Bicycling - Road and Mountain

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How to deal with tragedy?

unkeptwalnut83
unkeptwalnut83 Posts: 33 Member
in Social Groups
Started my weight loss journey about a month ago. Haven't really ridden in a year, since I completed my first century. Lots of reasons why I had such a long break, but no good ones. Working on getting my bike pump working so I can start riding again.

Then yesterday, I found out a woman I knew was killed while riding her bike. I'm sad and terrified and not sure what to do now.

Replies

  • Twomirrors
    Twomirrors Posts: 47 Member
    Hi,

    First, I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. I've had several friends badly injured from cycling accidents, including a couple of friends with permanent brain damage. Every one of them loved cycling dearly, and they wouldn't want their friends to stop riding because they were injured. I think your friend probably would have wanted you to keep riding, not for you to be afraid of cycling. Just be careful around cars, and always wear a helmet. Hang in there, and again, I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. When someone is killed on a bike, it affects the whole cycling community.

    Temira
  • sweetybird09
    sweetybird09 Posts: 70 Member
    I agree with Temira, do not give up, things happen in all sports, but we need to keep on going, Im not trying to be insensitive about it at all, I know its hard to lose a friend, but please just make sure you wear your helmet, and watch out for traffic, be aware of cars that around you, I find if i get eye contact with drivers then they are more likely to pay attention to the fact that there is a bicyclist near by.

    Take care

    Joyce
  • Gapwedge01
    Gapwedge01 Posts: 494
    Agree with the above posts. What we do in honor of a killed cyclist is to paint an old bike white all over and permanently set it at the accident site. We call it a ghost bike in that person's honor. Wearing a helmet may not help in an auto collision, but wearing one should be a given. I also use a mirror to monitor traffic behind me, wear highly visible jerseys, and use a strong strobing red taillight like those sold by Dinotte Lighting. I do a lot of traffic riding so my head is always on a swivel. Keep pedaling......and my deepest sympathies for your loss!
  • redhousecat
    redhousecat Posts: 584 Member
    I am really sorry about your friend. Just recently, there have been two cyclists killed by hit and run drivers. Both cyclists were not found until some time later (this was 2 separate incidents). This makes me hyper-vigilant.

    I always wear my helmet
    I invested in Road ID
    I wear a high visibility jersey
    I ALWAYS notify somewhere where I am riding and about how far
    I never wear headphones (which is illegal here anyway)
    I have lights on my bike, even during the day
    I try to avoid busy roads, obviously.

    I'm sure there is more I could do, or some may view this as overkill. I want to get the best out of my ride and can only do that if I feel safe. Just do what others say and get back out there. Maybe ride on designated bike trails until you feel comfortable again?

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