Bike Safety

I took a bike safety class and after learning the rules of the road and the laws, we went outside to learn new skills. The first skill was how to fall and it's not as easy as it seems.

First, you have to keep your hands on the handle bars. The goal is to keep the hands in and take some of the impact on the bike. You try to drive the bar into the ground.

The second part is to keep your feet on the pedals. With clipless pedals this is pretty easy but with running shoes, there is the temptation to put your foot down.

When the hands stay in and the feet stay put, you take the impact on the hip and shoulder. This should prevent you from breaking or dislocating anything. We practiced by sitting on our bikes next to a tree and then letting go. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to let go when you're just sitting there. Once I fell, it made sense and didn't really hurt. Hopefully I can remember this trick if I ever need it.