It feels wrong that cycling is more likely to result in your premature death than strapping on a kite and stepping off a cliff

I have a sort of a resolution for 2025. It’s simply to do more of my riding outside, in the actual outdoors, in three dimensions. I’ve grown very comfortable with Zwift (and similar online platforms), and I like the convenience. But more than anything else, riding outdoors has come to make me a bit nervous. Even a little scared. Cycling feels like a dangerous way to spend your time.

I was thinking about this over Christmas because, at a party, I met someone whose hobby is hang gliding. “Sounds like fun,” I said. Then I cut to what is clearly the question anyone would want to know the answer to: “How many of you die doing that every year?”