THIS PRODUCT MAY JUST SAVE YOUR LIFE

NOTHING WE'VE TESTED IN A LONG TIME HAS MADE US FEEL SAFER ON THE ROAD THAN THE LATEST CYCLING RADARS.

- BY TARA SEPLAVY / PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRYAN BANDUCCI

On a ride in early June 2025, a driver passed me entirely too close.

I was riding on a road I’ve been on dozens of times, and my wheels were at the edge of the tar. Still, the truck passed at what felt like double the posted 40km/h speed limit, and only millimetres off my right shoulder — certainly well within the metre distance mandated by South African law.

Like many other cyclists, I’ve been buzzed by my fair share of drivers, and I’ve been struck three times. Luckily, I escaped those incidents without major injuries. Tragically, many cyclists are not so fortunate. Accurate statistics are hard to come by, but South African sees road deaths in excess of 14 000 per year. That’s horrific. Pedestrians, the classification that cyclists fall under, make up about 40% of that number. Basically, it’s just extremely dangerous to ride a bike on our roads.

Unlike other near hits I’ve experienced, this one was different; it left me thoroughly rattled. I thought about it that entire afternoon and into the evening. When I woke up the next morning, the incident was still on my mind. As soon as I got to the office, I followed up on the whereabouts of the Wahoo Trackr Radar I had recently ordered. When I had purchased it, I had been mostly curious to see how these new tools worked; now it felt way more urgent. When the device arrived a few days later, I installed it on my bike immediately.

Over the first two months of use, the value of these smart devices came into focus. Being able to sense vehicles approaching from the rear, and being alerted with audible beeps and a visualisation on my ride computer, I regained a sense of control and calmness. Most importantly, my Trackr Radar gave me a new measure of assurance that I would get home in one piece and be able to ride the next day.