When to call it a day?

[Pat "5mph"]

I got attacked by dogs twice on segregated/shared user paths.
Yesterday a Deliveroo passed me so close at high speed (on a reserved, segregated cycle lane) that if they had had a wing mirror they would have hit me.
You could give up cycling, then a car runs you over.

 

[Oldhippy]

I have had many more idiots causing near accidents and close calls whilst driving in honesty.

 

[mikeIow]

I never really worry about trouble when cycling, although I tend to be a fair weather cyclist now, and certainly not frequently out.

I also use road position to signal intent. If I’m coming up to a blind bend or summit, I will pull out to make an overtake impossible. Smile and wave and I’ve not had any problems.
I also use a Garmin Varia - radar light. Links to my Wahoo Roam, & warns very accurately of approaching vehicles. Again, if it tells me a car is approaching fast, I might pull out a bit and even wobble a bit: drivers will spot that and slow down, in my experience. Of course it is fairly hopeless around town when there is too much traffic.
If it is a big ride, I will use cycle.travel to plan routes and get to my Wahoo: it always comes up with fabulous back roads, tracks etc.

Big city cycling would perhaps worry me if I had to commute….but being retired, that’s less of an issue!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Best give up showers as well

 

[teeonethousand]

You can only control what you do...I ride for leisure & live in the country. I seek out small or off-road routes and try to ride very defensively around traffic.

It's a risk...but so is everything you just have to manage it the best you can.

I do gym stuff too - I quite like it but you can't beat fresh air.

 

[Rusty Nails]

I might give up for health or age issues but not over the risk of being hit by a car.

I took up cycling sixteen years ago just before I retired to escape the monotony of the gym and have never regretted it.

 

[Rusty Nails]

A few stats.

1,300,000 bicycle journeys made in 2024 in the UK.

111 deaths and 4000 reported injuries.

If you take a hard look at your own cycling style, experience, health benefits, attitude to risk, and environment it's not too difficult to draw a reasonable conclusion about whether to continue or not.

In my case the scales are firmly on the 'continue' side. If I started having near misses, or feeling scared that might change

Where did you get that number from? I have read that there are 1.5 million cycle journeys a day in London alone.

If there were the likelihood of one death every 12000 miles then I would definitely give up cycling.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

There were 3.5 billion miles cycled in 2024. Risk of death once in every 31.5 million miles.

 

[wafter]

No. Without the wealth of benefits I get from cycling I might as well give up.

The day I can no longer cycle will be the day I book a one-way ticket to Switzerland..

 

[raleighnut]

I'd be lost without my bike/trike.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Then I'd have to give up work and eating. This wouldn't be viable in the long term.

 

[esoxlucius]

It's dangerous out there for us guys that's for sure. But my love for cycling and the immense health benefits it provides vastly outweigh any ideas I might have of calling it a day.

My missus hates me going out on the bike and I learned years and years ago that talking about my ride and the near misses I've had during it were not helping her one bit. We have a kind of cycling "omerta" in our house......never talk about my rides!!

There are things we can do such as use quieter roads at off peak times if possible. And also stop chasing PB's all the time so you become happier, and safer, cycling at a slightly slower pace.

But even then it only takes one lapse of concentration on your part and/or a lapse of concentration by another road user in a much larger vehicle than yours, and that can be it.

 

[Punkawallah]

Another local accident, this time a lady knocked off her Liv by a lorry. The Lorry didn’t even stop. Air ambulance came. I think she’s stable with a leg injury.
We are just pigeons of the road, I know you can’t live wrapped up in cotton wool but it seems like it’s a matter of time until it’s your turn.
Anyone fancy quitting and hitting the weights room at a gym instead?

Of course I’ll quit one day. When they take the bike from my cold, dead, hands. Can’t speak for anyone else, but I intend to ride as far into the crash as possible.

 

[Oldhippy]

At the risk of being contentious @esoxlucius are the roads the right place for chasing PB's? The danger aspect of cycling becomes real rather than perceived on a busy road I'd have thought. There have been a few instances in the past where a group of, I assume club cyclists effectively racing on the road close passing me trying to keep up with the rider in front. My average is anywhere between 12 and 16 miles an hour depending on load which never in my experience has been an issue. Tearing along a main road or any other road on a lightweight racing bike considering the state of the roads alone or in a group presents a new set of challenges I'd think.

 

[fossyant]

My missus hates me going out on the bike and I learned years and years ago that talking about my ride and the near misses I've had during it were not helping her one bit. We have a kind of cycling "omerta" in our house......never talk about my rides!!

I never mention anything, unless I can't hide it. The big hole in my arm was a gate swinging loose, not a car wing mirror !

TBH it's only in more recent years she realises why I won't give it up as she's taken up wild swimming. Her swimming mates asked if I was giving it up after breaking my hip socket/pelvis - she said 'No, it's like us being told we can't go swimming again'. They all 'got it'.