Give yourself a break

We all know that riding when we’re tired is not a good idea. We also know when we’re tired. Or do we?

We know the symptoms of tiredness now – now, when we’re alert and able to think clearly. The trouble is that when we’re tired, it’s much harder to be objective about our state of mind and body… and we may well think we can carry on when we really shouldn’t be trying.

Let me give you an example from my own experience. This happened many years ago, and I sincerely hope I’m smarter than this now. I lived nearly 800km away from where my mother had retired, on the coast. I used to ride over to see her on long weekends and such. Going home I would try to get away early, to do the ride home in daylight, but often I got away quite a bit later than I’d hoped.

One particular time I got away especially late, and by the time it was dark I was tired, I knew I was tired but I had to go to work the next day so I kept riding. Until I went to sleep. Literally. I woke up riding in the dirt by the side of the road, with the roadside bushes whipping my left leg and arm.

I pulled in at the next rest stop, put the bike on its stand, dragged my helmet off and dropped into the long grass to sleep. I was late for work the next day, but I was alive. A close thing; since then I stop when I get tired and try to take a nap. You’d be amazed how comfortable picnic tables can be… keep in mind that sleep is like a bank account: if you’ve been withdrawing a lot by cutting back on sleep, you establish a sleep debt. It’s best to pay some of that back before you leave home.

I think that being on a bike makes you feel more alert than when you’re driving a car; after all, you’re out in the open, and much more aware of your surroundings. But there are also factors that make riding more tiring. It’s more of an effort to control a bike; you need to pay more attention to the road and other things around you, including drivers; and both heat and cold will reduce your alertness. And of course you don’t have to have been riding for a long time to be tired; it’s perfectly possible (but definitely not recommended) to get on a bike when you should be getting into bed.

There are also other factors that adversely affect everyone, drivers and riders alike, such as alcohol and drugs (including a variety of prescription and non-prescription medication), even in small quantities. Whereas eating small light meals before and on a ride can actually have a positive effect.  

All of these things are worth taking into account, but the message I’d like you to take away from this little story is simpler. Riding a bike is a skilled task, we all know that. Tiredness takes away a lot of the skills we need. We simply don’t ride as well as usual when we’re tired.

Accept that you’re tired, and park the bike or at least take a break. None of us would ride wearing a blindfold. Why would we ride with so much of our brain shut down?

Story: Peter Thoeming for VicRoads