Boiler up!

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https://markmcdermott.substack.com

I'm getting ready to do a 60 or so mile ride here in the death zone known as New Jersey. Solo. As I've been doing for nigh on 30 years. I need to pay strict attention to the road, so I don't run into a deer, or a wild turkey, or a squirrel with a death wish.

Although everyone has to decide for themselves what they will do with their riding time, every cyclist who chooses to be scared off the roads is one step closer to making the roads less safe for the rest of us who enjoy what riding outdoors brings.

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"Go yell at an M&M"

Been doing tri's about as long as you. Have been hit by a car in the Vineman race. Have had too many close calls.

I just ride on my trainer 99% of the time. Safe, easy, and keeps me in decent shape for being safe. With all the electronics drivers illegally use today,
I do not care if you shine like the sun, you are dead.

I just spin the bike and watch movies. I save my outside riding for races.

For folks who say I am a wuss, so be it, I am safe.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

First off, I am very sorry to hear about your episode. We had a discussion on this a while back with the road safety stats actually at hand. I don't necessarily agree with the roads being less safe, I think what does happen is we advertise it a lot more than 20 years ago and that creates a illusion of safety or lack-thereof.I think part of it is perception as well as cities expand and less traveled roads became more traveled.

One observation however that I see first hand with riding with other people is that many don't even keep good situational awareness of their surroundings. They never look back. When we drive we look in the rear view mirror but many don't bother on the bike. It is these same people who get freaked out when a car come buzzing by. In general I am a very edge on person, passionate, and competitive, but commuting in the city for the part of 20 years has taught me a lot about interacting with vehicles. Car accidents happen too, a lot, but I don't think you are going to stop driving. I wouldn't quit cycling but that is just me.

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First and foremost, glad you're alright.

If you still love triathlon and you can tolerate riding your bike trainer, that was my solution. Yes, I think it is sad that we live in a world that cyclists are getting severely injured or killed simply by riding a bike outdoors, but that unfortunately is reality. There is not a month that goes by that I don't read on ST or hear from friends that someone was injured or killed while riding a bike.

I have three kids under the age of 7. Every time I ride outdoors I wonder about whether my life insurance would be enough and my kids growing up without a father. (My wife would miss me too!) That certainly doesn't make for an enjoyable bike ride.

But I also don't want to live a life of fear and abstain from something such as riding a bike that brings happiness and pleasure to me. So, I've pretty much taken the Andy Potts training approach to bike training... 99% is done on my trainer. I still get to race outdoors, which is ordinarily much safer from idiotic drivers or completely closed courses. This trade off works for me and allows me to continue being "awesome" in triathlon. (Note: My definition of "awesome," as a MOP triathlete, differs than most. See also "delusions of grandeur.")

Hopefully this post helps. It would be sad to see you hang it up. Your kids still need to see how awesome their parent is in life, which I believe is psychologically valuable to them as well in having a great role model.


(On a related note, if anyone can convince a billionaire or two to help set up a decent and livable car-free city, please let me know.)

Riding in London the other day I was nearly hit by another biker! He didn't even flinch, lucky for me somehow we went through each other like ghosts. It's Pretty hard to get hit on your trainer. Somehow i have transitioned from someone that hates the trainer, to 90 percent indoors and i actually prefer it most the time. mtb and trainers ftw! Oh, and if you don't have a kickr go get one

For sure. I think texting is a large part of it. It's out of control. Seems like half the cars on the road are texting and driving...at least around here.

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Power Meter City
Your Power Meter Specialists

Couldn't agree more. "Ride like you're invisible"...my pops use to always say this to me.

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Power Meter City
Your Power Meter Specialists

I've been there. Gave up road riding for a few years after 2 would-have-been fatal near misses if it weren't for my motorcycle training - "nobody sees me, everyone is trying to kill me". Switched to MTB first, then when I got back into tri I bought a trainer and now ride 99% indoors. Yeah it's boring, but I'd like to see my son's future birthdays so it's worth the trade off.

Mountain biking
Cyclocross
Xterra

When one door closes.....

Off-road is waaaaaaay more fun (and challenging) anyway.

Around here too

My policy is to go out as early as possible on Saturday or Sunday morning, preferably Sunday morning. When do you usually ride? In the summer, if you're up by 5, you can easily hit the road by 6 on a Sunday and should have very low traffic conditions to deal with for at least a couple hours. Obviously this is somewhat limiting in the sense that you're not able to ride several times a week. I have thought about commuting to work many times, but I just don't think it's worth the risk.

Excellent and so true. The earlier I get out on a Sunday, the less traffic I encounter. When I do venture out during "rush hour," I take a lane like a car (when no bike lane) and ride very defensively (but not rudely). I've noticed that if I ride confidently around drivers, clearly making my presence known, most of them will give me space. It's only a handful that act like jerks and try to come close to hitting you.

I have a hunch that people driving a vehicle aren't looking for someone on a bike. Mentally, they are looking out for other vehicles. I've heard reports that when a driver hits a cyclist, it's said, "I didn't see him. He just came out of nowhere!" I've had drivers look "right through me" and pull out in front of me. They are looking at me, but they don't "see me." Hence, I ride like I'm the Invisible Man.

+1.

Do you have a smart trainer? I do TrainerRoad app ($10 per month, worth every penny) and Zwift for occasional "racing." At this point, 99% of my rides are indoor too.

Surely, you kids appreciate and respect a father who is fit and athletic. Don't quit the sport, just because of one incident. We could get hit by a bus walking on the street tomorrow, but we shouldn't be shut-in's.

I'm a physician & I see sick and nearly dead people every day. Enjoy your life, health & fitness now. Dabble in MTB, if you must!!

For me, I just keep it totally simple on my smart trainer.
3 days a week 90 minute spin 120 watts.
3 days a week 90 minute intervals 4/10/230
1 day I ride the IMLT martis/brockway climbs for an hour.

And watch lots of movies. I never miss a day for weather, sun, etc. Start around 5 am so nice and simple.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Hate to hear that. It's such a dangerous activity back home I totally understand. Borderline suicide where I come from. Handphones + that 4wheels vs 2wheels mindset together = really really tough to look past & say "ya, I'll keep training out on the road"

I left the Midwest few years back for Europe. Northern Germany to be specific. COMPLETELY different cycling/pedestrian culture here! Infinitely safer. Riding here is a factor of 100X more pleasurable in every way.

CC

My hope is that I live long enough - and am young enough that I am still cycling - to see a world with computer driven cars. No speeding, no impaired driver, no distracted driving and no 'us' vs 'them'. I feel like it's the only way we'll ever be safe out on the roads

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Team Every Man Jack

Hmm, I just got off the bike trainer after a 3.5 hour ride. What was your reason again?

Curious...will this change the amount you drive your car as well?

I would give this some time before making the decision to pull the trigger on the road. If you do not have a smart trainer, I would consider getting one and doing your key sessions on that inside.

I like you have children around the same age and will be moving my riding more inside for key sessions. My outside riding will be more MTB and trail riding in the future. Bigger tires and less traffic will be nice.

My wife gave me the OK to purchase a smart trainer so I can do most of my riding inside to be on the safe side.

Also everyone in my family now must have their bikes with a white blinking light on the front and a red blinking light on the back if they are riding on the road.

I have had a few near misses but last year I came 6" close to being killed. A milk trucking passing the opposite direction and going wide almost hit me. The 90 mph wind blast nearly knocked me off my bike. I have been riding or 28 + years and this really changed my outlook. I am not afraid to die, but don't really want to go this way under these circumstances. That would have been a real mess. I would feel sorry for the first responders having to clean me up. I guess what I am saying is that you are not the only one who feels this way.

How about this, I will drive my car straight into a wall at 60km right now and you do the same on your bike. Then we can come back and inform everyone here how that went. I am sure I will be back to report my findings.

Glad you were paying attention and able to avoid the irresponsible motorists. Great responses in this thread. I've been riding regularly on the roads for 50 years. My thoughts:

1. As others have written, assume you are invisible.
2. Use a rear view mirror. I only started doing this a couple of years ago and I shake my head at my stupidity for failing to use one before because it wasn't "cool."
3. Agree with Thomas. When I do group rides it is readily apparent that most of my peers rely too much on drivers to do the right thing. They rarely look back and their main focus is not on vehicles approaching from the rear. If you are cycling on open roads your main focus should not be talking to your buddies, winning the sprint or the climb or staring at the numbers on your electronic devices.
4. Ride where motor vehicles aren't allowed. I do most of my rides on multiuse paths and when we bought a new home a couple of years ago being close to a good network of paths was a high priority for us.

I certainly understand my peers who want to do nearly all their riding indoors, but I question how long triathlon will survive if/when the majority of triathletes decide that is what they need to do. If I ever decide I can't ride safely outdoors, I'll likely give up tris and focus on another sport where I can spend most of my training time outdoors.

Should members of the triathlon community be more focused on using more of our disposable $ to fund organizations such as Rails to Trails that advocate and promote building multiuse paths and other traffic patterns that provide us the opportunity to ride outside on pavement that we don't have to share with motorized vehicles?

Agree completely with these comments here.

First and foremost, investing in a sold trainer is a no-brainer. ROI is easy, especially if you live in the northern regions of the country. From late Oct to May, I ride exclusively on a Kickr because its just too cold in MN to do otherwise. In the summer, if its raining, same deal. In addition, you can be so precise in your training, I consider indoor riding to be an advantage, not a concession.

Second, I do not ride outside alone, ever. There are too many risks as you've mentioned, it's just not safe. Even when we are group riding, we are all on high alert, you just don't have a choice anymore. People and technology are in a really bad place, autonomous driving is the only way we get on the other side of it IMO, and that is a long way off.

Finally, there is no good reason to give up completely; none at all. In lots of regards, you are an excellent role model for your family, promoting a healthy lifestyle. This just provides you with an opportunity to teach them how to deal with adversity as well. At the end of the day, there are risks in all activities... you could give up triathlon, buy a set of gold clubs, and get hit by a golf cart full of drunk golfers. You could buy a kayak and get hit by a powerboat. The list of reasons why NOT to do something goes on and on...