Road Cycling - Why !!!

Its sunny blue skys but cold in Cleveland today but just cant stand not doing a ride. Go out for a 20 mile jaunt around the area. 4 lane road and a little old lady sitting waiting to cross, Im thinking 'after the last car she is going to go no mater what'. Im doing close to 30mph, and sure enough she pulls out like Im invisible and just looks at me through her side window like what the hell you doin her on the street. Grrrr at least I expected it. Then a few miles later nothing behind me in either lane, merge to the left to do a left trun, one car in front and another pulls up behind me no problem, things seem fine. A couple cars show up in the right lane. Light turns green the two cars and Istart to turn left and a guy in the right lane going through rolls his window down in his SUV and screams an obsenity out at me as he passes! why why why? This seems to be the start of another great bike season in Clevelan again. I'm bummin out! help!!! what a bunch of loosers! Is it like this everywhere?

Its sunny blue skys but cold in Cleveland today but just cant stand not doing a ride. Go out for a 20 mile jaunt around the area. 4 lane road and a little old lady sitting waiting to cross, Im thinking 'after the last car she is going to go no mater what'. Im doing close to 30mph, and sure enough she pulls out like Im invisible and just looks at me through her side window like what the hell you doin her on the street. Grrrr at least I expected it. Then a few miles later nothing behind me in either lane, merge to the left to do a left trun, one car in front and another pulls up behind me no problem, things seem fine. A couple cars show up in the right lane. Light turns green the two cars and Istart to turn left and a guy in the right lane going through rolls his window down in his SUV and screams an obsenity out at me as he passes! why why why? This seems to be the start of another great bike season in Clevelan again. I'm bummin out! help!!! what a bunch of loosers! Is it like this everywhere?

East or West side? Have we had this conversation before? Chagrin River Rd. is where it's at. Relatively quiet road, great scenery. Sherman Rd., just North of the village of Gates Mills is a great climbing challenge. More great roads around Waite Hill ... beautiful scenery, little traffic. I have extremely fond memories of group rides in the Chagrin River Valley.

-mark

Suv Sux.

I live in a university town which is very tolerant of bikes. But if I ride more than 15 miles out of town, pickup truck drivers sometimes swerve at me. I think this behavior is caused by jealousy. SUV slobs resent bikers for being so energetic. They think the biker bikes just to prove he's a better person than they are...

Well, we are better, aren't we?

Twas quite chilly here in Columbus (again), today also! We came up through there, The Emerald Necklace, last July. It was so gorgeous.. :) We rode from Columbus to somewhere abouts up there..not sure where we ended up. My familia is in Avon Lake, so I think it was somewhere close to there? Either way..we didn't have too many issues as far as traffic and the towns along the way were very pleasant, specially with the holiday weekend. Everyone was so interested where we were coming from & where we were headed..it was nice. Sorry your ride didn't go so well today.

East or West side? Have we had this conversation before? Chagrin River Rd. is where it's at. Relatively quiet road, great scenery. Sherman Rd., just North of the village of Gates Mills is a great climbing challenge. More great roads around Waite Hill ... beautiful scenery, little traffic. I have extremely fond memories of group rides in the Chagrin River Valley.

-mark

I'm not sure if we had this conversation before, maybe though because I know I have complained in the past. It just really got me down yesterday when it happened. True the area you refer to is very nice but so are the people. Just wish I could leave my drive way on the bike and have it that way here. Just plain ignorant slobs. They get so brave locked inside of a 3,000 lb steel box with a couple hundred horse power vrs us pearched on top of an 18 lb bike. I plan on moving but to a climate with no cold season. All it takes is one jerk...........

Twas quite chilly here in Columbus (again), today also! We came up through there, The Emerald Necklace, last July. It was so gorgeous.. :) We rode from Columbus to somewhere abouts up there..not sure where we ended up. My familia is in Avon Lake, so I think it was somewhere close to there? Either way..we didn't have too many issues as far as traffic and the towns along the way were very pleasant, specially with the holiday weekend. Everyone was so interested where we were coming from & where we were headed..it was nice. Sorry your ride didn't go so well today.

Right, I see by your text that it was "we", and I've noticed in the club rides we seldom have problems its usually when riding solo. Need another ridding partner for this summer. :rolleyes:

Suv Sux.


No, no, no...SUV's don't suck...only some of the people driving them! Cyclists seem to really discriminate against the drivers of SUV's, and I have yet to understand that. Slobs of all kinds drive vans, sports cars, trucks, taxis, mid-size luxury cars, cars of all types, sometimes even SUV's. I just discriminate against poor drivers, no matter WHAT they drive!

ClevelandGuy, there are bad drivers everywhere, and rude SOB's everywhere, so you are not alone. Luckily, I never ride on the road, 'cause I would probably be dead by now because of the teenagers who tear up and down our country roads (mostly in pick-up trucks, not SUV's, btw.. :p ) Just roll with the punches, be careful out there, and try to have fun!

The key part to the story is "in the right lane going through". He sat beside you the whole time and waited untill he was out of reach to say something. I have ran into these cowards several times. I have also been lucky enough to catch some of them at the next light. A little tap on the window and a "You got a problem?" usually works wonders. They are scared sh*tless.

I wouldn't let it bother me to much, they probably do it to anybody not just bikers. The only time they feel brave is when they can sit in a car and yell at something slower.

What I hate is when rednecks or worst, !! TEENACHERS come dead close to you while passing. And OLD PEOPLE!!! they are even scarier, b/c they can't even see you!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Help!!!!

I hear you, SHDD. If I were to pay attention to the old bitties, the "***", "sexy", "butthole", and "go Lance" comments I think I would give up cycling.

When I ride in this weather I secretly wish for my ride to end sooner than later (I'm constantly cold). This non-enjoyment (but not dislike) puts me in a somewhat pissy mood, primarily because the rides don't live up to my expectations. It is so much more easy to let some comments and bad driving ruin a ride.

For that reason, unless someone tries to physically hurt me, I ignore everything. It makes for a much nicer ride.

I have had people say, " Go Lance" and say, " Go Lemond" I was surprise some of the people around here know who they are. Also I am 17 and at my school people think bike riding is so easy and that it is not a sport. I would like to see them ride 3 to 4 hours without stopping. They think your just riding like they did as kids. But in the long run I think cycling is one of the hardest sports. B/c of the pain you have to overcome and the long hours you have to put in. Its hard both mentally and physcially. You all get what I am saying. Peace out! Well, thats why I love this sport. Its just amazing what your body can do!!! Look at lance and tyler. Wow, they have one He!! of a machine!!

Is it like this everywhere?

I don't know about everywhere, but it's sure like that where I live. You just described a typical road ride for me. It does get old after a while. I refuse to let it deter me from riding, though!

I have had only one problem in the last 14 months. Some teenage girl in an SUV was in the bike lane on my a@@ at 25 miles an hour yelling come on simple simon. I completely ignored her and continued my pace which just made her madder. Other than that, and the self involved drivers, I haven't had any serious problems

Thats when you slap their hood, dive off your bike, claim they hit you and sue :)

Thats when you slap their hood, dive off your bike, claim they hit you and sue

I thought about doing that but figured she would have found a way to actually run over me anyway. All total, she followed me for about a mile like right on my a@@. The more I ignored her the more extreme she got in her comments. After they turned off, she stopped the SUV to continue screeming. I have found some people really hate being ignored. :D

No, no, no...SUV's don't suck...only some of the people driving

I didn't say anthing about the act of "sucking". I just enjoy the alliteration!

The key part to the story is "in the right lane going through". He sat beside you the whole time and waited untill he was out of reach to say something. I have ran into these cowards several times. I have also been lucky enough to catch some of them at the next light. A little tap on the window and a "You got a problem?" usually works wonders. They are scared sh*tless.

I wouldn't let it bother me to much, they probably do it to anybody not just bikers. The only time they feel brave is when they can sit in a car and yell at something slower.

Don't know how many times you've gotten away with confronting a driver, but I hope you won't be surprised when the driver pulls a gun. Even if they're not armed, they are driving in a weapon which can kill you. It's not worth the risk.

I'm lucky I guess. I get very little of this kind of treatment...

I continue to receive this type of treatment but I have gotten it far less since I moved to the Seattle area than when I was living/growing up in the midwest (Chicago area) and especially since I left North Dakota.

Don't know how many times you've gotten away with confronting a driver, but I hope you won't be surprised when the driver pulls a gun. Even if they're not armed, they are driving in a weapon which can kill you. It's not worth the risk.

Asking the driver if he has a problem will get me shot? I will be damned if i put my head down and ride away. You must live in a very high crime area to get shot for that. Live your life in fear and let people pick on you, I will stand up for myself and show that bikers are not a bunch of wusses.

I will stand up for myself and show that bikers are not a bunch of wusses.

Pick the battles you can win. It's the smart thing to do. Use your judgement and if it looks relatively safe to confront the driver then do so but if there's a bowie knife hanging from the rear view mirror and a gun rack in the back window, you might want to reconsider your eagerness to re-educate. Make sure you go in with the upper hand which is particularly hard to do when your opponent is already armed with a device that can impart more energy upon you than the rifle round from an M-16 and provides quite a bit more armoured protection than your lycra cladding could. Remember that when a military planner designs an operation, if the fight turns out to be fair, then they've failed their job. In short, play it safe and play it smart. The fight or flight instincts give you two options. Use them wisely. In many cases, the latter is really the smart one.

Here in AZ I get a lot of the old people in there caddies getting real close to me or honking. They are the biggest group that I have a problem with. Of course I get the occassional comments like everyone else. I have yet to be able to meet them at a red light though, the timing never seems to work out, Im just waiting for that day though!

At the beginning of the season there are lots of people who I guess just dont expect to see cyclists so they get kind of close but once it actually gets warm I dont seem to have a problem. The one day on a fairly steep climb this old couple in their car pulled up and werent passing me which really confused me. then they rolled down their window and asked me if it was ok for them to pass me. I got a kick out of it. Thats a once in a lifetime experience.

Right, I see by your text that it was "we", and I've noticed in the club rides we seldom have problems its usually when riding solo. Need another ridding partner for this summer. :rolleyes:

Ah ha! You are very observant. :) No, "we" are not in a club, I was refering to my boyfriend & myself. We never really rode before, we just decided one day to take a trip to Cleveland, on bike. Laugh :D We trained for a few weeks at the gym & borrowed some friends' Specialized Mountain bikes! This year we purchased our own, road Treks & plan to do the trip again this July 4th, going to all the way Ashtabula this time. Actually our bikes just arrived last week, so we have some training to do! If the Ohio weather would improve a bit, that is.. today was cold & rainy :(

Don't know how many times you've gotten away with confronting a driver, but I hope you won't be surprised when the driver pulls a gun. Even if they're not armed, they are driving in a weapon which can kill you. It's not worth the risk.

Which is exactly what happened to a friend of mine who was cut off and chased a driver to the next lite. He pulled a gun and said, "I'm gonna kill you". Whoa what a wake up call! You have to realize that the majority of these people are seeking only one particular reaction from you. So don't give it to them. I am doing an experiment this year, believe me I have always been the chase em down pull em out of there car and kick em with your hard road shoes in the face till they are unconsciounce and ride away type. Of course I've never cought one :) But this year I am going to 100% ignore all ahole drivers because I swear thats all they thrive on and if they don't get it they get even more pissed.

I am also saying hello and waving to more folks and drivers so that they may formulate the opinion, "well there not ALL that bad". I believe this will help my fellow cyclists in the long run. Maby I'm getting old ;)

I am going to 100% ignore all ahole drivers because I swear thats all they thrive on and if they don't get it they get even more pissed.


Well in that case you better chase them down. If you don't they will be more pissed and shoot you anyway. :)

I might regret it one day but untill then I will stand up for myself. I have done it about 5 times and never even had one of the drivers look me in the eye. They where scared and just wanted the light to turn green.

Here in Spain four pros out for a training ride just got pushed off the road by an 82 year old car driver (?) , fortunatly with out too much harm . Thanks to other drivers ( and their mobil phones , and do the Spanish love those things ) his collar has been felt by the Guardia Civil and he is helping them with their enquiries , his licence being a gonna .

It happens too often , but not usually as blatent : the law says that in passing cyclists you must leave them at least 1,5 mts clearance but .... Our club has still lost two members in three years , both on good roads in good weather .

I've had a variety of encounters, but in all honesty the ones I hate the most are the (teenage) girls when they have to honk the horn as they pass. They do it before the front of the car reaches my peripheral vision. Maybe I need to become a more "aware" cyclist, but every time they do that I almost fly out of my saddle and the bike wobbles. Scares the crap out of me!

Around here, the ones I have problems with are the little guys in the big diesel-puffin', dual-rear-wheel, wannabe-cowboy/bigtime/bada@@...they literally think they own the road...ever been around some of these guys??? it must be true about trying to make up for deficiencies in other areas...

Not all of em' are like that, but you can about tell who/where they are...Also, the old folks....they're not worried about thing but getting to church/drugstore/Aunt Mamie's...it's times like that you wish the DMV would crack down...but oh well...

One thought...if you get the license plate number, can you do anything??? Report em' for harassment/unsafe movement/a@@hole-monopoly???

Ah ha! You are very observant. :) No, "we" are not in a club, I was refering to my boyfriend & myself. We never really rode before, we just decided one day to take a trip to Cleveland, on bike. Laugh :D We trained for a few weeks at the gym & borrowed some friends' Specialized Mountain bikes! This year we purchased our own, road Treks & plan to do the trip again this July 4th, going to all the way Ashtabula this time. Actually our bikes just arrived last week, so we have some training to do! If the Ohio weather would improve a bit, that is.. today was cold & rainy :(
I see; your boyfriend is a lucky guy. The percentages of women in this sport seem rather low. I too know a female cyclist from the gym I attend and we rode a couple times. It was nice.
:)