If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed or have new posts delivered to your e-mail inbox. Thanks for visiting BicycleFrenzy.com!

Monday night Benji called me and told me he had been hit by a car while riding his bicycle in Columbia, MO.  He was traveling straight through an intersection with a green light.  A guy driving a Ford Ranger making a turn at the intersection did not see him and turned right into him. 

Luckily for Benji this was a low speed accident with both parties traveling less than 15 MPH each.   Benji’s only injuries seem to be a badly bruised hip and a bruised elbow.

I’m glad he is ok and since he is, I’m going to make an example of him.  Benji didn’t do many of the things that you should do if you are in an accident with a motor vehicle. 

So here is quick reminder of what you should, or at least try to do if you or someone you are with is in an accident:

1. Call 911.  If you are badly injured you should have someone else call if possible.   
2. If there were witnesses ask them to stay.  You should also take down their contact information if you or someone else can get it.
3. Get the license plate number of the vehicle.  With the proliferation of camera phones it would be even better if you could take a picture of it.
4. Get the driver’s information.  Hopefully they won’t drive off from the scene.
5. Take pictures of the scene from different angles if you can.  The key here is to document as many aspects of what happened as possible.  If you or a bystander don’t have a camera or camera phone try to write some of the details down if you can.
6. Try to stay as calm as possible.  If you can stay calm, you will remember the details better.  You will be able to assist the injured if you were a bystander better if you do not panic. 

Of course the best practice is to not get into an accident in the first place.  Ride carefully everyone.  Obey the laws and signal your intentions when turning and changing lanes.

As many of you that are already familiar with my site know, I race Cat 5 for the Pro-Velo Cycle Sport racing team. We are a very new team and are getting better every day. Ebby, the owner of Pro-Velo hooked the team up with Bell Sweep Helmets last season and we are using them again this year.

The Bell Sweep is an excellent helmet. It is light and very breathable. I have used many different helmets and this one is definitely one of the best when it comes to air flow. The helmet is not overly large like some helmets so it doesn’t make you look like Marvin the Martian and is generally very stylish. It has removable pads that can be easily changed and/or washed. The Bell Sweep is available in many different colors to match your team kit or what ever your favorite color may be. So if you are looking for a great helmet for your race team or just want a great helmet for your self I highly recommend the Bell Sweep.

Just the other day I was out for a ride and as I was pulling into my parents driveway my mom was outside and she says to me, “Aren’t you supposed to ride on the other side of the road?” meaning shouldn’t I be riding against traffic on the left hand side. I thought that was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard of doing. But she was serious. I asked her why she thought I should be doing that and she said that’s what she was taught in school. When bicycle and pedestrian safety was taught when she was in school (it wasn’t that long ago…my mom will appreciate that) they said it was safer to see the cars coming instead of riding with the flow.

I have occasionally seen individuals doing this and most of the time they are either older or part of the immigrant population. I have also noticed that drivers don’t really know Read the rest…

I’ve been trying to convince my girlfriend to get a bicycle for some time now. I’ve just about accomplished this and we have even gone and looked at some bikes. There are a lot of options when it comes to picking out a bicycle and getting started with cycling these days. So read on and maybe this will provide a little assistance with getting started. If you’re trying to get your girlfriend or boyfriend to bike you can force them to read this and it may save you the trouble. So here we go. Read the rest…