As is usual when I have a long ride, I chose to go riding outside today.  With my race getting close, I decided to go to a location, that I generally consider safe for cyclists.  The last thing I need right now, is to have a bike accident.

I rode at my local park.  It is generally quite a safe place to ride, because it has a dedicated bike lane.  Even with this safety feature however, it was critical that I remained focused on my surroundings and on anticipating potential dangers.  Today was a little worse than most for hazards during my ride, but not completely unusual.  Here is a list of things that caused me to be aware and adapt my speed or direction, in order to stay safe.

• Pedestrians walking in the bike lane, even though the adjacent walking lane was completely empty.
• People on rollerblades using the bike lane. This isn’t normally a problem as rollerbladers move quite fast, but today I came across three groups going in the wrong direction (the bike lanes are ‘one-way).
• Dogs whose owners let them wander all over on extended leashes.
• Drivers of two cars that drifted into the bike lane (both drivers were on their cell phone).
• Canada Geese crossing the road to get to the lake.
• Other hazards within the bike lane itself; fallen branches, pine cones and one particularly large rock.

Like I said, today was a little more troublesome than most days, but not unusual.  Situational awareness and anticipation are indeed critical skills for riding outside safely.