whats the scariest part of your ride????
 

I'll start. The hwy I cross at the very end of my ride coming to work. Very scary. For some reason while I'm riding I'm always thinking and looking out for someone who might not be looking. Stressful I feel like I need to relaxe a little but as soon as I do look out there I am laying on the concrete with my new winter pants and and jacket torn to shreds. That's hasn't happened yet. Just saying. Also are you riding more carefree or at least you feel that way?? So back to the scary part I feel like someone is not going to care even if they see me and just hit me from behind. I can't drive that part I don't own a car. I have been looked for a different route but they are all filled with careless drivers and narrow roads with high speeds.

Most of the roads I ride on don't have shoulders (and you can forget about bike lanes or MUPs). There's one particular spot that bothers me, but it was a spot that I wasn't worried about that got me. I should learn a lesson from that.

Sounds pretty bad. I find its.always the crapy cars that pass to close. I'm not trying to complain or anything.

... arriving at work is the scariest part for me ;)

I lol'd at that.

One of my routes into downtown is a road that merges left onto a major artery, and then I have to cross two lanes to make a left after about 1/4 mile. The past couple days I've been taking a different route that's a little longer but avoids that intersection.

My scariest part is getting out of bed. I dread that every morning.

whats the scariest part of your ride????

I have on occasion had nightmares about ABSOLUTELY needing to be at work at 7:30 AM, and being nowhere near there. :eek:

Rarely in reality I have found myself in that situation, but had more leeway than in my nightmares. Lightning also make me nervous when it catches me on the road. Otherwise, I have a pretty safe route, and a rearview mirror alleviates a lot of anxiety.

Any parts where there's traffic. Drivers around here are generally terrible.

I have a spot about 15 miles in on the way to work where there are two lights within a couple hundred feet of each other, the second crossing a big highway. the MUP peters out right before the first and picks back up on the other side of the second so for about 100 yards or so I have to mix it up with traffic. The thing is that if you move at a decent clip you can make both lights (even on a bike) so everyone is trying to get through there as quickly as possible.

I figure if I ever do get creamed that's where it's most likely going to happen. But as FSM points out, we never really do know until afterward, do we?

I don my invisibility cloak for crossing Key Bridge into Georgetown. It works, because drivers are obviously unable to see me. Even my eye-searing helmet light is not enough sometimes.

Riding in front of 2 high schools in the morning.Crazy people......

Hi there Crowell!

It would be even scarier, if you woke up, but you couldn't get out of bed!...Now, THAT'S what to dread!

- Slim :)

Deers around late Oct and Nov.

Honestly, there really isn't one. If part of my route terrified me that much, I'd find a different route.

Good point!

As far as my route - no real issues. I have a short urban commute. There is definitely traffic, but most everybody is pretty well behaved and no specific area is more prone to problems. If I had to ride in the 'burbs it would be different.

This place : Don't even try to ride by, take a different route. It has a gravitational pull 3 times stronger than the sun.


http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A..._XWHWYecfLETjI

Once you're sucked inside, ohhh it's horrible and cruel:

http://myvictoriabc.files.wordpress....myio1_5001.jpg

I made a thread about it a while back:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...s-intersection.

I have since switched to a longer route to avoid the intersection, as well as the road with no shoulders. It takes longer, but in the long run, saving 15 minutes a day isn't really worth the rest of my life when some cager inevitably kills me.

If there is one place I am going to get run over it is on a short one block stretch which is preceded by 3 southbound lanes, narrows to 2, and then expands to three... but I refuse to re-route and increase my riding time.

You don't even need to ask on whether or not I take the lane here.

This part. From about 17 to 32 seconds of the video, where most of the way is no shoulder country 2-lane.

I only commute about 9 miles, but I have this super annoying left hand turn I have to make on the way home (no lights, the road I'm on T's into the road I want to get on). It's a very simple one lane each direction road. Speed limit is 45. To my left is a stop light about 1/4 mile away. To my right is most of the traffic heading home from work (the busy direction). Behind me are other cars trying to turn left too and getting just as impatient as myself.

It's a pain because the cars on the right are pretty much non-stop. Sometimes someone from that direction stops to turn left where I'm at and they try to wave me through, but the cars on my left aren't clear OR the car/s behind the car waving me through are passing that car on the right (illegally).

It's a huge pain in the ass. I *could* ride about 2 miles out of my way to cross the street further down to my right where there is a light.

The last mile on the way in to work is a somewhat busy 4 lane road with traffic going 50+mph or so. Its not too bad, and I've never had any issues on that stretch beyond a lady yelling at me once, but some days it can be a little nerve racking with cars whizzing by. There's no way to avoid though - its the road my office is on.

Mine is a spot I never would have suspected before I started riding the route. It's where Crowley Road intersects Risinger Road at the south edge of Fort Worth. I approach that intersection on Crowley Road from the south at dark-thirty every morning, and go straight through the intersection. Crowley Road is a 55 mph speed limit there. I ride the shoulder, but approaching Risinger Road, the shoulder becomes the right turn lane, and something like 80 percent of the northbound Crowley Road traffic turns right onto Risinger Road.

There's no good way for me to behave there. Drivers just don't seem to know what to do. I finally gave up on moving out of the right turn lane into the first lane that goes straight (unless the right turner behind me is the only other vehicle around). Vehicles trying to go straight would run up close behind me at speed, and I even had a couple of drivers move into the left lane, then try to right hook me, making their turn onto Risinger Road. These days, I usually just stay in the turn lane and watch for drivers trying to right hook me.

This is the spot I dislike the most. I ride route 11 through this area where there are two on off ramps and trafic traveling about 45 - 55 mph there is a large shoulder and bike lane before and after the on/off ramps but in between especially over the bridge can be a littel sketchy. There is a pedestrian bridge that bypasses that area I may give that a try tonight and see how that works out

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=223688

Oh and that area is travled by community college strudents :eek:

Yep. First ride in before sunup, survived the ride down the hills, through town, and almost got wiped by a maintenance pickup truck that pulled out of an alley without looking. 4 lights (3 blinking), reflectors, illuminite vest, etc.