Originally Posted by
rousseau
Wow. I find the gall in this anecdote hard to believe. I simply cannot imagine ever feeling peeved at someone stopping to ask if I need help.
I express profuse gratitude to anyone stopping to ask me if I'm okay when I'm on the side of the road fixing a flat or making some kind of adjustment on the bike. Normally they're in cars, as I do a lot of solo riding in the middle of the empty countryside. "Thanks very much for stopping! I'm fine, just fixing this flat/making an adjustment."
Is it really possible that a busy bike path in a large city would feature too many people stopping to offer help to people working on their bike, that it would turn into an annoyance? Or is this yet more anecdotal evidence of the death of courtesy in modern life? That "I'll wave" guy really takes the cake. Unbelievable.
100% true. I commute on a very busy MUP (one of the longest, if not the longest in the US) and during "rush hour" during the week it's not uncommon to have hundreds of cyclists pass me on the trail at any given spot. I'd imagine it's even more if you stopped near the college that's right off the trail when class was in session.
No idea why someone would voice concern and frustration over courtesy, but as it's happened multiple times it's certain not a fluke. I've stopped multiple times and assisted people with flats, offered a frame pump or something else and I've been showered with kindness and thanks. Perhaps it's an "ego" thing. Nonetheless, it's strange. Honestly, I'll probably not stop asking (it's not in my nature) but it's pretty perplexing that people would do that.