Risky Business

Risk.  It’s the dirty word that’s always on your mind. You weigh risk almost every hour of every day without a second thought.  Those sketchy leftovers in the fridge get a careful sniff before you heat them up in the microwave.  You look both ways before you cross the street.  You turn your headlights on as the sun starts to go down.  Why?  Because food poisoning sucks, getting hit by a car hurts, and nobody has night vision.

People love to label activities as “risky”, and typically single out riding motorcycles as “risky”.  Without a cage of high strength steel and aluminum around you, it’s certainly more risky than driving a car, but how much more so?  That’s hard to quantify, but for those who ride motorcycles that risk is worth the reward they get while riding.  For me, driving my car near a motorcyclist weaving through traffic at warp speed makes me feel like I’m taking a risk; I need to get outta here!

I recently jumped on the bandwagon and bought a gravel bike.  Less miles on the open road and more miles on trails and dirt roads where I can control my fate seems like a no brainer, right?  For a father-to-be like myself, it was tempting proposition.  There are a surprising number of well maintained fire roads and smooth single track trails near me, adding up to many miles of terrain that are easily stitched together with brief pavement sections.  Going on a gravel ride makes me feel like a kid all over again.  Riding on looser surfaces makes you a better bike handler.  Keeping your eyes peeled for the errant root or rock forces you to maintain situational awareness at all times.  With less predictable terrain, you find yourself spotting your line much more actively than you would out on the road.  But that brings me back to that dirty word again…Risk.

I’ve racked up about 270 miles of mixed terrain on my gravel bike since I bought it in May; tack on an extra 50 or to account for a friend loaning me their spare to get me hooked.  In that 320 miles, I’ve been chased down by an unleashed dog twice, been flipped over the handlebars by a rut, and nearly sideswiped by a deer that ran around me while I was riding down a winding trail.  By comparison, I’ve racked up about 2,500 pure road miles this year.  My one and only issue was when I tipped over while riding into a parking garage in Boston after volunteering at the Boston Marathon.  (I had been up since 4AM, rode all day in steady rain, had minimal sleep, and slipped on an expansion joint in the road hidden by a puddle.)

There’s a meme out there that says: “the roads are a few painted lines and generally accepted rules away from total chaos.”  Venture off the roads and I think all those generally accepted rules go out the window.  People flagrantly violate leash laws/rules, even when there are signs.  Because everyone can tell a dog running at them at full speed wants to lick them, not bite them, right?  At least one friend has told me how they were shot at durning deer season on a day when hunting isn’t allowed.  While wearing bright clothes!  If a crash happens on a trail or deserted path, I’m probably on my own if I’m injured, I've accepted that.  Where as my tumble in Boston resulted in no less than 4 people checking on me within moments.  (Don’t worry, only my ego was harmed.)  I'm inclined to think my experience would be similar if I was injured out on the road.

I think gravel and mountain bike riding is just as risky as riding on the road, and neither are terribly risky.  Even though my unscientific study might make you to think otherwise.  A different bike means a different kind of risk, one that’s hard to describe.  People like me are drawn to gravel riding because there’s less rigid structure and more freedom than the open roads.  But don't think cyclists have a death wish or are tempting fate every time they go out and ride.  Far from it, actually.  Countless studies have scientifically concluded that the physical benefits of cycling outweigh the risks when compared to driving a car.  Add in a few common sense precautions, and it just might be one of the safest hobbies you can have.  Be sure to factor in all of the societal benefits of cycling too.  

Bicycles rule.  Plain and simple.  

But it sure can be expensive!  The bike industry has some work to do there, but things are getting better.  If your old bike needs a tune up so you can get out there, reach out and I’ll do what I can to get you riding as inexpensively as possible.  The more of us out there, the better…for everyone.