Giving roadies a bad rep

[Geonz]

We have many stretches of road where it's one lane on each side - and miles of open, flat road. 8 of us two abreast get passed just as a car would - there's oodles of visibility.
When folks treat the roads closer into town the same way, though, I get off the group and take my part of my lane.
It's "scarier" but around here, too, taking more of the lane works better. I think of when I was learning to drive, and I was sure that every car was going to hit me (merge onto the interstate? AARGH~... now of course it's nothing!).

It's tough, htough, when the drivers aren't educated (and/or the facilities are set up to be confusing). We've got a road with a bike lane - that ducks off the road for stretches. Unfortunately, one of the places where it cuts off is right before the intersection where I have to turn left. SO yesterday I was approaching the intersection, and behind me the clump of cars from the previous intersection's light was approaching... but I had room to cut across the two lanes into the left turn lane, though not by too much.
Unfortunately, the very sight of me leaving the bike lane and entering traffic inspired a driver to lay on his/her horn. While I was reasonably certain it was simply an expression of indignance (it's amazing how emotions can be conveyed), it still caused me to pause, so instead I had to be in traffic while they all went by, and then move left. (Fortunately, it's just one clump with a huge gap between, so I didn't have to be all assertive and try to merge across through traffic. I'm not quite at that level of comfort... yet?...)
It's one of those cases where *no* path would be better - the drivers would be less inclined to be indignant about "idiot cyclists who don't use the bike path." (If I were to stick to the path, then I'd be 'way off to the right, intending to go left; even doing it like a pedestrian isn't particularly visible or safe.)
IT almost made me forget about being at the light at the corner of DUncan & Kirby and noticing a car out of the corner of my eye to my right, and just scooting a little more towards the center, and hearing a polite, "Thank you," as the young male was able to make the right turn on red.
And just found out this morning that one of my students' husband was killed Saturday in a cycling accident, but I know *no* details about it.