After two flats and a few months of bone jarring commute I decided to hop off the sidewalk and take to the road (on the few spots where I'm not on the bicycle path). The morning was good, smooth and fast.

Coming home yesterday evening, on my very first day riding on the road and, already I'm involved in an altercation!

I'm pounding along in 106 degrees on about mile 6 of a 7 mile commute on a 4 lane road, when a car passes me on the left, laying on the horn. I go ahead and let the bird fly and I see him returning the favor inside his cage.

He then pulls into a bank parking lot at the next intersection and turns around as if to make a right hand turn back onto the same road. I roll by him and as I do, he taps the horn yet again. So I look to my right and shake my head as he is pointing and yelling at me from inside his vehicle with his windows up...which is an hilarious sight and makes me shake my head and laugh.

I come to a stop at that intersection, expecting him to hop out at any time, but he doesnt. So the light turns green and as I'm getting up to speed he passes by on the left slowly and says something to the effect of "That's what sidewalks are for". I let a few more obscenities fly and (too late) add that I have a right to be on the road.

He then turns left at the next intersection and I don't see him again. Needless to say the rest of my ride was pretty quick as I was hopped up on adrenaline and thinking about what I should've said or should've done. I'm glad I didn't stop and escalate the situation physically which I was originally tempted to do. I think that is what he wanted since he stopped and honked again, as if to say "hey...im over here".