Watch the road – and the sun!
Autumn rides can be fun, when the sun is shining, the weather is calm and there’s still plenty of light in the day.
But be cautious: the challenges of winter rides are well known, but there are plenty of problems awaiting the unwary at this time of year, too.
Take the sun. It sits low on the horizon for much of the day, and if it’s bright it can dazzle road users and obscure their vision.
That’s a big problem for bikers. Our slim silhouette is easy to miss at the best of times, and if a car or van driver is blinded by the sun, we become too easy to miss. Remember, if the sun is directly behind us, we might be invisible to anyone looking directly at us; it’s important to bear this in mind as we approach junctions, in particular. The secret is to keep the speed down to a level where we can take evasive action if someone pulls out without spotting us.
Leaf hassle
There are other things to watch out for this season. As the trees lose their leaves it’s obvious millions will end up on the roads. As you ride towards them, ask yourself, ‘what are they hiding?’ Could there be a pothole lurking underneath the leaf pile, or a raised manhole cover? Be careful. Go round if possible.
Leaves pose another potential problem. Once they get wet and ground down they turn into a slippery mulch that is hard for tyres to grip. It’s a particular problem when cornering or if we brake hard on top of them, as the tyres lose traction and we risk a skid.
If you can, ride round large collections of leaves on the road: if that’s not possible ease back on the throttle and take care.
Bikers don’t need to be told to watch out for ice on the roads, and we should take the same approach to riding when there are plenty of leaves around.
Don’t get complacent. Keep your eyes open for leaves on the roads, just like you would look for ice in the winter.