Apparently today was national "act like an a$$hole to cyclists day" and I didn't get the memo.
I have never been honked or grazed more times on a ride before, and I was only out for a three hour tour! Was I doing anything wrong? Nope. Not according to the laws of the road. The "bike lane" (which is a joke on the North Shore) was half washed out in most places, or completely nonexistent. I rode just inside the white line and maintained my course.
Some of my favorite a$$hole moves:
The "im gonna get right behind you and go really really slow then step on it so my unmufflered oversized (im compensating for my lack of manhood) big rig will go by you so fast you get scared and wobble off the road" move.
Of course, the less assertive method is the "I'm gonna get right behind you and honk the horn so you magically jump out of my way move". The bigger the truck, the better they are at this. The kicker was when a gas truck got behind me on a bridge and honked his horn. Yeah right, buddy. Like I am going to pull over to let you try to pass me on a narrow bridge.
Another favorite asshole move is when cars pull over as close to you as possible without actually hitting you. It's the whole "I'm gonna get so close to you that you get scared and never use your bike on my road again" psychology.
I've found that the best method of dealing with this is simply mental fortitude. No matter what, I stick to my course. Even when a big rig is breathing down my back. It's less safe for me to frantically move to the debris filled shoulder and likely crash than it is for me to maintain my position in the road.
So, do you have a "this driver was an a$$hole to me" story? Share below!
