Bike Rage

Yesterday a few friends and I went out for our weekly Saturday long ride. As of right now, my coach doesn't have me going too long. The ride ended up being 3.5 hours. Which I only mention because during a typical *long* ride of 5-6 hours, I seldom have many (if any) altercations with motorists. Yesterday however was a different story. I believe we were yelled or cursed at 4 times. One time while simply regrouping in a deserted parking lot of a country store by a passerby. So what gives? Well, there are plenty of reasons. For instance, last year I was outraged to discover a facebook page that was dedicated to encourage so called bike rage. Pictures and comments about hitting cyclists were common.

Why the hatred? Well, part of the blame rests on the cyclists. There are plenty on two wheels that ruin our image. You know the guy. Hell if you are a cyclists, you probably have ridden with him from time to time. Cocky, disrespectful, and aggressive on his bike. This is the dude that never stops at signs, rides as if he has special privileges as compared to motorists, and exudes his displeasure for the common motorist any chance he gets. However, this is only part of the problem. I am not that guy. Neither are either of the friends I was riding with. So, what is the other half of the equation?

In my opinion it has to do with resentment. I work my ass off. I got through high school with a decent gpa and then grabbed a college degree. After working too many 60-70 hour weeks to count as a dedicated employee for a well established company, I earn a nice living. So do my friends. For instance, each of our bikes were probably worth more than half of the cars that occupied the dirt bags that yelled or cursed at us. Throw on top that we are genuinely happy people with nice families, nice homes, and body fat percentages that are measured in single digits...well I'm assuming this all adds to the problem. If I'm one of the dirt bags that yelled at my friends and I yesterday (let's call him "Joe"), maybe he resents the fact that he was once a high school bully (probably making fun of people like myself or my friends) and now he's overweight, has a drinking problem and works at a dead end job that barely pays the bills. Joe sees a couple of fit looking dudes riding around on $5,000 - $10,000 bikes? Well, that not only pisses Joe off, but maybe it reverts him back to his high school bully days? Joe drives a big truck and can slam the accelerator as he passes us to try and scare us. He can yell down at us as he passes, or simply come up from behind and honk to try and frighten those ass holes on the bikes.

Well, you know what Joe? Honk all you want. Yell at me all you want. Does it piss me off? Sure. But really, I just feel very sorry for you. If you have nothing better to do than try and bully someone riding a bike, then you obviously are a pathetic version of a man and for that, well I'm sorry for you. Do you intimidate me? Hell yeah, you have a few thousands pounds on me and there is a decent chance you have been drinking. Maybe I'm totally off base. But after having enough of these encounters over the years, you start to see it in their eyes.

Deep breath Yates. I'm feeling better already. Sorry for the rant, but after years of sharing the road with idiots like Joe...sometimes I just need to get it out. Despite the bike rage incidents, we had a very nice ride and I feel my fitness continuing to improve each week. My buddy and I pounded out 13 miles this morning at solid pace despite climbing 1,000 ft. I'm feeling that I'm right where I need to be this time of year. Next week's Shamrock run will be interesting, but it will be fun to test the legs a little bit. Hope everyone is well. Thanks for taking the time to read.

-T