On the homeward commute, the game was "wave as emphatically as possible to those who honk at you" - There were a few. Kind of odd, since I haven't gotten honked at in weeks. I don't really care too much, as I was enjoying the weather! I opted to believe they were just saying "hi" although the one guy that honked again while flipping me off out the driver's side window after he saw me wave probably was genuinely displeased with my presence on the road. Hopefully his day got a little better and he wasn't 8 and a half seconds late for whatever it was he was on his way to.
I've said it before, but people aren't really mad at cyclists. They're just angry people looking to vent their frustrations. This particular one was honking from 3 cars behind me as I climbed up toward 18th St. Expressway. He gave me plenty of room, he was just hurried.
A funny observation I've made lately is that the bicycle club mailing lists are just burning up with "HEY! I'm riding tonight! Come with!" style e-mails. Most of the regular weekly social and training rides fell off the bike club calendar in mid-September, so who can blame them? It's freaking NICE out in the afternoons! Why waste it?
Thursday, October 09, 2008
The game of the day...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Three posts without pictures?!?! :( I'm going to have to drop your blog down to #2 on my speed dial. :)
Can I get quick maintenance advice? Have a couple questions. steven dot birrell at kimball dot com
Thanks!!
Steven
Indiana
Yeah, let's get a picture of one of your angry motorists. Next time you get honked or screamed at, instead of waving, snap their photo. Make sure to use a flash so it's obvious what you're doing. Then get a second picture after they've realized what you've done. The third photo can be used as evidence in a court of law to support your case. ;-)
I bet that would make for an interesting blog post. :)
I rarely get honked at. I just passed 1000 miles on my new bike since mid-July and have been honked only a few times. I only commute 10 miles a day through older midtown neighborhoods and into downtown, so maybe that has something to do with it. I rarely ride on medium to large arteries.
Regards,
Scott
Omaha
Noah,
For the first time I actually saw you riding down Southwest Boulevard and it is no wonder people honk at you. To say you were all over the road is an understatement. You ride as if you are completely out-of-control on the bike and, frankly, scared the living shit out of me as I passed you (giving you an extremely wide berth as I was afraid you would swerve in front of me).
This impression is coming from someone who rides that same stretch of road regularly and never get honked at because I take care to ride cautiously and predictably so I will not pose a threat to myself and the motorists around me.
The next time you spew hatred about motorists honking at you think about the impression you make when you, for example, try so desperately to not put your feet down at a red light so you will look like an accomplished cyclists (or, for that matter, simply attempt to pedal your bicycle).
Cheers,
Weston Esterhazey (westonesterhazey@yahoo.com)
Thanks for the advice. I figured this post would get your attention.
Post a Comment