Country road cycling?

Symchicken

Hi folks, just picked up my rather tasty new Allez and so am riding on two wheels after a year out.

Thing is, I'm from the glorious urban sprawl of Manchester and while I am more than happy to take my life in my hands down the curry mile, I haven't done much country riding. I'll be honest, it worries me a little!

My dilemma is this: I want to get a few miles down over the next couple of weeks before I start my 44 mile round trip commute. There are two routes of roughly equal distance, the nice straight, wide (busy) A6, or the quieter, twisty, blind-corner filled B road next to it.

What's the risk of being crashed into on a twisty road by a pillock in an Audi?

Slow Downcp

Why not stay off both A and B roads? Are there any small country lanes you could ride instead?

BoydD

you hit it right on the nose with Audi. I've been holding my own little straw poll recently as to which cars buzz me more... current winners are Audi, BMW and Alfa...

I ride a couple of quite country roads near me and it can be daunting when you see the speeds some of the idiots go. I always wear plenty of Hi-Viz on the road, I suppose making yourself seen is your best/only defence. :P

CarlosDSanchez

I find VW passats the worst offenders for giving no room, not sure if the car has crap visibility or its just the people that buy them.

Country lanes commuting is great, you see the same few cars every day and they come to expect you and give you a wide bearth (or not in some cases)

CarlosDSanchez

I find VW passats the worst offenders for giving no room, not sure if the car has crap visibility or its just the people that buy them.

Country lanes commuting is great, you see the same few cars every day and they come to expect you and give you a wide bearth (or not in some cases)

Symchicken

Why not stay off both A and B roads? Are there any small country lanes you could ride instead?

If anything, that sounds worse! I guess I'm just a touch concerned about being caught round a tight corner on a narrow road, though I'm not sure if that's a realistic fear.

you hit it right on the nose with Audi. I've been holding my own little straw poll recently as to which cars buzz me more... current winners are Audi, BMW and Alfa...

The one that amazes me is the BMW X5. You get used to the sound vehicles make as they approach behind you and the X5 sounds exactly like a bus despite being 1/3 as big. Crazy.

miggillicuddy

Try and find a club to ride with? It's much harder for an arsehole motorist to 'not see' a bunch of 15+ cyclists than a solitary one. It's will also boost for your confidence about riding different roads and show you routes you never knew about.

And don't feel you have to ride in the gutter or on the white lines at the side of the road. Sit out a bit if you're worried about cars not seeing you.

cougie

Country roads are usually the best. But help yourself out and wear a bright jersey.

CiB

I live in country lanes. Maybe all the drivers out this way are a bit slow but it never occurs to me to worry about being hit. Be seen, ride in the way that Cycle Craft recommends and you'll be ok. How many blind bends are there?

Symchicken

Well, the lack of "Yeah, I was almost killed yesterday..." replies is what I was after really. The weather looks good tomorrow so might go an make a day of it.

Cheers chaps.

Paul057

CiB wrote:

I live in country lanes. Maybe all the drivers out this way are a bit slow but it never occurs to me to worry about being hit. Be seen, ride in the way that Cycle Craft recommends and you'll be ok. How many blind bends are there?

Good link to Cycle Craft CiB. I'm currently recovering from a broken elbow sustained when i was knocked off my bike while riding in a cycle lane. It's really knocked my confidence to get back on the bike (when i'm healed), and i've been thinking that i need to learn more about how to cycle safely, and i think this book might just be it. I've been questioning the use of cycle lanes since my accident, as i genuinely believe that if i'd been riding on the road it wouldn't have happened.
Thanks

pilot_pete

Got to agree regarding cycle lanes where I live. Ok if you are slow and wearing hi-viz from head to toe, but on the whole I find that car drivers just don't pay much attention to them and will happily drive in them if they are cutting the corner at a roundabout, passing on the inside of a car turning right etc etc.

I find that commanding my space in the road works much better. Don't ride in the gutter and don't dawdle at 10 mph, get moving and move out a bit, especially when you don't want a car to pass because of obstructions coming the other way etc. Then move in and wave them by, giving a thumbs up to end with, thanking them for their patience and 9/10 seem to appreciate this and wave back. You can't account for the twats!

Out on a group ride this evening and three of us are signalling right, in the crown of the road and some young knobs in a Saxo are not willing to wait, overtaking on the other side of the road. One expletive as they pass is met with the finger out of the passenger window. We laughed as the lads wern't big enough to turn back and get out of their car. Must have been the sheer numbers of us, oh and several rugby players in the group too!!!!

All the cyclists I know avoid main roads like the plague. Having said that, I personally think it depends which main road you are talking about. I personally drive the A6 out of Buxton to the Peaks and I would NEVER contemplate cycling on it. It is narrow, one bend after another and double white lines for much of it. Cars overtaking you are going to give you VERY LITTLE room and cut you up as soon as they are 'surprised' by an oncoming vehicle round the blind bend....

Having said that, the A34 coming into Congleton from the south is really wide, yet only one lane each side. Cars can pass, leaving bags of room, yet still on their own side of the road.

However, I will always plan my rides on lanes as in general I think they are much safer. Ok, you get the odd nutter going too fast, but in the last year, of over 5000 miles of cycling I have only experienced one nutter who was being reckless on the lanes. I easily avoided him by tucking into the verge.

Every time I ride main roads I am in fear of the cars and especially lorries coming up behind me. I have no control over them, if they are on their mobile, or too tired, or just not paying attention I am toast, probably without even knowing anything about it. It happened only a few weeks ago to a Congleton Cycling Club memeber during a time trial on the A50 near Derby.....

Lanes every time for me.

PP

petemadoc

Pilot Pete wrote:

Got to agree regarding cycle lanes where I live. Ok if you are slow and wearing hi-viz from head to toe, but on the whole I find that car drivers just don't pay much attention to them and will happily drive in them if they are cutting the corner at a roundabout, passing on the inside of a car turning right etc etc.

I find that commanding my space in the road works much better. Don't ride in the gutter and don't dawdle at 10 mph, get moving and move out a bit, especially when you don't want a car to pass because of obstructions coming the other way etc. Then move in and wave them by, giving a thumbs up to end with, thanking them for their patience and 9/10 seem to appreciate this and wave back. You can't account for the twats!

Out on a group ride this evening and three of us are signalling right, in the crown of the road and some young knobs in a Saxo are not willing to wait, overtaking on the other side of the road. One expletive as they pass is met with the finger out of the passenger window. We laughed as the lads wern't big enough to turn back and get out of their car. Must have been the sheer numbers of us, oh and several rugby players in the group too!!!!

All the cyclists I know avoid main roads like the plague. Having said that, I personally think it depends which main road you are talking about. I personally drive the A6 out of Buxton to the Peaks and I would NEVER contemplate cycling on it. It is narrow, one bend after another and double white lines for much of it. Cars overtaking you are going to give you VERY LITTLE room and cut you up as soon as they are 'surprised' by an oncoming vehicle round the blind bend....

Having said that, the A34 coming into Congleton from the south is really wide, yet only one lane each side. Cars can pass, leaving bags of room, yet still on their own side of the road.

However, I will always plan my rides on lanes as in general I think they are much safer. Ok, you get the odd nutter going too fast, but in the last year, of over 5000 miles of cycling I have only experienced one nutter who was being reckless on the lanes. I easily avoided him by tucking into the verge.

Every time I ride main roads I am in fear of the cars and especially lorries coming up behind me. I have no control over them, if they are on their mobile, or too tired, or just not paying attention I am toast, probably without even knowing anything about it. It happened only a few weeks ago to a Congleton Cycling Club memeber during a time trial on the A50 near Derby.....

Lanes every time for me.

PP

Summed up well in this post

Even though all roads should be safe they're not. You get to know the local roads and how to cycle on them.

After spending the week in Belgium it's a depressing returning to UK roads

StillGoing

I always try and get to the B and unclassified roads as soon as possible to avoid the traffic. Where I am drivers seem to have little appreciation of a) the effort you're making b) how vulnerable you are and c) how much room they should be giving you. If I have to venture onto the A class roads it's generally done as early as possible to avoid the main traffic. My commute home tends to be interesting though with arsehole tipper drivers getting far too close for comfort on dual carriageways.

CakeLovinBeast

All of what Pilot Pete wrote, but specifically:

Pilot Pete wrote:

I find that commanding my space in the road works much better. Don't ride in the gutter and don't dawdle at 10 mph, get moving and move out a bit, especially when you don't want a car to pass because of obstructions coming the other way etc. Then move in and wave them by, giving a thumbs up to end with, thanking them for their patience and 9/10 seem to appreciate this and wave back. You can't account for the tw*ts!

I know the A6 around Derbyshire pretty well, as I grew up in & around Matlock. The problem with it, along much of it's length, is that it just isn't very wide. It only takes one impatient pillock to spoil your day for you. I'd personally go for the quieter, twisty roads because by-and-large people expect to encounter cyclists, tractors, sheep, etc.

Once you get into town, then it doesn't matter anyway... You'll find that the cars hold you up more than the other way round!

ptr_

BoydD wrote:

you hit it right on the nose with Audi. I've been holding my own little straw poll recently as to which cars buzz me more... current winners are Audi, BMW and Alfa...

I have to agree with this objective and insightful post.

I am a regular cyclist and as most of my training routes require me to travel through heavily urban areas of London I know how difficult it can be to deal with traffic. One would therefore assume I'm a careful and considerate driver but whenever I get behind the wheel of my Audi I immediately want to run all non-petrol-guzzling road users off the tarmac.

:roll:

ollyridesfirst

miggillicuddy wrote:

Sit out a bit if you're worried about cars not seeing you.

+1 for this, exactly the right way to go about it! It might upset the odd nob in a german saloon but at the end of the day, they can be pissed off for 5 minutes or they can clip you and cause harm!

Symchicken

Lovely pootle out today from Lancaster to Poulton. Country riding is a lot more relaxing that urban riding. And faster. Much faster.

I could get used to this...

To add my own two pennies to the riding style advice, I would also +1 the road position comments. It seems to come down to ironing out ambiguity. I want drivers who do spot me to either think a) I can pass easily, or b) there's no way I can pass (this pillock). Anywhere between that gets dangerous.

As it happens, my worries were unfounded anyway.

Brommers76

Another here for road position. If I ride in the gutter most cars give you a couple of feet and are tempted to squeeze past. If I ride where there left wheel would normally be then most cars will perform a full overtake by going over to the other side of the road.

in terms of blind bend risk you need to bear in mind that the car takes quite a while doing 50mph to catch you doing 15 to 20 so will most likely have seen you before you go round the bend. The chances of you being on the apex as a car overtakes and them not having seen you is slim.

minor roads and dominant road position is whee I feel safest.

jma001

Country road riding is great..........

Except........... when a deer goes medievil on your A**

I kid you not this happened to me under one hour ago, i was riding along minding my own business when said deer shot out of the undergrowth into the road. He/She (not sure on this) then decides to do a U turn and literally jumped over my front wheel back to wence he/she came. Turns out he/she had a friend in the corn field they both took off at top speed. I was so surprised i never even stopped pedaling.

Morale of the story its not Audis/Bmws you have to worry about round my neck of the woods but Kamakazi Deer. :shock:

regards

jma