heh
I'll preface this by saying I like to bike. I rode my bike all through college year-round so I know what kind of dangers there are out there. You'll never see me get all butt-hurt because a guy on a bike went through a stop sign when nothing was coming. (No matter who you are, if you break a "safety" law without actually hurting safety, I don't give a damn.)
But I had an encounter yesterday that could've hurt that attitude. I was driving down the road and a ways down, there were a couple bikers coming my way (on their side of the road). I had to make a left, but since they were still kinda far away, I turned before they got there. Since they were the only other thing on the road, I kept my eye on them so as to be prepared if something happened. I noticed they were doing the same with me.
As I began turning the corner, I noticed the guy got up and started pumping the pedals as hard as he could, standing up and leaning forward all the while. He also left his partner behind, which is how I knew he was really trying to move. He had quite a bit of ground to cover before being near me, so I wasn't sure what he was doing.
When I was closest to him, I noticed he was staring me down, like he was trying to make me wonder: "Hey, what if he was actually on a crotch rocket (disguised as a rusted, used ten-speed) and wanted to kill himself? He might've been able to hit my rear fender."
Is there any chance the cyclist community could beat the shit outta this guy? This kind of stuff (endangering people's safety for one's own ego) doesn't help anyone, and only increases animosity between cyclists and drivers. It's only gonna get someone hurt.
But I had an encounter yesterday that could've hurt that attitude. I was driving down the road and a ways down, there were a couple bikers coming my way (on their side of the road). I had to make a left, but since they were still kinda far away, I turned before they got there. Since they were the only other thing on the road, I kept my eye on them so as to be prepared if something happened. I noticed they were doing the same with me.
As I began turning the corner, I noticed the guy got up and started pumping the pedals as hard as he could, standing up and leaning forward all the while. He also left his partner behind, which is how I knew he was really trying to move. He had quite a bit of ground to cover before being near me, so I wasn't sure what he was doing.
When I was closest to him, I noticed he was staring me down, like he was trying to make me wonder: "Hey, what if he was actually on a crotch rocket (disguised as a rusted, used ten-speed) and wanted to kill himself? He might've been able to hit my rear fender."
Is there any chance the cyclist community could beat the shit outta this guy? This kind of stuff (endangering people's safety for one's own ego) doesn't help anyone, and only increases animosity between cyclists and drivers. It's only gonna get someone hurt.