stephr1

OK. A lot of responses here so let me clarify this a bit.

1. I stated it was overcast, not foggy. I could see ahead and behind at least 200+ yards so clarity was good. So there was no reason to have my headlights on. Apparently the cyclist didn't see a need to either because I saw no flashing lights on his bike, neither front nor back. That to me is a dumb and dangerous move on his part. Despite that, I knew he was there and tried to deal with his presence in as safe a manner as possible under the circumstances. It would have been easy to accelerate and give him wide birth as I sped past him. However, I chose to respect his space and I had hoped he would have respected mine, as well, which he did not.
2. I could also see that the bike lane was clear of debris and he had no reason to be in the middle of the road other than by choice.
3. As I got within a 100 ft. of him, that was the point he moved back into the road ahead of me. I slowed down and hit my horn to remind him I was still there and he kindly (or so I thought that would be his reaction) moved back into his lane and remained there.
4. Once he did that, I passed by under the speed limit (30 MPH) just in case he decided to disrespect my space again.

I ride, as well, and I really dislike it when a car is going over the speed limit, has the room to move towards the middle of the road to give me space and still gets close enough to me in the bike lane that I could clip the side mirror with my elbow.

So, I like all the assumptions people have made here but what gets me is how fast you jumped on my case for respecting the presence of the cyclist and assume I was completely in the wrong, like cyclists don't exhibit dumb and dangerous behavior, because it does happen. And, like others have posted here, cyclists are not immune from making bad choices. This is why drivers get pissed off and take out the next cyclist they encounter. I practice the utmost respect when I'm out riding because I know the potentially unfortunate circumstances if I don't.

So, from my point of view, I did nothing wrong (even the honking) and did everything I could to respect the cyclist's space and remind him I was there. The fact that he wanted to put the blame on me for his inappropriate manner of riding is unacceptable. The next person to come along may not be as respectful and understanding as I am and he could end up paying the price for his arrogance. That's on him, not me.