Why you Should Share the Road with Cyclists

I am currently training for an Ironman in Arizona and I have been an avid cyclist for many years and as the weather starts to get nicer you will start to see more cyclists on the road each day. As a cyclists you are generally not allowed to be on sidewalks, so unless you have a good trail near you the road is your domain. When you are being taught to drive you are generally taught to drive defensively, it is even more important as a cyclist to ride defensively because when it is you versus a vehicle the vehicle will always win.

When you are riding a bike there are a lot of different things you have to pay attention to. For me personally, one of the biggest challenges I face on the roads is dealing with the winds, they can change direction and speed at a moments notice. I ride a bike which has a larger side profile because it is designed to be aerodynamic, this means when there is a cross wind it pushes me over more than on a normal bike. Driving a vehicle down the highway in heavy winds you can notice this effect at times but the amount it throws you off of the direction you are travelling is magnified when you are on a very lightweight bike compared to a vehicle which is much more stable because it has four wheel instead of two. Having to deal with changing winds is the main concern I have when a vehicle passes to close next to me, if the wind were to suddenly gust I could be blown into your car. So give cyclists the little bit of extra room, although it may not be convenient for you, it will be much less convenient if something bad does happen. Also, if you pass very close to a biker the biker has to deal with the turbulent airflow your car is always creating as it drives, this is very disruptive to cyclists and it can make the bike more difficult to control.

Most of the things I do as a cyclists are intended to keep me safe. Road systems are often designed for vehicles and cyclists and pedestrians are an afterthought. This makes the roads even more dangerous for cyclists. We are exposed to the elements which means the wind rushing passed our ears can make it difficult for us to hear a car behind us, especially now as cars are becoming more quiet on the roads everyday. We also can not be constantly checking behind us to see if you are there because we need to see the road in front of us for the same reasons a driver needs to see the road in front of them. While riding on the roads there are many things a biker could run into that could cause them to potentially wreck, being from the Midwest there are often large potholes in the roads which could puncture a tire or cause other problems. I also tend to do most of my bike rides out in the country, often there are dogs not on leashes in the country and I have had some run out in the road and nearly knock me over. These are all things I have to be worried about which could cause me to deviate from the line I am riding, if something like this happens while a vehicle is passing to close it could cause a very dangerous crash.

In light of this there are steps I take as a cyclist to limit the chances of a horrible wreck happening, I will often ride a little bit out into the road instead of sticking as far to the right of the road as possible. I do this to force vehicles to go around me as well as give me a place to go that is not in the middle of the road if something suddenly comes out and I need to avoid it. I also do this when I am approaching a stop sign or stop light so people do not try to pass me while going through an intersection, it is important as a cyclist to own your space on the road and it is important for drivers to respect the space for cyclists on the road. I am not just a cyclist, I am also a driver so I understand how getting briefly stuck behind a bike can be frustrating but it makes the roads much safer for everyone.