Commuting - Able to block it all out?

Apart from biking to work while briefly living in Bozeman , Mt., I've never lived close enough to my place of employment to make commuting feasible. As a result, my riding is pretty much for pleasure and cardio, and I tend to take the " road less traveled"(country roads with relatively little traffic).

Recently, I've been noticing a guy who commutes to work via a rode near my house. What has peaked my curiosity is the fact that this road, while not a major highway or interstate, is nevertheless a one lane, two way highway with a 55 mph speed limit. I see him as he is coming home from work in the evening when there is a heavy, steady stream of traffic zipping by him. Yesterday, out of curiosity (more likely nosiness), I followed him for about 7 miles. He's got a nice CAAD 10 with font and rear blinking lights, but at dusk he is really kind of hard to pick up. There is about a 6 foot wide shoulder on this road but he tends to stay just inside the white line separating the road from the shoulder. As cars pass him they must veer slightly in towards the center line in order to miss him by a couple of feet. As I followed him for the entire 7 miles there was never a moment where traffic was not breathing down his neck and yet he was consistently riding fast and hard and appeared rather oblivious to his plight.

Now all this brings me to the question of how is this guy able to block this out? On the rare occasions I ride briefly on the shoulder of heavily traveled roads, I breath a sigh of relief as soon as I'm off. It's not even so much the fear of getting killed as it is the fear of getting mangled and spending the next 6 months in a hospital and rehab. Just wondering if any of you have similar commutes and how you deal with it.

I do thay everyday on 6 lane roads. You just have to be assertive and trust that the cars will follow the rules. I suspect riding motorcycles for 8 yeats conditooned me to ignore the sheer closeness of it. Still buses and trucks still get me somewhat nervous. What I don't enjoy is returning home after dark in the winter rain in heavy traffic with ice on the roads.

OP I think that the issue really is mental attitude and "comfort zone" - very rarely are bicyclists hit from behind, so what he is doing is not very dangerous. Of course, with distracted driving (texting, etc) on the rise it's a bit more dangerous than in the past, but collisions from behind are very rare. I ride every kind of highway/street in my area (except the freeway) and the only time I have had a close call, which is maybe once per year (probably less, but I don't keep track), is when someone passes closely on purpose to "make a point". But even those happen on quieter neighborhood streets.

If you want to (not actually necessary since it is not part of your ride) start riding the same highway for a while a couple of times a week just to tweak it into your comfort zone. Not being scared of traffic can open up new routes and possibilities.

Ya get used to it. My commute is 100% on 2 lane roads with little if any shoulder, 50 MPH speed limits most of the way. I am as accomidating as I can be while staying safe, and cars don't bother me any.

Being surprised by a high-speed vehicle's presence IMO is the biggest reason those roads "feel" dangerous. If you don't already use a mirror, figure out a way to install one (or two for best measure). When you can get a feel for the road w/ just your peripheral vision it feels much more comfortable to be on the high-speed roads.

If you're a little jumpy to noise (I've become that way due to noise sensitivity), breaking off half a earplug and using that can do wonders. By not covering most of your outer ear you prevent road vibrations from transmitting to your ears (found out this is why musician's ear plugs don't cover the entire ear), and those cars whizzing past you suddenly feel much less intimidating (if you're fine w/ the noise level as it is, you can still try this for a week or two to 'train' your brain that those cars don't scare you). Also brings down road noise from high speed traffic to sane levels that won't damage your hearing. W/ my heightened sensitivity to noise I always bring half plugs w/ me riding, and put them on once I enter high-noise areas.

Practice.....and some faith in mankind.Your at their(drivers) mercy.....they can kill you at anytime.For myself,I believe most people don't REALLY wish me dead or need to grease the front wheels.....:)

The truth is, people who commute by bike are just that awesome.

I've always maintained that commuting in an urban environment takes an "attitude" to do well & properly. You get used to the traffic, and if your commute is usually around the same time of day and you use th same route, then the drivers will (for the most part) get used to you too.

Get rid of those knobby tires, though! And get some slicks. I commute on Performance Bicycle's Forte Metro K with Slime tubes. Well over a year now, and not one flat.

Practice.....and some faith in mankind.Your at their(drivers) mercy.....they can kill you at anytime.For myself,I believe most people don't REALLY wish me dead or need to grease the front wheels.....:)

It's not the malevolence of my fellow man that I fear, it's the everyday common distractions ( cell phone use, fiddlin' with the radio, daydreaming, etc.) that could get you eliminated. In all honesty, when I see the above mentioned rider commuting and consider the margin off error with vehicle speed and proximity of bike to car, I can't help but think it's just a matter of time. Hopefully I'm overreacting.

The truth is, people who commute by bike are just that awesome.

Now it all makes sense.:)

Apart from biking to work while briefly living in Bozeman , Mt., I've never lived close enough to my place of employment to make commuting feasible. As a result, my riding is pretty much for pleasure and cardio, and I tend to take the " road less traveled"(country roads with relatively little traffic).

Recently, I've been noticing a guy who commutes to work via a rode near my house. What has peaked my curiosity is the fact that this road, while not a major highway or interstate, is nevertheless a one lane, two way highway with a 55 mph speed limit. I see him as he is coming home from work in the evening when there is a heavy, steady stream of traffic zipping by him. Yesterday, out of curiosity (more likely nosiness), I followed him for about 7 miles. He's got a nice CAAD 10 with font and rear blinking lights, but at dusk he is really kind of hard to pick up. There is about a 6 foot wide shoulder on this road but he tends to stay just inside the white line separating the road from the shoulder. As cars pass him they must veer slightly in towards the center line in order to miss him by a couple of feet. As I followed him for the entire 7 miles there was never a moment where traffic was not breathing down his neck and yet he was consistently riding fast and hard and appeared rather oblivious to his plight.

Now all this brings me to the question of how is this guy able to block this out? On the rare occasions I ride briefly on the shoulder of heavily traveled roads, I breath a sigh of relief as soon as I'm off. It's not even so much the fear of getting killed as it is the fear of getting mangled and spending the next 6 months in a hospital and rehab. Just wondering if any of you have similar commutes and how you deal with it.
The road my driveway exits onto, is a 45mph 1 lane each way road that is actually a main back road artery around here (no shoulder or bike lane), leading onto the main road I have to travel when commuting which is another 1 lane each way road but with a 50mph speed limit.. there are bike lanes on either side at about the same width as the shoulder you describe.. believe me it isn't hard to get used to it if you want to.

Knowing what the risks are makes you safer and lowers your fear level. That's a winning combination in my book.

The truth is, people who commute by bike are just that awesome.

+1

The vast majority of drivers will do the right thing without even thinking about it, despite any intentional intimidation, or texting, or stupidity, or being blissfully unaware. Drivers really don't want to hit us.

Let me say that again: Drivers really don't want to hit us.

It ruins their day too, you know. Plus the police, insurance, collision shop, and rent-a-car hassles--and those things are still hanging out there even if they hit-and-run.

That's what gives me the confidence (well, that, hi-viz and a DiNotte 300R) to use a six-mile stretch of narrow four-lane (11-foot lanes) with a granite curb (nope, no shoulder) with bonus storm drains sticking out two feet or more into the lane.

I completely understand that all it takes is one, but in nearly seven years of cycling that route, I can remember only one time I had a bad interaction with a driver--and that was at a stoplight where he was second in line behind me and couldn't turn right-on-red.

And no, I don't block it all out. I keep an eye on my mirror. Not that I've ever seen anything back there that made me soil my chamois.

There is about a 6 foot wide shoulder on this road but he tends to stay just inside the white line separating the road from the shoulder. As cars pass him they must veer slightly in towards the center line in order to miss him by a couple of feet. As I followed him for the entire 7 miles there was never a moment where traffic was not breathing down his neck and yet he was consistently riding fast and hard and appeared rather oblivious to his plight.
I commuted on a 55 mph road for years. It had no ride-able shoulder but it did have a passing lane. I believe that if the available 6' shoulder is paved and rideable yet the cyclist chooses to ignore it forcing every single motorist to both notice him in time and to maneuver around him, he is oblivious of more than just traffic passing patterns.

There are high 45mph speed limits where I live and most drivers blow that by 10 to 20 mph all day everyday. While you want to keep an eye on your mirror, the real dangers lie in drivers turning (right hook or left hook) into your path, typically without signaling, especially when it seems like you should be in plain sight and there is now way they could turn at that moment.

IMO, the key is keeping a peripheral awareness of the front wheels of nearby cars or cars that have an opportunity to turn even if they haven't signaled. That is your split second warning to evade. I had two near misses in the past week or so that I appear to have gotten through due to that slight edge.

There is nothing you can do about drivers buzzing your elbow over the speed limit, except maybe taking more of the lane (doesn't seem to work here). For that just focus on enjoying your ride, your cadence, etc.

I commuted on a 55 mph road for years. It had no ride-able shoulder but it did have a passing lane. I believe that if the available 6' shoulder is paved and rideable yet the cyclist chooses to ignore it forcing every single motorist to both notice him in time and to maneuver around him, he is oblivious of more than just traffic passing patterns.

Riding on the shoulder trains motorists to expect that cyclists will ride on the shoulder. From the description, the lane is wide enough to share. Cars have to 'veer slightly' to get by him. That's how shared lanes work.

That said, I sometimes ride on the shoulder, when necessary/appropriate.

Riding on the shoulder trains motorists to expect that cyclists will ride on the shoulder. From the description, the lane is wide enough to share. Cars have to 'veer slightly' to get by him. That's how shared lanes work.

That said, I sometimes ride on the shoulder, when necessary/appropriate.
"Cars have to 'veer slightly' to get by him. That's how shared lanes work."
What a load of "stuff"! Cyclists getting hit "slightly" at 55 mph by the first motorist, who for whatever reason, fails to veer slightly/"share" is in a world of unnecessary hurt. Hurt that would have been avoided if the cyclist only used the available shoulder and was not on some dang "training mission".
You seem to be touting that a cyclist should endanger himself unnecessarily to "train" motorists in some hypothetical supposition of yours?

When do you find it "necessary" or "appropriate" to ride on a 6' foot paved shoulder parallel to a 55mph road, if not this scenario? And what happens to your motorist training program then?

Riding on the shoulder trains motorists to expect that cyclists will ride on the shoulder. From the description, the lane is wide enough to share. Cars have to 'veer slightly' to get by him. That's how shared lanes work.

That said, I sometimes ride on the shoulder, when necessary/appropriate.If there's a shoulder on a high-speed highway, ride it. This would not be the appropriate time to "train" drivers.

The rider described in the OP stays off the shoulder, but none of us except labas has seen this road so I imagine he has his reasons. But in a situation where there is a shoulder to ride on, that's where I'll be. :)

Where to ride, shoulder or lane, should be the rider's decision.

If there's a shoulder on a high-speed highway, ride it. This would not be the appropriate time to "train" drivers.

The rider described in the OP stays off the shoulder, but none of us except labas has seen this road so I imagine he has his reasons. But in a situation where there is a shoulder to ride on, that's where I'll be. :)

The shoulder in this instance is identical to to the road. The only thing that sets it apart is the white dividing line. Seeing how aggressive this fellow rides, my thought is that he is just making a statement about his legal right to share the road.

The shoulder in this instance is identical to to the road. The only thing that sets it apart is the white dividing line. Seeing how aggressive this fellow rides, my thought is that he is just making a statement about his legal right to share the road.
"Aggressive" is one way to describe such cycling behavior; ignorant and foolish is another.
I am sure his widow or mother can engrave that "statement" on his tombstone, after some distracted motorist doesn't understand or comprehend the "statement."

"Aggressive" is one way to describe such cycling behavior; ignorant and foolish is another.
you have never seen this cyclist ride and yet you are angry about the way he rides and think he will surely die. Is this a fair characterization of your posts in this thread?

There's one highway a couple of neighborhoods over that goes through a recreation area (so it's usually dark) and the speed limit is 50MPH. I don't think i'd have the guts for that, i'd use the shoulder definitely. Maybe if one day I can sustain about 30Mph on a lightweight bike?

"Aggressive" is one way to describe such cycling behavior; ignorant and foolish is another.
I am sure his widow or mother can engrave that "statement" on his tombstone, after some distracted motorist doesn't understand or comprehend the "statement."
If there were no shoulder on this road would he still be a wreckless idiot in your mind?

Apart from biking to work while briefly living in Bozeman , Mt., I've never lived close enough to my place of employment to make commuting feasible. As a result, my riding is pretty much for pleasure and cardio, and I tend to take the " road less traveled"(country roads with relatively little traffic).

Recently, I've been noticing a guy who commutes to work via a rode near my house. What has peaked my curiosity is the fact that this road, while not a major highway or interstate, is nevertheless a one lane, two way highway with a 55 mph speed limit. I see him as he is coming home from work in the evening when there is a heavy, steady stream of traffic zipping by him. Yesterday, out of curiosity (more likely nosiness), I followed him for about 7 miles. He's got a nice CAAD 10 with font and rear blinking lights, but at dusk he is really kind of hard to pick up. There is about a 6 foot wide shoulder on this road but he tends to stay just inside the white line separating the road from the shoulder. As cars pass him they must veer slightly in towards the center line in order to miss him by a couple of feet. As I followed him for the entire 7 miles there was never a moment where traffic was not breathing down his neck and yet he was consistently riding fast and hard and appeared rather oblivious to his plight.

Now all this brings me to the question of how is this guy able to block this out? On the rare occasions I ride briefly on the shoulder of heavily traveled roads, I breath a sigh of relief as soon as I'm off. It's not even so much the fear of getting killed as it is the fear of getting mangled and spending the next 6 months in a hospital and rehab. Just wondering if any of you have similar commutes and how you deal with it.

haha at first I thought you were describing a guy I've seen lately almost every evening on bike, on the highway I travel on when going home from work, - also a 2-lane 55mph state highway. But then I got to the part about the 6-foot shoulder and I knew it wasn't this highway, because the highway I travel on has NO shoulder. As a result the guy has to ride just inside the white line, and with no turning lane cars usually doing 60+ must cross over the middle line a bit to get around him. Also I have noticed his front light is almost not even visible at night. It's probably a cheap one like mine. I don't know how the guy does it. I sure wouldn't want to.

Curious, how were you able to follow him for 7 miles? Weren't you in your car? And you must have been going really slow to stay behind him? That would have looked a little weird to the cyclists and other motorists, no?

This is the road I take going home, and also the place where I see the guy on a bike coming the other direction: http://goo.gl/maps/OiOtb

*edit* I would be interested to know how far this guy goes, where from and where to.

If there were no shoulder on this road would he still be a wreckless idiot in your mind?

No. He would be doing the best he could if there were no alternative. In fact he would have have been somewhat like my 6 mile commute each way on a busy 55mpg road without a shoulder that I did for 7 years. I could only dream about a paved shoulder on the road and would have used it in a heartbeat.

The point is - he DOES have a much safer alternative and ignores it for reasons that range from unknown to ridiculous.

you have never seen this cyclist ride and yet you are angry about the way he rides and think he will surely die. Is this a fair characterization of your posts in this thread?
I can read what has been posted about this bicyclist's riding, it is quite clear. I can also write clearly; your "characterization of what I have posted is not accurate.

Some people worry more than others, even in potentially dangerous situations. I tend to be a worrier myself, so I use a helmet visor mounted mirror to keep an eye on traffic approaching behind me. If the shoulder is clean, I am going to ride on it. If the shoulder is covered with puncture-making debris I am fine with sharing the travel lanes on most roads with good lines of sight as long as I can see whatever is sneaking up on me.

haha at first I thought you were describing a guy I've seen lately almost every evening on bike, on the highway I travel on when going home from work, - also a 2-lane 55mph state highway. But then I got to the part about the 6-foot shoulder and I knew it wasn't this highway, because the highway I travel on has NO shoulder. As a result the guy has to ride just inside the white line, and with no turning lane cars usually doing 60+ must cross over the middle line a bit to get around him. Also I have noticed his front light is almost not even visible at night. It's probably a cheap one like mine. I don't know how the guy does it. I sure wouldn't want to.

Curious, how were you able to follow him for 7 miles? Weren't you in your car? And you must have been going really slow to stay behind him? That would have looked a little weird to the cyclists and other motorists, no?

This is the road I take going home, and also the place where I see the guy on a bike coming the other direction: http://goo.gl/maps/OiOtb

*edit* I would be interested to know how far this guy goes, where from and where to.

Let me clarify the "able to follow him for 7 miles". When i initially saw this fellow, I drove past him about a mile further down the road, got off on a side street and waited for him to come by. I repeated this scenario for the next 6 miles or so. I've thought about following him again, just to see how long his commute is, but have decided to mindmy own business. That and the fact the wifey called me a "commuter stalker".


This road is about 20 miles south of Nashville,so who knows, maybe it is the same guy.:lol:

Now all this brings me to the question of how is this guy able to block this out? On the rare occasions I ride briefly on the shoulder of heavily traveled roads, I breath a sigh of relief as soon as I'm off. It's not even so much the fear of getting killed as it is the fear of getting mangled and spending the next 6 months in a hospital and rehab. Just wondering if any of you have similar commutes and how you deal with it.

I ride like that. Use a mirror. Dinotte tail light. The draft is awesome from the vehicles.
Speed limit 65 mph

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh187/10wheels/28th%20Flat/28thFlat044.jpg

Let me clarify the "able to follow him for 7 miles". When i initially saw this fellow, I drove past him about a mile further down the road, got off on a side street and waited for him to come by. I repeated this scenario for the next 6 miles or so. I've thought about following him again, just to see how long his commute is, but have decided to mindmy own business. That and the fact the wifey called me a "commuter stalker".


This road is about 20 miles south of Nashville,so who knows, maybe it is the same guy.:lol:

lol yeah I don't know about that. I've always been into cars and recognize almost every car on the road, so I would probably notice the same car passing me 6 or 7 times, waiting on side streets and stuff.

I ride like that. Use a mirror. Dinotte tail light. The draft is awesome from the vehicles.
Speed limit 65 mph

I find that there is a WORLD of DIFFERENCE between riding on the shoulder of a high speed road like I did for 18 months on I80N (now designated I84) west of Pendelton OR and riding in the 10' widelane of a busy high speed 55+mph road that has no rideable shoulder, like I did for 7 years on US 34 west of Burlington IA.

The only thing I found "awesome" about those conditions was the noise, especially when a hoard of Harleys overwealmed the sound spectrum in the warm weather months. I also find it "awesome" that some people would advise ignoring an available paved shoulder and suggest riding in the lane of high speed busy roads instead in order to "teach" motorists a lesson of dubious value to the instructor.

Now all this brings me to the question of how is this guy able to block this out?

I can't tell you how. I grew up riding the main roads of Florida since I was 8. That has made me fearless. I can remember a few qualms riding Highway 41 the first time, but it soon subsided.

I've had days when I was completely convinced the entire motorist world was out to injure me (or worse) in some way.

I often ride a stretch of high-speed 2 lane road with a good hill. When I'm climbing, I'll take the very rough narrow shoulder. But when I'm descending I'll ride in the lane near the white line. As I round a curve with poor sight lines, I'll take a more aggressive lane position for increased visibility.

The shoulder varies in width and is filled with all kinds of debris that will flat a tire or cause loss of control of the bike. I descend the hill about 28mph, climb about 10mph. The higher descending speed makes it safer to hold a consistent line in the cleaner tire-swept traffic lane.

I keep my ears tuned into the traffic approaching from the rear but it doesn't bother me much when cars pass me. I put a lot of my attention into avoiding road hazards. Cyclists are common in this area and it's mostly local traffic that uses the road on a daily basis.

Other areas I'm pretty happy just staying on the shoulder.

There are lots of things you can see on a bike that you'll be less sensitive to in a car. And each rider will have their own criteria, strengths, and weaknesses. Let them decide where to ride by themselves.

As to the cyclist's visibility -- if there are few intersections, his front lighting isn't as critical as his rear lighting as long as he can see where he's going. Personally I would appreciate sincere feedback from others if I am not visible from a safe distance. I am a fan of bright lights, HiVis attire, and reflective bits as well as choosing my lane positioning to maximize sightlines and riding defensively.

Most of you have hit it spot on. It's a matter of riding it! Be assertive, but not stupid. Ride predictably. Use a mirror. Realize how awesome you are! (LOVE THAT LINE!!!!) I ride a US highway to work daily (12 miles) and have maybe a 3 foot paved shoulder I can use on much of it. I do use a very bright blinkie on the rear. I've been told by family that they can see it for several miles! I really love riding this commute after dark. That light back there confuses all the drivers and I'm given more room! Since I've broken both collar bones, a backpack doesn't work for me so I often use my BOB to haul my work clothes in. I have another bright blinkie on it. (I use PlanetBike and love them)

I don't get scared if I am on a wide shoulder. Most roads around here over 45mph have wide shoulders.
I get nervous on narrow shoulders or roads with no shoulders.

I ride everywhere on 55 mph roads with no shoulders. If you go off the road you go into the ditch. I generally stick to the right half of the lane. But if I had a 6 foot wide paved shoulder I would use it. It doesn't matter, that's not happening around here.