Originally Posted by cyclechickirl
The thing that unnerved me the most was that it was another cyclist that raged at me - I expected it from motorists, but from a cyclist? It was the source of the abuse and not the abuse itself that hurt.
Violated expectations are often a shock to the system. Expecting a friend or relative (or 'fellow cyclist') to be loving or understanding or caring, and then being let down....
Cyclists are not always on the same page -- there is some kind of illusion at times that they are all part of one family (and they are in a sense), but they can also do things at times that are outside the expectations that can go along with (or creep into) that picture. Sometimes they can have bad moments or days.
Having minimal expectations can probably save a lot of psychological shocks and buffeting.