Smart Food
I was so excited to share my Masaman Curry recipe with you today! Unfortunately, it didn’t quite turn out. It still tasted okay, but it didn’t taste like Masaman Curry and I definitely wasn’t a fan! It also doesn’t photograph well, eh?
Smart Fitness
Yesterday, I got a flat 7.5 mile ride in. My knee started to hurt a tiny bit towards the end, but not too bad…progress!
During my ride, I had a nice elderly man yell at me from his car to get off the road. We had many, many people yell, swear, and honk at us on our ride to Albany on Sunday, even though Dan and I follow all traffic laws and stay in the shoulder or far side of the lane.
We pretty much let it roll off of us, even though it is frustrating, because we love cycling and know that it is good for us. And don’t get me wrong, we also had a lot of drivers who were courteous and gave us space when they could.
But, here are my pleas, to both drivers AND cyclists.
To Drivers:
- Legally, cyclists have as much right to be on the road as you do. There is no need for name-calling whenever you pass someone on a bike.
- Honking at a cyclist because you’re mad they are in the road is dangerous. You could startle them, causing them to swerve into your call or fall. Don’t do it!
- When you are passing a cyclist, give them some space. If there is a whole empty lane next to you, there is no need to cut it as close as possible. In fact, most states require drivers to give cyclists 3-4 feet clearance when passing.
To Cyclists:
- If you are going to ride on the road, you must follow all traffic laws. This means stopping at red lights, signaling your turns, etc. Don’t give other cyclists a bad name by assuming that because you aren’t in a car, you don’t have to follow the law.
- Wear a helmet!
- If you are riding early in the morning, at dusk, etc, use sufficient lighting on your bike so that you aren’t surprising any vehicles with your presence.
- Ride close to or in the shoulder on the right side (unless you’re getting ready to turn left!). If a car is passing you and you are in a group, ride single-file.
- Ride in the direction of traffic (ie: don’t ride the wrong way down a one-way street)
Smart Life
My weekly goals update. Changes are in green!
1. Plant ‘cool season’ crops (kale, Swiss chard, etc): This was on the agenda for today, but the current rainstorms put that on hold. On the bright side, the Savvy Garden really needs this rain!
2. Bike 70 miles total (48 down already!) I had a 15-mile ride planned for today, but again, the heavy rain is putting that on hold. Hopefully I can get in all the miles tomorrow!
3. Finish our wedding thank you notes! Because it is raining, I will have time for these today!
4.
Go blueberry picking and make preserves.Blueberry butter is taking a LONG time– post on Monday!5. Write 2 freelance articles Because it is raining, I will have time for these today!
6.
Weed garden.7. Strength train 3x. (2 done!)
Do you have any other tips for/experiences with sharing the road with cyclists?
love your biking tips!
Great tips! I’m bookmarking this post b/c I’m going to buy a bike very soon and want to be informed and safe. Thank you!
Aw, I always feel so badly when I hear about how rude drivers can be to bicyclists
The only thing I might add (as a driver, because I haven’t experienced “road riding” yet … must dig bike out of parent’s garage…) is that if you are going to be riding early in the morning or at dusk, make sure you have reflectors or wear reflective clothes. That’s really helpful for the motorists!
Have a wonderful Friday!
Definitely! That ties in with the ‘using lights’ on your bike tip.
Great post and tips! One I’d like to add is to please not ride your bike on sidewalks (unless of course it is a trail meant for cyclists too). It is actually against the law in some places to do that though I see it far too often.
Great addition! Several people yelled at us to move to the sidewalks last weekend, not realizing that that is exactly what we’re NOT supposed to do!
I agree – bikers have just as much right to the road as anyone else!! It makes me so made when I see jerks honk at bikers/don’t move around them. Its scary! I always make sure to fully cross the line (as long as there are no cars of course haha)
congrats on the 7.5 miles! thats awesome.
Great rules. I wish bikers actual knew that around here.
And I can’t wait for the blueberry butter recipe. We have a great place to pick them and I want some recipes.
RUDE! I can’t believe that old guy!
I almost got hit tonight while running. The driver was texting. Ugh.
Glad you weren’t hurt!
I loved this because I’m usually the one getting frustrated with people on bicycles in the road! (mostly because the ones near me seem to think that rules about yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks don’t apply to them!) I always seem to find myself driving behind a cyclist who is following the rules of the road, but is just not able to keep up with the flow of traffic. In a situation where it’s not practical for the car to pass the bike, what’s “supposed” to happen? Should the cyclist pull over and let the car pass? Should the car driver just be patient until the cyclist turns off or it’s possible to drive around the cyclist?
I think in most (if not all) states, drivers just need to be patient until an opportunity to pass arises.
And I totally hear you on the ‘not yielding to pedestrians’ thing. A few years back, another student physically pushed me out of the way with his bike so that he could get through the crosswalk, even though he had a red light, there were a lot of people crossing and we had the walk sign!
This makes me so mad that you had to deal with this!!!
In Germany, cars had to pass you with 1 meter between them and you. I loved that law. Germans are usually good about following the law, so we rarely had a problem with this.
People in the states are NOT the same way. For some reason, drivers think they own the road (usually, they are NOT cyclists). This is so frustrating! Why can’t we all just get along?
Good luck next time, sweetie!!
P.S. If I was with you, I probably would have flipped the old guy off, then got shot or something!
We get that a lot here too, it’s really disappointing because we both have to share the road and be courteous. Some drivers are just plain rude and need to get off their high horse and pay attention. Oh man, don’t get me started! It’s nice to ride in a large group because we become our own safety net and people are forced to pay attention, but boy they sure get mad. Great miles girl! It’s been too dang hot here for me to get any long rides in