What Cycling Taught Me About Driving
Why riding a bike is not only fun, but also makes you a better driver
I must confess that I drive like a slowpoke.
I guess I’ve grown accustomed to watching the scenery creep by at a cycling speed (for example, it took me 175 hours to pedal 3,000 miles in Tucson). Or maybe it’s because I’ve lost enthusiasm for cars and now revel in frustrating motorists by obeying the speed limit and coming to complete stops. But the real cause of my leisurely pace is that bike racing habits have taken over whenever I use the road, on a bike or in a car.
RELATED: How to Break Into Your First Bike Race
“Hold on a second,” you might say. “Isn’t racing about pushing the pace?” Actually it’s not. A bike race is never a contest of who can pedal the hardest—that’s called a time trial. It is a competition of who can pedal the least, of who can capitalize on the ebb and flow of the peloton, then hit the throttle at the right moment.
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When I’m driving, I’m not in dubious battle against traffic, but involved in a patient give-and-take with other road users. My objectives on the highway and the race course are the same: efficiency, and as smooth and safe a ride as possible. Here are some principles of bike racing that influence my driving:
Use the Brakes as Little as Possible
Look ahead and anticipate anything that will require you to slow down so that you're braking less. Start coasting early, even if people nearby continue to speed up. As veteran cyclist Adam Myerson told me, “If you use the brakes, then at some point you pedaled too hard.” Similarly, when a far-away light turns red or a traffic jam looms on the horizon, ease off the throttle and watch as the lemmings nearby zoom away and then screech to a halt.
RELATED: The Science of Better Braking
Leave a Gap As You Approach Congestion
A common waste of energy is to tailgate before a crowded corner or bottleneck, slam the brakes as traffic squeezes through, then accelerate like mad with everyone else. Instead, slow down to allow a gap to open, barrel through the section at full speed, and coast up to the others as they return to the original pace.
RELATED: Why You Should Keep it Slow and Sweet on a Bike, Too
Wait for Opportunities to Move Forward
Forcing your way through traffic at the wrong times is a waste of energy—lanes close up and everyone you worked so hard to pass effortlessly pulls up right next to you. Instead, be patient and take opportunities to go hard as they’re given to you. The best times to gain position are when the pace levels and everyone pauses, not by out-accelerating your neighbor or fighting the wind at top speed.
Use the Entire Road
Experienced bike racers will use open space on the edge of the road and then seamlessly assume their place in line just as the lane disappears. Likewise, the consensus among traffic experts is that the most efficient use of a terminating lane is to use the entire space and be a “late merger,” as long you move smoothly and don’t disrupt traffic.
Change Gears Gingerly
Neither bicycles nor cars shift well under heavy load, and doing so disrupts what might otherwise be a smooth acceleration. Anticipate changes in speed, and start changing gears before it’s time to hit the gas.
RELATED: Learn How to Shift on Your Bike
Remember: Wind Resistance Increases With Speed
Reducing drag by riding in the slipstream of others is a fundamental tactic in bike racing, especially at high speed. And braving the wind at high speed is a risky proposition. Likewise, while bumper-to-bumper drafting on the highway might not be too smart, keep in mind that your engine and gas mileage suffer exponentially for each small gain in speed.
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