Scary Road Sand!

[bikerHen]

Yeah, we've got the sand/gravel thing going on here in a big way too. I haven't had to much trouble with it yet mostly because it's still wet or frozen to the roadway. But those icy patches and bumps are a whole different story. My commute time is way up cause I have to go slower and scout for hidden ice.

I ride with wide tires,1.5", on my commuter bike and at the moment have my studded tires which I think are 1.75". My road bike, with it's narrow tires, doesn't come out until the road sweepers have been out at least a couple of times. Thankfully the city/county get the sweeping done fairly quick because of all the dust the sand generates once the roads begin to dry out. I have been known to blow kisses to the sweeper crews on my commutes. bikerHen

[Crankin]

Yes, you have to be aware, and that's the key all of the time, but sometimes, I just won't take the risk. Just like I don't ride when it below a certain temperature.
Around the time I first started riding, my husband came home from a quick Saturday morning ride. He was taking a cool down lap around the cul-de-sac, which was at the bottom of a teeny hill when he wiped out on sand. He came home with a bloodied face and shoulder, torn jersey and shorts, and wrecked shifters, etc. This was at the end of April and in my old town, they never cleaned the streets until May 10th or so. We had to call the town many times in the following years and explain how unsafe these conditions were for cyclists (there are a lot of riders in this area).
But, I don't want them to stop sanding the roads. Even though I have a car with all wheel drive, I want everything possible to make conditions safe for driving in a storm. And around here, if you don't shovel your sidewalk, you get a fine.

[Bluetree]

Sand scares the dickens out of me, esp. since the seaside winds can blow it all over the place. You never know if the roads will be clear one day to the next.

I've been taken out twice by sand on corners. Once in a double paceline training ride, another time while riding solo pre-dawn. I was lucky both times. In both instances there was just so much sand that it spared me from a more severe road rash. In my solo crash, I slid across an intersection and stopped at the feet of an old man walking his chihuahua. Poor guy almost died of shock. My bikes went straight to the shop for thorough cleanings!