Phillip Barron
The Herald Sun
July 28th, 2005
DURHAM — If le Tour de France inspired you to take a bike out for a spin, you’re not alone. The bike industry has reported sales booms in previous Julys… those when Lance won the Tour. This year’s race was just as inspiring, particularly in the mountain stages. It’s always impressive to watch riders climb a hill faster than I could cruise down it.
The hill on Mt. Sinai Road isn’t exactly Alpe d’ Huez, but if you ride with a pack of fellow cyclists like the those in the Durham Cycle Center’s weekly Tuesday ride, you might just feel like part of the peloton.
The biggest difference, however, between le Tour de France and your weekend tour of the Triangle will be traffic. Le Tour may be a tough bike ride, but for three weeks those riders don’t have to put up with motorists. Apart from the support wagons and motorcycle-mounted cameras, they have the roads entirely to themselves.
We, however, share the road. We share it with vehicles much heavier than our bikes, and we’re fairly vulnerable when out there riding. There are no race officials cordoning off the road ahead for us, so our personal safety is our own responsibility. Riding your bike on the road isn’t all that tricky, because most safety is just common sense.
Bicycles are classified by state and municipal laws as vehicles. This means two important things: first, their proper place is on the road. Second, bikes are subject to traffic laws just like any other vehicle. Plainly, to get from here to there on a bike, you should be riding on the road ? not on a sidewalk. In fact, Durham’s city ordinances require any cyclists older than 12 to ride in the road.
The safest place to ride in the road is on the right hand side of the lane. Durham cyclist David Boynton describes his lane position as ?out in the road with the right side of the handlebar on the line.? Riding here allows cars the chance to pass when it’s clear and it also allows the rider some room to maneuver around potholes and lane debris.
Even though many new cyclists are uncomfortable turning their backs to the traffic, riding with the flow of traffic is far safer than riding against it. And with time, it’ll feel more natural.
Since most accidents (in cars or on bikes) happen at intersections, keep a careful eye out at stopsigns, traffic lights, and even driveways. Most accidents result when one person just doesn’t see the other. On your bike, ride predictably and try to be cognizant of how visible to others you are. Bright clothing or blinking lights may help.
Most of us cyclists are also drivers. So when you trade the handlebars for a steering wheel and you encounter a cyclist on the road, remember what it’s like to be that cyclist. Drivers interact with cyclists best when they treat the bike as just another vehicle on the road.
When passing a bicycle, it’s courteous to give the rider as wide a berth as you would a car. The NC DMV’s driver’s manual states that ?drivers wishing to pass a bicyclist may do so only when there is abundant clearance and no oncoming traffic is in the opposing lane. When passing a bicyclist, always remember the bicyclist is entitled to the use of the full lane.? So, even though a bike takes up less room than a car, the cyclist has a right to the lane and may need extra room to dodge a pothole.
Contrary to popular belief, the DMV does not recommend tapping your horn to alert the cyclist of your presence. As you approach a bike from behind, most cyclists are already aware that you’re there (even though they may not give any indication).
I’ve heard from more than one reader of this column that as drivers they are often frustrated when they encounter a group of bikers riding together and crowding the road. This happens more often on the rural roads surrounding the Triangle than the city streets. While there’s certainly a social component to any group ride, cyclists also ride in groups for better visibility and thus greater safety.
So if you encounter a peloton on 751 down by Lake Jordan, just be patient. They’ll soon fall in line on the right hand side of the road, and you’ll be on your way.