Originally Posted by lovemyswift

Yesterday, my significant other and I were riding a 40 mile route north of the city, at least 30 miles away from the metropoliton area. We probably saw 15 cars the entire afternoon, that's how rural the area is. One section of the route parallels the Little Miami Bike trail which happens to be covered with leaves (wet in many places from all the rain we've had recently).

We were riding along, minding our own business, when a woman in a car coming the opposite direction, demanded we get on the bike trail! We weren't in her way, not obstructing traffic, riding single file, no one coming the other way, etc.

We smiled and waved, but I commented to my partner that we should have gotten her license # and reported her, he said she was just expressing her frustration. Frustration for what! We weren't even slowing her down. Besides, we were legal, the state of Ohio gives us the right to ride on the roads, she was not a state trooper and basically she had no right to tell us what to do.

However, this sort of thing goes on a lot in the Cincinnati area. We've been told to get off the roads, we've had horns blasted in our ears, a motorist pulled right out in front of me on a downhill (I had to scub my speed to avoid hitting her and she looked right at me and laughed).

I realized I rode over 2,000 miles around this country this summer, mostly in the east and had only 1 incident of hostility but in this area I can list 4 or 5 that happen to me or the group I was with and am familiar with numerous other incidents reported by other cyclists.

What has happened to the friendly, courteous "Queen City"?

Thanks for letting me share.


Kathi