bike hire & safety

Mandy · Post by **Mandy** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 9:10 am

My husband is doing the london to Brighton cycle ride on the 18th June only 2 days after we get back from Tobago.

As not to ruin his training he`s wondering about hireing a bike whilst were in Tobago and cycling around the island, but i`m concerned about safety up in the rainforest as he`d be on his own?

Post by **Steve Wooler** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 9:19 am

Hi Mandy

When you say 'safety', are you referring to the risk of robbery, or the risks from other road traffic?

My immediate reaction is that their would be no more risk of robbery/personal attack than cycling around Britain. However, the danger of other road traffic is harder to quantify. The good thing is that there is very little traffic in the rainforest areas and at least he will be able to hear traffic coming around blind bends, so be able to hold back in case they come round in the middle of the road.

Brian Taylor · Post by **Brian Taylor** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 11:58 am

or do you mean the risk of a heartattack...

these hills can kill you... and the heat. I don't know how your tour is in england, but here it is steeeeeeep. often see bikes push their bikes up the hill. but never heard of anyone who got robbed or in an accident going arround the island (never heard of a heart attack either, was just joking!)
why not give it a try. the bike hires that I know of are in the lowlands anyway, so he could start there

ENJOY

Steve Pitts · Post by **Steve Pitts** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 6:19 pm

Hi Mandy

Your hubby must be serious about his cycling!

Have a look at http://www.mytobago.info/mountainbike.php

I'm sure that either of these would be a good bet for some punishment.......sorry - I meant to say training

Cheers
Steve

Ronald · Post by **Ronald** » Sat Apr 22, 2006 6:48 am

Hi Mandy

I´ve used a bike several times in Tobago, and when you go the Caribbean side, the hills ar normally up to Arnos Vale. But if you go higher up, some of the hills are sharp like the Alps, like the hills before Les Coteaus and Golden Lane.

But if you use your bike the Crown Point area, up to Plymouth, Plymouth Road back to Scarborough or from Plymouth via Arnos Vale Road nearly up to Les Coteaux and than across to Scarborough on Providense Road, than you have many different choises without these sharp "Alp hills".

The road from Scarborough and north on the Atlantic sides isn´t sharp eighter, but the traffic is sometimes hard and the road is sometimes narrow.
I was walking from Scarborough up to Hope last year, taking some pictures in the area, and sometimes I had to leave the road because there was no place for me when the trucks came.

Ronald