Just wanted to vent and bolster my need to look out for myself.

Went for a ride Monday, on a road through an industrial area, 45 MPH speed limit. Most of the way,there is either a marked bike lane on the shoulder, or totally off the road. There is a short bridge, where there is an extremely narrow curbed area, perhaps 15" wide.
I could walk on it with my bike, but only at a slow pace, it is just barely wide enough. Also, all the road debris gets kicked up and accumulates there, and I had no pump. Anyway,I got to the bridge, pulled over, and looked back. I let all traffic go by, and things were clear for about 2-4 city blocks. So I proceeded, in the center of the single lane of the road. I felt guilty, because being a bridge it was marked as a no passing zone, but I recalled reading somewhere that it is okay for cars to pass you under these circumstances (or did I read that they will do it anyway?). While crossing the bridge about 3 cars passed me, and I slowly moved over in the lane, out of timidness, but I did manage to muster enough resolve to stay about 1/3 of the way over, because I know that I need to make the drivers move over, so they think twice and pass me safely.

A full-size pick-up was last in line, and a guy shouted something unintelligible, I shouted the most overused two word sentence in the English vocabulary back, not typical of me, and luckily it was just as unintelligible as their shouting. (I have no desire to give these creeps an excuse to stop their vehicle. And I think there were two.)

I know this is a common occurence,and not remarkable in the least. I just haven't been on my bike in traffic in so long. I am sure that I will get used to it, I've ridden in the past on this road. But at the time I was feeling very self-conscious about the inconvenience I was causing these drivers. At the time I didn't notice but there is even a bicycle warning sign at this bridge.

So tell me girls, that it is MY lane, for as long as I feel I need it, whenever I feel I need it.
Some part of me wants to give it away, and jump up on that curb next time. but that would make me invisible, and the only place to go from there is over the rail

BTW, the four or five cyclists I interacted with during this trip more than compensated for these Neanderthals. Oh, and one cyclist spontaneously told me, when I told him my route home, ride in the center, not the side of the lane when I am sharing it with cars.

It is MY lane!!!!...It is MY lane!!!!...It is MY lane!!!!...It is MY lane!!!!...It is MY lane!!!!...

Mary

It is TOO my lane...