Webcor/Alto Velo - Winter Training Tips

Winter Riding Tips

by Tracy Colwell

I don't know how many of you ride in the fall and winter, but if you've not done it much, or ever, there are some very important things for you to consider as you ride during this season. As a seasoned winter commuter, I offer the following comments on safe riding as the weather and conditions change from the gentle summer months. So, without further ado…

RULE ZERO
The basic rule of safe bicycling: never put your safety in someone else's control!!!!! This means, if you can do anything to enhance your safety – DO IT. Remove your dependence on the skills/intelligence of the drivers, as much as possible.

LOW SUN
Recognize first and foremost that this season is an entirely different riding experience. The same rules apply as always, but now you actually need to be aware of them. Such as? Well, for starters, how many of you actually think about the fact that your rear blinky is invisible at dawn or dusk? Sure, it is obvious that a driver won't see you in the low sun; but, do you consciously think about it? Do you ride just a bit further to the right to compensate? Do you actually look over your shoulder at the intersections to be certain that someone does not try to turn through you blindly?

LIGHTS & REFLECTORS
How about your lighting system as a whole? What is your lighting philosophy? Do you use multiple rear lights? Why not? You can control what is coming up ahead, but you depend on the drivers seeing you from behind. Give them a light show! I've got four blinkies on the back, one of which is set to solid light. Okay, I'm a Christmas tree; I'm also seen. Be careful putting them on – LED lights have a rather limited angle of usefulness. Adjust them as best possible, and then have someone drive behind you at night to confirm that they are pointed at the drivers. A good blinkie is visible for at least a half mile. Change batteries before it is a problem. Front lights are not really to illuminate the ground. They do, but they are far more useful as an offensive device. Point them high enough to shine in the eyes of drivers and rearview mirrors. They don't have enough power to actually blind a driver, but this will get their attention. Meek lighting invites an accident.

I've been asked what exactly I have for a lighting system. I have two Vistalight Eclipse (7-LED) blinkies on my seatpost, both set to blink. I have one Vistalight 5-LED model on my rack, set to solid. I have one Cateye Astrial (?) on my left handlebar set to blink and define the left side of my bike for the drivers. I have spent a few hours in the dark comparing various lights. The Vistalight Eclipse is nearly identical the Trek 7-LED model. The Trek model has slightly better illumination to the sides, but as a consequence it also has slightly less power directly "backwards". I decided that the rearward illumination was more important. You may have a different expectation of your lighting system, and choose differently.

On the front I have the Nightrider Commuter, which is the original 2-bulb model. It has 12W spot and 20W flood bulbs which can be used in any combination. The newer Nightrider models have an electronics package which warms the bulbs gradually (extends bulb life), provides a battery power gage, controls recharging to exented the battery life, and provides a wide range of lighting options to help get you home before the battery dies. This model is, obviously, more expensive. The features are fun, but not necessary. The main features, which they all have, is lots of light and waterproofness.

Also on the front is an emergency beacon/strobe. I found it at REI in the backpacking department. It runs on a single D-cell battery and emits a potent blast of white light approximately every two seconds. It eats batteries, so use rechargables. But, it is well worth it since it is an excellent way to attract the attention of cars coming towards you from side streets. It is also one of the only lights visible in the rain.

WEATHER
Are you ready for cold? How quickly can your cold and gloved fingers grab the brake? Are you able to pull with full force with cold fingers? If not, take that into your plans as you approach intersections where you might need to brake.

Are you ready for rain? Remember that the first good rain will make the roads around here incredibly slick, both for you and the drivers. Be slightly less aggressive with the cars until the drivers are used to wet road handling. Far better to err on the conservative side for a while and yield to the cars even if it is your right of way. How about your own handling skills? Are your tires good for wet roads? Do you always think about taking the corners a bit more gently, especially when encountering various surface changes which feel slick under wheel (paint, bricks, metal plates, leaves!, oil slicks, deeper water, etc.)? Remember that it does not take a corner to knock the wheels out from under you. All it takes is a good lateral load, such as when you sprint and yank the bike around. Ride straight and steady, especially when on metal plates or crossing R/R tracks. How about light in the rain. How aware are you that almost *ALL* of the lighting systems are nearly invisible at night in the rain? Wet roads bounce all of the street lights and other light around so much that bike lights disappear absolutely into the background. Play it safe and assume always that the cars just don't see you. It will take you a lot longer to get from point A to B, but you should get there in one piece.

A question I was asked last year was, "do you advise against riding in the rain?" My answer was as follows:

NO. I think that riding in the rain is an enjoyable experience if properly planned. You need to be extra cautions about cars and road conditions, but it is not inherently unsafe to ride in the rain any more than riding in the sun. The conditions are different and you need to be aware of the ground rules. In addition to being more careful about steering and drivers, you need to do some planning if you want to enjoy a rain ride. To me, an enjoyable ride in the rain includes a few things: fenders, good rain gear, and warm/dry feet and hands. The best rain gear I know is Burley Gortex. Nothing compares. If you choose to get coated plastic rain gear, don't waste money on getting "the best" since it is all basically the same (sticky, hot, and uncomfortable). For my feet I use a thin cotton sock under a Gortex, waterproof sock (typically used for hiking, sold at camping stores). For my hands, I finally found some good Gortex gloves. Waterproof gloves only happen when the Gortex is taped on seams, look carefully. Ask to try the gloves in the store by dunking your hand into a bowl of water. With gear to stay warm (don't expect dry, you will sweat inside the jacket and pants), you can really enjoy a good storm. A midnight ride in a pouring storm is amazingly relaxing and peaceful. A good warm shower afterwards never hurt either.

I also forgot a few other items about drivers and wet weather. You need to be aware of some of the basic driving trends in wet weather. First, the line markings become more difficult to see, and so the drivers tend to drift a bit more to the right side of the lane in order to play the left line more conservatively. You need to move more to the right also to compensate. If it causes more flats, bummer. At least you are not grill art. Second, drivers forget about increased stopping distances on wet roads. At intersections you can expect to see more cars come to a stop past the crosswalk. As a bike, you are generally the first cross traffic into an intersection as the lights change. Be exceedingly careful to confirm that the side traffic has stopped completely. Third, drivers change their turning habits in the wet. Where cars are used to darting ahead of the cyclists and doing a hard right turn in front of them with room to spare (I hope none of you are ever surprised when this happens – seriously, you should be able see it coming every time!), they now need to slow down more in order to keep from hydroplaning through the turn. So, they dart ahead…and brake. They don't even think about the fact that they are now an actual obstruction to the cyclist. As the cyclist, you must expect that you will either need to brake or swerve around these cars.

Don't stop riding, just be very smart and very alert as you do it now that the gentle summer conditions have fled.

DEALING WITH CARS

Before I get into specifics, I need to be very clear about what I am going to cover here. As I have ridden around for the past week, I've tried to take note of various tricks I use to determine how the drivers are going to behave in given circumstances. The information below reflects these observations. I make no promises that you will be safe if you follow these tips, but I think you will definitely reduce your risk. The most important thing you should gain from all of this is that there are many, many clues out there to help you unravel the mysteries of driver behavior. Take careful note of everything you see and hear, and you will be amazed at how good you become at predicting drivers in any given location and situation.

RIGHT LANE POSITION
One problem I see frequently with cyclists is their inability to determine where they should be on the road in order to avoid being hit. If you look closely, every road gives you hints about where most of the drivers put their wheels. Look at where the road surface is most worn (perhaps even indented). Look at where the road debris begins. Look at the wear on the paint. Look at the drying patterns of a wet road. All of these tell you about the average behavior of cars. Let me point out some specific examples:

WORN ROADBED: El Camino Real has just been repaved throughout Santa Clara County. If you look closely, you can see exactly where the cars typically put their wheels. Already, the main travel path is becoming shiny, while the shoulder area retains the oily look of the new asphalt. Considering that there is a distribution of drivers, some of whom drive outside of the average wheel tracks, you probably want to position yourself a few feet from the rightmost edge of the shiny pavement. This gives room for the idiot with a wide sideview mirror.

ROAD DEBRIS: If you have ever ridden on Stevens Canyon Rd. along the reservoir, you should have noticed that the shoulder marking is not a great reference for how to position yourself on the road for safety. So how do you know where to ride to avoid being clobbered by the gravel trucks? The debris! The edge of the debris marks the edge of the vehicle traffic. If you ride in the debris, you are pretty safe from cars. No one likes to ride there, always convinced that a flat tire is imminent. Realistically, your tires are far more robust than that. If you use good tires and keep them well inflated, you will rarely get flats from the gunk under wheel. Better by far to risk a flat tire than a flat torso.

WORN PAINT MARKINGS: At the Alameda de las Pulgas intersection with Atherton Avenue, you will see that the white paint demarking the pike path is nearly gone from wear. This indicates what you may already have seen for yourself – 1 in 10 cars drives in the bikepath through the 'S' curve. Now, look around as you ride and realize what worn paint means when you see it, and be ready to move far to the right if a car comes up quickly.

MERGE & TURN LANE POSITIONS
I am going to add some drawings here to illustrate my points. The basic tenent is to make certain, if you need to be in the auto lane, that you make the cars see you and actively avoid you. Never give the driver the idea that he just might be able to squeeze by you. To me, this means that given the choice between the right edge of the left lane, or the left edge of the right lane, always pick the left edge. This is the side where the driver sits, and the side of the car that he can best judge (drivers typically have no feel for the right edge of the car). If you are on the left edge of the lane, the driver is looking straight at you and realizes that he must do something to avoid you.

You should also pay attention to what you do in the turn lanes, especially when in a group of cyclists. If two lanes turn left, never use the leftmost lane (except to do a U-turn) since it will trap you between cars after the turn. When you are lining up with the cars, you need to decide if you will

stay behind the cars, or
move up along the right.

Here is how I decide where to go:

If the lane allows cars to proceed straight or left: do not move up along the right. This avoids turning in front of a car trying to go straight.
If the lane to your right is still flowing: do not move up along the right. This avoids being side-swiped by a mirror or large vehicle.
If the lane on your right is stopped (and will remain that way): move up along the right if you desire. Remember, this might put you in conflict with the left turn lane from across the street if both lanes turn at the same time. And, if you line up on the right line, do not move left again to merge with the autos – that is not your right-of-way.

CURVES
Since we spend so much of our ride time on the country roads and in the hills, it is worth mentioning a bit about how cars behave when the road curves. The main point to remember is that cars tend to drift through curves. Usually, the cars will cut towards the inside of the curve, a trend you can see by looking at the wear on the pavement and paint, and the shoulder debris. However, drivers who are inattentive will drift wide towards the outside of the curve before overcorrecting back into the lane. So, what to do? Always move as close to the shoulder as possible in the curves, unless it is just more safe to take the lane, such as on a downhill.

STOP SIGNS
I was asked about how to handle stopsigns. Well, the safe answer is “just like in a car”. However, there are some intricacies that you can consider. The best of which is to use a car in your lane as a blocker. If you are comfortable that the next car in line (going your direction) is going straight, just ride alongside it through the intersection. If you choose to do this, be totally certain that the car is not planning to turn right and subsequently wipe you out! Also, if you are not waiting in line for your own right-of-way, be courteous and make every effort to clear the intersection at the same time as the blocking car.

USE YOUR SENSES!
Enough of the specific examples. Now I want to encourage you to start looking for indicators of how the cars around you are going to behave. Look and listen for things like:

engine noise (change in sound indicates a manouver of some type)
auto position in the lane (right side position might indicate an intent to turn)
driver glancing around (indicating an intent to turn)
odd or random behavior (perhaps DUI and worthy of a wide berth)
cars with trailers (generally unaware of their width and/or length)
cell phone users (likely to make sudden turns, realizing that they missed their street)
road obstructions ahead (likely to send traffic into the bike lane)
etc.

The signals are there for you to see! Never allow yourself to be caught surprised by the driver's actions. Take safety into your own hands and protect yourself. Be safe out there.

The Fine Print: I believe that this article is worthy of being shared to the bicycling community at large. Anyone may reproduce it, without my permission, in any forum which does not generate income. My permission is required if the publication is a bound volume or generates sales. If you publish it in your club newletter, I would appreciate receiving a copy: 1315 Selo Drive / Sunnyvale, CA 94087. © 1999 by Tracy Colwell. Contact me (pres05 at altovelo dot org).

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