Staying safe, and how Remco could have been saved by training in Carrick

A few years back during a lap of Glenbower in reverse, I was flying along O’Mahony avenue in Carrick on Suir. It was a cool crisp morning and passing the house with the two Palm trees in the garden I looked to my left to see if Tony Ryan was about. No sign of Tony so I proceeded on towards the Super value roundabout. Travelling at a speed that may or may not have impressed Tony I looked to my right and saw that there was no car approaching so I was able to get a run at it and would be able to lean the bike nicely around the roundabout. There was an Opel Astra coming towards the roundabout from the left but I had the right of way so didn’t give it much thought.

On I went, and was just about to begin my nice smooth lean around the roundabout when out shot the Astra straight in front of me. I hit the drivers wing and flew over the bonnet and landed on my head and shoulder over near the footpath.

Dazed and confused I stood up as quick as possible. (It wouldn’t do for Ryaner to see me laying down on the ground) The driver rolled down the passenger window and informed me that I would want to slow down on that bicycle and drove off.

I don’t remember too much after that but I managed to find my way home and was pretty sore for a few days afterwards.

That day I learned a few valuable lessons that have stood to me ever since :

The road is hard and it hurts when you hit it with your head and body.

It doesn’t matter who has the right of way, when a bike meets a car the cyclist comes out worst.

If you don’t see a driver looking directly at you, assume that they do not see you, and even if they are looking at you, still allow a bit extra for stupidity.

Drivers are liable to do anything. Presume that they will do the unexpected and allow for it.

Always look for a get out option. If a car pulls out leave enough room to go around the front or rear.

Slow down approaching roundabouts.

Another feature of my time spent in the Carrick on Suir Cycling University is the fact that some van drivers or car drivers are liable to throw out their doors without ever giving a glance to see what might be coming up behind. This is especially true for delivery drivers and some postmen or women who are hopping in and out non stop. Tradesmen often park up for the day but any form of delivery van is constantly on the move and their doors open hundreds of times each day.

This brings me to the recent accident of young Remco Evenepoel over in Belgium. If he had trained on the roads around Carrick he might have been a bit more cautious approaching that post van and allowed a little bit more room to manoeuvre. By doing so, his accident could have been avoided completely.

Another important safety feature is a set of daytime flashing lights. I normally train with them but did a back of the envelope test recently. Remco had a rear, but no front light, which might have caught the drivers attention before opening the door.

One day I went out without lights at mid-day and met plenty of traffic. The next day I did the same spin around the same time with strong flashing lights front and rear. There was a very noticeable difference. Cars approaching on narrow country roads slowed down significantly more with the flashing front light. Cars passing from behind gave more room when overtaking.

Overall the best option is to avoid traffic altogether, which is partially achievable by choosing quiet back roads rather than busy main roads.

Cycling is really enjoyable, great for fitness and health and staying safe is vital to being able to enjoy it for as long as possible. If there is one key to staying safe it is to take 100% responsibility on yourself. No matter what the law might say or who has right of way, have a little patience and get home in one piece.

Barry