By Alex Guerra, Crime, Safety, and Justice Reporter
For cyclists and scooter riders navigating Blacksburg’s busy roads, staying safe means more than knowing how to balance on two wheels. Local bike shop employees see firsthand the equipment, habits, and road conditions that can make the difference between a safe ride and a dangerous one.
Blacksburg’s large college population, busy streets, and growing use of bicycles and scooters make two-wheeled transportation common around town. For many students and residents, bikes and scooters offer an inexpensive and convenient way to get around, but riders face risks when sharing roads with cars and navigating intersections.
Local bicycle shops are one place where riders can turn for advice before heading onto those roads. Employees regularly interact with cyclists and scooter riders, giving them insight into the safety concerns riders face and the steps they can take to protect themselves.
In an interview, Mason Cherrics, manager at Trek Bicycle Blacksburg, discussed the biggest safety concerns for cyclists in Blacksburg, common mistakes riders make, and what drivers and riders can do to share the road more safely.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Can you tell me a little bit about your role here and how long you’ve been working with bicycles and/or other forms of alternate transportation?
My role here is store manager at this location, so I typically do administrative work, whether that’s backend processes like budgeting or hours management. I give hours to my teams and typically serve as the communication liaison between our store and the rest of our district, which includes Virginia, D.C., and Maryland. I’ve been working on and around bicycles since 2015, so just about 11 years. I’ve only been in this role for about a year and a half, nearly two years. Prior to that, I was a service manager at a larger location and came down here for the job.
From your perspective, what are some of the biggest safety concerns for people riding bikes or even scooters around Blacksburg?
Visibility. I would say visibility of the cyclist, visibility of the lanes they’re riding in, and visibility at different times of the day. One thing we bring up every time with any new bike sale, or with anyone interested in commuting, is lights. Be as high-visibility as possible. We even sell helmets, for instance, with attachment lights on top. If you have them on the bike, they’re down low, and a driver may or may not see them. It’s a lot easier to see because it’s up here rather than down by your waist, essentially.
What do you think makes riding in a college town particularly challenging compared to riding somewhere else?
It’s a double-edged sword. You have a younger audience, so generally, younger cyclists will be a little bit more daring and typically may not follow into a pack or be the safest riders, and vice versa with drivers. Same idea. You may not be aware of everything around you. Additionally, people make mistakes. It happens all the time. In fact, we’ve encountered three people today alone who got hit in the last couple of days. Luckily, they’re all okay. But I think it is just a lack of time and attention.
Are there any particular situations or just places around here that you’ve noticed, like intersections, crosswalks, or crowded sidewalks that you think riders should be especially cautious around?
Admittedly, I haven’t lived here long enough to know the exact places, but I have seen some issues over toward Prices Fork. There aren’t a whole lot of great places to ride, especially when you’re crossing over that bridge that’s back there. It’s especially difficult during that odd hour of the day when visibility starts to get lower. It’s not dark enough that you can’t see, but it’s not bright enough to see all the details either. I’ve seen some here and there up and down Main Street, but I’d say it’s pretty solid. I would like dedicated bike lanes all the way through. But, of course, I’m a cyclist. I’m going to want that.
What common patterns do you notice when cyclists have close calls with drivers?
The most common way that people get into these close-call situations is a misunderstanding of right of way, whether that’s at a traffic stop or a four-way intersection. A driver may not realize that a bike on the road is the same thing as a vehicle. They follow the exact same laws and rules. Everything is equal except for their size and their road presence.
Are there safety issues you notice as someone who works with bicycles that you think the average person might overlook?
A lot of e-bikes and scooters don’t have adequate brakes. There are some out there, in fact, more over time, as the industry sees this. But there’s a lot of really heavy e-bikes that do not have adequate stopping power. So if you’re cooking along at 20 or 30 miles an hour and you can’t stop, something’s going to happen, and it’s very unsafe.
What’s one piece of safety equipment that you wish more riders actually used?
I feel like a broken record: lights. Lights. Lights. It’s one of those things that’s an afterthought for a lot of people. You don’t think you need lights until you get caught in the dark. It’s like, “Well, I’ll just never ride in the dark.” But lights are applicable to daytime use, not just at night. It’s a lot better now, but helmets are another one. For years, I knew a lot of cyclists, especially on the BMX side of things, who didn’t wear helmets, and they’ve had some really close calls over the years. Fortunately, a lot of them have learned by now. But not everyone does, and we see a lot of that clientele come through the store. They’ll make a helmet an afterthought, or they’ll say, “I’ll buy the nice bike, but I’ll cheap out on a helmet.” It’s like, do the opposite. Cheap out on the bike, get the nice helmet. You only get one brain. You can get multiple bikes. So, helmets and lights.
Mason Cherrics, manager at Trek Bicycle Blacksburg, stands in front of helmets at the store in Blacksburg, Virginia. Photo by Alex Guerra, 2026.
> THE NEWS FEED < 