frustrating two-wheeled drivers
this is a bit of rant and a bit of an 'anyone else?'-type question. it's about traffic, so hopefully i don't lose anyone --- explaining traffic on-line is so confusing. :rolleyes: i'll do my best though!
although i am one of those people who lets little things bug me (destined fora heart attack one day ;) ), i have learned not to fume everytime a vehicle passes me then turns right in front of me, or everytime a driver tries to intimidate me into letting him/her cut me off, or a driver rolling through a stop sign without even looking, etc. :eek:
that being said, cyclists who are rather, um, 'lax' about traffic rules still make me soooo angry. my personal pet peeve is cyclists (usually male) who pass me even when we're going the same speed, and don't warn when they do pass (i.e. ding a bell, or call out). i rarely pass a cyclist unless they are going a lot slower than me, and/or look like they are completely clueless. (for example, i once trailed a cyclist for a couple kilometres, then realized that a, i would be going much faster than him; b, he was in utterly the wrong gear, spinning like a whirlygig; and c, he was probably going to get himself killed, as he was riding about 5 inches from the curb. yes, 5 inches! :eek: so i passed him, for good reason.)
in my experience, male cyclists pass me simply because they like to think they're faster/stronger/better than a woman (any woman), and they like just like to be in front. and yes, that bugs me. especially when we end up going the same speed.
so today, i'm at an intersection. i pull up to wait beside the first car waiting for the light to change. a cyclist (female) pulls up beside me, as there happens to be room (it's an industrial area in the north end of the city, so the streets are a little wider in spots). however, just because there's room doesn't mean it's a good idea: there's now a car and two cyclists aiming to squeeze into the lane on the opposite side of the intersection. so the light changes and the cyclist waits for me to go ahead so she can pull in behind me. i shot ahead like a bat out of hell, as i was annoyed because she really shouldn't have pulled up beside me in the first place (unless she wanted to chat while we were waiting, which she didn't.)
so i continue biking down a long stretch, and then slow to turn at an intersection with a light that's always busy enough that i have to take a moment and check. in the meantime she catches up with me, and as soon as we've turned she passes me, without a ding of her bell or an 'on your left' or anything. i spend the next two minutes following her, forcing myself to slow in order to not run her over. however it wasn't really worth passing her, as i was turning shortly anyway and i didn't feel like starting a p---ing contest that early in the day. but i was really really annoyed, and obviously still am. :rolleyes:
does anyone else get aggravated like this? more at cars or cyclists, who should know better? what do you do-- mumble or say something? does anyone tell cyclists to get off the sidewalk, like some bloggers have said they do? do the rest of you hold female cyclists to a higher standard than men, as i obviously do, expecting women to be less prone to acts of ego-based stupidity? comments or rants, anyone? :D
Re: frustrating two-wheeled drivers
Quote:
Originally posted by spokes
my personal pet peeve is cyclists (usually male) who pass me even when we're going the same speed, and don't warn when they do pass (i.e. ding a bell, or call out). i rarely pass a cyclist unless they are going a lot slower than me
I pass people carefully (for their safety and mine!) and I always shout out a polite "on your left". I also say "thank you" to those who signal me as they pass me. Those people who just blow by are pretty rude!:mad: But I don't feel that I should only pass people who are going a lot slower than me. If you see someone wayyyy ahead of you and you close up the gap, you're obviously faster. I usually close in, then take a quick second for a little recovery before I pass. That way I can pass swiftly and move ahead (and out of their way). People who pass, then just park it in front of me make me want to scream, too!!
Quote:
Originally posted by spokes
in my experience, male cyclists pass me simply because they like to think they're faster/stronger/better than a woman (any woman), and they like just like to be in front. and yes, that bugs me. especially when we end up going the same speed.
I'm guilty of that one. I like to pass those guys because I like to think I'm faster/stronger/better than they are!:D
I share similar frustrations
I share similar frustrations over cars and cyclists' behavior. I tend to ride in parks on those roads because I don't feel very comfortable out on the open road, especially after our cycling coach was killed last year while on his bike and a few years ago this weekend, a member of our club was killed on his bike on the road.
(I am more of a mtn. biker, but I train on the road with plenty of my guardian angels to keep me safe I might add!).
I agree with those who are more annoyed by cyclists behaving badly. I think we have to almost follow the rules of the road religiously or exaggeratedly to show the motorists that we are polite and obey the law. I refuse to go on certain group rides in my area because 99 percent of the people don't follow the rules of the road...they go through stop signs and red lights, for instance. It is annoying and dangerous, so I just stay in the parks where the traffic is light and the speed limit is 35 mph.
I have similar frustrations over the male cyclists who think, "Oh, there's a woman, I think I will pass her." I never have this problem with the male Cat 1 or 2 or 3 riders in our state...they are courteous and professional for the most part...isn't that interesting :) ?
On the road, the passing issue isn't as annoying to me as it is on my mountain bike where it's much narrower for passage. Back when I raced my mountain bike, I would have these sport level guys grab my handle bars to try to take me down...it was all pretty ugly back then....they wouldn't even say, "passing on your left/right" (they'd say, "get the #$@$ off the trail!") Luckily, racing has lost popularity out here and people don't treat the trails as their personal race track any more.
One of my personal fantasies is to wear one of those floral sport skorts while riding with pigtails/ribbons and pass a group of guys and demurely, in a very girly voice, say, "passing on your right, gentlemen!" Hee hee hee!
I kinda have the attitude on the road and on my mtn. bike that if you are going to pass me, you better be faster than me, regardless of gender. In a tight and narrow spot on the road or mtn. bike, I also tend to think that if someone is going to pass, it's up to them to do the maneuvering and find a safe spot (so, they also better have good bike skills because I am not the one going down LOL).
Just my thoughts...
Re: I share similar frustrations
Quote:
Originally posted by yogabear
. . . I also tend to think that if someone is going to pass, it's up to them to do the maneuvering and find a safe spot (so, they also better have good bike skills because I am not the one going down LOL).
I thought that was accepted biking etiquitte! The bikers around you sound really rude!
