Not a bad week! So far I've gotten in 3 rides totaling 6.5 hours of ride time and one gym day. I'm unable to ride today so I was thinking of the gym again but my back is a bit tender so I just may take the day off. I was on my feet about 90% of the day (wrenching on bikes) yesterday, which I'm guessing is attributing to the back pain.
At the moment I'm thinking of biking to Maple Grove tomorrow and then back home from Coon Rapids on Sunday. Better take today off then.
As a cyclist it's hard not to think about getting hit by cars. After losing a friend to a car/bike accident almost 2 years ago and now ultra endurance cyclist Mike Hall, it's a reality. While I didn't know Mike I followed him on social media and watched his progress, with open jaw, during the races he did. Incidents like this are becoming all too common and always make me shudder. As a cyclist who spends a large amount of time riding on the roads, it hits a bit too close to home.
As a result of such incidents I rarely don't use daytime lights and have recently started to add crazy bright colors to my riding apparel. I'm not sure if it's coincidence or fact but since I've started using neon colors on my solo rides I feel cars are giving me more room than if I was just using a flashing light. Either way it's the precautions we as cyclists need to take to remain safe. Sure distracted drivers may not see my lights or bright colors if their head is down but maybe they do before they put their head down. Sad stuff. Stay safe.
But still ride bikes and have fun!
1 comment:
Agreed. I'm not sure I could ever get comfortable on the suburban and exurban roads. I am always amazed at people who don't put flashing headlights on during daytime when they share space with cars. Particularly on roads not normally frequented by bikes. Absolutely makes a huge difference in people doing unexpected things to me from the front/side. The only close calls have occurred in the rare times I neglected to turn on the flashing headlight during the day.
I also wear a bright neon orange construction color windbreaker and matching helmet in winter and shoulder seasons. I look like a complete dork, but whatever. [the dork term has even been yelled at me]
Post a Comment