Handling Yourself in Traffic

[Eden]

This wonderful little essay was written and posted to a local forum by Claire Petersky in response to someone who was nearly right hooked by a car. Lots of advice was posted about lane position and riding with traffic, but I enjoyed this response so much I asked if I could share it with all of you here. Claire graciously allowed it, so I hope it both entertains and informs you too!

Instead of giving you advice about how to handle yourself physically on the road, I’m going to give advice about how to handle yourself psychologically. One of the things you have to realize is, as soon as you swing your leg over the back of your bike, you are Queen of the Road. You are the sovereign of everything from the yellow center line to where the pavement ends. All of it is your realm.

This means that you use any part of the road that you see fit. You are not going to run alongside the curb like some guttersnipe. This is beneath you. You are going to ride on your road, the road that you command.

Since you are of the highest nobility, it does not demean you, however, to let lesser vehicles pass. This is lèse majesté, or noblesse oblige (or some other phrase in French, who knows), that means that you are confident enough in your higher stature, that it is no flesh off of your proboscis to allow others little favors. So certainly, you can ride on the shoulder – it’s such a small thing for you, and it means so much to them. But just because you grant such favors from time to time, doesn’t mean that you cede your right to the road. No, this is truly yours, to take as you need it, for your own safety, and for the safety of all around you.

Now, it is true, that occasionally, your royal presence will be noted with a horn. This is similar to the trumpets that would sound in medieval days, heralding the arrival of the king. Such tootling should not disturb or dismay you. When you hear these horns, you should acknowledge their salute. I recommend the wave perfected by her majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. It uses all the fingers of the hand, not just the middle one, and it looks as if you are screwing and unscrewing an invisible light bulb. So this is how it goes: honk; you give a big beaming smile to the motorist, and do the Royal Wave. Got that?

One of the amazing effects of riding royally is that you are treated with much greater respect by other road users. When you cower in the gutter, you are treated like the muck that resides there: motorists give you the brush pass or right hook you at the light. When you ride with confidence in the road that is truly yours, then all acknowledge your sovereignty.

written by Claire Petersky

[mimitabby]

great, Eden!

[Starfish]

Thanks for this!

[SadieKate]

Kudos to Claire! That's wonderful.

Yellow (aka Shirley on the Telluride trip as there were two Sue's) can give you lessons on the royal wave. Here are Laverne and Shirley holding court. I can't wait to try this on the next fanfare announcing my presence.

[lph]

Lmao! :d :d

[Thorn]

Bravo! Bravo!

[missymaya]

Well done and spoken!

[RoadRaven]

Just subscribed to this thread so I don't lose this articel

Thanks Eden

[Zen]

I've tried to do that wave before, now I know how! If only I could do it while riding.

I had to do some photoshopping on this to make it PG rated. Mr. Willie was waving hello as well.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I had to do some photoshopping on this to make it PG rated. Mr. Willie was waving hello as well.

And he "just so happens" to be the happiest looking guy in the photo....

[salsabike]

Claire also wrote and posted on Cycling Forums the following totally delightful cyclist's version of the Passover Haggadah.


Cyclist Haggadah

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All who are in need of spring training, come and ride with us.
All who are hungry, come and partake of our carbohydrate-laden treats.

[The bottle of cytomax is held up and the blessing recited.]

The youngest rider asks:

1. On all other rides, we eat all kinds of bars. On this ride, why do we
only eat hard, unleavened Power Bars?
2. On all other rides, we might consume a wide range of fruits. On this
ride, why do we eat bananas?
3. On all other rides, we might not dip our bananas even once in our gu. On
this ride, why do we dip our bananas twice?
4. On all other rides, we ride sitting up straight. On this ride, why do we
ride in a reclining position on recumbents?

The answer my children, may be found in the story of Passover.

This is the power bar of our affliction, which our ancestors baked 400 years
ago.

Many years ago, we were slaves to our automobiles, driving hither and
thither, not knowing that a better way existed. If the Holy One, blessed be
He, had not shown us the way of the bicycle, then we, our children and our
children's children would have remained enslaved to motor vehicle. Even if
all of us were wise, all of us understanding, all of us knowing the book of
Effective Cycling, we would still be obligated to discuss the liberation
through cycling; and everyone who discusses this liberation at length is
praiseworthy.

There are four types of children who ask questions on this ride: the wise
one, the bad one, the simple one, and the one who does not know to ask.
- What does the wise one ask? I don't know; I couldn't understand him
either. Him you must send to a school for gifted children.
- What does the bad one ask? He says, "What is this ride to you?" Because he
excludes himself from the community of cyclists, you must exclude him from
your ride, and he will go back to his employer and get paid double-time and
a half for working on a holiday.
- What does the simple one ask? He simply asks, "What is this?" You will say
to him, "This is a bike ride."
- As for the one who does not know to ask, you must go to his room, wake him
up and say, "Next year, come to the bike ride on time!"

These are the Ten Plagues which the Holy One, blessed be He, brought upon
the motorists, namely as follows:

[When saying the ten plagues, spill a drop of cytomax from the sports bottle
itself ten times for each plague:]

High gas prices
Congestion
Registration fees
Pollution
Pot holes
Expensive parking
Speeding tickets
Sedendary lifestyle
Obesity
First-born getting a driver's licence

How many levels of favors has the Eternal One bestowed upon us?

If we would be wearing padded bike shorts, but not have clipless pedals, it
would have been enough.
If we would have clipless pedals, but not at least Shimano 105 components,
it would have been enough.
If we would be equipped with at least Shimano 105 components, but not a
delicious post-ride dinner, it would have been enough.
If we would been served a delicious dinner and no dessert, it would have
been enough.
If we would eaten dessert, but not have a hangover from too much carousing,
it would have been enough.

(Pick up the cytomax and say Thus how much more so should we be grateful
to the Eternal One for the doubled and redoubled goodness that He has
bestowed upon us! We do wear padded bike shorts, we do have clipless
pedals, and we do have at least Shimano 105 components (and some of us have
Ultegra and even Campy Chorus, and many other wonders), and we did eat a
delicious post-ride dinner, and we did get dessert, and now we pray that we
do not get a hangover from too much carousing -- let us say, Amen!

Thus it is our duty to thank, to laud, to praise, to glorify, to exalt, to
adore, to bless, to elevate and to honor the One who did all these miracles
for cyclists before us and for us. He took us from car-driving slavery to
bicycling freedom, from steel-caged enclosed sorrow to the open road of joy,
and from bondage to redemption.

Blessed are You, our God, Universal Ruling Presence, who has redeemed us and
redeemed our ancestors, and enabled us on this ride to eat power bars and
bananas. So too, God, our God and God of our ancestors, enable us to attain
other rides and cycling events that will come to us in peace with happiness,
and with rejoicing in Your service.

This year we watch the Tour De France in the living room, next year may we
see it in person!

(with a tip o' the hat to Akiva and Ilene Miller)


--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky

Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at:
http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

[KnottedYet]

snif! oh, this thread is just so.... beautiful!!!!!

<wipes away an emotional tear>

[Trek420]

ok, who hid the hard, unleavened Power Bar? Sends the kids to find it.

[salsabike]

Um...by the way, I totally apologize for the thread hijack.

[missymaya]

That was great Salsabike! Just sent it to BF (while working and only daydreaming of tonights ride )