it's pretty rare for me to get on my soap box and rant about anything, but.... i want to talk for a moment about cycling and cyclists.
the very first time i got on my road bike i experienced the most frustrating, disheartening, and dangerous road rage that i have ever encountered. husband and i were riding single file on a small country road when a jerk of a driver got up right behind us and laid on his horn. the driver was apparently angry because we were going too slow for his taste {oh, i am so sorry my legs can't compare to your engine-generated speed} and he couldn't pass us on a double yellow line....
i get it.
i mean we all hate being stuck behind the 18-wheeler or the old man going 20 miles an hour, and being behind a cyclist is no different. i get that. but here's the thing... when this guy laid on his horn, i almost face-planted off of my bike into the pavement. which would have put me directly in the path of his vehicle. and that, my friends, would not have ended well for yours truly. it's already a bit unsettling to hear a car come up behind you when you're on a road bike, so imagine how much more startling it is to have a horn blaring in your ear.
and aside from danger factor, it's just plain rude. i have just as much right to be on the road as you do mr. automobile. and as for all of you athens kids with your "get your lance-armstrong-wanna-be-ass off my road" stickers, well, you suck.
so, the moral of the story is this:
share the road.
yeah, it's inconvenient to have to pass a cyclist, but what is the difference in that and in passing a slow-moving car? besides, cyclists just want to enjoy the outdoors, the nice weather, and get a good workout, just like the rest of us.
*EDIT: Because you all have such great comments on this post....
I completely agree with those of you who are frustrated by the cyclists speeding through red lights and not obeying traffic laws. The responsibility swings both ways here! Also, I really disagree agree with those cyclists who decide that a ride through down during rush hour on the busiest street is a good idea....
xoxo
image copyright he&her photography {athens twilight 2009}
copyright Hiking in Stilettos
the very first time i got on my road bike i experienced the most frustrating, disheartening, and dangerous road rage that i have ever encountered. husband and i were riding single file on a small country road when a jerk of a driver got up right behind us and laid on his horn. the driver was apparently angry because we were going too slow for his taste {oh, i am so sorry my legs can't compare to your engine-generated speed} and he couldn't pass us on a double yellow line....
i get it.
i mean we all hate being stuck behind the 18-wheeler or the old man going 20 miles an hour, and being behind a cyclist is no different. i get that. but here's the thing... when this guy laid on his horn, i almost face-planted off of my bike into the pavement. which would have put me directly in the path of his vehicle. and that, my friends, would not have ended well for yours truly. it's already a bit unsettling to hear a car come up behind you when you're on a road bike, so imagine how much more startling it is to have a horn blaring in your ear.
and aside from danger factor, it's just plain rude. i have just as much right to be on the road as you do mr. automobile. and as for all of you athens kids with your "get your lance-armstrong-wanna-be-ass off my road" stickers, well, you suck.
so, the moral of the story is this:
share the road.
yeah, it's inconvenient to have to pass a cyclist, but what is the difference in that and in passing a slow-moving car? besides, cyclists just want to enjoy the outdoors, the nice weather, and get a good workout, just like the rest of us.
*EDIT: Because you all have such great comments on this post....
I completely agree with those of you who are frustrated by the cyclists speeding through red lights and not obeying traffic laws. The responsibility swings both ways here! Also, I really disagree agree with those cyclists who decide that a ride through down during rush hour on the busiest street is a good idea....
xoxo
image copyright he&her photography {athens twilight 2009}
copyright Hiking in Stilettos
