Yup, I made this discovery years and years ago... motorists simply have a hard time understanding how fast some cyclists can be... this coupled with the poor driving habit of making decisions based on quick glances... makes the road all that "challenging" for a cyclist that moves at a fast pace.

My solution... load down the bike with lots of crap. By the time I added all the lighting, the racks to carry gear and the daily clothing and other "essentials" I figure I am hauling around about 50 lbs of stuff... slowed me right down to about 17MPH tops... even slower up a good hill. And with all that gear I also present a much larger, wider image to motorists... increasing my visible presence. Now moving at a turtle pace (complete with shell on my back) I find I have few problems with suddenly turning motorists... and those that still insist they can't see me, I get to warn with my real loud Airzounds horn (hey, what's another few ounces).

So ultimately that is the solution... stop trying to be Lance and just settle back to the 12MPH speed of much of the European bicycle commuting community... relax, you'll get there eventually.