Hey Kevin, congratulations! I'm glad it was fun.
Originally posted by Kevin S
the drivers were courteous
I find, too, that for the most part, drivers are courteous. You do get the occasional wanker that feels the need to yell or honk their horns, but in general, they are rare enough that they really stand out as idiots relative to the competent, confident drivers on the road. (of course, others' experiences will vary -- this is just what I've found).
One thing to watch out for, however, are
overly courteous drivers: those that courteously stop for you where they shouldn't, and wave you (with all the best intentions) into oncoming traffic.
Be wary: not everyone will behave the same way as your overly courteous motorist, and you can't expect everyone to see you if you are going to do something unexpected (i.e., not in accordance with normal traffic flow/rules). Sometimes motorists' well-meaning attempts to accomodate cyclists create situations where you may feel socially pressured into making a very risky move -- e.g., turning left when there are two lanes of traffic and there are drivers other than the one motorist that's decided to stop for you, or crossing an intersection before you're sure that you can cross. Resist -- don't do it! If you can communicate with all the approaching drivers, great, but it's not enough to notice that one driver has noticed you. It can be awkward refusing a well-meaning person's "gift", but it's better to feel awkward than to be rushed into a collision with a driver who *didn't* happen to see that someone else was trying to do you a favour.
take care, and have fun!
-Cathy