The outdoor road season has finally arrived! Now that you've moved your ride outside, make sure you maintain your focus on safety!

First a review…

1. Bike Check

• Ideally, have your bike checked by a professional mechanic
• If you’re taking on the bike check yourself, your goal is just to make sure everything is working properly
  • Drop your bike, listen for rattling sounds
  • Check tires for tread and air pressure
  • Ensure there is enough “meat” on brake pads
  • Are your skewers tight?

2. Obey Road Signs

• Put your foot down at stop signs
• Remain stopped until light turns green
• Use your best judgment; some things cannot be avoided/adhered to but the traffic laws are there to protect everyone on the roadways

3. Head Up!

• Don’t look at your wheel
• Don’t look at the next bike’s wheel
• Look ahead and you’ll avoid accidents!
• Seeing what’s coming provides the ability to anticipate and avoid danger
• Bonus: you’ll draft closer, hold a straighter line and still see what’s below you via peripheral vision

4. Communication is Key!

• When on a group ride, call out the news: debris in the road, turns/stop signs, etc.
  • Line leader calls out
  • Each person down the line repeats in turn
  • This passes news effectively and tells originator that message was received

5. Ride Predictably

• When you ride predictably and all around you ride predictably, there are fewer accidents and everyone remains safe

...And now for part two:

6. Respect Traffic

• This includes all road signs and rules of the road
• Ride single file (riding 4 or 5 across the lane upsets drivers in cars!)
• Stay close to the right at all times
• Keep groups small, 10-15 at most
• Divide larger groups into two or three smaller chunks (makes it easier for cars to pass)

7. VQ Bike Certification

• 90 minutes to teach turning, getting in/out of pedals, bike safety, road safety

8. Stay within Limits

• Bad decisions come from pushing limits too far (no oxygen to the brain!) and lead to dangerous situations
• There will be plenty of time to push yourself hard later when you’re more comfortable

9. LSAP (Protocol for Group Rides)

• When pulling off the front:

Look: all clear? no cars?

Signal: hand, elbow, even a verbal “pulling off”

Accelerate: ensures no overlap crashes

Pull Off: safely!

10. Safe Stops

• Not in the middle of the road
• Not on the right, next to the road
• Get WAY off
• Space should be large enough to accommodate entire group

Remember: You’ll enjoy yourself more if you know how to ride safely and predictably!