Does Your Cycling Require Improvement?

When you are out cycling is it always the motorists that create the danger? In this video I look at a number of clips sent in by my viewers.

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[Ady-rtyu]

Something that helped my riding was to remember that when cycling my body is full of adrenaline. There is a reason it's called the fight-or-flight response, this unfortunately leads to the cliche of the aggressive cyclist, as the adrenaline will naturally want you to rage at every small thing. Being aware of this will help you suppress that response, and help you make better decisions.

[HC]

I agree with your comments except for the first clip. I think the subtlety you miss is that the very bad overtakes are going to happen *anyway* (regardless of your road position) so fewer overtakes in a bad position = much lower risk, as only the worst ones will go for it (and they would have gone for it anyway). On that particular bend, using the primary position also gives a bit of an escape route should the van driver have seen an oncoming vehicle and suddenly pulled back in halfway through their overtake, staying in the secondary position, the van driver would have gone for the same overtake but with less room to take avoiding action, the cyclist potentially gets crushed against the side of the road. (It almost happened to me as a teenager, a lorry decided to overtake me on a large roundabout, and it had those awful railings on the pavement, and his trailer nearly crushed me against them. No I did not pass the lorry up the inside. Had I been in the primary position, I'd have had more time and more options).

Generally I think there shouldn't be a divide: we are all road users. The recipe is the same whether you're on a bike, motorcycle or a car: be predictable, be the best you can be at observation, and anticipate. There's always accusations of "victim blaming" when a cyclist gets hit and someone says how the cyclist might have done something better, but for my part if a crash is avoidable, I'd rather just avoid it regardless of who is at fault, and analysing what the victim could have done to not be a victim is always a worthwhile exercise (e.g. the guy with the horn - I would have been a lot more cautious near that van. And those pedestrians. I think he/she is someone who's going to end up in hospital if they carry on as they are).

[michaelandreou]

Im 30 now and I've been driving for years, i watch these videos all the time and now whenever i drive i can sometimes hear Ashley in my head telling me do this and do that when i reach certain situations 😅👌🏻.

[cycler]

At the age of 38 I took lessons and passed my driving test, I had always been a keen cyclist, touring all over the UK. I think that after driving a car for the lessons and test improved my cycling because I got an appreciation of the problems a motorist faces.

[shm]

There's another reason to ride primary at 1:56, and that's the shadow created by the hedgerow. By riding out of the shadow, you are more visible to approaching vehicles.

[Ady-rtyu]

With regards to taking primary position, this is vital for safe riding but there are always drivers who don't like that you have made that decision for them. Getting a beep from an angry driver that you've held them up for a few seconds is a great confirmation that you made the right decision. However there are other drivers that will force an overtake regardless, as with the first clip. The argument that because there are some who will always overtake, a primary position should not be used seems flawed. As this would lead to the conclusion that primary position should never be used, and result is the danger still remaining.

[CycleGaz]

The problem with the first one is you say that the driver can see around the corner if they cross over that far (which I think is debatable), however, If the cyclist stays further to the left, most overtakers will not go that far wide and thus not see as far around the corner. Thus actually increasing danger for everyone.
By your own comments about reducing danger and risk, it is actually better for the cyclist to ride more into the lane to reduce the amount of overtakes that don’t go as far out.
Of course, it doesn’t really matter if the cyclist is going less than 10mph, the overtake still needs to be safe, and depending on the speed limit of this road, if you can’t see far enough ahead to be sure that no one is coming the other way then you shouldn’t overtake.

[ferguse]

Thank you for trying to make the roads a better and safer place! I've learnt a lot as an experienced cyclist and a new driver from your channel

[jakerockznoodles]

Interestingly, my friends who cycle a lot in town actually use their prime position in the lane to encourage safer overtaking. Our local roads are quite narrow and we tend to find that motorists never give cyclists enough room if they're passing them in some of these cycle lanes. Staying towards the centre usually means the car would be more likely to overtake as they would if it were a car, and if they don't, the cyclist has enough wiggle room to the left that they can avoid immediate danger.

On the topic of cyclists on pavements, it doesn't tend to bother me so much on the wider stretches a little out of town, but never in city centres is it a good idea. However, even on wide pavements them getting too close behind pedestrians is an issue (one that could be remedied if they actually used their bell/horn, but instead they decide to ride right up your bum and expect you to anticipate them being there).

An even bigger issue is people riding bikes on pavements at high speeds _while looking down at their phone_ . This kind of dangerous stupidity isn't even confined to drivers any more, cyclists are at it too!

[harryobrien]

Thank you Ashley. I've recently been doing food delivery during lockdown in Sydney on my bike, and the importance of everything you have said, both in this video and all of your driving videos stays with me on every ride. I almost play a little competition with myself to be the number one safest road user on the road by hazard reduction and planning. Having an eye and ear out for potential problems such as poor overtakes, pedestrians and visibility in my opinion can reduce all but a few incidents. All cyclists and motorists need a mini-Ashley in their brain whilst out.

[SkatKat]

I absolutely had a similar situation happen the other week where I kept the primary position to stop someone overtaking on a left hand corner with a hidden entrance and 2 road humps. I got overtaken anyway on the corner, flying over a hump, and shouted abuse at. It is terrifying trying to do the right thing and I think just letting them get on with it would have been safer. Maybe they could indeed see further than I could. Thank you for posting more cycling related content. It's really great to learn how I can do better.

[MuppetAlex]

When learning to ride a motorbike my instructor gave me a valuable tip, which I use when I cycle. Two words. Ride paranoid. Sometimes they really are out to get you. As for where to put the bike, there is a direct proportion to how far you ride from the curb and how much room the overtaking motorists give you. When I started on mopeds I used to gutter hug. Motorists would be loath to cross the white line to pass and would leave only inches clearance to get past. So I cycle 1 meter, or in the left hand tarmac tyre groove left by cars. This gets you clear of the iron work and forces the car to treat you as a road vehicle and not something that you can just breeze past.

[iangannon]

Primary position gives you an escape route when motorists do get it wrong.

[jonathanbarnham]

you are spot on with all the comments in the video, I'm a cyclist and a car driver. as a cyclist I've made mistakes and got some stuff wrong, which i learned from and not done again!.

one thing to mention is the rider who stopped in the lane.
riders close behind another bike is a skill which requires A: Practice and B: trust in the rider in front. my cycling club has practiced this on track riding sessions where we have learnt the correct way to do this. one thing that can happen is the trailing rider gets transfixed looking at the rear wheel of the bike in front. you then don't see things up ahead. this is a naturel thing to do and does require practice to stop doing it. you should always look forward and as in a care adjust your speed and closing distance to match the bike/car in front. allowing for any sudden braking just like you do in a car. what if the bike in front had mechanical issues and stopped suddenly?, in this case it was the rider but it if you leave a gap, look forward and only follow close behind trusted riders you will be ok.

on the van one, simple a rule I've mentioned before. never, never undertake a moving vehicle. if the car is stopped go past, the minute they move stay behind. no matter what lane there in, experience says roundabouts and junctions will have vehicles moving around. i always try to stay back if possible.

[Bullmannumber]

As a lifelong cyclist, I go by the mantra of safety before anything else. I asses a situation and if I think it will be safer to say get off the bike, pull over to the side of the road etc I will do it, even if I feel I'm in the right. I'd rather be in one piece rather than put myself at risk. It's pretty common sense really.

And just to point to anybody who likes to point the finger at any road user being in the wrong, remember, we're all road users and should be looking out for each other. It's not a race, it's just people wanting to get from A to B safely.

[thegrowl]

I sent in the 2nd clip, and I just wanted to clarify some things. I wasn’t particularly annoyed by rider’s speed, slower cyclists to me just means more people cycling, therefore more chance of better infrastructure being built, which is a net good in my view. I did admit in the email that my following distance was very poor, and I have been improving this as time has gone on, I have been cycling on the roads for less than a year. I’m not sure what else I should’ve done other than just go around and continue on my journey once she’d stopped though.

[cyclecam]

Another good reason for taking primary when going around a bend is to ensure that traffic following can see you well in advance. You don't want to be hugging that hedge as someone speeds round on the 'racing line' Just as you don't want to walk there. However, you also don't want to be negotiating moving out just as you reach the bend, take 4-6 seconds to prepare in advance.

[georgelane]

In the first clip, the cyclists actions do minimise the risk of injury. Taking primary reminds drivers that they must cross the centre line to overtake. It also encourages drivers to move as far right as possible. As you said, this maximizes the sight distance available to the driver. It's great roadcraft by an experienced cyclist and less experienced cyclists (and drivers) should learn from it.

[dominicward]

Nice video Ashley.

As a cyclist and driver I do have issue with your commentary at the start. I regularly take a more central position on road especially those with solid white lines down the middle. The reason? Many drivers don’t give cyclists enough room. The road I’m thinking about specifically is the B1377 from Ballencrief to Drem. I regularly too 17-18 mph on that section and am almost a, ways passed by motorists at double line sections.

Agreed that cyclists need to follow Highway Code as well. I give off to other cyclists who go through red lights. Puts them and others in danger.

Keep up the good work!

[stuartlucarotti]

A nice balanced video. People need to look at themselves to see how they can improve and what they do well. Life is all about continued looking at oneself. Great video Ashley. Top man.