My August Rides (week 33)

....if we are to stay alive we have to dress for survival.

I read much in the forums and blogs of cyclists complaining about drivers and the way they treat us. There is general agreement that our safety or lack of it lies in their hands and the way they drive. Of course this is unarguably true.


But I also feel that this is not the whole story and it is wrong to get too hot under the collar about motorists without at least having a much closer look at what we as individuals do to protect ourselves.

Firstly helmets: well I’m going save that particular nugget for another day or even series of days. It is an extremely controversial issue and will drown out everything else. So let’s have a think about some of the other less contentious stuff (but still quite prickly I suspect). Cycling clothing might be a good place to start.

Logically colour is high on the list of priorities. What thought do we give to the colour of our cycling attire? In many cases, from what I see when I am out and about, not a lot I would suggest. In broad daylight and bright sun it is not quite so important, but the wearing of bright colours is an obvious safety factor in darker conditions. And I don’t mean just at night-time. The weather in this country is notoriously fickle; setting off for a cycle ride in bright sunlight is no guarantee that half an hour later thunderclouds wont have reduced visibility to a murky gloom and the rather fetching little grey number which was fine(ish) in the glare of the summer sunshine now serves to blend its wearer into a drab dull back-drop. As all drivers will know it is all-too-easy to ‘lose’ something with the profile of a pedal cycle in the blind spot of a vehicle feature. How simple to wear a fluorescent Sam Browne, or a hi-viz vest/bib over the less bright colours of our ordinary clothes to set us out amongst the murk of a dull day. And in so doing give motorists a better chance of spotting us.

The fitting of clothing can also be very important. It is clear that flares are not the obvious cycling wear of choice, but any loose fitting trousers are also easily caught up in the bike mechanism. Of itself not the greatest problem, a quick wind-back on the pedals usually sorts it, but losing full control at the wrong moment can be highly dangerous if not fatal. But what thought do women give about the sorts of dress they choose to wear when riding a bike. Long dresses can clearly present a similar risk to that of loose trousers! But short dresses also potentially present a control problem. A woman wearing a short lightweight little summer number frantically trying to protect her modesty on a blustery day is not going to be giving proper attention to traffic conditions; similarly very serious at the wrong moment. (For the sake of gender balance this could equally apply to the vicar in a cassock)

It is not for nothing that close fitting Lycra has become the fabric of choice for cycling-wear. Most of us could don this utility product for our journeys and take a change of clothing in a saddle bag or pannier or have some spare clothes stored at our destination.


30 tonne death machine



Now I realise there are likely to be howls of anguish from the purists amongst you. That we as road users should be able to wear what we like and not be restricted because of our chosen mode of transport. But this is potentially a matter of life and death. There is no mileage (pun intended) in gasping our last, mangled in the wheels of a Foden 30 tonne monster thinking ‘I was faithful to my principals.’

My fellow pedallers if we are to stay alive we have to dress for survival.

Finally my stats:

Rides this week: 5
Rides per week: 3.3
Public transport days: 0
Oyster costs: £4.00*
Annual Oyster costs: £571.20*
Commuting miles this week: 116.46
Commuting miles this year: 2669

*Non-commuting journeys

I am particularly pleased to see rides pw tick over to 3.3!

TyT