The #1 Rule in Cycling is …………

Without question, the most important rule all cyclists MUST follow is this:

Ride Safely and Be Prepared for the Worst

I nearly got hit by a semi this morning; one of those big sand/gravel trucks.

I was riding toward a roundabout, something I do on most rides.  It’s a harmless roundabout, with great visibility all around.  The truck was coming from my right hand side, and I’m quite sure he saw me.  But even so, I put my hands on my brakes, just in case. 

I arrived at the roundabout before the truck, so technically I had the right of way.  There are two lanes in this roundabout and I was in the outside lane because I was going to go straight through.

I was very close to the truck’s entrance into the roundabout and I could see that he wasn’t slowing down so I started to brake.  The truck was in the right hand lane and blew right through the roundabout and cut into the left lane as he was going around. 

I was forced to slam my brakes on.  The semi was so long that even as I skidded its rear tires were right in front of me.  Fortunately I was able to stay upright and avoid skidding toward the wheels.  I know who would have come out on top of that one. 

The lesson of the day is to be aware.  Be aware of your surroundings.  Be aware of your situation and who’s around.  And anticipate that the driver won’t see you or won’t care about you. 

And while avoiding traffic is a topic that’s discussed often, the same rules apply to group rides.  Riders are often side by side at high speeds, wheels overlapping and riders changing position.  Awareness in a group situation is every bit as important as traffic awareness.

Anticipate that the riders next to you aren’t aware of you, or that they don’t possess good bike handling skills, and that they aren’t able to hold a line. 

A crash is a crash, whether it involves a vehicle or another bike.  Ride defensively, communicate, anticipate and be aware.  Enjoy your riding, but ride safely.

What close calls have you had, and how did you avoid them?  Give me some feedback in the “Comments” section below, then GET OUT AND RIDE!

Ride Recap:

I participated in “The Brute” this past Saturday as you probably know from reading my earlier posts (www.spreetouring.com).  This was a 200k with 13,000 feet of climbing.  The tough course, coupled with high winds (30+) made for a very long and tough day.  I took Sunday off then rode yesterday, unsure of how I’d feel.  I started out by riding 1 hour in my z2/endurance zone.  I felt better than expected, so I rode 4 hill repeats on a hill that takes about 5:30 to climb.  The first 3 were so-so, then on the 4th one I came very close to setting a new record (for myself) for average power on the climb.  So it ended up being a surprisingly good ride!