Most of the time its small seemingly insignificant breaches in road rules that tip an angry driver over the edge, and being on a bike does not help

Here a few key pointers to stay safe and avoid the wrath of an angry driver.

• Follow the road rules.
• Your a cyclists not a pedestrian, don’t cross the road on the green man, wait for the green light
• Stay calm, no point getting worked up and angry even if the car is in the wrong
• Use hand signals, if your merging or changing lanes or turning make sure everyone around you knows
• If there is a bike lane, use it. No point holding up 10 cars while you take up the road when there is a perfectly good bike lane
• Don’t swarm cars at traffic lights. They will only have to re-pass you 50 meters further down the road.
• Be sensible. Don’t get agro. the car drivers are most likely worked up and angry as their traffic is moving very slowly

Most Importantly

• Apologize and move on. even if your not wrong. who cares whose right. your safety should be your number one concern not your ego.

Some of us are not fortunate enough to enjoy 365 days of sunshine each year so there will be the occasion that you have to train/commute or race in the rain. You can try and be stubborn and refuse to go out when the weather turns, but that wont always work and one day you will end up out in the wet. This topic will help better prepare you for when it does happen.

Gear

To ride in the rain you are going to need suitable clothing. This should include the following

• Waterproof Booties
• Waterproof Jacket
• Water resistant leg and arm warmers (if the rain is accompanied by cold temperatures)
• Suitable lenses in your eye wear

The worst is when you get rain inside your waterproof kit. as the body heats that moisture up you quickly become a rolling sauna, so ensure that sleeves and neck are well sealed.

Also don’t forget to waterproof anything you normally carry in your pockets especially your mobile phone

Now that we are kitted up and ready to go its time to hit the road.

Staying Safe

Riding a wet road comes with added hazards. These are the things you need to look out for

• The road is going to be slippery. cornering will have to be done at a slightly more sedate pace than you normally do
• Climbing steep hills can be tricky as the rear wheel will tend to loose traction, stay seated to help with traction
• Riding hard out the saddle can lead to disaster, but very careful when putting lots of power to the ground while standing
• Brakes don’t work as good. Every time you grab the brakes they are going to need to wipe off a layer of water before they begin to work, and when they do work they wont work as well as they do in the dry
• potholes will look like puddles, so don’t go riding through them cause you might land on your head
• Take it easy when riding downhill the wet roads will make it a little treacherous
• stay out the middle of the road as you approach intersections. When cars stop oil drips off their sumps leaving nice slippery oil patches, add a little bit of water and you have a recipe for disaster.

During wet riding you are also more likely to get a puncture so make sure you have all the kit required to fix one before you leave home

This tips apply to both racing and training or commuting in the wet.

If you are doing any sort of mileage on roads then you should have a quick read of this post. I will go into a few points that will help keep you out of danger and spot those dangerous hazards before it is too late.

• Be Aware: always know what is going on around you. Look up the road as far as you can
• Safety Gear: Wear a helmet. Its law in most countries now, but if not still wear one.
• Don’t Listen to Your iPod: You should be able to hear cars and trucks, having your iPod plugged into your ears at full ball will make hearing any traffic almost impossible, If you insist on listening to music while you are out riding then maybe have it only in one ear at a lowish volume. Put the curb side ear bud in your ear and leave out the road side bud. This will help you hear cars that are approaching from the rear
• Use Your Lane: when the road gets tight and there is not enough shoulder for you to ride safely on, then you should use up the lane, don’t leave space for a car to try and sneak around you. If you ride really close to the curb cars will most likely try and ride up beside you without actually pulling over. This will mean that their mirrors will come very close to knocking you. When you have sufficient shoulder ride as far over as possible so that cars can make their way passed you
• Parked Cars: Be very careful of parked cars, some of them might have a driver inside that is about to get out, no doubt they will throw open their door rite into your path. Leave enough space so that if this happens you are not collected by a door.
• Plan Ahead: Know what the road entails, make sure you are in the correct gear. especially when coming to a stop at a set of lights. Nothing worse than trying to get away in a massive gear….
• Anticipate Traffic: this ties in with point 1. try and plan ahead, look at what cars are doing. If you see people indicating to turn across you make sure you take action or ensure that they know you are there so you don’t get side swiped
• Lane Splitting: Its against the law to do this when cars are moving. When they all stationary at the lights then by all means make your way forward carefully
• Cyclist-Pedestrian-Cyclist: Don’t do this, when the light is red and the walking man is green. that means its red for you. If you want to get off your bike and walk the intersection then by all means do that. But riding throw a green man will land you a nice little fine and probably some choice words from motorists
• Make your intentions clear: when you plan to change lanes or turn make sure you give clear hand signals so that cars around you know what to expect
• Lights: If you plan on doing any riding when the sun is down, then you must have a decent set of lights. Front and rear.
• Pot Holes: all road have them. keep a look out. the bad ones will bring you down. The not so bad ones will bend a rim
• Raining: When its wet be very careful of the oil slicks that seem to form anywhere where the traffic comes to a stop. These will be very slick and you will find that your foot will just slide away from you as you put it down.

Good luck out there, and safe riding