Who gets to use your Turntable?

@dwette I am an avid cyclist too and my heart was in my mouth reading your post.  Yeesh.  I used to think nothing of riding on the road with cars.  Now I am convinced one in ten are not paying full attention to driving, either texting, or talking, or stirring their coffee, or what not.  The bike lanes here in Florida are defined by a white painted lines.  They offer no protection AT ALL.  So now I ride mostly on the side walk to reach a nearby park where there are paved paths.  Alternately I can ride inside my gated community and another across from us.  These alternatives provide 15-25 miles of reasonably safe riding without any overlap.  When we go to our home in New Hampshire, in good weather I can safely ride until I drop.  At my age I afraid my last century is behind me though.  Take care.

@billstevenson I really appreciate your perspective. I have become much more judicious about where I ride, and now really prefer joining group rides (safety in numbers I hope). When riding solo I void arterials and such. The problem is I had a close call on a residential street in my own neighborhood recently, with my wife riding behind me. It goes to show it doesn't matter where you ride. 

It's choosing the least of the evils for me. I can stop riding (something I love) and wait to die from inactivity (I'm 67 now), or I can continue riding and hope it doesn't kill me. What to do? I ride.

Yes by all means ride.  It is all about probabilities.  If you pick wisely the probability is you will be ok.  You have to live.  Oh to be 67 again!  ;-)

@dwette 

Adopt me so I can be near your turntable.

Me.  I use them both. Rb-use.  Anybody else, it's ab-use