Are there roads we shouldn’t ride on, even if we legally can?! In today’s show, Dan Lloyd and Si Richardson discuss whether we should exercise our rights as cyclists to ride down roads that might be potentially dangerous due to motorists, or just save ourselves from the “hassle” and find quieter roads. What’s the line?
Plus, we share some big news from GCN & Zwift, update you on the World Cyclocross Championships, bring you the fastest road bike in the world, and much more!
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⏱️ Timestamps: ⏱️
00:00 – Welcome to the GCN Show!
00:43 – This week in the world of cycling
03:33 – Are there certain roads cyclists shouldn’t ride on?
12:21 – Zwift Academy is BACK! 🎉 #AD In association with @Zwift
13:51 – Cycling Shorts
14:39 – The dawn of smart handlebars?!
16:15 – Shimano launch Cues groupset
17:08 – Zwift rides with Sir Chris Hoy in preparation of Tour de 4
18:10 – Bike theft video update!
20:39 – In memory of Aidan Worden
21:14 – Hack/Bodge of the week
26:06 – Caption competition
28:44 – Comment of the week
35:01 – This week on GCN
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Do you think there are some roads cyclists should give a miss? 🤔 If so, where are you drawing the line? Let us know in the comments! 💬
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39 Comments
Roads I wouldn’t ride: Any road that make Si think, “You know, this route would be a good challenge for Hank’s next GCN video…”
Raj here from India. We don’t have any bicycle lanes here. Absolutely none! Not even in cities. I usually do my rides on roads which are wide two-lane with a shoulder. It’s generally understood here that cyclists will stick to the shoulder. That’s our designated cycling lane! If we ever get cycling lanes, it’ll be flooded immediately by motorbikes and scooter!😅
I live in rural India where cycling is much easier coz there’s less traffic. In cities, it’s virtually impossible once rush hour traffic kicks in! We, Indian cyclists, have made our peace. If we keep worrying about rights, we’ll never ride! 😂
As someone else commented, we rely on common sense and good judgment.
My take on this, we’re on a bicycle and on roads, especially with no proper bike lanes and speed limits of 45mph or higher, I just won’t take that chance. All it takes is one distracted driver looking at their phone and it could end catastrophically for me. Not worth the risk by any means!
Watch me ladies!
Be smart. Roads around here are freakin’ dangerous, even the ones with huge shoulders. When not on Zwift, I’m in my neighborhood. Most of the traffic lights around here don’t even have pedestrian buttons and the magnetic loops in the road laugh at my carbon bike.
Choosing the correct stem length has never been more critical. #integration
30-40yrs ago I rode any road. But now, living in a much less cycling friendly country than I did then, I only ride the 'backroads'. Living between the ocean & a lake, there's one major road through what is essentially a narrow corridor of land. Beautiful windswept views on the minor roads along the ocean or lake. The major road is 4 lanes (2 each way), 70km/hr with no shoulder (there's actually a bikepath next to it hidden behind trees but I don't think I've ever seen anyone on it). And lots of traffic! There is no way I would ever ride that road, and every time I do see a cyclist on there, they're putting themselves in danger. Early morning there's generally few enough cars around to switch lanes and give the bike a miss, but once 7AM comes around, traffic is full on both lanes and there's very little margin for cars to give a cyclist a safe pass. So unless it's 5AM on Sunday, it's a road cyclists should leave to cars. The route I take along the lake/ocean is so much safer and in either direction it'd barely be a couple extra km's (and isn't that what we're all aiming for). Overall I get 65km on a S-N return ride, and anything over that I take my MTB to the local trails, with the longest trail being 1067km.
Really enjoyed the show!
Some sections of road I try to only use in a down hill direction to reduce closing speed. Others I avoid if at all possible. For example did use a dubious road getting help.
I mean, it should be common sense to avoid super busy roads where cars have a hard time passing you. It only creates problems and feels disrespectful to other road users. We as cyclists are also annoyed when pedestrians walk their dogs on main cycling routes even if they might be allowed to.
My rule on the road is to give up your right of way when necessary and get home safe and sound with a story to tell
I always try to avoid fast roads while cycling but it would be nice if motorists avoided some roads too. My ride home from work goes along a country lane so I can avoid the busier roads but a lot of motorists use it as a short cut to avoid traffic lights. Unfortunately they get very impatient with me and sometimes try and force me out of the way. I’d still prefer to ride this route than the dual carriageway though.
Agree ! Its all about safety, and traffic saturation. Here in Bridgend South Wales, theres a stretch of road, called new mill bends, the A4061 leading towards the Bwlch mountain climb, its one of the worst fast traffic roads, there are crashes and accidents on this road every week. And cyclists still persist in riding along it, even though there is a perfectly good cycling track running parallel to it going to the Bwlch climb.
To cycle on this section of road is insane.
Just because you can ride a road , doesn’t mean you should. I avoid higher traffic roads in peak hour or blind spot roads whenever possible and only ride them when it is obvious riders will be about eg Sunday mornings up the local hills.
If I can’t avoid then I hog the road for as minimal time as needed , make it obvious I am trying hard, and wave to say thanks. The more we say thanks and acknowledge efforts (even if we feel we should HAVe to) , the more motorists will be patient and accept us. That’s my 2 cents anyway.
I have a few places where there is an alternative quieter road in parallel to the fast road. I always wonder why bikes want to be on the busier car road.
If a car hits you and kills you it doesn't matter if you were right. We all should apply common sense and avoid dangerous or busy roads if possible.
wow you make your own bicycle airplane that is amazing for me sir
Where we live in Southeast Queensland Australia most of the roads are 110 kph with no shoulder, the main road is a highway with B Doubles. The “local” roads are narrow with 80 or 110 kph speed limits and cars are dodging tractors. Riding on the roads are not much fun, even early in the morning.
But we do have a long-distance gravel trail the cuts through the area, so most cyclist use the gravel trail. Relaxing, and on the odd occasion a wallaby might bounce in front of you while a koala is watching.
WVA Photo: I need some cellulite removed, but first let me try to carry this race off…
Go Gaffu 🎉
I wouldn’t avoid riding on a road to save drivers’ time, but there are loads of rides I don’t ride on for my own safety and enjoyment
Fallen out of love with cycling, Dan? You need a new challenge such as kayaking. Can race, tour or just relax. Can also go in world masters. I have friends who cycle and kayak because the activities compliment each other. Kayaking also involves legs.
I choose not to ride those roads. More for my safety rather than those in their cars. Also it's unpleasant when lots of cars pass you on a stretch of road
Fix the road, new paradigm, more cyclists .
Live in Washington State and generally avoid any road with a speed limit higher than 40mph. The 40mph road is not any fun, even if it has paved shoulders but can be useful. If there's no paved shoulders, I try to not ride that road at all, particularly if uphill.
Unpaved side routes are a lot more fun to find and to ride.
Alternative routes away from fast flowing traffic is all well and good for leisure and training rides, but it really highlights the need for proper, viable routes for active travel – my drive to work is 7.4km on national speed limit dual carriageway (which I could legally ride on, but would never dream of it because drivers struggle to see each other, let alone the odd, slow moving cyclist… – you do see the very occasional cyclist on there) – the ride by the alternative routes is 8.5km using some quieter urban roads, and over 9km if I use as few roads as possible! I'm essentially punished for not driving, shoved out the way for the benefit of drivers.
I live in the French Alps which means many (most) roads around here are climbs, but also that there are very few alternatives. So we’re often forced to ride roads that are far from ideal. But what can make a difference is choosing when to ride these roads, and it never fails to amaze me when people choose to ride them during what counts for rush hour. The climb that comes into my town, approx 5km long (with only one lay-by) and vertical ascent of 350m, is a D-Road (B-road in the UK) and can be used by 8 wheeler lorries, coaches and even the odd articulated lorry, and people still insist on riding up it (for fun, not commute) between 0800-0900 and again between 1600-1800. Why? Sometimes the traffic one rider causes is nuts and obviously annoys drivers, and when drivers are annoyed they tend to make stupid/aggressive decisions when overtaking etc. Even as a 40+ year cyclist, I just want to ask them why?
Shane Miller (GP Lama) did a great in-depth video of AirTags in bikes, including loads of testing of how well they work
As far as roads go there is a small element of haters in Australia that hassle ,abuse and just dont care about cyclists.
Common sense should prevail. I certainly have similar roads that I avoid for my safety.
@Captioncompetition UCI spots a hidden motor with an afterburner. Butt what are they going to ban? 6.8 kg limit of carbs per race.
Yes.
Caption Competition: that is what you do to look sexy in lycra
I risk assess every road that I ride on in advance. There are some locally that I refuse to ride on because in my view they are full of hazards and hence too risky and others where if I have to ride on them I limit my exposure time on them and try to ride on them when I know that they will be quieter. I always cycle on roads wearing Hi-viz and with a high intensity rear light, even on the sunniest of days.
Traffic intensity and wind are the main two factors I consider before planning any ride. It's simply not fun being on the fast roads with all the cars. There is nothing more serene than letting the bike be fast in the middle of the road, confident in your solitude. I am sure that this is why gravel took off in the way that it did.
My driving training was very focused on traffic flow, so I am mindful of it both as driver and cyclist. I wish we had better train infrastructure in Norway, but we don't, and lorries do the work. I tend to pull over to let them past if I'm slowing them down, but I also tend to not be on the two main roads.
I will say that the vitriol against cyclists is bizarre. Go on any viral video showing cyclists involved in a crash – even if it's an official race on closed roads where the driver is breaking the law – and the comments will almost unanimously praise the injury of cyclists.
Firstly, it's traffic. You too, are traffic, angry man. You are not IN traffic, you ARE traffic. You might be stuck behind a cyclist, but if you get past them, you're stuck behind the next traffic participant. This is how traffic works. Is this worth murderous rage? I think it's time we took a serious look, as a society, at toxic masculinity and cars. I've never been punish passed by a woman.
Secondly, where is this vitriol elsewhere? Why is there no "damned pedestrians, think they own the country lane"? Tractors? Mopeds? On recreational trails, why aren't walkers saying "flipping lycra-clad runnists, do they REALLY need to wear all that fancy New York Marathon kit? Why can't they just use NORMAL clothes? What's wrong with jeans and boots?" etc. Whenever someone says they drive a car, why don't we say "Oh, you're not one of those Le Mans carists? Do you have like a super expensive fancy car? Do you wear all that fancy car clothing?" or "Oh you drive? Tell me, why do carists think they own the road? Why are you guys always going through red lights and stop signs?" etc. etc.
There is an incredible amount of confirmation bias when it comes to this, and I wonder where it comes from. My bike cost about 1000£ less than my car. Everyone makes fun of me for driving such a cheap and shoddy 30 year-old car, but when I bought a bike for considerably less, friends called me out of "concern" that I wasn't thinking long-term about my personal finances. One begins to almost consider conspiracy to find the answer to why the bike is considered the most privileged and silly toy an adult can have.
When I used to commute to work by bike I used to find the alternative and quieter road just as dangerous as the busy main road. The alternative route a signed ‘cycle way’ was through a housing estate, however this was used by drivers as a ‘rat run’ and tended to attract the more impatient driver. I experienced tailgating , overtakes on blind bends and left hooks. I came to the conclusion sticking to the busy main road was safer, as it was straight and people could overtake more safely.
I've just remembered a horror tale from my first time in France! I had rented a horrible, heavy town bike (dutch style with a suspension fork) to get out to an ornithological park in Camargue. It ended up being a 102 km ride roundtrip. When I was to return, I decided to call a cab to take me closer to Montpellier where I was staying, because I was so tired, my phone was dying, and I thought I'd just enjoy the bike trails instead of fight traffic on my way to the outskirts. The taxi took me to the outskirts as promised, but he dropped me off at a roundabout on a dual carriageway. I thought there must have been some mistake, but indeed, there were signs indicating that this was officially a cycling route. So there was me, in leather boots on a horrible bike, at dusk, on a 110 km/h dual carriageway. It is still the worst day I ever had on a bike. The dual carriageway was only 8 kilometers before I could get off, but I had 75 km in the legs, in jeans, and the bike must have weighed 20 kilos. All of this to say that yes, there are roads that we should just leave…
What's Manon up to these days?
captioncomp:
It's a chocolate bike Wout! Of course you can't ride it!