Day 11: Death and other things to avoid

Day 11 miles to/from work: 22.8
Total miles for S4S: 301.8

Another heatwave hit the Midwest as the temperature soared to the mid-40s this morning. I departed on Silver Beauty with a layer or two less than yesterday, but still bundled up to the gills. With leaden skies but minimal wind, the morning ride was cast to be altogether pleasant.

It's almost weekend! Yea! My screaming yellow windbreaker, after five sweat-invested days since last being plucked from the laundry basket, is broadcasting its need for a refresher; and my tired body is giving orders for R&R. Well in advance of this morning's first pedal stroke, I had determined today's ride would be the cycling equivalent of a slow saunter. The entire ride-in experience was lovely and went surprisingly fast.

Even on the most casual bike ride, focusing on safety is imperative. I take the attitude that almost every motorist on the road is a Mr. Magoo, blindly oblivious to my presence, and a threat to my existence. Those whom I do not place into that passive threat category, I assume are actively trying to kill me. Here are some of the basics for staying safe on a bicycle.

Wear a helmet

It doesn't matter how short or long the ride, how careful you might be, or anything else. Crashes happen. If you need evidence, I still have the severely cracked helmet from the time a runner with anger management issues shoved me off the bike path. I got a slight concussion, but nothing as serious as  it would have been without the protective headgear. I was careful. It wasn't my fault. (My father used to remind us, "You can be legally in the right and legally dead all at the same time.") In yesterday's post, I used less-than-charitable terms to reference those who don't wear helmets; and Scott refers to them as Future Organ Donors on Parade. If you don't get the picture by now and persist in biking helmet-less, I resign myself (and you) to Darwinian theory.

See and be seen
With the assumption that the majority of motorists are in the "passive threat" category, you want to make sure they see you. Most motorists are not bike-centric. They're not even all that other-car-centric as they blast down the road in two tons of machinery talking on the phone, texting, and turning around to yell at their kids. I may sound harshly facetious, but I am making a serious point. From a report in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, here is synopsis describing one driver who killed a cyclist in Pleasant Prairie, WI: Over-fatigued from lack of sleep, legally blind in one eye, not wearing prescription lenses required for driving, suffering from cerebral palsy, doing a "long blink" (what many of us typically refer to as "napping"), and driving in fog.

Be aware of traffic and surrounding conditions
Bike defensively in a way that assumes no one sees you. Do not wear headphones. (I have not been wearing mine, but it's challenging not to. The hardest part of giving up my auto commute is not listening to books on CD. But... it's worth being more attuned to what's going on around me.)

Wear bright clothing
Wear the brightest outerwear you can, and a reflective vest is always a good idea.

Have bright, fully charged lights on your bike On the front handlebars, have the brightest solid white light you can find/afford to illuminate your way in low-light conditions. Next to this, have one of the brilliant, blinking white halogen lights so anyone coming toward you will see you from a distance. On the back, have a blinking red taillight.

Don't get "right-hooked"
If you are at an intersection and plan to go straight, beware the car that is turning right.

Don't get "doored"
You're tooling down the street past a parked car, and suddenly oof! someone opens the door of that car right into you. Stay outside the reach of car doors if there is room. If not, stay alert to opening car doors.

Sorry, this seems so grim; but it's like learning to look both ways before crossing the street—you need to be aware of the hazard so you have purpose in exercising caution. Once you prepare yourself, stay focused but relaxed, and enjoy the ride.

Confession being good for the soul, I cheated on my ride home. I biked to Genna's near the Capitol Square to meet my friend Karen Darcy for drinks, and Scott joined us a little later. After Scott and I bid our adieu to Karen, we put Silver Beauty in Scott's car and went to Paisan's for dinner. It was wonderful. Even with "cheating", I passed the S4S 300-mile mark! Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!