Irritating ride....

[kenyonchris]

Sunday morning phenomenon...the MOST aggressive drivers are out on Sunday morning. Why? Don't know. When working on Sunday morning, I get verbally abused by motorists when pulling them over on their way to church than I do total over the rest of the week...and I pull many, many more people over for just boneheaded, dangerous traffic violations on Sunday than any other day.

So today I was out on my road bike on the same streets I always ride (and work). I ride as far to the right as PRACTICABLE (someone in another thread asked what that meant, IPMBA, the bike association that certifies us as bike officers says as far to the right as you can safely under the conditions) except when I need to make myself more visible (getting ready to change lanes, on funny curves, whatever), when I take the lane. I try to be courteous about it.

A black Lexus rode my back wheel for about 100 yards (he was clear to go around), pulled alongside me for a few feet, then whipped around and hit the brakes, forcing me to brake. He then sprinted ahead about 1/8 mile, and turned into the church parking lot. His family was getting out as I passed, he shot me the finger FROM THE CHURCH PARKING LOT. Good grief. I wasn't in the middle of the lane, I was going 23 mph in a 30 mph zone, and he was less than 1/4 of a mile from his destination anyhow. I pedaled on.

A white suburban pulled up to a stop sign, stopped (sort of), made eye contact with me as I approached the intersection...I did NOT have a stop, then pulled out in front of me. I was going 14 mph but had covered the brakes so avoided crashing into her driver's door.

And finally, as I pedaled past an "urban loft" type apartment complex, a woman in impossibly high heels for a Sunday morning was out smoking her cigarette with her albino chiwawador or some other 2 lb designer dog...the dog was wearing a sweater (it is 95 degrees at 9am here in Texas) but no leash and, you guessed it, darted out at me. I had seen it and, knowing that these are dogs of limited powers of deductive reasoning, prepared a counter-strike. I unclipped as I slowed, reached down, grabbed the little sucker in one hand, and made high heel woman walk out through the grass to come claim precious. He was snapping and biting at my hand, but I had him firmly around the waist. When she took hold of her dog, he bit HER.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I unclipped as I slowed, reached down, grabbed the little sucker in one hand, and made high heel woman walk out through the grass to come claim precious. He was snapping and biting at my hand, but I had him firmly around the waist. When she took hold of her dog, he bit HER.

GOOD ONE!!!!!

[redrhodie]

A black Lexus rode my back wheel for about 100 yards (he was clear to go around), pulled alongside me for a few feet, then whipped around and hit the brakes, forcing me to brake. He then sprinted ahead about 1/8 mile, and turned into the church parking lot. His family was getting out as I passed, he shot me the finger FROM THE CHURCH PARKING LOT. Good grief. I wasn't in the middle of the lane, I was going 23 mph in a 30 mph zone, and he was less than 1/4 of a mile from his destination anyhow. I pedaled on.

I wish you had shown your badge to this one! I know, you were off duty, and don't like doing that.

I love your posts, btw.

[salsabike]

Ha! Good job on the dog.

And I also really enjoy your posts.

[alpinerabbit]

So much for "christianity", and gotta love the dog story - I once was just about to grab one of those little pooches when out running, as it was pooping in a children's playground basically underneath the "no dogs" sign. I was going to dump it in the trash bin for the owner to dig out again.

[jobob]

jay-sus.

I wonder how badly those cretins would have soiled their underpants had they known what you do for a living.

[ridebikeme]

I have to admit that I would have been amused by the dog biting its owner HA!

Were you able to get the license plate number from the Lexus? I'm sure that everything happened so quickly, that it would have been difficult.

Be safe,and keep an eye open for the Lexus

[ny biker]

Last summer I came within 2 inches of being right-hooked by a black SUV with a sign on the driver's door that said CLERGY. There's no way he didn't see me before he turned.

Apparently 10 commandments was too much for this particular minister, so he decided to forget about the whole thou shalt not kill thing.

[shootingstar]

Did the dog owner thank you?

[Aggie_Ama]

Haha- sorry you had a bad ride but it did make great reading.

One morning DH and I were doing a local ride where I had a similar experience. The lady shot me the finger to cut me off to drive on the shoulder. She then turned into the large Christian school presumably to join the outdoor activity they were staging with the children. Maybe it included an area to learn aggressive behaviors and ignoring the golden rule when you perceive inconvenience?

[TrekTheKaty]

Great stories. Even before I started cycling, I always said the church parking lot is the most dangerous place in the world. Guess everyone was in a hurry to confess their sins

[OakLeaf]

Sorry you had such a crummy ride, but you sure tell a good story!

We don't even take the motorcycles out on Sundays. People just drive too crazy. After Jesus and waffles, it's beer, beer, beer for the rest of the afternoon.

[7rider]

Great stories. Even before I started cycling, I always said the church parking lot is the most dangerous place in the world. Guess everyone was in a hurry to confess their sins

Yeah...churches....and flea markets.
Holy smokes. Don't EVER get between a flea market goer and the market! Yikes. Up in Massachusetts, I used to have to ride 3-miles off my usual route on Sunday mornings to avoid going by this big flea market. People were CRAZY going into that place. Gotta get their bargains!!!

[skhill]

On a related note, back in the days when my brother was waiting tables, he'd always try to avoid the Sunday lunch shift. He always said that the post-lunch crew were the most demanding and lowest-tipping of any he'd dealt with. And I've heard similar things from friends who have been servers... I wonder what message they heard at church, and if anything about service and justice and humility came up...

I, on the other hand, almost always bike to church. And when our bishop sees me coming, he knows I'm going to hassle him yet again to put in a bike rack at the diocesan offices (I've been down there when there have been more than a dozen bikes trying to share a railing that might accomodate 4).... And yes, people think it's weird that I bike to church, but then, I think it's weird that I would drive to a location that's less than 1.5 miles from my house...

[kenyonchris]

Haha- sorry you had a bad ride but it did make great reading.

One morning DH and I were doing a local ride where I had a similar experience. The lady shot me the finger to cut me off to drive on the shoulder. She then turned into the large Christian school presumably to join the outdoor activity they were staging with the children. Maybe it included an area to learn aggressive behaviors and ignoring the golden rule when you perceive inconvenience?

Don't even get me started on the Christian school moms! They are wild (if usually funny and sweet when I stop them) drivers! Nothing makes my blood run cold on the bike or make me check my radar in the car then the site of one of those minivans flying over the hill. Maybe when my cold dead body is lying near my mangled bike they can rally a little divine intervention.