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.