An Outdoor Cyclist’s Guide to Preventing the Most Common Mistakes and Accidents

Before we move on to our list, we would like to stress the importance of preparation before you even hit the trail or a forest pathway. You are the one who best knows your body, skills and stamina , and that should reflect on the length and difficulty level of your adventure. In short – do your homework about the destination, and you will steer clear of many potential dangers caused by fatigue or overestimation of your abilities. It’s always best to avoid accidents by conscious prevention.

Let’s see what you can do to enjoy your ride to the max.

Listen to what your body tells you

When reaching your destination, it’s important to warm up and stretch your muscles after sitting behind the wheel. If on a trail, take the first two or three rides easy, as stiff muscles might give you grief and hinder your performance. On the other hand, it’s crucial to also recognize when you need a break as it’s easy to get lost in the moment. As they say, it’s better to take a pause when you’re having the most fun. It’s a bit like the Fatigue Detection function, which alerts the car driver when it observes signs of inattention and tiredness – the difference is cyclists have to train their self-assessment and know their abilities to apply it to themselves to prevent needless accidents.

States of exhaustion are also intrinsically connected to how you fuel yourself. Dehydration and hypoglycaemic shock are nothing to take lightly and they might creep in easily, especially when the excitement from a new trail overwhelms you with dopamine and you forget to watch the time. Overall, this point is about another kind of attention – being attentive to your own needs. So don’t forget to rest, drink and fuel up properly when out riding.

Listen to what your body tells you

Decision-making abilities need to be trained just as your physical strength

Trails and forest paths tend to cross each other and branch and, more often than not, they’re not used by or intended solely for bikers, but also Nordic walkers, families on trips, people walking their dogs… If a forest path is bike-friendly, it doesn’t mean that you have the right of way over others.

You need to adjust speed to your surroundings so you can brake in time and avoid a collision when something or someone appears in the way. You have to train your observation skills to take note of that blind turn, a small hill with poor visibility beyond or thick bushes covering the sides of the trail. Another reason why you should train your concentration is that you might get startled by a small impact or a skid, swerve and cause a secondary, more serious crash with a tree or a fellow rider. A good braking technique is something that should be trained before hitting a trail, for example on a pump track.

For example, Škoda KAROQ features a driver assistance system similar to this downhill skill – the Multi Collision Brake – which will prevent or reduce the chance of a follow-up crash with controlled braking, but the key point stands: you have to keep your eyes peeled and mind well-rested, no matter if on the bike or in the car with driver’s assistants. Even state-of-the-art cycling and protective gear means nothing without a responsible rider. Among us, We Love Cycling writers, we know of at least two first-hand cases of cyclists being knocked off the bike by a startled deer doe, so anything can happen and you should always be vigilant.

Learn to read the surface

It’s no rocket science to know that when it’s raining, the soil is wet, and when the sun is shining… fill in for yourself. But when riding outdoors, you kind of have to become an expert on dirt behaviour and pay attention to surfaces. The most slippery cycling conditions are, no doubt, when there was a long drought and then it rained heavily. The scorched soil can’t soak up all the moisture quickly enough, and dust forms a sliding upper film on the dry base of soil, rock and even tarmac. It gets washed away with more rainfall, but the first few minutes of raining are the most critical. Another tricky situation is the opposite scenario: when it was raining for quite some time, then the sun came out, but there are still little pools in the dips and gullies. Factor this and the weather forecast into your trail or forest pathway choice.

Also, in the age of the internet, there’s nothing easier than googling references to that particular trail you’ve been eyeing and reading up on other people’s observations and experiences. It’s always helpful to listen to the advice of practised riders who will surely throw in an observation about the difficulty level, how technical the ride will be and how it might behave when muddy, dried up, etc. It’s also good to pay attention to your tyres, their current state, wear, pattern – it’s a bit like switching between winter and summer tyres on your car. It’s a no-brainer when in a motorized vehicle, so why shouldn’t it be the same for bikes?

Decision-making abilities need to be trained just as your physical strength

Learn to read the surface

Pace your jumps

According to seasoned MTB bikers and downhillers, accidents most frequently occur during jumps. It’s either because you made a bad estimate of the distance and/or speed, didn’t check the jump’s state before jumping or because you rode glued to the back wheel of the rider in front of you and they had a fall. You wouldn’t drive in a tightly packed line when behind the wheel – don’t do it on a trail either. If you’re also a driver, you know very well that with each centimetre you come closer to the car ahead of you, you shorten your reaction time and braking distance. When on a highway, you have neat things like radar-based Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) to help you with keeping a considerate speed and distance, but on the trail, it’s experience and practice. If unsure, keep the gap bigger than what you think should be enough. While it’s helpful to copy the movements of more experienced peers, there’s always a secure distance from which to do that. As they say: better safe than sorry.

Overall, when on a trail, adjust your speed to the terrain to ensure you stay on the trail or the pathway when cutting corners. Flying off the trail might have dire consequences as there will probably be a lot of fallen tree trunks and rocky mounds, in short, places unsuitable for riding. Think of it as the Lane Assist system – only instead of sensors and cameras, you have to use your guesstimate and your own two eyes to keep within the trail or path limits.

Downhill jump — Speed is one of the most important aspects of a drop. © Profimedia

Stay in touch with the world

A lot of us have probably seen (and been traumatized by) the movie 127 Hours starring James Franco, where he gets literally stuck in the middle of the desert wilderness without any means of calling for help. We don’t mean to be dramatic, but we can’t overstate the importance of safe conduct when spending time outdoors. Don’t forget, especially if you tend to go alone, that accidents happen even to experts and those who couldn’t have prepared better. Have an emergency communication plan in place such as, e.g., setting a fast-track contact to call from the dashboard display of your smart automobile. It goes without saying that if you’re getting to your destination by car, be sure to check that your first-aid kit is up-to-date and maybe throw in some extra stuff such as your allergy medication.

And when the weekend full of mud and fun ends, be careful when you’re returning to your old life of an urban dweller on Sunday. Be sure you’re well-rested before getting behind the wheel and don’t forget to pay attention and acknowledge the existence of other traffic participants after spending time in the sweet solitude of nature.