Self-Image and "Taking the Lane"

In my rides around my town this weekend - two rides, 30 miles in-town each - I again faced the supreme decision when riding in traffic: do I boldly "take the lane" and ride inside of the car lane, or do I meekly scoot over to ride as close to the right edge as possible, or as "reasonably safe," as the law states.

Reading many helpful blogs and a few book chapters, the consensus among safety experts is without a doubt: take the lane.

But that takes a fair amount of guts, honestly. As least for me. I can see cars way off in the distance in my mirror, and seconds later they are on me. Will they see me? Will I be flattened into the road? Will a road bump be named after me in that spot?

So, I tried both ways this weekend, since I took some out-of-my-normal-route side trips, some down some fairly busy streets.

I immediately realized the truth: riding close to the right side was terrifying.

Taking the lane: nerve racking at first, then...okay. Even wise. Even "reasonably safe."

Inevitably when I was close to the right shoulder, which really doesn't exist in 95% of my town, in four lanes of traffic, cars two-abroad would go flying past me, sometimes within mere inches.

I've driven on those roads. People speed as if on the interstate.

The same thing happened when I was trying to be "nice," riding toward the right shoulder on two-lane streets.

When approached by a car from behind and in front, the car behind almost always (1) never slowed down, (2) moved over maybe an inch, and (3) scarred the you-know-what out of me. Over and over.

Decision made: take the lane, like the experts said. Duh.

Here's a wonderful video of how it's done, courtesy of the outstanding website communteorlando.com. Every city needs a website like this! http://vimeo.com/9827254

Keri Caffrey, the website manager, states,

"The epiphany which transforms us into confident cyclists is grasping the simple (albeit counter-intuitive) fact that we have control of our environment. That control comes from predictability, communication and (believe it or not) self-image."

Well said, and that you Keri.

Posted via email from Bike Like Me