Finger Lakes Cycling Club

Home >

Safety

Before heading out on the bike, know your route, know the road conditions, and dress to be seen by other road users. Ride safely and have fun!

Riding in Groups

When riding in a group, extra precautions help keep everyone safe. Be sure to:

  • Listen to ride leaders
  • Be predictable; use hand signals and verbal cues
  • Make sure your bike is in good working order and have the ability to repair or get picked up
  • Obey traffic laws—don’t let group dynamics tempt you to blow a stop sign!
  • Know the route
  • Have water and snacks

Road Hazards and Animals

Animal encounters on a bike can come on suddenly and end badly for both parties.

Users of Garmin devices can take advantage of community-generated road hazards, which include animals, potholes, and other obstructions. As a Garmin user, you can report new hazards (e.g., an aggressive dog) and automatically get reports on your cycling computer when you near the site of another report. The Garmin community can vote on hazards and old hazards “expire” automatically after a period of time.

Some other tips for dealing with animals:

If a dog is creating an unsafe situation (e.g., chasing you in a road), or if you are bitten, report it to your local animal control office. Animal control will contact the owner and explain the laws. In Tompkins County, that office is Tompkins County Animal Control at (607) 319-5067. In many surrounding counties, animal control is handled at the town level; a list of phone numbers for Cayuga County is available here.

If you are bitten and it breaks the skin, now matter how minor, get medical assistance.

Local Road Conditions

Check out the following links for information on road conditions in our area:

Biking Laws and Safety Tips