Unfortunately these signs are far and few to be found. My point....be cautious when riding in unknown areas be it roads trails or single track.
Most accidents can be avoided and since there are not signs like this for us cyclists we must consider unknown roads and areas to have hazards. I write about this subject for two reason this week.
Last friday i went riding with a friend on trails up North that i haven't ridden in over a year. With springtime rains and sunny days the vegetation has grown. Add to that the high wind storms and saturated soil & many trees have the potential to fall. Our first lap through some sweet flowing single track found me riding a little conservative and i'm sure my friend was a little concerned with the moderate pace on such a fun trail. With little said at the time we continued and came back around to the same trail. However this time the speed was much higher because we had just "tested" the trail for hazards so it was game on to turn the screws. My friend (Kevin Smyth) then made a comment and i took the opportunity to explain that if i'm not racing then I'm riding a little more cautious. I mean what sense is there to rip thorough an unknown trail and hit a downed tree or over shoot a turn and end up with something broken..on me or the bike. I have nothing to prove to others during fun training rides and often opt out of the tricky log piles etc that are built in areas i do not normally ride. Its the smart thing to do.
Second reason.... On our shop road ride this week we added in a short extra section. With a pretty large group this week people were testing each other on the climbs and descents. I actually made a comment at the start of the extra loop that i was disappointed that i didn't know the roads and therefore had to "Think" a little more on the route. Truth be told i recognized the roads from previous rides last year but still stayed back closer to the ride leader (who would know the roads). Sadly a group had been screaming down the unknown route and came to a very sharp 90 ° bend & at least two guys went down and into the guardrail. Thankfully everyone is ok but road rash and bruises will be present next week as a reminder.
My advice is
- Always stay with the ride leaders or follow them when on the trails. they know the hazards, routes, turns etc.
- there is no need to prove anything when you don't know where you're going or where you are.
- save the friendly competition for safe places like routes or climbs that are familiar
Riding smart and living to ride another day uninjured is more of an accomplishment that beating me down a hill around a turn and onto the hood of a car.
I'm happy to say that the accident on the shop ride was just inexperience and that no one was trying to get someone hurt on either of these rides but they both made me think about reporting this and putting my thoughts into words to remind people to RIDE SMART.
stork
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