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07-17-04, 01:20 AM
my friend just both sold his old mtn bike, and bought a road bike (for a steal, at that) on the same day... so he's stoked as hell. my (bike) fitness level has been really high as of late, so i'm stoked to get a ride in, too.
it's summer; it's texas; we either ride late at night or early in the morning to avoid getting torched. coincidentally, my friend started a quasi-successful midnight bike ride which meets at the LBS so towards there we headed. it's July so there's TdFmania going around--there's a ****load of riders on the street and even friendly folks who wished us to 'stay safe'. we met with 2 other riders and took to the streets. they were more cruisers than riders... we bidded adieu and sprinted off. 15 miles, and we were feeling pretty good...
anyways, end of prologue, here's the fugging story: we're going down this 1 lane street (lamar, for those of you in austin). we're making great speed, and there's barely any cars on the road. we're now stopped at an intersection--a major well-lit intersection at that. the opposing traffic gets the green and this 90s suburban loaded with teenage punks drive by, heads out the window, yelling: "**** bikers". alright, that's cool, you're all back from the movies in mommy's SUV. neato. dumb encounter #1.
anyways, there's a car coming up 100 meters from behind us. im next to the curb and i tell my friend to scoot over so we wont clog the lane when we get the green. 'soon as i finish the sentence i hear a SCREECH and dumb ho #1 slams her Escort into my friend. it knocked him and the bike forward; 'twasn't a big collision, but a collision nevertheless. i immediately tossed my bike on the sidewalk, as did he. the dumb ho? sitting frozen in her car and not even murmuring a word. luckily my friend is alright. he inspects the bike quickly and decides its okay. i urge him to get her info for liability purposes (in case frame develops crack and because the snazzy Bontrager Race Lites he was riding on wasn't his). he refuses it and waves her off. she sits there for a second, and then floors away... after not having stepped out of the car or even inquiring about our health. i wanted to punch both her AND him in the face.
about 3 seconds later a cop drives by... what chance we just missed. i wished he had seen the collision... if not to get her punished for hitting us then for being a DUMB ASS DRIVER. that intersection was LIT; we both had blinkers; there was a car in front of whose brake lights she could not have missed. visibility was a GO. im sorry, but if you were ****ing oblivious to that, YOU should not be on the road. (and they talk about bikers not belonging...)
we hop back on the road and start to mount.... this camaro comes by slowly with yet another teenager girl--this time riding passenger instead of driving. she put her hands up--i figured to give a wave--and then shows me the bird. completely ****ing unwarranted. all at the same goddamn intersection.
i hope all these morons kids werent here to tour the local school. i hope they dont go to the school. i hope they werent local residents. maybe they were here for fun, and then later they can head back to their cute little suburbs in dallas or houston where they can steal daddy's budweiser on the weekend and race cars around at night without nary a bother.
anyways. that about capped the night. i rode back home... my friend wobbled. good luck on that wheel, buddy.
it's summer; it's texas; we either ride late at night or early in the morning to avoid getting torched. coincidentally, my friend started a quasi-successful midnight bike ride which meets at the LBS so towards there we headed. it's July so there's TdFmania going around--there's a ****load of riders on the street and even friendly folks who wished us to 'stay safe'. we met with 2 other riders and took to the streets. they were more cruisers than riders... we bidded adieu and sprinted off. 15 miles, and we were feeling pretty good...
anyways, end of prologue, here's the fugging story: we're going down this 1 lane street (lamar, for those of you in austin). we're making great speed, and there's barely any cars on the road. we're now stopped at an intersection--a major well-lit intersection at that. the opposing traffic gets the green and this 90s suburban loaded with teenage punks drive by, heads out the window, yelling: "**** bikers". alright, that's cool, you're all back from the movies in mommy's SUV. neato. dumb encounter #1.
anyways, there's a car coming up 100 meters from behind us. im next to the curb and i tell my friend to scoot over so we wont clog the lane when we get the green. 'soon as i finish the sentence i hear a SCREECH and dumb ho #1 slams her Escort into my friend. it knocked him and the bike forward; 'twasn't a big collision, but a collision nevertheless. i immediately tossed my bike on the sidewalk, as did he. the dumb ho? sitting frozen in her car and not even murmuring a word. luckily my friend is alright. he inspects the bike quickly and decides its okay. i urge him to get her info for liability purposes (in case frame develops crack and because the snazzy Bontrager Race Lites he was riding on wasn't his). he refuses it and waves her off. she sits there for a second, and then floors away... after not having stepped out of the car or even inquiring about our health. i wanted to punch both her AND him in the face.
about 3 seconds later a cop drives by... what chance we just missed. i wished he had seen the collision... if not to get her punished for hitting us then for being a DUMB ASS DRIVER. that intersection was LIT; we both had blinkers; there was a car in front of whose brake lights she could not have missed. visibility was a GO. im sorry, but if you were ****ing oblivious to that, YOU should not be on the road. (and they talk about bikers not belonging...)
we hop back on the road and start to mount.... this camaro comes by slowly with yet another teenager girl--this time riding passenger instead of driving. she put her hands up--i figured to give a wave--and then shows me the bird. completely ****ing unwarranted. all at the same goddamn intersection.
i hope all these morons kids werent here to tour the local school. i hope they dont go to the school. i hope they werent local residents. maybe they were here for fun, and then later they can head back to their cute little suburbs in dallas or houston where they can steal daddy's budweiser on the weekend and race cars around at night without nary a bother.
anyways. that about capped the night. i rode back home... my friend wobbled. good luck on that wheel, buddy.