not on bike yet portland or

[TheMomBike2000]

Hi there!

Good for you for beginning to think about riding! I just started myself a few weeks ago. I, too, live on a rural road and I was pretty hesitant at first about riding on the road.When I got my courage up to go on the "big road" (not heavy HEAVY traffic, but much busier than my own rural road) I found that my fears were really overrated. I do take some precautions: I always always always ride with a helmet anyway, but the busier road is an east/west route and so I always ride with the sun behind me so that people can see me more easily. (In the mornings I ride east to west, evenings west to east). I carry my cell phone and ID with me. But I have found that it is a LOT less scary than I thought! I got my bike, which is a hybrid, with the intention of riding a lot on dirt roads near my house but I find that I like riding on the paved roads much more and I plan to get some slicks eventually (right now the knobby tires make me work harder and since I've got some weight to lose, that's fine by me.) Like a lot of newbies I thought at first I should ride AGAINST the flow of traffic but I find that if I'm riding with traffic and following the laws and stopping at stop signs and signaling, cars are no problem to me. (The roads where I live, by the way, do not have a shoulder, so cyclists literally share the road.)

Good for you for considering and planning! Now I will tell you a secret I never knew about riding: It is the absolute best stress relief I have ever, ever felt! There is this Zen feeling I get when I'm riding. Yes, one ear is on the road and my attention is on my route, but the rhythm of the pedaling and my breathing, the breeze, the critters I see on my way, the smell of the wet grass in the morning--it's soooooooo relaxing!

Best of luck to you. Don't feel you have to push yourself to do something you're not comfortable with--just have fun! But don't be surprised to find that what you feared is just not a factor.

Nancy in central FL

[tulip]

The League of American Bicyclists provides classes in bicycling safety. You may want to look into it. This might help you get started: http://www.bikeleague.org/resources/better/

[wanttoride]

Thanks for the tips I really appreciate the advice and positive spirit from this site. thanks

[Kitsune06]

Hey WTR,
I'm from 'portlandish' OR, too. The roads I live off (mostly Farmington)= full of gravel trucks, Joebob and Dwaine in their big ugly pickups (no offense, jobob! ) and kids in their noisy, beefed up cars *hides her neon*...

that said, there are still some bikeable places if you justlook around... depending on what part of 'portlandish' you're in, Beaverton has decent support for bike commuters, but Hillsboro and FG seem to be a little lacking except on the main roads (someone correct me if I'm wrong...)

just... pick your battles wisely.