On Safe Touring Cycling and Attitudes on the Bike

In the case of cycling on trails or forest paths and roads, we must be aware that the foundation for fun and safe cycling is our attitude. Our attitude towards ourselves, the environment we move in, and our attitude towards other non-cyclists we encounter in one way or another. What these attitudes will be is a matter of each individual's decision, reflected in our reality, as addressed to fellow hikers on bikes by Atila Armentano, head of the PZS Touring Cycling Commission.

Dear hikers on bikes,



I wanted to share encouraging news with you in these complicated times, but I was prompted to write by the current situation in touring cycling, which is also sad among other things.



Two news items about accidents involving touring (mountain, according to media reports) cyclists shocked me. One of the accidents ended tragically, and in the other, the cyclist was seriously injured. The official causes of the accidents sound dry, but we all know that:

an accident can happen to even the most cautious cyclist,

it takes just a moment of inattention for a situation to turn unfavorable,

accidents happen when we least expect them, or when we feel safest.



Even I, in this time, venture out on my bike in my municipality area on familiar local paths. You know the feeling when two hours on the bike make you happier than a hundred ducats without interest, as they used to say. As many touring cyclists as I met during the time we are home, working from home, or on more or less voluntary leave, I didn't meet all last year combined. This pleased me on one hand but worried me on the other. As a touring cycling guide, I saw that the vast majority of these cyclists are very enthusiastic and motivated, but they do not know or follow the basic rules of safe riding on gravel and forest roads. Inadequate equipment (no helmet and cycling gloves), downhill riding seated on the saddle left raised as on the ascent instead of standing on the pedals, and braking with a locked rear brake were the most common mistakes I noticed. The speed of a four-member family I met on a descent also seemed quite high given the rule of adjusting speed to allow safe timely stopping.



Since one of the missions of the PZS Touring Cycling Commission is to develop proper and safe touring cycling, we touring cycling guides, as qualified PZS professional workers, are ethically obliged to pass on our knowledge and experience to less experienced cyclists. We can do this even in a short friendly conversation when we meet other cyclists and chat a bit. Just one small tip can make a big difference. I advise all occasional hikers on bikes to set out on cycling trips properly equipped and informed about the basic rules of cycling on unpaved roads and paths. When we can socialize again, larger touring cycling sections at mountaineering clubs will once again organize touring cycling schools and driving technique seminars. I warmly recommend all recreational touring cyclists - hikers on bikes - to attend these schools or seminars, because proper riding is also safer and more fun.



Another incident happened near Kranj, where some enthusiastic young people newly prepared three cycling paths (trails, as the widely accepted foreign term is known). The paths were prepared with the consent of the owners and notification to the regional office of the Slovenia Forest Service, which agreed to the preparation. So, according to the letter of the law. Up to here, all good and right. The problem arose with the use of these paths. The influx of cyclists to the new paths was unexpectedly large in the last few days. One of the landowners through whose parcels the paths run was clearing branches near one of these paths in the previous days that had remained from sanitary felling due to the bark beetle. Meanwhile, a cyclist came along this path, whose riding style disturbed the owner, so he called out to him, and the cyclist stopped. According to information I have from two indirectly involved persons, they exchanged some bitter words. The forest owner apparently even grabbed the bike's handlebars. The conflict upset the owner to such an extent that he demanded the immediate closure of the paths running through his parcel. This happened, as the guys who organized everything are responsible and aware of the importance of good relationships and proper working methods. Otherwise, the path closure caused some disapproval from cyclists who are mainly consumers, but it stayed at that.



The core message of this event is that the things we enjoy or use are not taken for granted. Someone before us established the conditions for us to have fun. And we can have fun only under certain conditions. Therefore, in the case of cycling on trails or forest paths and roads, we must be aware that the foundation for fun and safe cycling is our attitude. Our attitude towards ourselves, the environment we move in, and our attitude towards other non-cyclists we encounter in one way or another. What these attitudes will be is a matter of each individual's decision, reflected in our reality. Let this be a positive answer to each of the following three questions:

Am I satisfied before, during, and after the tour because I rode it well and above all correctly, i.e., in accordance with the 10 rules of touring cycling? That is Attitude towards oneself.

Did I ride the tour without leaving traces on the path? That is Attitude towards the environment.

Was I friendly to everyone I met on the tour (did I notice them, greet them, and as a cyclist give hikers priority)? That is Attitude towards others.



If all cyclists answer yes to all three questions, then in Slovenia we have a great chance to achieve formal acceptance by the society of which we are members. As long as situations occur where even one answer to these three questions from any of us is negative, all the work of motivated, skilled, and diligent individuals in the touring cycling community is in vain. In that case, as head of the PZS Touring Cycling Commission, I have no answer. All that remains for me is a good attitude towards myself, the environment, and everyone I meet on my paths. And all of us who have no problem with that will start over or continue what we started.



I wish you safe, proper, and joyful touring cycling!



Atila Armentano,

Head of the Touring Cycling Commission of the Alpine Association of Slovenia





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Touring Cycling - Safe and Tolerant



10 recommendations of the Association of Mountaineering Organizations of the Alpine Arc (CAA)



1. Cycle when healthy.

2. Carefully plan the trip.

3. Cycle only on suitable permitted paths.

4. Always check the bike before the trip to ensure it is in perfect condition.

5. Take everything needed for the trip.

6. Cycle with protective gear (helmet, gloves, shin guards on descents).

7. Hikers always have priority.

8. Adapt riding speed to one's skill, terrain, and conditions.

9. Leave no traces behind.

10. Think of the animals, ride quietly and considerately.