This post is inspired by a friend’s amazing stunt-riding out of a New York City area tollbooth. His acceleration as he left the basket caused first his back and then both tires to lose traction; he sailed out sideways, caught a little pavement between the lanes, fishtailed three times and then steadied, all without falling or getting hit. After thanking the several dozen guardian angels that must have been involved, I began thinking about the hazards that can surprise even experienced riders.
Tollbooths make for cars sitting and idling a moment, depositing extra exhaust and dripped oils on the pavement. Usually we can ride off that layer without noticing. On a rainy day, countless vehicles cover that layer with a wet film that makes it slicker than a used-car salesman in New Jersey. Beware!
Most cold-weather riders know about the places on our regular route that ice early or stay iced late; the overpasses, the shadowed spots. We’ve learned where the spring melt crosses the road, and where the sand builds up. On a new route, we sometimes forget that those hazards can be hidden around the next curve.
All riders need to stay aware of two serious traction hazards: leaves and paint. Wet autumn leaves slide against each other like well-oiled machine parts, and on suburban roads they tend to heap up in shallow drifts against curbs and lawn edges. Stop lines and turn arrows, wide areas of painted road, get incredibly slippery when wet. Both can dump you without warning.
I took a bath in a dirt parking lot one fine spring day. I’ll admit to taking a certain pleasure in riding through puddles. This one was deeper than it looked. We’d had a warm night and a really warm day, but the ice hadn’t completely melted off the bottom of this puddle and it was covered in muddy, cold water. Luckily neither I nor the bike were hurt, but my dignity was fatally injured by the convenience store guy’s laughter…