otherwise
c – DON’T assume that just because you have the right of way the motorist will give you the right of way
d – DON’T assume that the motorist has seen you

2).Obey the Laws of the Road -You know when you get the feeling that the motorist hates you? That’s probably because they do! It’s nothing personal; how could it be? They don’t even know who you are! Its more likely that they just hate all cyclists because they imagine that you are slowing them down or more liley that we all ignore the rules of the road,when they have to obey them (running red lights, riding on the pavement, riding without lights etc) If we were all a bit better behaved then maybe they would treat us better!

3).Be Courteous – When I’m driving behind a cyclist and I wait for a safe opportunity to pass them, it would be nice if they acknowledged it. Maybe they aren’t aware that I have waited (in which case they need to be more aware of what’s going on around them OR maybe they are/were wearing an iPod) either way, if you thank motorists for being courteous maybe they’ll be more inclined to behave the same way next time, even if it’s not for you.

4).Use your senses – We have 5 senses, 3 of which can be lifesavers on a bike
1 – Sight – look over your shoulder regularly to see what’s behind and to help you when planning manouvres and always attempt to make eye contact with other rioad users
2 – Hearing – I like to know when cars are approaching. I fail to understand how you can hear road traffic when you have headphones in your ears and music playing. Sorry, but if you do this, it’s got to be the dullest thing you can do! If you insist on weraing headphones then at least take the right earphone out to give you half a chance of hearing that big truck.
3 – Smell. This may seem a bit off the wall, but a few weeks ago my riding partner smelled fuel as we approached a roundabout. Sure enough there had a been a small spill and his senses definitely saved us from an accident

5). Ride aggressively – this doesn’t mean threatening to punch every motorist in sight. BUT it does mean claiming your bit of the road. In my experience if you ride close to the gutter motorists will squeeze past and force you into the gutter. I prefer to ride a bit further out so that the motorist actualy has to go around me. When passing parked cars, I like to give them enough room so that even if the door does open I still have some clearance. Yes, of course a car will have to wait a bit but I’m more concerned with my safety not their lost 15seconds. I do look around before moving out, so the driver knows I have seen him and I will wave, when he passes, to say thank you

6). Reduce the odds – Every day there are more cars on the road and every day cycling becomes more popular. Inevitably this will result in more frustrated motorists and more vulnerable cyclists. If you want to reduce the odds of being the next on the list then two alternatives are a)ride your indoor trainer more frequently, b) ride your mountain bike. You may not think it’s ideal for preparing for your next tri, but then neither is a broken leg!

7). Be Seen – primarily this means wearing clothing that motorists can spot from some distance away especially at night. Always have light for riding at might and emergency lights with you for when you might get delayed and end up riding at dusk. If you can wear a yellow band on your R leg & R arm for more vsibility at night then that is a good idea. When passing a junction or approaching road users waiting to make a turn, pull out into the middle of the lane to become more visible and, if possible, sit up . That movement might just trigger something so that they see you instead of the car behind. I mentioned earlier that you should always try to make eye contact with other road users and that includes pedestrians. A motorist once pulled alongside me to ask why i was giving him the evil eye. I wasn’t I just wanted to make sure he had seen me. At least he did, so it was worth it!

If you have any more “Stay safe” ideas please let me have them by leaving a comment here.

Ultimately if you stay alert and expect the unexpected you’ll be a lot safer! It’s a warzone out there so take care!

Stay healthy & have fun

Comments (1)

1 Comment »

1
I love the 7 points as they are simple but great advice. This time of year I feel visibility is key especially with the dark nights and mornings.

You mention wearing a yellow band on your Right leg and Right Arm which will certainly help. I personally believe you need to take this further and wear a comfortable high visibilty garment.

Also where possible the training garments new or old should have multiple strips or sponsor logos in thermo reflective vinyl film heat applied. This all helps to make you be seen.

If you are interested in the thermo reflective vinyl film and how and what this can be applied to then I’m very happy to discuss this further. We provide a service where we apply this to new or old training garments.

Comment by Dave Watts — December 4, 2009 @ 1:02 pm