Stay To the RIGHT!

No, this is not a post advocating conservatives and their politics. I would never do that. Yuck. You don't know me at all!

Dude. I'm really new to all this swim/bike/run stuff. It's a continual learning process. I do my best to educate myself on the etiquette involved in each discipline. It doesn't seem like it's hard stuff. So correct me if I'm wrong, but...

I live in an area where, let's face it, they hate cyclists. In MY town, it's not as bad as in SpringVegas, but still. I've been scared by cars passing too close whether it's back country road or the highway. I've jumped hearing a horn on my left even though I knew the car was there and maintained my line, but they just had to honk at me. You have to be careful, stay alert and stay to the right. STAY. TO. THE. RIGHT.

I was coming home yesterday on ZZ hwy and the truck in front of me suddenly hit their brakes. WTF? Then I saw why. There was a group cycling up the hill. The shoulders on this highway are purposefully HUGE. They are designated for use as bike lanes and are more than adequate for cyclists. I've ridden in them. And learned very quickly that cars flying down the highway at 55+ mph may ride the white line, so stay to the right.

So when I saw a GROUP of cyclists in their fancy gear on their fancy bikes trying to ride 3 across with a couple of people riding OUTSIDE of the shoulder, causing traffic to almost stop and freaking out drivers who EXPECT YOU TO STAY IN THE GIANT LANE DESIGNATED FOR YOU, I got pissed. This one guy almost got hit by 3 different cars because he just HAD to pass other people in his damn group.

And they wonder why the locals hate cyclists. These are the types of actions that piss of drivers who may have otherwise not cared about those of us out on two wheels. But now, you may have freaked them out enough that all they'll remember is "Danger! Don't hit that guy!" and figure it's easier if we just aren't out on his/her roads on our 2-wheeled, leg-powered death machines. By the way, the "fancy gear on their fancy bikes" thing? I couldn't really tell you if they were "fancy". But to a non-cyclists, if you're on an expensive-looking road bike and your clothes are quite obviously technical, that's probably what THEY are thinking about you.

A sign with a picture of a bicycle that says "SHARE THE ROAD" doesn't just mean "Yeah, drivers of cars and trucks! Share the road, jerkoffs!". It means WE also share in that responsibility to remain safe and not be assholes.