Ever had a car zip right past you while you were out on a Sunday morning ride? I think almost all of us have. It seems that some people are just hateful towards anything that is on the road and isn’t a car. It is people like this that you have to watch out for.
Cycling is a great sport, but you always have to be aware of your surroundings. There are still idiots out there who don’t care if the wind from their monstrous SUV knocks you off the road into a ditch. So, because of that there are a few rules that you always should follow when riding.
1.) If you are riding on a road with no shoulder try to ride about a foot in from the white line. The reason being, if you ride on the white line drivers assume that they can make it past you without moving out into the other lane any. And that can cause major problems, for you anyway. But if you are about a foot or so into the lane they will automatically pass you with almost an entire lane to spare. This might make them mad but it could save you in the end.
2.) When riding in a group, try to be considerate of the drivers on the road. That means that on busier roads be sure to ride in a single line, and when riding on more rural roads moving over so that cars can pass easier.
If you listen to these rules and are very careful you won’t be road-kill, hopefully.
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Good advice for some situations; not others. If a car is behind you, coming over a hillcrest or around a blind turn, not aware you are ahead, you want to be as far to the right as possible. On the other hand, on a straight-away, particularly with an oncoming car approaching and a vehicle behind you, move out a bit to the left of the white line so the vehicle driver behind won’t try to wedge his way through. AND, a mirror is a good thing to have to keep track of what’s coming up behind you and how much room they are going to give you.
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