How to Avoid Road Hazards When Cycling

Video Transcript

KEVIN LIVINGSTON: Hi. I'm Kevin Livingston. Let's talk about some road hazards you might encounter when you're out cycling. You could run--there's a lot of things when you're out riding you have to be aware of. You've got cars, you have potholes, you've got gravel, you have dogs that are loose, there's a--the list goes on and on. So really to start off you have to be very attentive when you're out riding, and if before you ride you think of all these things that could happen, it actually helps keep you focus out riding. Let's say you're riding with a partner, one thing you could do is give each other warnings or heads up either verbally or by pointing out when you approach it. So for example, if I'm riding in the front and my partner is drafting off of me behind me and I see gravel on the road, I might start to gently move left to go around the gravel and point to the gravel and say, "Gravel up!". I also may yell if a car is approaching and we're on a narrow section of the road I may say, "Car up!". My riding partner behind me could also warn me he could say, "Car back!". But generally when you're in front and you're riding with others, you're in charge of keeping the other riders safe. So if you see a car that might pull out you may say, "Car up!" slowing this lets the other riders know you're going to begin braking so that they don't rush in to the back of you. Really what comes down to with other riders and road hazards is communication. This can be, like I said, verbal or by pointing it out. When you're alone you just have to keep in mind and always anticipate that the worst is going to happen. If you see a dog up ahead that's loose, anticipate that it's going to run out in front of you. This will help keep you safe. Always scan the road for hazard, for gravel, for potholes, and then put your focus back down the road to help keep you safe and in the correct line. Apply those tips when you're out riding and keep it safe.