Bombing down hills is a total rush, but can quickly turn into disaster if you're not careful of other riders on the road, and watchful of cars.

Frank and I were flying down the back side of Mt. Chehalem last weekend at about 30 miles per hour. It was foggy out in the early morning, and it was my first time on this especially curvy route. I didn't see a sharp hairpin curve coming up to the right, and had to cut in on the inside lane right next to him to avoid running into him.

At the same time, he was reaching down to wipe some gravel off his tire. We came very close to colliding, and he had to swing out into the oncoming traffic lane momentarily.

To make matters worse, not more than 5 seconds later a car came zooming by from the opposite direction. Had that car been just a few seconds faster, the incident could have been disastrous!

Lessons Learned:

1. Increase your distance between other riders on unfamiliar routes. Instead of cruising up on Frank's tail, I should have kept plenty of space between us, especially since I was unfamiliar with this route and the fog kept me from seeing what lay ahead.
2. Slow down. It's fun to blaze down a hill, but the few seconds of adrenaline are not worth putting yourself and other riders in danger.
3. Communicate. I should have shouted out "On your right" to Frank so he knew I was going to pass him.

Had I followed these common sense tips, I wouldn't have placed Frank's life in danger. I'll be more careful in the future!