Are you guys from Missouri or what?
So today is my third day biking into work, and my second making it here in approximately 40 minutes due to not going seven miles out of my way. So far, the wind has been against me every morning, which also happens to be the direction in which there is more uphill going; this is fine with me, since it means that on my way home in the evening I am going mostly downhill with the wind at my back, and I shower after I get to work in the morning anyway.
On Tuesday, on the way home, I actually stopped in at Trader Joe’s near my house for a few additional grocery items I’d forgotten when Stevie drove me around on Saturday to run errands. This involved going a few blocks down El Camino because I hadn’t yet discovered how to get there on California;* although I am normally a strong opponent of sidewalk-biking, El Camino is insanely busy and has no bike lane, and I do not have a rearview mirror.**
Not that a rearview mirror would do you much good against a guy leaning out the passenger-side window of a pick-up truck and SCREAMING IN YOUR EAR.
This is exactly what happened to me, within my first block of El Camino. I narrowly avoided running into the bus stop that was coming up ahead of me. The subsequent yelling, which continued for the next three blocks every time they passed me (there were unfortunately a bunch of red lights), was at least not as startling, although it did become even more abusive in tone after I gave them the finger.***
Everyone to whom I’ve mentioned the incident is just floored that such a thing could happen in freaking Mountain View, California. The only thing that would have made sense would be if they’d been giving me shit for being on the sidewalk, but the content of the yelling was actually mainly centered around my hair, which is somewhat visible even when I am wearing a helmet.**** One would of course imagine that most people in Mountain View have seen freaky hair as well as cyclists, but perhaps the combination was just too much. I haven’t been subjected to ANY other negative behavior on my bike, though; people actually let me make LEFT TURNS, for godsakes. Sometimes they even yield to me when they have the right-of-way.***** El Camino aside, most of the major roads I want to ride on have bike lanes. I am totally ruined for trying to bike in most of Missouri, from whence I can only imagine the assholes in that pick-up hailed. Or maybe they have family there.
Or you know, maybe it’s me and my attitude problem. I think I might have what they call a “haughty bearing,” although I didn’t think it would be so obvious while hunched over my handlebars, and much like my tendency to attempt to lead while dancing, I’m not sure I can turn it off. The bird-flipping, though, I should probably try to work on.
I really like riding my bike, though. I definitely plan to keep it up when I get back to Madison, which is fairly decent for bicycling, especially by general Midwestern standards. My friend Keely recently suggested we should take one of the little bike maintenance classes that one of the shops offers; I think I’ll take her up on it. Whee.******
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*It often takes me a very long time to learn new routes places, because my sense of direction is so bad that I am loathe to experiment. California runs parallel to El Camino, however, and has a nice bike lane, and I’ve pretty much got the six or seven block stretch of it that I need down, I think.
**Matt made fun of my desire to get a clip-on one for my helmet, but I’m going to assume that’s just because he wants me dead.
***I know, I know. I have to learn to control my temper, especially when it is Bicycle Vs. Car, even if I AM on the sidewalk. Evidently I have not actually learned much since I was 11 and did the exact same thing to a big scary 9th grader who was threatening to beat me up over the pro-choice pin on my backpack–no one was more amazed than I that I was then able to outrun her, believe me.
****I am thinking about getting a pink helmet, as it would probably be cheaper than getting my bike painted pink.+
*****I don’t actually like this very much. I believe I have posted in the past about why I think motorists should not muddy the waters by being nice–if everyone follows the LAW, then we should (theoretically) know what the hell everyone else is going to DO and be able to act accordingly, instead of it being a big courteous free-for-all.
******Or “duh-doo-dee-doo-dee-DOO-doo,” which is the Wicked Witch of the West’s motif, and which I like to hum to myself, when I am riding my bicycle.
+Although I have considered nail polish lightning bolts.
June 7th, 2007 at 1:45 pm
I got one of the unnecessary long honks today that was coupled with a unnecessary swerve into the turn lane. It was even a little foreign car. Everyone else was passing me fine… and what am I supposed to do, get off the road?
Of course I bike on roads just full of Missourians, so there’s no surprise.
I wish I could flick people off. Usually my general attitude with such jerks is to completely ignore them, even though I do want to flick them off.
June 7th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
Oh my god, I also have no sense of direction! Doppelgangers por vida, yo.
June 7th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
http://www.weareallmechanics.com/
we should take this one.
June 7th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
I flip people off all the time. I also have an air horn in my bottle cage, and several Peter Miller yellow cards (http://www.petermiller.info/yellowcard.html), but am probably just a bit too fearless, now that you mention it. A friend joked that I need a jersey with “cranky cyclist” emblazoned on the back, but a argue that everything I do (including lecturing cyclists who ride on sidewalks or opposing traffic, and also motorists who want to be helpful, but really just interfere with the flow of traffic) is done out of selfish self-interest. I really don’t want to die while riding my bicycle!
Ride smart, and be safe!
June 7th, 2007 at 4:25 pm
Just today on my way home someone leaned over to the passenger side of his car and shouted unintelligibly at some length. I really couldn’t make any of it out, but judging by the tone he wasn’t telling me how much he admired my shapely calves.
This doesn’t actually happen much even here (in Missouri). Just the other day some guy pulled up next to me in a pickup truck to tell me that my flashing tail-light really shows up well.
As for a helmet mirror, I never ride without one. It really makes me feel a lot more comfortable on the road.
June 8th, 2007 at 6:40 am
I do not want you dead! I believe I also mentioned that I never wore a helmet while on a bicycle which would suggest to you that you perhaps shouldn’t take advice from me under those circumstances. One of these days I’ll tell you about the time I flew over my handlebars and down a mountain side.
And I definitely think you should take that bicycle maintenance course so that you can take your bike apart and put it together when you ship it around the country.
June 8th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
You know, it took me a surprisingly long time to work out why you would have trouble turning left. Which brings lack of spatial awareness to a new level. Move here! You can turn left anytime.
Actually, though, it was a car turning left through the bike lane that flipped me off my bike that time, so perhaps it is not as hazard-free as I am making out.
I don’t think helmet mirrors exist over here - at least, I’ve never seen them. And I have spent quite a bit of time browsing in bike shops over the years. Maybe we all just look over our shoulders…