We’re all guilty — who can blame anyone for wanting to enjoy great weather? The problems I have though, are when my safety is threatened. I was thinking the other day about how it had been a long time since I crashed (while NOT racing) or had a collision with a car or other thing. So, I was not very surprised when I took a spill into the intersection of 18th and Halsted on my way to the lakefront for a workout Friday morning. While unpleasant, it helped put things in perspective especially now that there will be many more bikes out on the roads/trails/etc. It reminded me that stuff happens and that we all need to be conscious of what we’re doing.
I have to cover a lot of ground in the city. Of course, this is because I choose to ride for transportation so often. The reason Chicago’s trail and certain bike routes are ridden so often is that they’re effective. However, this means they are crowded when warm months roll around.
While I am occasionally guilty of hopping on the trail on weekends, possibly late for something, and riding at a pretty fast rate, it’s really not practical to do this. Yet, I encounter unsafe riding all the time. There is absolutely no sense in arguing that other trail-users need to get out of the way — there’s far too many of them so it will never happen. They also have the same right as anyone to be out there. But when I’m out on the trail just trying to get home and other riders are attempting hard workouts too many dangerous variables are created. I find it’s pretty simple to remember not to take the path in a hurry during peak hours, workout in the early am on the southern sections and slow down if you end up on it having had a lapse in judgment on your route planning. It’s not worth getting hurt.
The streets also get more crowded as the temperature climbs. There are enough things cyclists have to worry about while commuting, so when other cyclists become a problem it can be very disheartening. Simple acknowledgment of other cyclists and how they’re riding can virtually eliminate any potential conflicts.
Far too often riders I pass in the middle of a block will blow right by me while I’m stopped at a light. If a rider passed me it would seem pretty obvious that they’re traveling at a higher rate of speed. So, why must riders have to pass again, almost certainly causing the other to venture out into the flow of traffic that is much heavier having just left a stopped intersection?
Even racing, now that forecasts are much more tolerable, has become a bit more dangerous. There’s really nothing that can be done about this except to stress to the utmost racing within ones ability. Saturday was the first of several criteriums that are held in the city each summer. No doubt, with the shape of the economy and gas-prices, the race attracted many that would not otherwise take part in this style of racing. I witnessed several crashes during my race, and while again — there is really nothing that can be done to avoid crashes in races, racers can take precautions. Myself; I will probably only attend this latest race as a spectator in the future. I have no shame in that. I, like all racers, am extremely competitive but I value my safety above any potentially successful result.
So, hopefully it won’t take being in and/or witnessing a crash to raise riders consciousness this season. Riding bikes is way too much fun to have to forego it due to preventable injury. Sure, things will happen but we can all take steps to minimize the risk. Ride safe!
