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Be Careful of Transitional Surface Changes

By John Marsh, Editor & Publisher

Today’s QT comes from yours truly, derived from my Sunday group ride with a few buddies.

There were five of us out early Sunday morning for our annual (late) Father’s Day ride. (So many of our local group were out of town or otherwise occupied last weekend that we postponed it a week.)

We decided to do something a little different, and one buddy led us on a ride that included a few miles on the local PATH, a multi-use trail system in Atlanta.

We were all enjoying pedaling along a creek with cool rock formations when the paved path took a 90-degree right turn across a wooden bridge.

I was in the 2nd spot, behind my buddy Mark, when we made that 90-degree turn onto what turned out to be a dew-slickened wooden bridge. First Mark’s front tire, and then mine, slid out before we even knew what was happening. (Well, I had a fraction of a second to see him start to go down before I followed.)

The boards on the bridge were slick with morning dew, and our tires just flew out from under us, finding no grip whatsoever. We both took the brunt on our upper, outside thigh, with a bit of elbow, arm and knee scraping as well. Overall, despite some bruising and soreness, we and our bikes escaped relatively unscathed.

Here’s the lesson we were reminded of the hard way:

If you’re riding on one surface that abruptly changes to another, keep in mind that the transition may require extra diligence. In our case, we should have slowed down even more than we already did, and taken the turn much wider so that we transitioned onto the bridge in as near a straight line as possible.

The same could be said for going from road to dirt or gravel, etc. Anything that’s loose or potentially slick is a possible hazard.

Tip! As I mentioned in my column today on bee stings, I had a stash of Ibuprofen in my seat bag, and Mark and I were able to take some immediately after the crash to control the pain and swelling for the rest of the ride. Carrying just a few minor first-aid items like an NSAID, antihistamine and a couple band-aids takes up almost no space and can be used to help you or a fellow rider in a pinch.


If you have an idea for a QT, fire away. We’re always looking for good info we can share with fellow roadies. We would love to hear from you with any suggestions you have. Contact us by clicking Quick Tips Ideas.

—John Marsh & The RBR Team

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