Nuxx:Bt28l.31$JW6.29@newsfe09.ams2

Path: number1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!border1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!newsfeed00.sul.t-online.de!t-online.de!feeder.news-service.com!feed.xsnews.nl!border-1.ams.xsnews.nl!feeder.news-service.com!69.16.177.246.MISMATCH!cyclone03.ams2.highwinds-media.com!news.highwinds-media.com!npeersf02.ams.highwinds-media.com!newsfe09.ams2.POSTED!7564ea0f!not-for-mail Message-ID:  From: _  Newsgroups: uk.rec.cycling Subject: Re: cycling in icy conditions Date: Sun, 04 Jan 2009 13:03:28 +0000 References:    Lines: 24 User-Agent: Thunderbird 2.0.0.19 (Windows/20081209) MIME-Version: 1.0 In-Reply-To:  Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit NNTP-Posting-Host: 82.21.204.127 X-Complaints-To: http://netreport.virginmedia.com X-Trace: newsfe09.ams2 1231074247 82.21.204.127 (Sun, 04 Jan 2009 13:04:07 UTC) NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 04 Jan 2009 13:04:07 UTC Organization: virginmedia.com Bytes: 2450 Xref: perfectly-safe.chapmancentral.co.uk uk.rec.cycling:682237

Chris Malcolm wrote: > Jeff  wrote: >> Having grown up in Canada (and having learned to drive there), my >> comments about winter driving apply to winter cycling: GENTLY. > >> Nothing will reduce your traction like a sudden action of any sort. >> Accelerate, decelerate, and turn, GENTLY. This requires more effort to >> look ahead, plan ahead, and act ahead, so that you do not need to take >> sudden actions. Ride the way you would were you carrying nitroglycerin. > > Exactly. There is very little friction, so what you must do is move in > such a manner as doesn't break your traction. A good way of learning > the basics is to learn to walk on ice, mud, wet seaweed, and other > slippy surfaces. It's useful to lower your seat so you can easily > become a tripod with a stabilising foot, so loss of traction doesn't > become a fall. > > As someone else has pointed out, however. the major danger is not you > falling down, but being hit by an idiot who can't even manage to stay > in control of a four wheeled vehicle in slippery conditions. > I fail to understand how a cyclist losing grip is an unavoidable accident, but a driver of a four wheeled machine experiencing a similar problem is automatically an "idiot".