Drivers in my area must really hate triathletes

I just can't get over how much worse I am treated on the road by drivers when I'm on my TT bike.

Typically, when I ride in the area of my house (rural), I'll get buzzed or yelled at every couple of rides. I think my husband gets it worse than me, maybe because he's male, but even then, no more than once or so per ride. I'm talking about actively agressive people, not those that are just unaware and don't give us enough room (or, heaven forbid, are tipsy from visiting wineries!). Anyway, actively agressive, like swerving, laying on the horn, reving the engine right next to us, yelling, giving us the finger, etc. Actually, now that I think about it, when I am dressed for commuting, I've never had a single incident (but to be fair, I haven't commuted in over a year!).

Yesterday I was out for a short 22 mile ride on my tri bike. I was on the road for barely over an hour. In that time frame, I had 5 people actively try to be agressive towards me. FIVE! Four of the five either yelled, laid on the horn, or gave me the finger. The fifth reved his big jacked up pickup right next to me and then covered me in exhaust, but we could chalk that up to general jerkness and not necessarily bike hate. But I have my doubts.

And for reference, see my thread in the 'crazy drivers' section about a woman who tried to capture me on video... when I was on my TT bike.

Why the aerobars hate?? :eek:

Has anyone else who regularly rides both types of bike seen something similiar or am I just lucky? :p

Now I'm kind of afraid to put my new clip-on bars on my road bike...but I'm kind of interested to see if I get a different reaction.

I'm surprised there are that many incidences, GLC. I ride the same type of roads you do and I've found drivers to be really courteous. Of course, I don't have a tri-bike.

Although, a few years ago hubby and I were heading to Haag Lake past your neck of the woods and a truck pulling a trailer of ATVs was a real jerk and almost ran both of us off the road (and this was at 7am...not like there was any other traffic).

Ellen - for this ride, I was actually down your way (almost)! The three worst incidents happend on Ribbon Ridge, North Valley and Spring Hill, but it also happened on 240 (which I kind of expected as I hate riding on that road if I can avoid it).

The video incident was up near 47 on Spring Hill as well.

I absolutely agree that 95% of the time, people are either curteous or just clearly don't know how much room to leave. This agression thing is so new to me!

Yep...Spring Hill Rd. was where the dude tried to run us off. I've ridden North Valley more times than I care to admit (that last hill before Chehalem Dr. is a KILLER!) and the only time I didn't feel safe was when an SUV with a BIKE RACK (!!!) buzzed me during one of our local supported rides.

I avoid 240 at all costs, too!

There's a love/hate relationship with triathletes out here. Some people see them as the ultimate roadie, an elitist bunch of pricks that think they own the road, own the area, and shut down the entire community for an ENTIRE DAY (OMG) to serve their own interests (we host an Ironman). Others are pretty welcoming. Some people just don't know how to handle cyclists in general.

The one thing Ironman has done is make people aware of cyclists, whether they hate them or not. Most of the people that live along the courses are actually pretty decent. It's the people who DON'T that are meanies. I also see a pretty strong "don't you people have bike paths!?" attitude in some areas, especially where you can travel close enough to the speed limit in traffic that they have to think to go around you.

I get snark on the trails from a lot of casual riders about riding too fast, passing too closely, whatever. Usually from the crowd that doesn't wear helmets and rides bicycles at the same time they have dogs on leashes.

I honestly haven't rode my road bike in a while on the roads though, so I can't say I've compared recently.