I guess this is a good time to bring up another part of cycling safety that has frosted my glass for longer than I care to admit. That is the idea of the perception of safety and reality of safety.
I sit down this evening and put on a set of very decent headphones. They cut out most of the sound around me and I get to enjoy my favorite singer/artist and his band - Bob SEGER and the Silver Bullet band.
I digress for a moment or two. SEGER has been a favorite of mine of ALOT of years. I have been to two of his concerts, Seattle and most recently Vancouver. Seattle was good, but Vancouver was even better !! Yes he was older in Vancouver but some musicians are timeless and the musical selections they perform are time tested and on top 25 all time hit lists across North America. SEGER is such an artist, composer and showman. His Vancouver concert ranks in the top 5 in Vancouver of all time. I would put him the same breath as Sir Paul McCARTNEY.
Both well worth the money paid for tickets, I believe from the tv commercial - priceless.
Anyway, I was speaking about safety perceived and real.
Cycling is one of those endeavors that one must know what is happening at all times, both with them and around them. GET THE BIG PICTURE is a term I bring up at every class I teach. We all heard that term when we took our driving classes, and we have heard it from those who ride in vehicles with us. Sometimes it can be called co-pilot or back seat driver. Call it what you will, but Getting the Big Picture is one of the first rules of cycling. Last post I referred to the saying
SEE, BE SEEN, BE HEARD, BE PREDICABLE
Another way to quote the four (4) Core values of CAN-BIKE - MVPC.
Bruce taught us that it can be summed up as Most Valuable Person Cyclist
Manoeuverability, Visibility, Predictability, and Communication.
In typing this entry I misspelled three of the four words, which is why I shortened it up to
SEE, BE SEEN, BE HEARD, BE PREDICABLE
I can spell all those words correctly 99 % of the time.
I had put on a set of ear phones. Over the years ear phones and ear buds or what ever you wish to call them, the sound quality has gotten better. Now you can but on a set of head phones, put on a concert and it sounds like you are in the first few rows. The only thing missing is the perspiration from the performers, and the afternoon sound check report. The sound is that good, and that is all you can hear, so that is what you concentrate on, the music. In the proper situation that is a very good thing. Cycling down a busy street is not that place, or across country, anywhere you are required to interact with others, is not the right place.
Being alone with your thoughts enveloped in the music has a place, or just enjoying the music indeed has a place, and there are times when this can be as good a training session, or the training session. Working with the stop watch in your head is a training regime that is learned, and when mastered can be a lifetime skill. I feel that by adding head phones dulls the ability to accomplish the intended goal for the session, unless the outcome is to relax and get ready for a ride.
Adding extra noise that cuts out the ambient relevant surrounding noise is, in my opinion, dangerous and should be avoided.
When you are riding you NEED to know what is happening around you at all times, and as a rider you need to know where you are, what you are doing, what your plans are and what you will do if something unforeseen happens, like a car backing out, not seeing you. Maybe the driver is on a cell phone or maybe wearing headphones, grooving to the tunes.
If your head isn't in the game, then you are putting yourself in real danger and putting those around you in danger.
I have mentioned over the other blog entries that there are certain things that I feel must be done each and every time you ride. Wear a helmet, wear a Hi-Viz vest, use your lights at any time of the day or night. Well I can know add another one - don't use head phones when riding. There are other things that are more important than your favorite tunes playing in your ears.
Know where you are, who did you tell you were going? and what todays route is?, how long do you anticipate to take?
These seem like basic questions, but do you do any of these when you ride? Do you take a couple of minutes to call or text these basic points to someone else, in case something goes horribly wrong?, at least if you don't call back someone knows you are out on a ride, and where to look.
In aviation it's called a flight plan, and it is a federal requirement under the Act. I know it sounds simple, but how many do it when they ride. Yea, I know not very many, most likely only a few.
The life you save will likely be your own.
The next thing is what do you carry? Do you have a copy of some sort of identification with you? Does it have a picture of you on it?, is there an emergency contact number on it?, have you added your blood type?, do you even know your blood type? I would suggest it's a minor point but one that just might come in real handy when you least expect it. Are you allergic and require anything special, maybe like allergies to bee stings. Bees like to go the same places cyclists go, and both can come into contact more regularly than we realise.
Our required list of safety equipment seems to be getting longer and we haven't mentioned a cell phone and bit of cash, or at least a coffee card from your favorite spot, maybe the card is on the phone, like mine.
It's time to wrap up. How we perceive safety and what is real can be and likely is very different. You need to look after yourself and make sure you are doing things right. Its easy to say you are, but you have to go that one or two steps further and like Nike says JUST DO IT.
Giving safety mere lip service doesn't do you or those around you or those you ride with any justice. You wouldn't ride away without making sure your brakes worked or your tires (tyres) are pumped up, so why take safety for granted. Take the extra couple of minutes to make sure you have covered the points I have mentioned.
I guess if you don't agree, please let me know what you disagree with and why, but be polite when you do it. Remember, swearing and ranting negate the point you are trying to make.
I leave you with the thought, let others know your riding plans, and route. There have been far to many riders left lying alone on the side of the road or in a hospital and no one knows they are there for days, and maybe by that time it's too late.
Wrong time to say or think should-a, would-a, could-a
Thanks for your time
Safe Ride Home...
Chuck
Thursday 27 June 2013
Tuesday 25 June 2013
Core Principals and Values
Bike lanes or no bike lanes - that is the question.
Sounds like something Shakespeare would recite. In fact this is the raging argument/discussion on going in Vancouver now and for the last couple of years. There are lots of people from all sides of the spectrum that have lined up to have their say.
This blog was started to talk about cycling safety, and for the most part separated bike lanes are safer for cyclists when travelling and for those that are not as proficient and comfortable riding in and with traffic.
Having said that bike lanes have a place both along side the road surface and separate from the road surface by a barrier of some type.
There is discussion about what type of barrier that should be used. In some places cement barriers are what is used. In others the new barrier is using the parked cars and the bike lane is inside of them, next to the sidewalk. New York is trying that type currently.
I guess it comes down to an old fisherman's tale. Two fishers are standing next to the stream, one is catching fish and the fisher isn't catching a thing. They both start talking and find out they are using the same lure. The one catching fish swears by the lure, the one without a bite swears at the lure. It all depends on your perspective.
Maybe a better way to explain the difference in views is an old saying I learned 30 plus years ago, in my previous life - There is three ways to do the job - The Right Way - The Wrong Way - and The Mountie Way. Go ahead and ask any Mountie you know and you will hear this for anything that happens and how the job should be done.
The point of this is that there are those that believe only separated bike lanes are the answer, and there are those that believe that cars and bikes can co-exist on the roads, once the cyclists learn to use some basic principals, and car drivers realise cyclists have just as much right, that is correct, right to be there.
The CAN-BIKE safe cycling program has a couple of corner stones that fall into this.
Manoeuvrability, Visibility, Predictability, and Communication
I have shortened that down some
See, Be Seen, Be Heard, Be Predicable
I just went back and looked at the start of the CAN-BIKE course that I use regularly. One of the first power point panes talks about the "Mission Statement". It is a statement by John FORESTER, author of Effective Cycling:
Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated like vehicular traffic.
The CAN-BIKE program was built on the teachings of John FORESTER, and continues to this day using those same principals and values. The reason is - they work.
Cycling is an endeavor that requires those involved to be aware of their surroundings, and those also in their surroundings. I would call this defensive cycling.
Those that cycle have as many reasons as there are cyclists to explain what they do and why.
The commonality that I believe must cross over all these thoughts is Safety. This is where the idea and principal - See, Be Seen, Be Heard, Be Predicable comes back again and again.
I started this entry talking about bike lanes. I'm going to come back to them and point out that safety is the common factor whether you are in the bike lanes or on the streets and roads of our great lands.
It's great to be right, but do you want to be dead right.
Both bike lanes and streets/roads have those that want to go faster than those around them, and cause safety problems. We hear regularly about road rage, but we rarely hear about bike rage, but it's there.
Safety is everyone's responsibility.
We have to share the riding surface with others, be they vehicles, walkers, other riders, skateboarders, wheel chairs etc.
It has been said in more than one place by people far greater and smarter than me "Death doesn't take a holiday", and if we want to keep death away, then we should add, "Safety should never take a holiday" either.
I would ask that when you ride you consider the Core Principals that I believe in. That being; wear your orange, yellow or bright lime green Hi-Viz vest, helmet and use your lights, anytime of the day and night.
Yes, I know you have heard those words before in my previous entries, and I suspect you will hear them again in upcoming entries. I also know my choice of colours is loud and not exactly fashion, but at the end of the ride when you are back, tired, sweaty and feeling great, you will realise that those colours directly assisted in the successful conclusion to your ride.
AND THAT IS A GOOD THING !!
Safe ride home
Chuck
Sounds like something Shakespeare would recite. In fact this is the raging argument/discussion on going in Vancouver now and for the last couple of years. There are lots of people from all sides of the spectrum that have lined up to have their say.
This blog was started to talk about cycling safety, and for the most part separated bike lanes are safer for cyclists when travelling and for those that are not as proficient and comfortable riding in and with traffic.
Having said that bike lanes have a place both along side the road surface and separate from the road surface by a barrier of some type.
There is discussion about what type of barrier that should be used. In some places cement barriers are what is used. In others the new barrier is using the parked cars and the bike lane is inside of them, next to the sidewalk. New York is trying that type currently.
I guess it comes down to an old fisherman's tale. Two fishers are standing next to the stream, one is catching fish and the fisher isn't catching a thing. They both start talking and find out they are using the same lure. The one catching fish swears by the lure, the one without a bite swears at the lure. It all depends on your perspective.
Maybe a better way to explain the difference in views is an old saying I learned 30 plus years ago, in my previous life - There is three ways to do the job - The Right Way - The Wrong Way - and The Mountie Way. Go ahead and ask any Mountie you know and you will hear this for anything that happens and how the job should be done.
The point of this is that there are those that believe only separated bike lanes are the answer, and there are those that believe that cars and bikes can co-exist on the roads, once the cyclists learn to use some basic principals, and car drivers realise cyclists have just as much right, that is correct, right to be there.
The CAN-BIKE safe cycling program has a couple of corner stones that fall into this.
Manoeuvrability, Visibility, Predictability, and Communication
I have shortened that down some
See, Be Seen, Be Heard, Be Predicable
I just went back and looked at the start of the CAN-BIKE course that I use regularly. One of the first power point panes talks about the "Mission Statement". It is a statement by John FORESTER, author of Effective Cycling:
Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated like vehicular traffic.
The CAN-BIKE program was built on the teachings of John FORESTER, and continues to this day using those same principals and values. The reason is - they work.
Cycling is an endeavor that requires those involved to be aware of their surroundings, and those also in their surroundings. I would call this defensive cycling.
Those that cycle have as many reasons as there are cyclists to explain what they do and why.
The commonality that I believe must cross over all these thoughts is Safety. This is where the idea and principal - See, Be Seen, Be Heard, Be Predicable comes back again and again.
I started this entry talking about bike lanes. I'm going to come back to them and point out that safety is the common factor whether you are in the bike lanes or on the streets and roads of our great lands.
It's great to be right, but do you want to be dead right.
Both bike lanes and streets/roads have those that want to go faster than those around them, and cause safety problems. We hear regularly about road rage, but we rarely hear about bike rage, but it's there.
Safety is everyone's responsibility.
We have to share the riding surface with others, be they vehicles, walkers, other riders, skateboarders, wheel chairs etc.
It has been said in more than one place by people far greater and smarter than me "Death doesn't take a holiday", and if we want to keep death away, then we should add, "Safety should never take a holiday" either.
I would ask that when you ride you consider the Core Principals that I believe in. That being; wear your orange, yellow or bright lime green Hi-Viz vest, helmet and use your lights, anytime of the day and night.
Yes, I know you have heard those words before in my previous entries, and I suspect you will hear them again in upcoming entries. I also know my choice of colours is loud and not exactly fashion, but at the end of the ride when you are back, tired, sweaty and feeling great, you will realise that those colours directly assisted in the successful conclusion to your ride.
AND THAT IS A GOOD THING !!
Safe ride home
Chuck
Tuesday 11 June 2013
Good Day. I hope this, second entry is something you look at, after the first, and say.. hey I wonder when this guy is going to post again, and maybe I'll read what he has to say. His thoughts and ideas seem worth following, and maybe, just maybe I'll learn something useful I didn't know about the greater world of cycling.
I was making dinner this evening and actually enjoying using real cutlery, plates and a frosted pint glass. We can talk about my enjoyment of dark beer later, maybe I'll even share my beer list later.
I thought about two things, that being (1) nutrition, and (2) family and friends.
You might ask where those all come together, but in fact in the cycling world they do, and are actually very much intertwined.
Food, food that can keep you sustained over your training days and afterward to build and rebuild the body and in particular the muscle groups used and strained by the cycling is a comer stone of the cycling and training regime. It is at this point that I have to add the caveat that I don't know a lot about the proper use of carbs/proteins/fats etc. I know what I like and what I don't like, I know what tastes good and what I should eat and what I shouldn't. Having said all that there have been times when my training has taken me past and around places that are not on the diet and are better left far, far behind.
Over the years of shift work I have been known to live on coffee, coke ( the drink able kind), and candy bars.
I CAN EXPLAIN THE COKE( liquid) COMMENT VERY EASILY - DRUGS HAVE NO PLACE IN CYCLING AND COMPETITION. IF YOU HAVE TO USE DRUGS TO GAIN THE ADVANTAGE, THEN YOU ARE IN THE WRONG PLACE AND YOU NEED TO REVIEW THE RULES AND YOUR MORALS.
As my friend Dan says, nothing good can come of this, and he is very much correct. Just ask Ben JOHNSON years ago. He was on top of the world and chatting with the Canadian Prime Minister, then the drug test came back and he lost everything. The following enquiry caused a major re-think in Canadian competitive sport. CANADA lead the way for the world, we just didn't know it at the time. Dick POUND from the IOC lead that charge and it has lead to an overall cleaning up, to an extent of Olympic sport. Do your best, be your best and you can hold your head high, and your family can be proud of you !! They earned your respect, and they worked as hard as you did to get you where you are. You just got to stand before the others and get the accolades.
I have seen the aspect of the comment - winning isn't everything, it's the only thing. Those people are not happy people, they are driven by a set of rules that are not what the mainstream society work from. Don't get me wrong, everyone wants to win, but if you have done your very best and left everything you have on the race courses or track or where ever you have done your best, then that is what you should feel good about, and should be proud of. If you have done your very best and the middle of the pack is where you finished, then be proud of that finish, you did your best and you earned it, BUT if you left something out on the course and had something left at the end, then you did not compete hard enough !!
That brings me to the family and friend part of this entry. Family and friends are the ones that are there with you, and watching you practise and listen to you analyse, and re-analyse what you did, what you didn't do, and what you think or thought you should've done. They are the unpaid slaves we at times, and more often than not take for granted. They are the ones that are standing at the finish line or at the side of the course, or waiting at home for the vehicle. They have endured as much, and at times more than you to make your goal happen.
Family and friends are even more important to those that achieve great things. Family and friends will give you the place to be yourself and relax. They will assist you to take the sanity break that becomes all to rare, and a place to have that emotional moment when you need it.
I remember seeing a verse about a true friend.
A friend will be there you bail you out of jail when you call, A true friend will be in the cell next to you saying man wasn't that a party.
In coaching knowing "who's who in the zoo" is an ability that is also a learned thing. Just like the coaching. You have to learn to recognise the people for who they are, what they are, and what they want from the courses you are teaching. You need to know how to recognise what has gotten through to those you are teaching. You can tell when the light comes on for students. It is that moment that you can see they "get it", and the corner has been turned.
You can also see when they don't have a clue of what you are trying to say - that 1000 yard stare, right past you into the wilderness.
You know when you mark exams when everyone gets the same question wrong, and you realise that you screwed up in your teaching of that particular point.
Teaching is again a learned thing. My dear wife has taught me that teaching isn't easy, and being a good teacher, as is she, is a gift. I can only hope to reach the goals she has set, but I learn from her each and every day what is the ways to follow. I guess 35 years of marriage can do that to someone, and I love her dearly for it.
I said that I would speak of nutrition. I have gone on far longer than I thought about the value of family and friends, but never sell them short. They are the corner stone on which we build, even if we don't realise it at the time. VALUE THEM, and Thank them when ever you can. A simple heart felt Thank-you can go so much farther than you realise.
We'll talk about nutrition next time. By the way, Val said the five basic food groups - onions, mushrooms, green pepper, garlic and chocolate are not part of the Canadian food guide. Okay, but I still think Guinness is more than a breakfast drink.
Remember- drink before you are thirsty and eat before you are hungry.
Those are good words to live by and a good guide line to work within. Oh yea, Friday is desert day. I am allowed a desert once a week, and I choose Fridays. That way I have something to look forward to and I know treat day isn't far away, so I don't have to cheat the proper food protocol's.
Have a good evening,
and
Safe Ride Home.
Chuck
I was making dinner this evening and actually enjoying using real cutlery, plates and a frosted pint glass. We can talk about my enjoyment of dark beer later, maybe I'll even share my beer list later.
I thought about two things, that being (1) nutrition, and (2) family and friends.
You might ask where those all come together, but in fact in the cycling world they do, and are actually very much intertwined.
Food, food that can keep you sustained over your training days and afterward to build and rebuild the body and in particular the muscle groups used and strained by the cycling is a comer stone of the cycling and training regime. It is at this point that I have to add the caveat that I don't know a lot about the proper use of carbs/proteins/fats etc. I know what I like and what I don't like, I know what tastes good and what I should eat and what I shouldn't. Having said all that there have been times when my training has taken me past and around places that are not on the diet and are better left far, far behind.
Over the years of shift work I have been known to live on coffee, coke ( the drink able kind), and candy bars.
I CAN EXPLAIN THE COKE( liquid) COMMENT VERY EASILY - DRUGS HAVE NO PLACE IN CYCLING AND COMPETITION. IF YOU HAVE TO USE DRUGS TO GAIN THE ADVANTAGE, THEN YOU ARE IN THE WRONG PLACE AND YOU NEED TO REVIEW THE RULES AND YOUR MORALS.
As my friend Dan says, nothing good can come of this, and he is very much correct. Just ask Ben JOHNSON years ago. He was on top of the world and chatting with the Canadian Prime Minister, then the drug test came back and he lost everything. The following enquiry caused a major re-think in Canadian competitive sport. CANADA lead the way for the world, we just didn't know it at the time. Dick POUND from the IOC lead that charge and it has lead to an overall cleaning up, to an extent of Olympic sport. Do your best, be your best and you can hold your head high, and your family can be proud of you !! They earned your respect, and they worked as hard as you did to get you where you are. You just got to stand before the others and get the accolades.
I have seen the aspect of the comment - winning isn't everything, it's the only thing. Those people are not happy people, they are driven by a set of rules that are not what the mainstream society work from. Don't get me wrong, everyone wants to win, but if you have done your very best and left everything you have on the race courses or track or where ever you have done your best, then that is what you should feel good about, and should be proud of. If you have done your very best and the middle of the pack is where you finished, then be proud of that finish, you did your best and you earned it, BUT if you left something out on the course and had something left at the end, then you did not compete hard enough !!
That brings me to the family and friend part of this entry. Family and friends are the ones that are there with you, and watching you practise and listen to you analyse, and re-analyse what you did, what you didn't do, and what you think or thought you should've done. They are the unpaid slaves we at times, and more often than not take for granted. They are the ones that are standing at the finish line or at the side of the course, or waiting at home for the vehicle. They have endured as much, and at times more than you to make your goal happen.
Family and friends are even more important to those that achieve great things. Family and friends will give you the place to be yourself and relax. They will assist you to take the sanity break that becomes all to rare, and a place to have that emotional moment when you need it.
I remember seeing a verse about a true friend.
A friend will be there you bail you out of jail when you call, A true friend will be in the cell next to you saying man wasn't that a party.
In coaching knowing "who's who in the zoo" is an ability that is also a learned thing. Just like the coaching. You have to learn to recognise the people for who they are, what they are, and what they want from the courses you are teaching. You need to know how to recognise what has gotten through to those you are teaching. You can tell when the light comes on for students. It is that moment that you can see they "get it", and the corner has been turned.
You can also see when they don't have a clue of what you are trying to say - that 1000 yard stare, right past you into the wilderness.
You know when you mark exams when everyone gets the same question wrong, and you realise that you screwed up in your teaching of that particular point.
Teaching is again a learned thing. My dear wife has taught me that teaching isn't easy, and being a good teacher, as is she, is a gift. I can only hope to reach the goals she has set, but I learn from her each and every day what is the ways to follow. I guess 35 years of marriage can do that to someone, and I love her dearly for it.
I said that I would speak of nutrition. I have gone on far longer than I thought about the value of family and friends, but never sell them short. They are the corner stone on which we build, even if we don't realise it at the time. VALUE THEM, and Thank them when ever you can. A simple heart felt Thank-you can go so much farther than you realise.
We'll talk about nutrition next time. By the way, Val said the five basic food groups - onions, mushrooms, green pepper, garlic and chocolate are not part of the Canadian food guide. Okay, but I still think Guinness is more than a breakfast drink.
Remember- drink before you are thirsty and eat before you are hungry.
Those are good words to live by and a good guide line to work within. Oh yea, Friday is desert day. I am allowed a desert once a week, and I choose Fridays. That way I have something to look forward to and I know treat day isn't far away, so I don't have to cheat the proper food protocol's.
Have a good evening,
and
Safe Ride Home.
Chuck
Monday 10 June 2013
First posting trying something new
Good morning, and welcome.
I have been thinking about trying this, blogging, for some time now and have finally gotten up the nerve to as Nike says... just do it.
My name is Chuck GLOVER, I am a CAN-BIKE National Examiner and Instructor with the CAN-BIKE program. I also sit along with two others(in Ontario) on the curriculum committee for CAN-BIKE.
I teach here in the British Columbia lower mainland and Vancouver Island. I teach the safe use of cycling in a way that allows the rider to travel with traffic in a safe comfortable and defensive manor. I don't teach to treat the cars and others using the road way as the enemy, but rather to work with those on the roads, pathways and bike routes.
There are those that would consider those opposite thoughts, but being able to ride your bike in any conditions in a safe and respectful way without compromising either your safety or that of those around you is the main goal.
At the end of the day everyone goes home safely and in one piece.
Cycling is supposed to be for recreation, fun, enjoyment, travel, and commuting. Being green and part of your environment is good for all, but you have to be safe to enjoy what you are doing.
I come from a Policing backround and a large part of the skills I teach have that as part of the basis. No I don't teach the use of the bike as a weapon, as some would wish. That can be left to the Bruce LEE types that seem to find a weapon in everything they touch.
Bike are tools, not weapons, they can be used to protect the rider if the circumstances warrant it. Defensive not offensive. Bikes are also formally considered vehicles in most jurisdictions. Check the Motor Vehicle Act in your area, knowledge is power, and cycling knowledge will keep you alive.
We have all heard the term.. there are old riders, and there are bold riders, but there are no old, bold riders.
Those that are riding after a lot of years of riding will understand that there are many more ways to get where one is going and indeed wants to go than pushing and trying to be aggressive. Two wheels and 250 pounds don't match up to 4 wheels and 2250 pounds.
I teach "If the car driver wants that piece of road more than you do... let him have it." It's great to be right, but do you want to be dead right?!?!
Part of what I want to do with this blog is to talk about cycling safety and different aspect to that topic and theme.
This is my first try at this and I hope that for those that might want to follow and possibly communicate with me, from where ever, I can entertain, enlighten, teach and maybe pose thoughts and ideas that will invoke discussion, along with points to ponder.
I believe in Bike Helmets, and I very truly believe Bike Helmets are a very good idea. They safe lives and lesson injuries, and lesson brain injuries. Please note I said lesson, not eliminate. They call them brain buckets for a reason, they protect the brain.
There are those that don't agree and will never agree with this, so I am prepared to say we will not agree.
When my kids were growing up we coined the phrase... It's cool to wear a Bike Helmet.
My daughter was the first child to wear a bike helmet to her school in Swift Current, way back when. So I have walked the walk as it were. We had the rule.. No Helmet, No Bike. I still use that rule when I ride, and I teach that rule as a corner stone, and it's written in stone in my world.
Another aspect I am passionate about is the use of Hi-Visibility traffic type vest, you know the obnoxious orange ones. The ones no one looks good in, but can been seen and make a bold statement when riding. If they can see you, you have a better chance to make it. When I ride I wear a vest that on a clear day can be tracked from the space shuttle, as I can be seen by those in vehicles sharing the same roads that I am on.
Combine the vest with lights and I believe this is a combination that will safe lives. It works for me and I ride both my mountain bike and my road toy on the roads in this area around Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows.
Lets call it defensive riding. Like defensive driving that is spoken about you need to make sure you are riding and watching others around you and for others around you.
Common sense is no longer common and courtesy seems to be a thing of the past. Know your spaceial placement, and what you can and can not do. These are a couple of points that will be reoccurring themes as I write this.
I want to continue this blog for the next while and see where it leads.
Thanks for tuning in and reading along.
Chuck.
I have been thinking about trying this, blogging, for some time now and have finally gotten up the nerve to as Nike says... just do it.
My name is Chuck GLOVER, I am a CAN-BIKE National Examiner and Instructor with the CAN-BIKE program. I also sit along with two others(in Ontario) on the curriculum committee for CAN-BIKE.
I teach here in the British Columbia lower mainland and Vancouver Island. I teach the safe use of cycling in a way that allows the rider to travel with traffic in a safe comfortable and defensive manor. I don't teach to treat the cars and others using the road way as the enemy, but rather to work with those on the roads, pathways and bike routes.
There are those that would consider those opposite thoughts, but being able to ride your bike in any conditions in a safe and respectful way without compromising either your safety or that of those around you is the main goal.
At the end of the day everyone goes home safely and in one piece.
Cycling is supposed to be for recreation, fun, enjoyment, travel, and commuting. Being green and part of your environment is good for all, but you have to be safe to enjoy what you are doing.
I come from a Policing backround and a large part of the skills I teach have that as part of the basis. No I don't teach the use of the bike as a weapon, as some would wish. That can be left to the Bruce LEE types that seem to find a weapon in everything they touch.
Bike are tools, not weapons, they can be used to protect the rider if the circumstances warrant it. Defensive not offensive. Bikes are also formally considered vehicles in most jurisdictions. Check the Motor Vehicle Act in your area, knowledge is power, and cycling knowledge will keep you alive.
We have all heard the term.. there are old riders, and there are bold riders, but there are no old, bold riders.
Those that are riding after a lot of years of riding will understand that there are many more ways to get where one is going and indeed wants to go than pushing and trying to be aggressive. Two wheels and 250 pounds don't match up to 4 wheels and 2250 pounds.
I teach "If the car driver wants that piece of road more than you do... let him have it." It's great to be right, but do you want to be dead right?!?!
Part of what I want to do with this blog is to talk about cycling safety and different aspect to that topic and theme.
This is my first try at this and I hope that for those that might want to follow and possibly communicate with me, from where ever, I can entertain, enlighten, teach and maybe pose thoughts and ideas that will invoke discussion, along with points to ponder.
I believe in Bike Helmets, and I very truly believe Bike Helmets are a very good idea. They safe lives and lesson injuries, and lesson brain injuries. Please note I said lesson, not eliminate. They call them brain buckets for a reason, they protect the brain.
There are those that don't agree and will never agree with this, so I am prepared to say we will not agree.
When my kids were growing up we coined the phrase... It's cool to wear a Bike Helmet.
My daughter was the first child to wear a bike helmet to her school in Swift Current, way back when. So I have walked the walk as it were. We had the rule.. No Helmet, No Bike. I still use that rule when I ride, and I teach that rule as a corner stone, and it's written in stone in my world.
Another aspect I am passionate about is the use of Hi-Visibility traffic type vest, you know the obnoxious orange ones. The ones no one looks good in, but can been seen and make a bold statement when riding. If they can see you, you have a better chance to make it. When I ride I wear a vest that on a clear day can be tracked from the space shuttle, as I can be seen by those in vehicles sharing the same roads that I am on.
Combine the vest with lights and I believe this is a combination that will safe lives. It works for me and I ride both my mountain bike and my road toy on the roads in this area around Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows.
Lets call it defensive riding. Like defensive driving that is spoken about you need to make sure you are riding and watching others around you and for others around you.
Common sense is no longer common and courtesy seems to be a thing of the past. Know your spaceial placement, and what you can and can not do. These are a couple of points that will be reoccurring themes as I write this.
I want to continue this blog for the next while and see where it leads.
Thanks for tuning in and reading along.
Chuck.
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