Make yourself as passable as possible

This is my motto, many cyclists tell me this is wrong. Keep biking they say, maintain your speed, don't pull over. Well, to me this just makes cars angry and I don't want to be hit by an angry driver. With the advent of cell phones and texting, we are at a great risk of getting hit.

Large pace lines, large groups and being totally unaware of the line of cars behind you to me is just plain stupid. Yeah, I know, I can hear the elite riders laughing and telling me they have every right to bike however they want. But putting yourself at risk is not smart. Yes we all have the right to be on the road but being courteous to the cars goes a long way to make cycling less hostile to the cars.

Today I was out doing a solo ride. Here in the Northeast we still have a boatload of snow. The road shoulders are just not there and there is a lot of water on the roads as well. If I had a car behind me today, I did all I could to make passing me easy. Even went so far as pulling into a driveway to let a line of cars go by.

To me this is the only way to bike. Passing a cyclist is not easy. It puts the car at risk. Passing a large group or a pace line has to be near impossible to pass especially if on a 2-lane road.

You can bike however you wish, but with today's distracted drivers, make yourself as passable as possible.

Make yourself as well as visible as possible,too. Lots of bright colors, dayglow yellow jackets and blinkie lights. Be seen be safe and be passable.