The Fear -- Great Essay on CyclingTips

[Clean39T]

https://cyclingtips.com/2018/10/jra-with-the-angry-asian-the-fear/

I really like James' writing, and this one is particularly good.

Surprisingly, the comments section is worth reading too.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[paredown]

Thanks for that...

Like the author, I push the idea of accidents to the back of my mind, but sometimes the thoughts make themselves felt.

I still remember one of my old racing buddies telling me about why he quit riding on the road--he was a shop rat, and sold a new bike to a particularly lovely young woman (instant crush). A day later she was dead, crowded between the curb and a trolly bus and run over by the back wheels...

He just stopped riding.

[45K10]

It is a good essay, well worth a read. Their situation is very similar to my wife's and I, finding time to ride while having a toddler. However, one day back in May I got a phone call that my wife had been hit by a car while riding and she was being loaded in the ambulance.

Thankfully she just suffered a broken sacrum and some bruising. Her Specialized Amira was broken in half. Unfortunately, in the past two years a couple of guys I rode with back in Florida were killed by distracted drivers while riding. I thought about it and decided I didn't want to put my wife or child through that.

I had been road riding off and on for 30 years, sold the road bike and that was that. Please don't take this as a "get off the road" post. I just felt it was the right decision for me at this particular time in my life. Maybe one day I'll get back on the road.

[Fixed]

Fear can cause anxiety which makes riding unhealthy but a therapist has helped me over the last year to start riding after my traumatic brain injury in 2011 .i am riding again fear free but I ride where there is little /no traffic bike paths only but I have to keep a lookout for tourists on rental bikes
Cheers :)

[tlarwa]

Very timely for me, as I’ve really made a big shift in riding habits this past year. I’m 57, secure and comfortable, with grown kids and the “empty nest” years to look forward to with my spouse. While I’ve ALWAYS been a roadie, what I see happening on the roads during my 70 mile r/t commute each day has really made me nervous. It’s pretty much a daily occurrence to see cars veering side to side, driving 55 in a 70 zone in the left lane, tailgating, etc. almost always because they aren’t paying attention. Can’t tell you how often I actually see the driver on their phones, oblivious to what’s going on around them. And it’s not limited to the highways ... it’s just as bad in the urban areas (even in my decidedly rural area of WI). So, I sold the Roubaix and bought a gravel bike and a fattie. I still enjoy riding the roads, but now it’s usually just to get from my front door to the gravel. I also started riding with front and rear daytime lights,which I would have never even considered in the past. All in all, I can honestly say I’m enjoying myself in the bike more this year than I have in a while. YMMV, of course, and I’m not advocating that everyone gives up riding the road (or even can, depending on where you live). But for me, it’s been a good thing!

[cmg]

Yep, fear is always I in the back of the mind. too many near misses, some my fault, some not.

[benb]

I instinctively turn off any fear as soon as I throw my leg over my bike.

Don't get me wrong, I ride conservatively and keep a way eye out for cars. I was hit about 7 years ago and got lucky to escape with basically no injuries and a bent rear wheel. 100% the drivers fault, he should have gotten a ticket, but he wasn't moving fast enough to do serious damage to me so I got lucky.

I just don't ever have thoughts running through my head like he's putting in italics in the article.

My wife doesn't really give me a hard time. It probably helps she rides about 50 days a year maybe. Not as much as me but enough she's not clueless. She doesn't really "get" proper defensive cycling out on the road and is more likely to stay in the woods/on trails/use sidewalks than I am but she knows enough to not be terribly afraid. The only place we have any conflict is teaching our son how to ride... she sometimes wants to do things like use sidewalks and such with him in ways that are basically training him to end up not being an intelligent/safe cyclist because she doesn't really understand where the risks lie.

Good article though. I don't think much of this is that different between bicyclists and motorcyclists.. all of us exist on a spectrum of behavior/fear/comfort. If you're a 1 you're too afraid to ride. If you're a 10 you're a total idiot who is afraid of nothing and engages in all kinds of risky behavior out on the road.

The successful riders must fall somewhere in the middle... no fear, but careful, don't let their head get away from them, don't get distracted, and ride within the rules.

I've probably shifted my balance a little more towards dirt but not much, I always had some dirt in the mix. And an awful lot of the new stupid behaviors with the smartphones can be seen a mile away so if you're riding defensively you have plenty of time to recognize a bad driver and make moves to keep yourself safe.

I'm 41.. there is also a big flipside that if I slow down my cycling at all I really start to feel less healthy/energetic pretty quick. We might become more aware of risks as we get older but the benefits seemingly get bigger the older you get. Anyone I know who is a cyclist seems to be aging a lot slower than our sedentary friends. It wasn't noticeable in my 20s but by the time I hit 40 it started becoming pretty dramatic.

[weisan]

Patricia Hall (Mike Hall's mum)

https://road.cc/content/news/249194-mike-halls-mother-says-she-forgives-driver-involved-fatal-collision

“I came half way across the world for my boy. I attended the inquest and sat for three days listening to the evidence. I knew whatever the findings will be that I have to live with it. There is no blame, no anger and no recriminations.

“I went for my son, who always asked people to be kind to each other and have empathy. I saw a young lad with fear in his eyes, with sorrow in his heart and I took him in my arms and held him tight as he sobbed that he was sorry for what he had done.

“I hugged him and his girlfriend, told him I forgave him and asked him to try to move on and find a way forward to look after his young family and to have a good life. I came to Australia to find answers and I did; I found the answer. All around in the courtroom I saw destructive anger that is negative. I saw people so wrapped up in their own need that it destroyed what my son stood for.

“But I also saw incredible steadfastness and the ability to reach out and have compassion. I came away with clarity. I had done what Mike would have done. I forgave.”

[Gummee]

Read that. While I agree that things aren't nearly as good as they were when I first started riding, I'm not going to be scared. I REFUSE to be scared.

Aware? Sure
Assertive when I need to be? Yup
Use hand signals to communicate? For sure

Scared? Nope.

The Golden BB is going to get me one of these days. I need to make sure my ducks are in a row, and there's enough insurance to cover me

M

[glepore]

I TRY not to think about it. Hard when you wound up your professional life working for a firm that specialized in injured cyclists. My sig other rides, but is very careful and prudent. I'm more of a guy that will leave for 50 without my flasher if I have a reasonably visible jersey on. She accepts it, despite the fact that a month after I moved in I trashed a motorcycle and spent 3 months in rehab, the first not moving much of anything.

The distracted driver thing does freak me. Have seen it in action. But what's much worse is usually the stuff you can control if you're on your game. The two worst accidents I've seen were both cyclists riding from west to east at 8pm and hammering. Both got left turned by responsible drivers that couldn't see them. They got avoidable helicopter rides, due to a lack of situational awareness.

Cycling has always been a "selfish" endeavor, particularly this aspect.

[slowpoke]

But there’s also a decent chance that it’s what will kill me. Ultimately, I guess I just have to be ok with it. As do you.

The question, however, is whether the people close to us are ok with it, too.


Is the "Angry Asian" losing his fire?

I agree getting hit will always be possibility, but we can change things!

- cycling infrastructure can be improved
- riders can be more visible (with lights + clothing)
- drivers can change (don't drive like a jackass, be more attentive)

Maybe this particular column was a "pick me up" piece of writing in reaction to a bad accident, but I feel we should channel the fear into productive solutions.

[earlfoss]

Fear is an industry to writers. Passed on reading it, and instead enjoyed the ride that I did for my own reasons, on my own terms.

[Clean39T]

Patricia Hall (Mike Hall's mum)

https://road.cc/content/news/249194-mike-halls-mother-says-she-forgives-driver-involved-fatal-collision

Thanks for sharing that.

I listened to a podcast with Rebecca Rusch last night on her "Blood Road" documentary - many parallels - harboring hate doesn't fix problems or undo the past..

[nickl]

Fear is an industry to writers. Passed on reading it, and instead enjoyed the ride that I did for my own reasons, on my own terms.

Personal experience based on 35+ years on riding paints a different story for me. Distracts due to the proliferation of mobile and in-car devices plus more aggressive drivers may have made roads more hazardous for cyclists. Not my imagination, Bicycling magazine stated last year that the rate of cyclist deaths is rising faster than other groups, including drivers and pedestrians. The increase in these fatalities is only partially attributed to more bicyclists. The primary reason drivers give when involved in an accident causing a cyclist death was they did not see the rider.

[thwart]

That's a very good essay.

Interesting range of responses to it here... all the way from 'I won't stoop to read it' and 'whatever made that dude nervous?', to those who are a bit less reactive and maybe more thoughtful.

I was involved in a serious accident in 2015, broken neck, broken back, skull fracture, broken rib, broken nose, complex facial injuries, etc, etc.... and to make it even worse, my wife was out of town at the time.

She still has some PTSD, relives the phone call from the ER and the evening of chaotic efforts to get home. She had been buzzed at 60 mph by some teenagers the year prior on a rural road a few miles from our home so had given up almost all road riding at that point.

Since my accident, she's asked me not to ride the open road, so now I'm on paths, do some off-road/gravel and in-city riding. Still get over 4K miles in annually and I like hills... so don't worry too much about my fitness... still getting my endorphin fix. I'm semi-retired so have a bit more free time to ride than many others here.

I really do miss the lovely rural roads of southwestern Wisconsin. Yet it's important to me that she can sleep at night.

If I'm honest with myself, especially as the Madison area grows rapidly and those lovely roads get more congested (as well as more pot-holed and broken up at the edges), I have to admit it's more dangerous than it was just 3 yrs ago.

As the Huang piece points out, it's not just about you. Loved ones take on the risks of cycling also... without the benefits.

[weisan]

thanks thwart pal for sharing that.

[d_douglas]

My wife is a non Cyclist (other than cruises with kids and myself) and I think she is nervous about the potential for catastrophic injury, but she has that trait as part of her personality.

On a ride on Sat, I happened to witness first hand a person getting doored by a vehicle whose occupants were unloading stuff from their car. He hit the ground and his bike went flying but he seemed ok and the driver of the car seemed very concerned so they surely sorted it out.

While I may be blissfully overconfident in my abilities, witnessing these things first hand is a powerful reminder that while I may be in control of my own actions, I cannot control those of others, and that is what worries my wife.

[oldpotatoe]

https://cyclingtips.com/2018/10/jra-with-the-angry-asian-the-fear/

I really like James' writing, and this one is particularly good.

Surprisingly, the comments section is worth reading too.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

We always said in USN aviation, after an accident, that you can 'what if' yourself right out of flying..same for riding. I got hit from behind while riding in 2002...Sure I remember it happened but ride defensively and smart, not only how but where you ride. Don't take unnecessary chances..pay yer money, take yer chances.
The 'like' of riding outweighs the risk/thought of getting hit.
Green stamps and red stamps..goods and others..if the stack of red stamps or others gets taller than the other stack, do something else. Don't ride if it scares ya to death, life's too short to be worried sick to just ride a bike. But if the risk is manageable..ride on..

[Gummee]

The screwy thing about all this is people don't stop driving when they have an accident. They get back in the car and deal with it.

I'm not sure I could see an instance that I wouldn't want to get right back on the bike because that's part of who I am. Even when I went from 30-something to 0mph in the space of some lady's tailgate, all I wanted to do was get back on the bike!

...but that's me YMMV

M

[thwart]

The screwy thing about all this is people don't stop driving when they have an accident. They get back in the car and deal with it.

I'm not sure I could see an instance that I wouldn't want to get right back on the bike because that's part of who I am. Even when I went from 30-something to 0mph in the space of some lady's tailgate, all I wanted to do was get back on the bike!

...but that's me YMMV

M
As someone posted above... it's not always just about you.

From the Huang article:

I recently turned 44, and in all likelihood, cycling is what will keep me alive and healthy well into old age. But there’s also a decent chance that it’s what will kill me. Ultimately, I guess I just have to be ok with it. As do you.

The question, however, is whether the people close to us are ok with it, too.

[Gummee]

As someone posted above... it's not always just about you.

From the Huang article:

I recently turned 44, and in all likelihood, cycling is what will keep me alive and healthy well into old age. But there’s also a decent chance that it’s what will kill me. Ultimately, I guess I just have to be ok with it. As do you.

The question, however, is whether the people close to us are ok with it, too.

My ex- worried too, but knew that 'that's Gummee!' She didn't try and stop me. I made sure that I had insurance to take care of things

M