Quote Originally Posted by lauraelmore1033 View Post
Oh, the things that have been yelled at me!!! You'd think it was a crime to be a fat lady on a bike around here. It's been worse since school is out and the kids all like to hang around the trail. I've found the most effective response, for instance, when passing a group of teenage boys, hooting about my fat b!tchitude, is to slow down enough to make eye contact and say " YOU have a NICE day, now!" Those particular boys don't yell at me anymore. Some times they say "have a nice day" in an ironic tone when I pass, but considering the alternative, I'll consider that a huge improvement.
I was about 210 lbs when I started riding - During my second year riding, some kids in a car yelled something about "shouldn't have that fat a$$ on a bicycle in public". When I caught them at the light I asked them "why should I stop riding, since cycling has helped me lose 100lbs (actually 10 but they didn't need to know that). And then I asked "I did a 100 mile bike ride the day before (which was the truth) - how far can you ride in a day?" The kid that yelled at me actually apologized and said "way to go losing so much weight".

I kinda felt bad about my little white lie (not for too long), but I got the feeling that they would think twice about making those comments to someone else. Kids are easy, it's the adults that yell that are idiots. I ususally put my hand up to my ear and shrug my shoulders, showing them I can't hear them. Then give a big smile and wave. Haven't had anyone slow down to repeat what they said.

Love the "mom voice" idea :-)
Edna