Quote Originally Posted by soprano View Post
When I took driver's ed, I was taught that it's a good idea to not outrun your stopping distance. If you can't see over the next hill or around a bend, slow down. Going fast is exciting, but it's not worth having a wreck because you didn't see some obstacle. Riding a bike isn't any different. Save the fast stuff for when you have high-quality blacktop and unlimited visibility. The same rule applies to night driving and riding: don't outrun your headlights.
This. Put another way, your speed vs. stopping distance and line of sight is different on a bike than it is when you are inside the safety cage of a car, wearing a seat belt. If you can't make a safe stop within your line of sight, you are probably going too fast.