Sorry Mate, I didn't see you...

Hi everyone & welcome back to the blog! As many of you who have been keeping up to date with my training over the past few months will no doubt be aware, it's all coming along well and I have been putting a lot of time in on the Turbo Trainer at home! There are a number of reasons for doing the majority of my training on the Turbo, the main ones being my lack of 'winter' riding gear and the increased risk of riding/commuting on busy roads in the dark and in poor weather. These dangers have been highlighted over the past few months in particular, by some high profile accidents, including Sir Bradley Wiggins being knocked off whilst training and the unfortunate death of Pro Mountain Bike Rider Burry Stander in South Africa a few weeks ago (http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/20905142).

Whilst I fully agree that there needs to be more awareness and respect towards cyclists from drivers, this is definitely one process which works both ways! How can we possibly expect to gain greater respect from drivers if we don't look after ourselves and do everything we can to give us a 'fighting chance' whilst out on the road? A few questions and answers will probably help to tie this up quite nicely;

• Would you drive your car, at night with the headlights off?
• No - So why don't you have lights on your bike?! 

• Would you drive without wearing your seatbelt?
• No - So why not wear a helmet and the correct safety gear?!

• Would you ignore red traffic lights in your car and just 'drive on'?
• No - So why skip through red lights on your bike?!

• Would you purposefully drive on the wrong side of the road?
• No - So why ride on the pavement or in Pedestrian Areas which are designated 'Bike Prohibited' zones?

I know this seems like a bit of a rant and I like to think that the majority of cyclists would do everything they can to stay safe and ride defensively, but if we don't start doing all we can to look out for ourselves and each other how can we expect motorists to do the same?

On this very subject, there is a great website out there which may be worth taking a look at which provides some great educational material for both cyclists and motorists on how to stay as safe as possible and what to do if the worst should happen; feel free to check it out and let me know what you think; http://www.stop-smidsy.org.uk . 

As part of your winter cycling gear, please consider finding ways to improve your visibility to other road users and give yourself a fighting chance of making it to your destination safely... Invest in a good set of lights, wear reflective bands and buy a high vis jacket - let's stop SMIDSY and get through the winter safely together so we can get out and spend the summer riding hard!

I've recently purchased a cracking High Visibility, Altura Night Vision jacket for my daily commute; it's the best thing i've found, having searched far and wide, for getting yourself noticed whilst out on the road... Ok, it may not look cool wearing garish, bright colours but if it stops that one person from not seeing you and knocking you off then it's worth it's weight in gold in my book! Check out the review video below and make your own mind up! :)

If you're thinking of purchasing one of these awesome jackets then please, use the link below to get it through Amazon. It's the cheapest place I can find it in the UK and by purchasing through the Blog link, you will help me to create more review / info videos in the future, thanks! :)

ALTURA 2012 Men's Night Vision Evo Jacket

Until next time, feel free to write any questions or comments below, train safely and catch you again soon!


Matt