Q. We’ve had a lot of rain in September with flooded roads, and now with the temperature dropping, so are the leaves. Whilst the colours of the Autumn leaves are glorious, they all seem to pile up in the cycle lanes.
Have you any tips on keeping safe in these conditions, please?
A Dry leaves aren’t inherently risky to cyclists. The risk is in the fact that you don't know what's underneath – a pothole, perhaps. Wet leaves are a different kettle of fish. They can slide your front wheel out from under you like banana skins.
Wet leaves collect in the gutter, where you won't be if your road positioning is good. But if there are lots of trees or if the surface isn't 'swept' often by the swoosh of passing car tyres, you can encounter layers of leaves even if you're 'taking the lane'.
Wet leaves—whether they’re coming straight from overhanging branches or being raked into the street—present a danger for cyclists on the road, and even more when they’re wet. As leaves decompose, they create a greasy film of which becomes pretty slippery when mixed with water. It gets even worse as they get driven over and crushed by cars. What that means for you: An increased stopping distance and the potential to slip and crash on city streets, especially when making turns.
Here are some ways that wet leaves could surprise you:
- They can cause you to slide if you’re turning across them.
- They can cause you to skid if you’re braking on them.
- They can cause you to lose traction if you’re accelerating (or going uphill) on them.
- They may be hiding a pavement hazard, like a big pothole, that will surprise you, and might even surprise you right off your bike!
I recommend the following:
Do your braking before you hit the leaves, and then ease up on the brakes as you go over them. Especially if you are executing a turn – do it very slowly, but whatever you do don’t brake while turning.
- Avoid accelerating on leaves.
- Avoid braking on leaves.
- Just avoid biking on leaves altogether! Remember that it is perfectly legal, not to mention fair and safe, for you to leave the margins of the road and get out there in the middle of the traffic lane if you need to avoid a hazard. The key to doing this is that you absolutely must:
- Look behind you first to make sure you’re not going to cut anyone off.
- Use proper signalling before you manoeuvre towards the centre of the lane or into a neighbouring traffic lane so the motorists understand, sympathise, and adjust to let you in.
The good news is that leaves tend to be in patches underneath one or two particular trees, so you should be able to get past them and ride normally until you reach the next patch.
To sum up all that, Treat wet leaves the same way you’d treat cycling on ice: keep going in a straight line and don't try to steer or brake on top of them. Freewheel or pedal lightly, so that you won't spin the rear wheel.