So...I'm riding up the hill about 1.75 miles from my house, approaching a traffic light at the top. Unfortunately, I left late and traffic was busy on this road (one lane each direction, residential, 10' shoulder, recently repaved). A line of traffic is slowly passing me, including a minivan which crossed what should be the white line (dashed line - not yet repainted since the new pavement went down), and passed about 12" from my left shoulder. I yell and give him the back of my hand. Totally uncalled for by the van with such a wide open road.

Well, Mister Pale Blue LTD behind the van apparently didn't like the fact that I was gesturing impolitely to his fellow motorist who was putting my safety at risk by illegally passing me too closely (MD has a 3' rule), so he roars his engine and cuts in front of me, stopping for the light that we are all approaching by completely blocking the shoulder. (Oooooo...he's showing me!!) Thus, he made an illegal move (crossing a solid line (what willbe a solid line when repainted) and driving in the shoulder, specifically to prevent me from doing something completely legal - riding up the shoulder on the right side past a row of cars to a light (yes, that's legal). And bicyclists are the scofflaws?

Unfortunately for him, I'm slow as molasses on that hill on my fully loaded commuter and can practically track stand on the hill, so his little anger stunt had no effect on my forward progress as the light turned green and he crawled away with the line of traffic before I even reached his back bumper.

What an idiot.