Do you know anyone who just quit the sport for no other reason..?

[veggieburger]

I love biking. Been doing it longer than almost any other thing, save breathing and stuff like that. But almost every day I read a report of someone in the province who was hit and killed/paralyzed/seriously injured through no fault of their own.

Then I look at my family, who I love so much more than turning the pedals and I sometimes think...do I give up road riding? The irony of course is that theoretically cycling should keep me around longer, keep my heart strong. But the danger of riding on roads sometimes fills me with a feeling I don’t like. A foreboding. Ugh. So many accidents!

Maybe a hiatus. Maybe I just stick to trails for a while. We’ll see.

[donevwil]

A good friend gave up cold turkey 20 years ago. He had a wreck (not car related), wasn't badly hurt, but as a self employed building contractor with a family felt the risks were too great. He had a sweet Masi that was too small for me unfortunately.

[Ken Robb]

I have been hit twice and had quite a few close calls and a couple of aggression by automobile drivers so I seem to have mostly given up riding anywhere a car could get me.

[Blown Reek]

Does this have anything to do with Clean39T deleting everything?

[avalonracing]

I know a number of people who have "given it up" but they often come back. Some are only mountain biking now.

[veggieburger]

Does this have anything to do with Clean39T deleting everything?

No, I know nothing about this.

[timtak]

I stopped doing Strava (or effectively racing on roads), keep away from certain roads and times of day, wear high viz gear including shoes and home made green pants and reflective bands at all times, have covered my bike and helmet with reflectors, turn on at least rear lights at all times, us lots of vocalizing to warn traffic of my approach (having given up on electronic horns, that break, and having experimented with electronic sounders that make a noise all the time, why these are so hard to come by I am not sure), always wear a helmet of course, and live in a place with few cars and fewer trucks, so I hope to keep going as long as I can get on a bike and pedal.

The latter was threatened by weakened acheing knees, which I seem to have managed to treat with one legged ("Bulgarian") squats and shorter shoes/cranks.

I hope you are able to find safer roads, routes and or times of day.

[veggieburger]

I have been hit twice and had quite a few close calls and a couple of aggression by automobile drivers so I seem to have mostly given up riding anywhere a car could get me.

I think this might be me soon. When I have to train on the road, no more solo riding, pack only. I find that much safer.

[Dead Man]

do you want to live a long, lame life? or do you want to live your best life, with somewhat increased odds of not making it to 80?

[FlashUNC]

If its any consolation none of us get out of this alive.

[veggieburger]

do you want to live a long, lame life? or do you want to live your best life, with somewhat increased odds of not making it to 80?

I want to live for my children. They are wonderful. That’s not lame in my books.

[veggieburger]

If its any consolation none of us get out of this alive.

You speak the truth.

[Dead Man]

I want to live for my children. They are wonderful. That’s not lame in my books.

the odds are overwhelmingly that youll still be there for your kids if you ride

[Spdntrxi]

I quit for.....

about 15 years

[flying]

I have been riding road 35 years but between 2012 & 2016 I moved to a foreign country....(not important where)

As soon as I arrived in the city I moved to about 3 miles from my home, a young college girl coming home from a drunk night out cleaned out an early morning paceline multiple riders killed

Took the need to ride right out of me. In hindsight I should have just jumped in but this country that this happened in has horrendous road stats...I mean insane

Even driving my truck & motorcycle there was high risk on a daily basis

But I survived & as soon as I arrived back in US I got back on the bike.

[biker72]

I had a great opportunity to quit riding last year after my accident. Fractured hip, clavicle and head trauma.

Cycling is what got me through ICU and rehab. I talked to my kids every day about going on bike trips again even though I could barely walk at the time.

I'm back riding on the road and enjoying every minute. I'll never win a KOM or race but I'm still riding at 82.

[C40_guy]

Maybe a hiatus. Maybe I just stick to trails for a while. We’ll see.

I stopped riding last spring mostly due to a minor medical issue. What that was successfully addressed in September, I have not been on the road since, except portaging from one trail to another.

I've been a road rider since the late '60s and for a long time I defined myself as a road rider (and specifically NOT a runner.) I got into mountain biking for a while, but really have always been a road rider.

Over the past couple of years I've become increasingly worried about distracted drivers. I also became a runner, and I think running (against traffic) provides a greater degree of control with traffic.

Then we moved to a new house, with 1100 acres of conservation land adjacent to our neighborhood. Some of the best mountain biking in southern New England, and some great running.

I honestly don't know if I will go back to road riding. My son has gotten into it, bigly (as they say), and he will probably pull me back. But with so much great running and trail riding available... I do it for exercise, for my future me, and I can do that on the trail as easily as on the road.

[Seramount]

in 50 years, been hit 4 times. 3 of the incidents required hospitalization, two of them required surgery.

the risk/reward ratio is something each of us makes a call on...

I'm still riding.

[unterhausen]

I quit for about 10 years in the mid '90s. Biggest mistake ever.

[Gummee]

The Golden BB is going to get you one way or another.

Your decision may not be someone else's, but it also isn't their life. Nor are they likely to understand completely your decision.

Only you can determine your level of risk.

Me? you're likely to have to pry me off the bike to get me to the funeral

M

[Ralph]

I had a great opportunity to quit riding last year after my accident. Fractured hip, clavicle and head trauma.

Cycling is what got me through ICU and rehab. I talked to my kids every day about going on bike trips again even though I could barely walk at the time.

I'm back riding on the road and enjoying every minute. I'll never win a KOM or race but I'm still riding at 82.

Good for you. Keep going. I'm 79 now.....and trying to keep riding.

Now I mostly just ride the many wide trails we have around here. Lots of miles with no people on them. Trails have dangers too of course....and 15 MPH speed limits......but I don't get hit by cars. Just have to watch out for occasional dog on leash, or people talking while walking. Anyway....good for you.

[mcfarton]

I have a young family too. I have mixed in zwift and running for fitness. I still really enjoy riding outside on the road. I find that if I hit the road at sunrise in the summer time I can avoid traffic. I also pick roads/routes with less cars. I can often go 15 miles without seeing a car.

I skip most group rides. They often don’t start or end at a family friendly time. And I am more nervous about riding with a stranger than the cars. Between covid19 and poor handling skills from other riders I pass. I do have a handful of friends that I will ride with.


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[vqdriver]

Yeah.... imma choose to minimize risk.
Ive taken up other hobbies that don't put me at as much random risk. I suppose that could feel lame to those who live and breathe bikes. But its never been a lifestyle for me anyway. What riding I do do now is 90% trail

With the understanding that not riding roads doesn't guarantee a long life anyway....

do you want to live a long, lame life? or do you want to live your best life, with somewhat increased odds of not making it to 80?

[bigbill]

I'm taking a break this year, too much stuff going on. I work around 50 hours a week and decided that pursuing a graduate degree would be a good idea. Then C19 hit, then my son came home from the Naval Academy to spend the summer here doing classes, and left me with little time to ride. I spend 20-25 hours a week on my school work so it was like taking a second job. I finish in February of next year, I start cycling again after that.

[Spaghetti Legs]

Like many things where you have a choice you do a cost/benefit or risk/benefit. For me, the upside is big - probably is for most of us here. I do what I can to minimize the risk. You’ll never see me ride on a busy road. I don’t have a real gravel bike but still do a fair amount of gravel roads to avoid cars.

My first serious riding was mountain biking but drifted away from that because of crashes.

[Coffee Rider]

I started riding in the fall of 1988 and have been at it ever since then except for some time when I really couldn't do it due to school. I've known a number of people who just ended up quitting riding. To me it's really weird how something can be a big part of your life then suddenly not. I expect to be involved with cycling forever even though I'm sure I'll end up in longer periods of not riding with age, but I'm better now at just enjoying it as part of life than when I was younger.

I have noticed a tendency of people who pick up cycling and become really hardcore quickly to do that for a few years and then lose interest. I've seen it happen both to people who were racing and also who mere more mileage junkies.

[Toddtwenty2]

If you feel unsafe, I think that is a perfectly reasonable reason to stop cycling. There is no doubt that being able to support your family is more important. I have a lot of country roads near me with almost no car traffic, so I do not have much to worry about. However, being surrounded by fast, heavy objects that will crush you if they veer a couple feet to the side is a perfectly rational fear, imho.

I gave up hockey 5 years ago for the same reason. I also have young kids and someone gave me a bad concussion with a cheap shot away from the play. It only takes one idiot to ruin something beautiful, and I need to keep a sharp mind and stay productive to contribute to our home. There is always that one person that thinks they are in game 7 of the Stanley Cup or are taking out some personal aggression. I love my life and hobbies are just seasonings that can be substituted. There are ample sources of aerobic exercise.

That being said, Covid is a strange time. Many people’s routines have changed and anxieties can grow more freely. If I were you, I wouldn’t sell my bike quite yet. I would go with my gut and take some time off, though.

Good luck.

[bikinchris]

Do you drive? Driving is the most common cause of accidental death. Bicycle driving doesn't have to be. When you ride using tenets taught by groups such as Cycling Savvy and Bike Ed, riding a bike has a considerably lower rate of crashes than does auto driving.

[54ny77]

After a few decades or so of riding and occasional racing off and on, I now treat cycling as a path to general fitness. And I'm ok with that. I don't "train." I ride. Cell phones, distracted drivers and general road rage has sucked the enjoyment out of it. At least where I live now it has (SoCal). Could I walk away from it completely? Probably not. A hiatus from it? Sure, and have done that on plenty of occasions. And cycling is a cruel mistress: it takes SO long to get back into decent shape.

[Dead Man]

Do you drive? Driving is the most common cause of accidental death. Bicycle driving doesn't have to be. When you ride using tenets taught by groups such as Cycling Savvy and Bike Ed, riding a bike has a considerably lower rate of crashes than does auto driving.

hear hear. there are a lot of things we do/ignore/dont consider that are way more statistically likely to kill us or grossly diminish our quality of life than riding a bike. cheeseburgers, alcohol, driving, coming into contact with people, the 5 years we smoked way back before we quit, the sun, eating food, philosophy, being married, and thinking mildly depressing thoughts from time to time.

im always really astounded when people quit cyclist for concerns over longevity .. im not being as cynical as it probably sounds.. i just honestly dont get it.

[parris]

I've changed where I tend to ride over the years due to distracted drivers. For any of us that have been in the game for a while we've ALL seen it and it doesn't matter how many PSA's or laws get put out and passed. If I lived in a congested area where there weren't good sight lines and escape routes I'm not sure if I'd be on the road at all.

The most "shook" I've ever been was about 10 years ago on my birthday. I headed out for a ride before we were going to go out. I was maybe 400 yards from my house at an intersection waiting for traffic to clear and there was a youngish female driving a jeep that was paying attention to the car behind her. She took the turn VERY tight and to this day I don't know how I was able to yell loud enough to get her attention making her swerve for the miss. Otherwise I would've been zapped. Hell I still remember that the color of the Jeep was a forest green and she happened to be blond.

Changes that I've made is to get GOOD lights front and back, HiViz clothing, careful route selection, and very important for my piece of mind time of day that I go out to ride.

Instead of outright hanging up the horse maybe check and see if there's some routes that are lower risk as well as time of day?

Best of luck with whatever you choose.

[XXtwindad]

hear hear. there are a lot of things we do/ignore/dont consider that are way more statistically likely to kill us or grossly diminish our quality of life than riding a bike. cheeseburgers, alcohol, driving, coming into contact with people, the 5 years we smoked way back before we quit, the sun, eating food, philosophy, being married, and thinking mildly depressing thoughts from time to time.

im always really astounded when people quit cyclist for concerns over longevity .. im not being as cynical as it probably sounds.. i just honestly dont get it.

Is there a correlation between the two ? :)

[SlowPokePete]

I rode 6-10,000 miles in Westchester County, NY for the past five plus years.

Gradual move in that time to less busy roads and gravel, but its still Westchester with impatient drivers and plenty of them, impatient or not.

Now that I've moved to a much less densely populated area, I encounter very few cars at all.

Now I just gotta hope the hills don't kill me lol...

SPP

[oldpotatoe]

I love biking. Been doing it longer than almost any other thing, save breathing and stuff like that. But almost every day I read a report of someone in the province who was hit and killed/paralyzed/seriously injured through no fault of their own.

Then I look at my family, who I love so much more than turning the pedals and I sometimes think...do I give up road riding? The irony of course is that theoretically cycling should keep me around longer, keep my heart strong. But the danger of riding on roads sometimes fills me with a feeling I don’t like. A foreboding. Ugh. So many accidents!

Maybe a hiatus. Maybe I just stick to trails for a while. We’ll see.

Once again, you can 'what if' yourself into or out of, anything. In the 'grand scheme of things', in spite of 'so many accidents', riding a bike is a LOT safer than doing a lot of things.

Kinda like saying because an airline full of innocent people die when it crashes, no flying for me. Or, not gonna get married because so many get divorced..type thing, 'what if'??
r
BUT, road riding isn't a big threat to me(been hit, from behind, in the AM, by a pickup truck, by sleeping driver)..

Be smart how you ride, when, where..it would be a shame that you 'what if' yourself out f something you 'love'. You DO have control over lots of your circumstances, don't take unnecessary risks, even on a bike.

Last and not waving any kind of flag..saw more than one really excellent aviator turn their wings in because somebody crashed around the ship. Maybe a close friend(s). Been to about a dozen memorial services when in the USN..First cruise, I was all of 25 years old, brand new nugget aviator and I got the 'what if' lecture from a salty old F-4 back seater(Vince McCarthy) while we were on the flight deck, in our whites for Steve Martone and Denny O'Mally, who died the night before..Ramp strike, subsequent barricade failure..nobody really knew why the barricade failed....memorial service over....get into our 'bags', and flew a normal day/night flight schedule..'Pay your money and take your chances'....."My name is Peter and I ride a road bike..."........

YMMV, IMHO and all that..

[mcteague]

I've been hit by cars several times over 30+ years of riding. Two of those times I went to the ER, not life threatening though. I also rode mt bikes from the mid 80s through 2015, but as I aged my body ached too much after rough trail riding. Road riding was always where my heart was. As cell phones became more and more popular I became more worried about being hit from behind, something that seemed less common in previous years. All of my run ins with cars had been in front of me. So, I added a rear blinking light and try even more to avoid busy roads and times of day.

I don't have kids so there is that. I also ride a motorcycle but often practice emergency braking and avoidance maneuvers. I am fully aware of the risks but cannot imagine not riding. As others have said, lots of things can kill us and doing nothing to stay save is a poor option.

Tim

[Hellgate]

Or, sit on the couch and eat bon-bons.

I've been hit 3 times over the years, crashed motorcycles, blown out knees skiing, spun cars on the track, etc. I keep doing the things that I enjoy.

I've never understood the scared of your shadow mentally. Mitigate the risks and drive on. If it's not for you fine, find something else to do, or sit on the couch and eat bon-bons.

[Mr. Pink]

My guess is that I'd be dead or sick from a few hereditary ailments at my age if I didnt ride, so, there's that.

[OtayBW]

No thought of quitting - other than the occasional depression-induced laziness - but I find myself increasingly cognizant and concerned about possible motor vehicle interactions and am LESS LIKELY to ride in places where I wouldn't have have given it a thought in the past.

[commonguy001]

I’ll do shorter road rides on the rural backroads where I live but I mostly mountain bike now or ride yellow gate roads and national forest roads where people are few and far between. My riding has evolved based on what I have available and I’m okay with that. At 50 I have no desire to do big road rides anymore but I also really can’t imagine not riding something somewhere.

[Joel]

60 years old and at it since 14. Family, kids etc.

Been hit twice. Both times ordered new bikes while still in the hospital.

For me, the enjoyment far exceeds the risk.

Been places, seen things, met people that would have otherwise been impossible.

Choosy about where, when and how I ride. No more racing, no stupid chances, big time situational awareness.

Going out for a ride, right now!

[Bentley]

I mostly ride solo which I think is probably a bit more risky. I search for rides on lightly travelled roads or roads that have a lot of riders/runners. Seems like there are places like this in most places. I find that dual use trails can work, but you inherently deal with walkers, runners, bird watchers... but again it’s a trade for safety.

I have had situations where drivers have put me at risk even along those paths. It’s a lack of understanding the law and sometimes driver distraction. I’m careful, but I also think it’s a low risk.

[redir]

I think a lot of it depends on where you live. I did a quick 45 mile ride last Saturday right out my door and counted a grand total of 14 cars that past me on the entire route. I have a habit of counting things. When I lived in the DC suburbs I would never even consider riding on those roads so while I didn't exactly quite I didn't really ride much either.

IF the road bothers you then get a mountain bike. Riding in the woods always a fun time.

And really, you are probably more likely to be killed in a car. So with that philosophy you would have to quite driving too.

[benb]

I'm not in any danger of quitting but I completely understand how people can quit.

Even without a scare you can just grow out of it or get bored of it.

It's hard for a lot of cyclists to understand because so many are just utterly obsessed and have their head up their you know what about the supposed importance of cycling and the cycling lifestyle.

I used to be just as into motorcycles and I grew out of that/got bored of it. Haven't rode a motorcycle in 8 years and I could care less about motorcycles now. (After a long time having a motorcycle and being pretty deep into that activity at the same time was biking a lot.)

A lot of the cycling related email/tweet/instagram stuff I get sent my way just makes me roll my eyes.. too many people thinking their bike rides are going to solve world peace and make fusion power work or something. Get over it, you're just riding your bike and it's fun and that's good enough.... :banana:

I got something today about some project to draw something on the map via 1500 miles of bike rides for a cause. Marketing campaign and everything.. that's an easy/indulgent thing for someone who thinks their bike rides will make way more of a difference than going and doing something actually meaningful for change that would take a similar amount of time. Exactly the kind of thing that annoys me.

[Ralph]

As was mentioned above....at my age, it's not so much a "sport" any more as it is part of my fitness routine. 3-4 rides a week, 2-3 good walks a week, 2-3 trips to the gym (when it's a slow time there and can distance).

When I had my recent heart attack in Feb, Doc told me I had begun growing some bypass around the clogged artery, so was getting some blood and oxygen, so walked into ER. And because I have a relatively low heart rate, probably from a life time of exercise, I'm allowed to cut the beta blocker drug they always prescribe in half. Still take a anti coagulant until next Feb. But believe cycling has helped make this recovery easier.

Watch your diet folks....I made it to 79 before I clogged up an artery (the widow maker).

[reuben]

I rode in the mid 80s to early 90s. Triathlons, never road racing. Somewhere in the 90s I decided to try road racing, since I always liked the bike the best of the three legs in triathlon. Promptly broke both arms. Not even sure if I ever took out a license to race.

I think I just got tired of all of time and effort it required, even for just one sport. Changed careers. Got married. Got divorced. Got old(er) - I'm 62 and have a grandson (how did THAT happen?).

2020 - started riding again. I like it, but I'm not going to obsess over it or try to race again. One of the reasons I'm riding now is because even day hikes here in the midatlantic are butt ugly saunas this time of year. At least riding I get a bit of self-induced breeze. And I have a kayak. Doing a tiny bit of yoga.

Over the years I've decided two things:

1) If I'm going to measure my exercise I'm going to do so by time rather than miles. I want to get 5 decent hours of exercise per week - hiking, cycling, kayaking, yoga, lifting weights, whatever. Some weeks are 3 hours, others are 12 or 15. If I'm on a backpacking trip it's in the dozens per week (4-8 hours per day).

2) It doesn't matter what exercise you do, as long as you do something. Soccer, lacrosse, basketball, cycling, yoga, backpacking, dance, weightlifting, tennis, pilates...

To paraphrase a famous expression - Just do something.

[cgates66]

There is a certain amount of risk inherent in cycling - depending on how and where you ride, it can be more dangerous than riding a motorcycle (less traction, power, control etc.). The parts are small and can be fragile, too. If you aren't comfortable with physical risk, then cycling isn't for you. If you aren't aware of the physical risk - be aware or you will get hurt.

I've had a number of close calls and some relatively fast "single vehicle crashes", but never considered quitting. I know people that have had very serious incidents. It's a physical sport and any physical activity carries with it a small amount of risk - or a large amount.

I mention motorcycles because I actually rode motorcycles before I got into road biking as an adult, and learned very, very quickly that on two wheels, if you aren't focused, you are going to get in trouble. It may not be your fault, but it is your carcass. I've carried those experiences into driving cars and to cycling. Pedestrians, deer, oncoming cyclists and cars can all be dangerous and if you aren't on a closed course for a race, you'd better have your eyes and ears open. I don't believe a large group is intrinsically safer than riding solo. Less chance of getting hit by a car, but a greater chance of something wacky happening with another cyclist.

This comes from one who believes that some amount of physical risk - when taken aware - is useful and important, so your mileage may vary. The sterility of excessive risk avoidance is not for me.

[William]

I mention motorcycles because I actually rode motorcycles before I got into road biking as an adult, and learned very, very quickly that on two wheels, if you aren't focused, you are going to get in trouble...

When riding motorcycles I've always assumed that people don't see me...even if they are looking right at me. I treat cycling the same way, always assume motorists don't see me.

In the last few years my time on the road has decreased and time on the trails has increased. As a kid the majority of my riding was trails and dirt roads so it really isn't a big thing to me...more like coming home. I switch up between MTB and cross bikes to keep things fun. I still ride on the road at times but I certainly have noticed an increase in unattentive drivers and close calls...enough so that for the time being I hear the call of gravel more often. Sure trail and gravel riding has it's dangers as well...just a lot fewer 4000+ pounds of metal and plastic barreling down the roads I am riding on.:)







W.

[Jaybee]

Everyone has a different threshold for risk perception and tolerance. If it feels wrong to you, you can stop - this isn't your job. If it feels right to you later, or you miss it - pick it back up.

There are many ways to exercise without or in addition to cycling. Cycling all the time with no supplemental weight-bearing or upper body work is probably not great for your general overall fitness.

[tuxbailey]

Got hit three years ago and by bike broke in half. Took a while but I did get back on the road. Although I bought a replacement bike as soon as I got the money back from insurance from property coverage.

I now have two camera with lights as well as Varia to assist. I did promise my wife to not ride on the road in poor lighting condition.

[XXtwindad]

There is a certain amount of risk inherent in cycling - depending on how and where you ride, it can be more dangerous than riding a motorcycle (less traction, power, control etc.). The parts are small and can be fragile, too. If you aren't comfortable with physical risk, then cycling isn't for you. If you aren't aware of the physical risk - be aware or you will get hurt.

I've had a number of close calls and some relatively fast "single vehicle crashes", but never considered quitting. I know people that have had very serious incidents. It's a physical sport and any physical activity carries with it a small amount of risk - or a large amount.

I mention motorcycles because I actually rode motorcycles before I got into road biking as an adult, and learned very, very quickly that on two wheels, if you aren't focused, you are going to get in trouble. It may not be your fault, but it is your carcass. I've carried those experiences into driving cars and to cycling. Pedestrians, deer, oncoming cyclists and cars can all be dangerous and if you aren't on a closed course for a race, you'd better have your eyes and ears open. I don't believe a large group is intrinsically safer than riding solo. Less chance of getting hit by a car, but a greater chance of something wacky happening with another cyclist.

This comes from one who believes that some amount of physical risk - when taken aware - is useful and important, so your mileage may vary. The sterility of excessive risk avoidance is not for me.

Very well written response.

[m_moses]

I've never understood the scared of your shadow mentally. Mitigate the risks and drive on.

I don’t think the OP is scared of his shadow and to be clear there is no way to mitigate the risk of being run down from behind by a distracted driver other than removing yourself from the road. No amount of high vis clothing, lights or sounds is going to make you visible to someone who is not looking where they are going.

I do understand that sense of foreboding though. Sometimes when riding solo I hear a car coming from behind and wonder if that’s going to be the one. It’s not a healthy exercise.

I find that I feel safer in groups but since C19 I’m no longer doing large group rides. Gravel and trail rides are about it these days.


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[XXtwindad]

Everyone has a different threshold for risk perception and tolerance. If it feels wrong to you, you can stop - this isn't your job. If it feels right to you later, or you miss it - pick it back up.

There are many ways to exercise without or in addition to cycling. Cycling all the time with no supplemental weight-bearing or upper body work is definitely not great for your general overall fitness.

Fixed it :)

[benb]

This whole upper body thing is a super weird one.

I've been doing a lot of pushups & pull ups since my lower back has been hurting and cycling was hurting it but pushups/pullups (and squats/lunges with no weight) weren't hurting.

Good progress.. my form on the pushups has gotten a lot better in a month,, keeping my elbows in, etc.. only doing 3x10 or something which is not hard for me

And I'm doing 3x3-4 on the pullups (on rings) which is really really good for me. I was really bad on these.

But my shoulders start pulling back and my back starts losing the "cycling hunch" and now riding a bike feels like the bars need to go up so I can keep my spine more aligned and not hyperextend my shoulders. Even a month or two of upper body work starts doing this.

Cyclist me would say "that's bad, better to have a rounded upper back & shoulders and be more aero!". Normal me would be "that's good, healthy spine/shoulders!"

[benb]

Oh and anytime motorcycles come up...

Don't be too naive about motorcycles vs bicycles.

There is a range of motorcycling behavior and choices that go from safe to very dangerous. The stats mix everyone up together and come up with an average.

The same is true with bicycling...

If you are doing mass-start races and competitive rides you are very likely at the most dangerous end of the spectrum of cycling behavior, don't be disillusioned about that. The group of bicyclists who race & do competitive rides is a teeny teeny tiny sliver of the population of cyclists so they get to hide out among millions of cyclists who are not taking as many risks.

If you're not doing these things you might be quite far towards the safe behavior side of things... and have little to worry about.

I lost most of my interest in motorcycling but I would not be worried about safety going back to it at all compared to my cycling behavior.

[redir]

day hikes here in the midatlantic are butt ugly saunas this time of year.

That about sums it up nicely LOOOL.

[veggieburger]

I don’t think the OP is scared of his shadow and to be clear there is no way to mitigate the risk of being run down from behind by a distracted driver other than removing yourself from the road. No amount of high vis clothing, lights or sounds is going to make you visible to someone who is not looking where they are going.

I do understand that sense of foreboding though. Sometimes when riding solo I hear a car coming from behind and wonder if that’s going to be the one. It’s not a healthy exercise.

I find that I feel safer in groups but since C19 I’m no longer doing large group rides. Gravel and trail rides are about it these days.


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Thanks. Nope, not scared of my shadow. Orange helmet, LED blinkies, decades of cycling experience. Sterility of excessive risk avoidance? Nope, not there either. And I'm a fan of stats! I understand it's statistically probably more dangerous to drive my car to work...distracted drivers plow into other cars too. But man - you only need to see one friend completely smoked by an 19 year old in her mom's Jeep before you realize how utterly unprotected you are on the road.

So yeah. Group rides offer a level of safety IMO, as do the trails and strada bianca. Stay safe folks.

[benb]

Group rides don't offer any safety... don't be silly with that. Ride in a group if you feel like it but don't think it's safer.

You are way more likely to get taken out by the other riders on the group ride than you are by a car on a solo ride. Any benefit the groups visibility has is dwarfed by the extra # of incidents that occur with close group riding + the weirdness about how group rides go through intersections.

You want to be super safe you ride alone. If you want to then you can use lights even in the daylight and make sure you have a highly visible helmet & clothes. Skip the Rapha all black outfit with all black helmet and all black socks & shoes.

Not trying to pick on Rapha but that outfit is kind of popular here that last few years. It's good looking but kind of dumb on the road.

[mcfarton]

Thanks. Nope, not scared of my shadow. Orange helmet, LED blinkies, decades of cycling experience. Sterility of excessive risk avoidance? Nope, not there either. And I'm a fan of stats! I understand it's statistically probably more dangerous to drive my car to work...distracted drivers plow into other cars too. But man - you only need to see one friend completely smoked by an 19 year old in her mom's Jeep before you realize how utterly unprotected you are on the road.

So yeah. Group rides offer a level of safety IMO, as do the trails and strada bianca. Stay safe folks.


Have you ever tried zwift?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[veggieburger]

Group rides don't offer any safety... don't be silly with that. Ride in a group if you feel like it but don't think it's safer.

It's far safer. You ride with people you know and trust. Plus having folks there who can call 911 if you're unconscious/injured? Safer.

[Dead Man]

not sure how we can measure relative safety of riding in a group vs. alone.. ive probably crashed in groups as much or more than riding solo... but ive never been hit by a car in a group or solo.

one of the worst crashes ive ever been in was in a paceline... there was a slow solo rider ahead, he was alerted to riders coming up from behind and ducked into the lane to let us pass, but didnt realize it was a paceline and tried to remerge right into us. he hit me in the No. 3 spot and i went off the road and down an embankment while a couple of other riders splashed out all over and into the road... ill never forget the sound of that dump truck's antilock brakes ARF ARF ARF ARFing back up on the road, wondering how many of my homies were getting smeared along the pavement

nobody got hit, somehow

anyway, theres my story for the day <passes blunt to the left>

[CMiller]

Or, sit on the couch and eat bon-bons.

I've been hit 3 times over the years, crashed motorcycles, blown out knees skiing, spun cars on the track, etc. I keep doing the things that I enjoy.

I've never understood the scared of your shadow mentally. Mitigate the risks and drive on. If it's not for you fine, find something else to do, or sit on the couch and eat bon-bons.

What made you feel compelled to write such a condescending reply? There are so many ways you could have said the same thing without sounding rude. The nature of that comment doesn't belong on this forum.



To the OP - I stick to dirt now, I'd rather my falls be from bike handling than a distracted driver. Also way way prefer the riding!

[Dead Man]

What made you feel compelled to write such a condescending reply? There are so many ways you could have said the same thing without sounding rude. The nature of that comment doesn't belong on this forum.



To the OP - I stick to dirt now, I'd rather my falls be from bike handling than a distracted driver. Also way way prefer the riding!

broad spectrum of characters on this board ... actually, not really.. but there are a few who lean heavily in opposite sentiments

for me, i started cycling seriously and got into racing after an alpine climbing accident nearly sent me to hell earlier than i was comfortable with. had a bunch of kids and a wife with no education who'd never worked a day in her life. more than material concerns, i'd grown up without a father and saw how different life was for my kids versus my own upbringing. so i hung up my ice tools and took up the safest thing i could think of that was physical, exciting, and still allowed me to chase a dream.

to me, cycling is about as dangerous as mowing the lawn. little less, maybe - ive had some killer rocks to the ankles over the years. in fact, i quit lawn mowing a few years ago and aint lookin back. lawns are stupid.

same for a lot of guys on here, im sure..

so its kinda mind boggling when riding a bike exceeds someones risk threshold. but were all different folks... this should be a judgment free zone.. but its the internet. the **** happens.

[SoCalSteve]

Does this have anything to do with Clean39T deleting everything?

Huh? What is this about? Is Dan Ok???

[Jeff N.]

Deleted.

[barnabyjones]

I heard there was a guy on here who stopped riding road after spending nearly a million dollars on bikes over a 10 year period. A friend of his was hit and killed on a road in California. The forum member switched exclusively to mountain biking and a few years later fell down a flight of stairs and perished. He was in his mid-50's. Wonder if this story is anecdotal.

[gbcoupe]

deleted.

[Gummee]

I started riding in the fall of 1988 and have been at it ever since then except for some time when I really couldn't do it due to school. I've known a number of people who just ended up quitting riding. To me it's really weird how something can be a big part of your life then suddenly not. I expect to be involved with cycling forever even though I'm sure I'll end up in longer periods of not riding with age, but I'm better now at just enjoying it as part of life than when I was younger.

I have noticed a tendency of people who pick up cycling and become really hardcore quickly to do that for a few years and then lose interest. I've seen it happen both to people who were racing and also who mere more mileage junkies.
I've ridden bikes since we got back from GER in 1978. Best way to get around my neighborhood and fastest way to deliver papers.

Got my first 'real' mtn bike in 1987. There were a few years off with a back injury, but I was running (well... hashing anyways) so it wasn't like I wasn't active.

They cancelled Hilly Billy this year and cancelled my motivation to train. Still love riding the bike. Training hurts. It isn't nearly as much fun.

Remind me to tell y'all about the guy in the national champion's jersey on the coast one of these days. Don't feel like typing it out right now.

M

[54ny77]

I would stop riding for some really good bon bons. Especially during the summer. But then I'd hop back on and ride home.

[benb]

I've had 3 incidents in the past 20 years riding alone on the road. 2 of them were falling over not getting unclipped in time in the first year or two riding. One was getting hit by a truck that had a stop sign and pulled out and hit me.

I can't even begin to count the # of group ride incidents and race incidents I saw.

I Pretty much saw someone going to the hospital pretty much every race weekend. I had to go 2x in racing incidents, both of which were more severe than when I got hit by a truck. A very large # of the incidents I've seen even outside of races were more severe injuries than when I was hit by a truck. Actually I had two motorcycle accidents as well... one on the street when I was a brand new rider and one at high speed at the racetrack. In both cases I was wearing full protective gear and was essentially uninjured compared to going down at 10mph on a bicycle in lycra.

I never even saw anyone get hurt as bad in my motorcycling days, including track days as I saw in bike races & group rides. You had to step up to actual motorcycle racing to see injuries as common and severe as bike racing. I've also definitely *never* been on any group ride where the entire group got through the entire ride without breaking the law and behaving dangerously in intersections, and intersections are where all the danger is! I never entered a single race where there weren't riders breaking the rules in dangerous ways as well. The officials were like broken records trying to stop that!

I don't think anyone has any good stats but from my personal experience no one is ever going to convince me group riding and especially racing are safer than riding alone. I'm thankful I've never seen someone killed or paralyzed in a group ride or race.

I'm not saying I'm never doing a group ride again... just that I go in with eyes wide open that I'm engaging in much riskier behavior, and since I don't go very often any more I make a quick assessment of the groups behavior the first few miles and then come up with an excuse if I decide the group is too dangerous to bother riding with. Otherwise I just stick to riding with people I know very well. Obviously there are payoffs, it is really fun to ride in a group when everything is going well.

[mokofoko]

I've had 3 incidents in the past 20 years riding alone on the road. 2 of them were falling over not getting unclipped in time in the first year or two riding. One was getting hit by a truck that had a stop sign and pulled out and hit me.

I can't even begin to count the # of group ride incidents and race incidents I saw.

I Pretty much saw someone going to the hospital pretty much every race weekend. I had to go 2x in racing incidents, both of which were more severe than when I got hit by a truck. A very large # of the incidents I've seen even outside of races were more severe injuries than when I was hit by a truck. Actually I had two motorcycle accidents as well... one on the street when I was a brand new rider and one at high speed at the racetrack. In both cases I was wearing full protective gear and was essentially uninjured compared to going down at 10mph on a bicycle in lycra.

I never even saw anyone get hurt as bad in my motorcycling days, including track days as I saw in bike races & group rides. You had to step up to actual motorcycle racing to see injuries as common and severe as bike racing. I've also definitely *never* been on any group ride where the entire group got through the entire ride without breaking the law and behaving dangerously in intersections, and intersections are where all the danger is! I never entered a single race where there weren't riders breaking the rules in dangerous ways as well. The officials were like broken records trying to stop that!

I don't think anyone has any good stats but from my personal experience no one is ever going to convince me group riding and especially racing are safer than riding alone. I'm thankful I've never seen someone killed or paralyzed in a group ride or race.

I'm not saying I'm never doing a group ride again... just that I go in with eyes wide open that I'm engaging in much riskier behavior, and since I don't go very often any more I make a quick assessment of the groups behavior the first few miles and then come up with an excuse if I decide the group is too dangerous to bother riding with. Otherwise I just stick to riding with people I know very well. Obviously there are payoffs, it is really fun to ride in a group when everything is going well.
There are certainly pros and cons with group riding I think. On the plus side, I feel like you're less likely to get mowed down by a careless or belligerent driver. Lots of witnesses act as a nice deterrent. On the other hand, I hate following close, and riding in a paceline usually has me feeling nervous. About the only time I nearly had a bad crash was in a group ride where no one ahead of me signaled roadkill on the side (and the person ahead of me barely avoided it). Flew right over the corpse and darn near flew off the road and into a deep ditch lined with plenty of large rocks.

Riding solo, I feel like I've had some very good luck thus far, but it feels like just about every day I've had some jerk blowing past me in a dangerous manner (with less than the appreciated 4ft wide berth).

[m_sasso]

Get your self a track bike and go to the track, only need to put your trust in your abilities, your bike and other cyclists judgment, no cars/trucks and bad drivers to deal with.

[mcteague]

Get your self a track bike and go to the track, only need to put your trust in your abilities, your bike and other cyclists judgment, no cars/trucks and bad drivers to deal with.

Ha, ha...just ask Phil Gaimon how that went.

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/latest-news/im-hiring-lawyer-phil-gaimon-left-250000-medical-bill-following-velodrome-crash-445863

Tim

[benb]

There are certainly pros and cons with group riding I think. On the plus side, I feel like you're less likely to get mowed down by a careless or belligerent driver.

There's perceived safety & actual safety.

I think the "group ride security blanket" is perceived vs actual safety.

There are so few cyclists hit from behind/head on by cars that it only takes one of those headline accidents in Florida where someone mows down a whole paceline to shift the statistic a lot.

The whole "get hit from behind/get hit head on" on a straight road is what everyone seems to be afraid of and where you might think the group confers some safety. I think this is so prevalent in perception that it even drives the weirdness with certain bike lines that make it safer in between intersections but more dangerous at intersections. But those are the most rare incidents, intersection incidents are the more common ones.

Nobody seems to be counting how many riders get hit in groups vs alone.. so I really expect it's perceived but I can't actually know. Almost no one gets taken out by another cyclist when riding alone whereas it clearly happens in group rides.

[djdj]

OP -- ignore the keyboard macho men. If you are not comfortable riding -- for whatever reason -- you should do something different with no qualms or hesitation. Life is much too short to engage in a hobby you don't fully enjoy. My only advice is not to sell your bike(s) just yet, as you may later find you want to get back on the road. Keep us posted on how things go!

[zap]

Riding with a group of competent cyclists is safer v solo.....especially in states like NC where cyclists can take an entire lane.....and groups in NC do ride double paceline not matter how many cars are back. Coming from an area like Washington, D.C. (ride on the far right or pd will pull you over) where seemingly every 5th motorist is an assassin in control of a wmd, taking an entire lane took some getting used too but it works.

I used to race and have seen several wicked crashes. One death. Alas, I know more who have passed while riding solo.

Anyhow, I know a few people who quit road riding completely. Mostly due to life style changes but some who either were hit by a vehicle or had a very close call.

[C40_guy]

Probably shouldn't have been posted, but well intentioned I'm sure.



Agreed, how about the authors @Jeff N and @gbcoupe take their two posts down.

[maxim809]

Answering the original question literally, I think there is always a reason for quitting.

Semantics aside and answering the spirit of the question, what I have observed is many people drop off this sport in their late 20's / early 30's, then one by one some of them make a comeback 5~20 years later.

Where I live, this age range is when many start having their first born. I think it's great they are focusing on their child and making a sacrifice to tag team with their spouse. It's a great reason to quit or take a long hiatus from the sport.

Leaving the inherent risks to cycling out of it, there is a time commitment to cycling outdoors. Even with proper planning it is difficult to disappear for 2~6 hours with an unpredictable newborn. The few times you can make it happen you cherish it so much more.

There's a shift towards less riskier hobbies that keep you closer to home and easier to "plug and unplug" from.

I think this trend applies to all hobbies that are both time consuming and hard to stop/pick-back-up on a whim's notice. Shooting 18 holes of golf with the mates is hard to transition in and out of too.

If and when the kids start maturing, it's easier to pick up hobbies that allow us to momentarily go out of orbit again. When things start stabilizing is different for each of us. Until then, there is Zwift.

[jtakeda]

Agreed, how about the authors @Jeff N and @gbcoupe take their two posts down.

I think Jeff N.s post is unrelated to the other one.

I read it as a friend of Jeff’s had that experience.....


But for OP. I don’t think it’s ridiculous to change your habits for your family. You might not necessarily have to quit cycling but maybe change your habits.

Whether that be switch to dirt. Or ride at dawn to get out with no traffic. Or maybe ride withal a rando group so you’re doing brevets with a group and have some safety in numbers. It’s nice to have the structure of the event to keep you motivated but also have a group of folks so you don’t feel so alone on the road as vulnerable

[m_sasso]

Ha, ha...just ask Phil Gaimon how that went.

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/latest-news/im-hiring-lawyer-phil-gaimon-left-250000-medical-bill-following-velodrome-crash-445863

Tim

I honestly don't understand the point of your post, other than to let us know Phil crashed on a track.

I can possible imagine you would believe riding on the streets is safer than riding in a velodrome?

I would love to ask Phil about his crash, would he rather have crash in the street or on a track? Want to gamble on his answer?

[gbcoupe]

Agreed, how about the authors @Jeff N and @gbcoupe take their two posts down.

I think Jeff N.s post is unrelated to the other one.

I read it as a friend of Jeff’s had that experience.....


But for OP. I don’t think it’s ridiculous to change your habits for your family. You might not necessarily have to quit cycling but maybe change your habits.

Whether that be switch to dirt. Or ride at dawn to get out with no traffic. Or maybe ride withal a rando group so you’re doing brevets with a group and have some safety in numbers. It’s nice to have the structure of the event to keep you motivated but also have a group of folks so you don’t feel so alone on the road as vulnerable

Related or no (hopefully no). Post deleted.

[FlashUNC]

I honestly don't understand the point of your post, other than to let us know Phil crashed on a track.

I can possible imagine you would believe riding on the streets is safer than riding in a velodrome?

I would love to ask Phil about his crash, would he rather have crash in the street or on a track? Want to gamble on his answer?

I'm reminded of what our instructor at Dick Lane told us about crashing on the velodrome. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, it's usually bad.

Track is definitely safer than, say, your Saturday morning crit, but I wouldn't say it's risk free.

[Dead Man]

OP -- ignore the keyboard macho men. If you are not comfortable riding -- for whatever reason -- you should do something different with no qualms or hesitation. Life is much too short to engage in a hobby you don't fully enjoy. My only advice is not to sell your bike(s) just yet, as you may later find you want to get back on the road. Keep us posted on how things go!

keyboard macho men.. brother, i can assure you i am as comfortable riding a road bike as i am tapping about it on the internet.

however... after getting absolutely baked last night doodling around on my
phone, it occurred to me a better way for those of us semi- or fully condescending to the OP in this thread would have been to have made the exact same points we made except to have done it in an encouraging way, rather than using a i-just-cant-even-fathom-your-concern kinda way.

i had a crazy girlfriend not long ago... drove me ****ing insane- almost as insane as her. i finally figured out the best way to comm w her was to tap out what i really wanted to say when she was getting all psycho on me, then edit and rephrase everything in a positive way. man.. that was a great realization. you can pretty much always still say everything you want
to say, but without the spite and condescension, if ye just change your tone.

bitch still burned my house down tho.

[mj_michigan]

As an engineer I like to look what the numbers say.
The data in this study suggests that riding in Chicago area is about 3 to 5 times more risky than driving a vehicle (US average) per mile. However, adjusted for speed, it is between the same and 2x as risky per hour of activity.

[Jeff N.]

Related or no (hopefully no). Post deleted.Mine too. Jeez...just telling of the reason a friend quit riding. I fail to see what the big deal is. I'm taking it down, fer cryin' out loud.

[ultraman6970]

Ex tracker here... i have to agree that probably is safer to ride in the track than in the street. I do agree that crashes are rare in the track and usually are due to somebody's negligence. Personally got some accidents and some were big but got lucky and went out of those unharmed.

Seen really stupid track accidents that were not even going super fast, and those guys ended up in coma for a month. Remember another team mate, he was just going in the blue area, super slow, dont ask what happened but the next i saw was that the dude flipped over and broke one front teeth.

Saw another after a sprint to go straight and hit the fence at the upper banks, 1 month in coma. Same situation, this one doesnt remember jack or why he did what he did, his fault.

Seen 3 guys over my life time as a tracker, to get CPR because their heart stopped right there due to the accident. You go sprinting like 60 km/h and the next you know u fall flat over your back over the pavement, like a pancake. CPR, scary stuff.

I would love to see the reason why gaimon got the accident, personally i do not like the PA track but well.. guys go so fast and you just need one idiot that cant be honest enough to recognize that the other guy is better and they try to play dirty and thats how accident happens. There's a video in the same track of a guy that was banned for life because he hit the handlebar of another rider causing the guy a nasty flip, think the dude was mad because the other guy was better, which is ridiculous specially in the track, you can kill somebody.



I'm reminded of what our instructor at Dick Lane told us about crashing on the velodrome. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, it's usually bad.

Track is definitely safer than, say, your Saturday morning crit, but I wouldn't say it's risk free.

[FlashUNC]

Ex tracker here... i have to agree that probably is safer to ride in the track than in the street. I do agree that crashes are rare in the track and usually are due to somebody's negligence. Personally got some accidents and some were big but got lucky and went out of those unharmed.

Seen really stupid track accidents that were not even going super fast, and those guys ended up in coma for a month. Remember another team mate, he was just going in the blue area, super slow, dont ask what happened but the next i saw was that the dude flipped over and broke one front teeth.

Saw another after a sprint to go straight and hit the fence at the upper banks, 1 month in coma. Same situation, this one doesnt remember jack or why he did what he did, his fault.

Seen 3 guys over my life time as a tracker, to get CPR because their heart stopped right there due to the accident. You go sprinting like 60 km/h and the next you know u fall flat over your back over the pavement, like a pancake. CPR, scary stuff.

I would love to see the reason why gaimon got the accident, personally i do not like the PA track but well.. guys go so fast and you just need one idiot that cant be honest enough to recognize that the other guy is better and they try to play dirty and thats how accident happens. There's a video in the same track of a guy that was banned for life because he hit the handlebar of another rider causing the guy a nasty flip, think the dude was mad because the other guy was better, which is ridiculous specially in the track, you can kill somebody.

Phil admits he crashed because he was stupid and did a dumb thing.

[XXtwindad]

keyboard macho men.. brother, i can assure you i am as comfortable riding a road bike as i am tapping about it on the internet.

however... after getting absolutely baked last night doodling around on my
phone, it occurred to me a better way for those of us semi- or fully condescending to the OP in this thread would have been to have made the exact same points we made except to have done it in an encouraging way, rather than using a i-just-cant-even-fathom-your-concern kinda way.

i had a crazy girlfriend not long ago... drove me ****ing insane- almost as insane as her. i finally figured out the best way to comm w her was to tap out what i really wanted to say when she was getting all psycho on me, then edit and rephrase everything in a positive way. man.. that was a great realization. you can pretty much always still say everything you want
to say, but without the spite and condescension, if ye just change your tone.

bitch still burned my house down tho.

“Playing the Dozens” cycling quartet: Dead Man, Colker, Beeatnik, and Doomsrideout. Beers, Bikes, Bud.

[dgauthier]

(...) I fail to see what the big deal is. (...)

+1.

I'm completely mystified as well...it's not like you had the temerity to criticize carbon fiber...

[mcteague]

I honestly don't understand the point of your post, other than to let us know Phil crashed on a track.

I can possible imagine you would believe riding on the streets is safer than riding in a velodrome?

I would love to ask Phil about his crash, would he rather have crash in the street or on a track? Want to gamble on his answer?

Seriously? In a thread that suggested track riding to avoid the dangers of the street? :confused:

It was just a fun poke at the thought we can avoid all danger by riding somewhere else. Certainly not saying track riding is just as dangerous as the road, but safety and bike riding are not the best of friends. Moving the body much above walking speed will always have a degree of danger associated with it. I think you are just looking for an argument.

Tim

[benb]

As an engineer I like to look what the numbers say.
The data in this study suggests that riding in Chicago area is about 3 to 5 times more risky than driving a vehicle (US average) per mile. However, adjusted for speed, it is between the same and 2x as risky per hour of activity.

Averages lie... these #s mix in drunk kids on fixies and delivery riders in with serious roadies.

Not that I think urban areas are great destinations to move to if you're really a serious life long cyclist but the safety factors in a city aren't going to affect all riders the same.

Our chances of an accident are not dictated by the statistics generated from everyone else's behavior if everyone else is behaving in a bunch of different ways.

[fijichf]

Hang in there, OP. If you’re not feeling it, take a break as your bike can wait and it’s important to place family first. FWIW, I’ve been injured more on the trail than on the road...go figure.

[redir]

I've had 3 incidents in the past 20 years riding alone on the road. 2 of them were falling over not getting unclipped in time in the first year or two riding. One was getting hit by a truck that had a stop sign and pulled out and hit me.

I can't even begin to count the # of group ride incidents and race incidents I saw.

I Pretty much saw someone going to the hospital pretty much every race weekend. I had to go 2x in racing incidents, both of which were more severe than when I got hit by a truck. A very large # of the incidents I've seen even outside of races were more severe injuries than when I was hit by a truck. Actually I had two motorcycle accidents as well... one on the street when I was a brand new rider and one at high speed at the racetrack. In both cases I was wearing full protective gear and was essentially uninjured compared to going down at 10mph on a bicycle in lycra.

I never even saw anyone get hurt as bad in my motorcycling days, including track days as I saw in bike races & group rides. You had to step up to actual motorcycle racing to see injuries as common and severe as bike racing. I've also definitely *never* been on any group ride where the entire group got through the entire ride without breaking the law and behaving dangerously in intersections, and intersections are where all the danger is! I never entered a single race where there weren't riders breaking the rules in dangerous ways as well. The officials were like broken records trying to stop that!

I don't think anyone has any good stats but from my personal experience no one is ever going to convince me group riding and especially racing are safer than riding alone. I'm thankful I've never seen someone killed or paralyzed in a group ride or race.

I'm not saying I'm never doing a group ride again... just that I go in with eyes wide open that I'm engaging in much riskier behavior, and since I don't go very often any more I make a quick assessment of the groups behavior the first few miles and then come up with an excuse if I decide the group is too dangerous to bother riding with. Otherwise I just stick to riding with people I know very well. Obviously there are payoffs, it is really fun to ride in a group when everything is going well.

That's been my experience too.

I think the only safety that comes with a group is that a group is a lot easier to see for cars coming up from behind. But that's about all I can think of.

[veggieburger]

That's been my experience too.

I think the only safety that comes with a group is that a group is a lot easier to see for cars coming up from behind. But that's about all I can think of.

I'm not suggesting that riding with random strangers is safer than going solo, I'm talking about the group of guys I have been riding with for over a decade. Big difference IMO.

[redir]

I'm not suggesting that riding with random strangers is safer than going solo, I'm talking about the group of guys I have been riding with for over a decade. Big difference IMO.

Agreed that is a big difference. And I think you mentioned before too a good point and that is in the event of a crash there are people who can immediately help.

[veggieburger]

OP -- ignore the keyboard macho men. If you are not comfortable riding -- for whatever reason -- you should do something different with no qualms or hesitation. Life is much too short to engage in a hobby you don't fully enjoy. My only advice is not to sell your bike(s) just yet, as you may later find you want to get back on the road. Keep us posted on how things go!

I love keyboard macho men. Few things make me grin as big as someone who tries to convince themselves of their toughness on the internet. But that's another thread.

Been riding with one other buddy lately, on very specific roads. Also doing the big weekend rides on gravel. All good here. :banana:

Enjoy the week, all!

https://memegenerator.net/img/instances/64622770.jpg

[Ralph]

I think generally riding in a group is more dangerous than riding solo. The group I normally ride with has been riding together over 10 years. All experienced alert riders. Close to same ability. Recently there was a crash, one of them ran into other, and several went down. Broken ribs, clavicle, etc.

Someone made a mistake. Wasn't looking up when he needed to. Just happened. Kinda like a NASCAR crash. I think stuff more likely to happen in a group.

[C40_guy]

Related or no (hopefully no). Post deleted.

Thank you!

[XXtwindad]

I love keyboard macho men. Few things make me grin as big as someone who tries to convince themselves of their toughness on the internet. But that's another thread.

Been riding with one other buddy lately, on very specific roads. Also doing the big weekend rides on gravel. All good here. :banana:

Enjoy the week, all!

https://memegenerator.net/img/instances/64622770.jpg

I think cycling makes me a better Father. It's a huge stress relief, and it allows me to be calmer and more understanding towards my girls and my my Partner. I really need to cycle.

On the other note, I don't think there was anything particularly untoward in the responses. No name calling or transgressing boundaries. That's what makes a response uncivil. One of the most egregious offenders has (perhaps) been escorted off the site. And that's a good thing.

Here's another interesting thread on the subject of cycling risks and parenthood. Some of the responses were very illuminating. In all kinds of ways. https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=253397&highlight=foot+mouth&page=2

[benb]

I'm not suggesting that riding with random strangers is safer than going solo, I'm talking about the group of guys I have been riding with for over a decade. Big difference IMO.

Yah I should have qualified this.

There are two types of group rides really and they are vastly different:

- Organized ride set up by a team/club/shop that is publicly advertised, gets a pretty big draw, and has a constantly rotating cast of characters

- Totally private "group" ride organized by long term friends or team members.

The first is super dangerous IMO, the 2nd type I am totally fine with saying could be safer/same/only a teeny bit more dangerous than riding solo.

The people I know the best and have rode with for years/decades who have 20+ years of experience and ride thousands of miles each year, racing experience, tons of pack/paceline experience, etc.. I feel very safe riding with those people.

But anything organized with a rotating cast no way... we have one shop here that are absolute safety Nazis, or at least try to be, and their rides can still be really dangerous. Some places don't try at all.

The club I was in years ago had to work incredibly hard to rein in behavior on our advertised weekly ride that was open to other clubs to keep behavior safe. The rides that were only open to team members were 100x safer, though I still remember a crash on one of those.

The slow club/shop rides can be dangerous because there are totally new riders on them.. the pace can be super slow and it can still be dangerous. Riders don't know the rules/laws of the road, don't know pack etiquette, are still wobbly. The fast rides are dangerous because someone is going to start pretending it's a race inevitably, and you can have random riders who are fast enough to be on the ride but are too new, too stupid, etc.. to know how to behave.

[veggieburger]

On the other note, I don't think there was anything particularly untoward in the responses. No name calling or transgressing boundaries. That's what makes a response uncivil. One of the most egregious offenders has (perhaps) been escorted off the site. And that's a good thing.


Absolutely! It's all been quite civil. I'm talking about...how should I word this...chest puffing or sabre-rattling. The relative anonymity of the internet turns many folks into MMA champions.

I know what you're saying about needing to ride. I get it. I need to do something, and for most of my life it's been riding. Makes me an all around better person! But there was also a point in my life when I was into racquetball in a big way, so I guess my mind wanders to other possible past times. But yeah....being intentional about gravel, trails, riding with friends on lesser-traveled roads probably further lessens the overall risk.

[mj_michigan]

Our chances of an accident are not dictated by the statistics generated from everyone else's behavior if everyone else is behaving in a bunch of different ways.

Of course. I agree.
In fact, the table confirms this - women are twice as safe as men. They must be much more cautious while riding a bicycle.

Interesting, I don't believe this applies to motor vehicles where they are about equally safe. IIRC, men have more fatalities, but drive more miles by about the same fraction. On the other hand, the Chicago study should only be taken as one data point.

[m_moses]

Does this have anything to do with Clean39T deleting everything?


This made me lol.


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[mcfarton]

Veggie did you ride today?


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[martl]

I see no reason to be overly concerned about riding/safety, at least not in first-world countries where most traffic participants obey rules. Yes cycling has a slightly higher risk but its still not hazardous, far from it.
If one feels uncomfortable on the road, there are ways to avoid them- one can still do gravel or MTB.

[Clancy]

All these posts reinforce what I’ve been puzzled about for years.

Why are cycling clothing manufacturers researching ways to make clothing more protective??? Other than advancements in helmets and reflectivity in clothing, NOTHING (that I can tell) has been done to advance the protective qualities of the fabric. Nothing in terms of lightweight, breathable fabric designed with abrasion protection. Nothing in terms of technically advanced, strategically placed crash padding.

I believe there is a mentality in pro cycling that crashing is not only part of the Job, but almost a badge of honor, part of the mystic of suffering. I believe this de-emphasizes any incentives for the industry to look into more protective clothing. This directly impacts the end users.

This will remain so until enough cyclists demand better, more protective gear. But that’s not going to happen because 99.9% of cyclists have never given this a second thought. Including, I bet, 99.9% here.

Yes, technically advanced materials designed to resist abrasion will not keep a rider from being hit by a car, but might very well greatly reduce the extent of injuries.