Are You Cycling Savvy?

I thought I was! But after taking the Cycling Savvy course, I learned that there were things I wasn’t doing right!!

I love riding on the road. I love the changes in terrain, what’s over the next hill, the new horizon….

I keep hearing how people are scared to ride on the road. And it is a legit fear and hesitation. Riding the road, takes confidence, good bike handling and some good strategies. I biked across the country years ago, and I have most of these. But the Cycling Savvy course taught me some new strategies for communicating clearly with cars what makes us both safe.

The course, teaches strategies for where YOU as the cyclist need to be in the lane in different situations, and it is NOT always as far right as you can go.

I live in rural New Jersey. Our roads are beautiful, but they are NOT made for cyclists!! So this training was just as important for us, as it is for a more urban rider. There are times, where the right shoulder is not the safe space. I have a bit of road near me that has no shoulder, two rock walls and curves. It is not safe to pass a cyclist on these curves. But if we ride far right, cars do. They cross the double yellow and pass us putting themselves and any oncoming cars into danger.

Even before the Cycling Savvy course, I started riding the lane. I’ve always done this at times. I decide it is not safe to pass and I move to the middle of the lane, making it harder to pass me. The cycling savvy course confirmed this strategy as the safest way to ride this section of road.

I highly recommend their courses and encourage you to take a look if you want to feel more comfortable on the road. When you learn these strategies it empowers you to take to the road.