Tuesday’s Tips: Ride Safely and Obey the Rules of the Road

As you likely know, May is National Bicycle Month and more and more people are out riding for exercise given the restrictions during this COVID-19 pandemic.

With that, we will continue to stress safety. It’s always important and never gets old.

In our latest tips, Tucsonan Carolyn Audilet, a frequent contributor to the blog, gives you tips on how to stay safe on the road.

This is part of a continuing series for El Tour de Tucson’s Tuesday’s Tips.

By Carolyn Audilet

Here are some important safety tips you need to know about riding a bicycle.

Confirm your bicycle is safe to ride every day before you ride:

• Check your tire pressure. Inflate to at least the minimum PSI recommended for your tire.
• Check that your brakes are working correctly.
• Check that your chain and gears are clean. They must be in good working condition.

When riding on roadways shared with motorized vehicles, observe these basic rules:

• Obey all traffic laws (https://www.azdps.gov/safety/bicycle?qt-bicycle_safety=2#qt-bicycle_safety)
• Assume other vehicles do not see you. Furthermore, they will move in unpredictable ways
• Be especially aware when passing
• Indicate your intentions with hand signals (https://www.azdps.gov/safety/bicycle)

Possible hazards include:

• Wet roads, especially painted pavement markings
• Potholes (often hidden under puddles)
• Metal grates, especially when wet
• Gravel, rocks, sand, glass, etc.
• Changes in pavement, such as gaps and cracks
• All the above hazards become even more treacherous with increased speed

About Carolyn

Carolyn has been riding and racing for over 20 years in everything from road races, triathlons, cyclocross, and mountain biking. She has been a race director for triathlons and a manager of the Salt River Canyon Tour, an epic 2-day tour. You will also find her volunteering at local venues. Her cycling team, Tolero Racing, proudly has the largest women’s team in Arizona, while continuing to grow the men’s team. She wishes to share her passion and success with women (and men) athletes to optimize their training and nutrition for maximum safety, fun, and performance.