Ride Safe

The road is the most dangerous place in the world.  In a car it's deadly, and as a cyclist with no steel cage around you, insulated with airbags, your vulnerability is amplified.  In my time on the road as a bike courier, 'Ride safe' was a parting phrase we'd use in London and one, like the parcels to clients I'd pick and drop, I've carried and delivered since. 

'Ride safe' means doing whatever it takes to get home to your loved ones.  Taking the back streets, the laneways, singletrack, the bike path.  It means gesturing at cars so they acknowledge you are there, using the reflection from windows of buildings to 'see' around corners, or the head movements of drivers to predict them turning or opening a car door.  Countless tips and tricks accumulated from an intense time on two wheels to 'stay alive' when the loss of those not so fortunate is a lasting reminder of its importance.