CALIFORNIA BICYCLE NEWS AND CYCLING SAFETY TIPS BLOG

How Can an Olympic Bicycle Crash Remind Us about Safety?

It would be impossible to watch the recent Olympic bicycle accident without flinching. Annemiek van Vleuten, one of the world’s top cyclists, fell into a heart-wrenching, face-first crash after she approached a turn incorrectly. She was hospitalized with spinal fractures and a serious concussion, but her many fans were relieved to find that she was quickly back online posting pictures about the event The story was all over the news. Many publications shared empathetic stories on the athlete, while others expressed relief that she was recovering well. One particularly fascinating report from USA Today pointed out how an Olympic bicycle accident can be a lesson in safety. This lesson is worth examining. Anyone Can get into a Bicycle Accident According to Center of Disease Control and Prevention, there were more than 900 deaths and 494,000 ER visits from cycling accidents in 2013. If an Olympic medalist can fall, so can…
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Are You Missing Out on the Many Benefits of Riding Slow?

Do you feel the need for speed? Do you, like Ricky Bobby, want to go fast? Well, you may want to slow it down, speed demon, because you’re missing out on some of the best things about cycling. The Five Best Things About Riding Slow If you’re only concerned with going fast, you’re likely to miss out on: A Good Chat – One of the best things about cycling is that it brings people together. We’re all for a hard ride to get the blood pumping, or if you’re training for an event. However, it’s important to slow down and just enjoy the company from time to time. It’s hard to carry on a conversation while you’re pedaling at 100 mph. Mix It Up – If you thought that the only way to get a good cardio workout on a bicycle was to ride fast all the time, you’re wrong….
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Don’t Get Hit By an Opening Door While Cycling – Here Are Some Tips

Any veteran cyclist can tell you, there are few things as scary as a long line of parallel parked cars. It’s like the most terrifying game of duck, duck, goose you’ll ever play. An opening car door can be seriously painful, or worse, push or scare you into the path of moving vehicles; ouch. So, we’ve got some bike safety tips to help save you from being hit by an opening car door while riding a bike. How to Avoid Getting Doored Be Vigilant – The first, and most obvious, tip we can give you is to be very aware that you’re approaching a minefield. When you come up on a row of parked cars, turn your Spidey senses up to max. Try to look out for people still in their cars, and be ready to stop. Don’t Swerve – It’s very important that you stop, NOT SWERVE. If a…
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