Something to ponder....

[IntenseRide]

DISCLAIMER and Pre-Apology... no offence intended: this is not a personal comment directed at IntenseRide, but rather an observation having heard many "when women rule the world" comments



I'm afraid the cynic in me says bigots and facists come in both genders...

A comment like th one above

"I think that will only happen when women rule this world"

makes me think of "great" women leaders...

Benazir Bhutto... Maggie Thatcher... Golda Mair...



Oh... and RM... very interesting article you have found. I think my response to that is that local and central governments need to educate "the general public" about cycling benifits... family/personal healt/environment/sustainability etc etc etc...
Just like they have in this country with alcohol and education.
It can't be left to cyclists to change the minds of road-ragers...
Thank you for posting - very thought-provoking

No offense taken , you said it better then I.

I felt sorry for the older woman getting out of the van also. She looked confused, along with the driver. I kept thinking about my grandparents. This Saturday is my first ride on the road with a group of people, and I know that I don't know 'everything' about road riding laws. That's where if people would just be charitable to one another, give a little bit of slack, it would go a long way. I don't expect anything more then common sense and courtesy, but since the vehicle outweighs me by probably 4,000 pounds, I think I should probably be the one that is extra cautious. But...I'm still going to wear my "Female Planet" t-shirt

[Geonz]

Oh, that article was well written - not *objectively* written (heavens, in this decade?) but well written in that it manipulates the reader well.
The cyclists were "an angry mob," the motorists "terrorized." yes, there was a token disclaimer that of course the author doesn't *know* what the drivers were doing ... besides being in a car and therefore at a huge advantage, but we'll ignore that, too... can we say "slanted from the start?"

I completely agree that the mob thing doesn't help anybody. I was *very* relieved that our Ride of Silence folks broke up into subgroups because of stop signs and red lights, and aggravated when at least one passerby was sure we were a critical mass ride.
I'd said at the beginning of our ride that we were about sharing the road; that yes, there was a temptation when being a big enough group that it was harder to "mess with us" to fall into riding as if we were the only ones on the road, but that we should avoid that temptation if only because that "we're in power and so we don't have to care if we hurt you" attitude is what we're trying to stop.

[Shatteredshards]

Oh, that article was well written - not *objectively* written (heavens, in this decade?) but well written in that it manipulates the reader well.
The cyclists were "an angry mob," the motorists "terrorized." yes, there was a token disclaimer that of course the author doesn't *know* what the drivers were doing ... besides being in a car and therefore at a huge advantage, but we'll ignore that, too... can we say "slanted from the start?"

Watch the video - it just happens to be of the second incident with the 72 year old man and his wife.

It shows multiple cyclists ignoring rules of the road (going straight in marked turn only lanes, for example), it shows this man's van surrounded by cyclists before he attempts to move forward slightly and consequently starts to run over cycles that do not have people on them, it shows cyclists cussing him out and trying to pull his door open, it shows some cyclist yelling at him that he's running over people in attempt to scare him when he really isn't.

After seeing that video, I don't think it's slanted at all.

[RoadRaven]

This Saturday is my first ride on the road with a group of people

Really? Way to go! When you get with a friendly group of riders, it can be so much fun (and of course, usually, much safer because you are more visible! Looking forward to hearing how it goes/went for you

[bikerchick68]

wow. that video is something else. It's got me just shaking my head.

WHAT was the guy with 2 small children doing getting right up there and involved with it while holding his kids??? It's one thing if you want to get in a confrontation as an adult... but to get your kids into it. I wouldn't be surprised if riding scares them now. THAT incident will be part of what they associate cycling with. wow.

a lot of poor decisions were made by a lot of people involved from what that video shows.