How do you protect yourself?

[nicolezoie]

Most of my riding is solo.

One of the routes I take is kind of off the beaten path so to speak, but it's also a very heavily traveled route during daylight hours, so I'm not really alone out there. The only times of day I would NOT take this route is before dawn or after sunset. It goes through some wetlands along the banks of a river, and lots of transients like to make camp there under the roadway bridges. There's plenty of places for people to hide and pop out, and while nothing has happened, that's not to say it *couldn't* happen. I just try to zoom through the most remote portion as quickly as possible, and keep a close "feel" on my surroundings.

I used to ride solo through the outlaying hills in my area (Elfin Forest for those familiar with San Diego County) but it occurred to me that even IF I am careful, all it would take is one car to shoot me off the road and into oblivion. Places like that are much safer in groups or at least with one other person. There's something to be said about riding in a large enough group that cars have to wait for you to pass before they can.

I don't do anything *consciously* in particular to protect myself other than staying in well-traveled areas, and what many of the others have posted. Some things I do is if it's an unfamiliar route, if possible I'll scope it out in my car first so I know where I'm going and what to expect. I bring my cellphone and keep it within easy reach, patch kit, air cartridges, and sometimes a snack in case of emergency, but don't keep a pocketknife with me. I have thought about it, especially in the River Trail area, but for the hundreds of times I've ridden through there, I recognize the same folks, over and over. I know better than to get comfortable and complacent, but women run solo out there. I'm on a bike; which is an easier target? I have this idea that the faster I go the less of a target I am.