The Dangers Of Cycling Around The World

This is heartbreaking.

When Stew and I set off to cycle around the world people asked us what we were most afraid of – and I said “dogs”. I was scared of the strays and I was scared of being chased. It took me to Evesham, England just 70 miles from home for me to realise the biggest threat to us is TRAFFIC.

Having cycled for 5 years I should’ve known that traffic would be the biggest threat to our lives. I have experienced many close over-takes and the bottom line is that every single risky overtake depends on luck to get through unscathed.

Most cyclists drive cars, most cyclists pay a tax. Cyclists are allowed on the road as much as cars and vehicles.

What I find most upsetting about close over takes is that in that moment a driver values seconds to minutes of their time more valuable than my life.

A close overtake is scary, the drag from a heavy vehicle is enough to suck a cyclist in and throw them into the road. Legally a cyclist should have 1.5 metres of space when a car overtakes. Whenever I overtake a cyclist I bear in mind that the cyclist should be able to FALL OVER and still be safe.

We were lucky yesterday we were surrounded by conscious, careful, kind drivers, but the reality is Stew fell so far he fell into the other side of the road and Stew is a careful and good rider.

One final message that I don’t think non-cyclists understand:

When you are frustrated at a cyclist “taking up all the road” there is a reason that cyclist is not closely aligned to the side of the road as you might prefer. This part of the road is often the most broken and potholed. On a busy road the cyclist has to think about SAFETY and safety first – theirs and surrounding traffic. A cyclist may position themselves away from the side of the road to prevent the tragedy as explained in this article shared. It is easy to hit a pot hole and fall.

If a cyclist is granted the 1.5 metres of space they are legally granted then it does not matter where the cyclist is in the road, there’s enough room for all of us.

Overtake mindfully please.