Last year, I pedaled past a guy walking on the shoulder going the opposite direction. As I passed him, he yelled out, "Ride, mother****er, ride!", in a really bizarre tone of voice. I remember thinking that if he had wanted to, he could have reached out and grabbed or bumped my handlebars, causing a spill at best. I didn't even think about the possibility of being punched in the face until this article. Like I said, I'll be giving peds a wide berth.