Winter Safety on the Road

We don’t have a lot of ice and snow here in Portland, but winter riding still has its peculiar hazards: rain, wet leaves, puddles, wet manhole covers and railroad tracks.

Specifically, I would urge all of us to keep riding, but to the extent possible stay out of wet leaves and puddles. And I am not talking about just slowing down and taking a firm grip on the bars. Avoid them altogether, even if it means (cautiously) moving into traffic for a bit. Piles of leaves and puddles can conceal hazards. Does the puddle just mean there is a spot in the road that is a little low? How deep is it? Is there a pothole in there? Does the pothole have steep sides that could flatten the tire, damage the wheel, or throw me off the bike?  ✎

We should ask ourselves the same questions about a pile of leaves. There could be glass or large rocks or even half a cinder block in there.

Stay safe. In Nikki Hilton’s immortal words, “Keep the shiny side up and the rubber side down.” Good advice for drivers, too, BTW.

And don’t get me started on Covid-19 and masks!  😉

Dave McQuery, Club Member