scarry

Riding through San Anselmo, a overpriced suburban Marin town. Riding totally VC, want to go left onto San Anselmo Blvd, so I'm pulled up in the left turn lane waiting like a good boy behind a car at the light. Black beemer races up behind me stopping just behind. Light takes forever, but I'm a good boy and I sit, could have run it, but the cops are out for cyclists in those parts. Light changes and I follow the lead car making my turn. I then try to stay right and signal the car beemer behind to go ahead and pass as I go slow. But I guess I couldn't get far enough to the right because the right side of the roadway is full of potholes and not ridable. I get the head shake as he goes by, only to pull up behind the car ahead 50 yds down the road at the next stop sign, I pull up on his passanger side looking at him and again I get the head shake. WTF? He wouldn't roll down his window and tell me what's on his mind so I'm clueless about his problem.
The next block he is turning left, so I'm able to pass him on the right.

I'm thinking he was pissed that I prevented him from moving up the ten feet to car in front. This is in a village setting with a 25 mph limit, that I was able to maintain most of the time.

Whata jerk.
The rest of the ride was awesome, except for some tourist idiot trying to make a u-turn on the blind turn up on Mt. Tam. Good thing I was on the brakes.

Dchiefransom

He must be shaking his head because he spent all his money on insurance on his fancy car, and doesn't have any left over for the Bachetta he covets.

scarry

Yea, the Ti frame was gleaming that beautiful dull silver gleam, it was.
And I did have a stupid grin on my face thinking about how I had just traveled the 20 miles from SF over the bridge in an hour.
He must have been jealous.

bnet1

Maybe he was just commenting about your "unusual" riding position? After all our recumbents are looked upon as "lazy lawn chairs on wheels" and not "serious bikes" by some people. Or perhaps he was just dumbfounded because the "funny looking" bike was keeping up with him. Just love my recumbent!

oboeguy

Haha I once got a lecture from a micro-weinered beemer driver (not that there's anything particularly wrong with BMW). He told me that if I were to look at "any bicycle manual" (WTF?) I'd see that switching to the left lane to make a turn was just plain wrong. Dumba55. I was severely tempted to apply some street justice to his car, as we apparently worked in the same office complex. My better judgement prevailed.

Anyhow, OP, your beemer man was probably thinking, "I wish I was a stud like that dude on the bike, and didn't have to compensate with this fancy car."

I-Like-To-Bike

Ha, Ha indeed. Did he show you his and you showed him yours? If not, what's up with the this Pseudo-Psychology BS/fantasizing? Wishful thinking?

oboeguy

Well, why else would the dude want to lecture me? He clearly felt a need to demonstrate some sort of imagined superiority. Hmm, wonder why?

scarry

Anyway, it was all made up for by the heaps of respect I got from the race ready club ride (most of whom were 20 years my junior) which I stayed close to on the climb up to Mt Tam. All in all an outstanding ride. Gotta love climbing in deep groves of redwoods on a hot day.

va_cyclist

Lemme get this straight -- this guy hung back and did not pass you in a bad spot, then "shook his head" further up the road, and he's a jerk? Why? He had the windows rolled up, how do you know he wasn't just bopping his head to some N'Sync? Or is he just a jerk because he's in a BMW?

noisebeam

Why are cyclists so self conscious and self focused that any unknown expression made by someout around them is assumed to be directed toward them and with bad intentions.

Al

I-Like-To-Bike

Or is he just a jerk because he's in a BMW, AND the OP is not?

scarry

He is a jerk because he was a grown man acting out like a petulant child. And I'm riding a Ti Aero, you think I'm jealous of a beemer?

genec

Wasn't there a line of BMW bikes a while back?

Of course I always think that is funny... when some auto maker puts their "stamp" on a bicycle.

I-Like-To-Bike

Do you really think anyone in a beemer, or even a rust bucket pick up, gives a dang about what kind of bicycle you ride? Probably just as many who spend time speculating about the size of your other physical equipment.

Wake up. Few others in the real world are sharing your fantasy.

I-Like-To-Bike

Don't forget about Peugeot. There are M-B brand bicycles also.

Do you find it as funny as an automaker paying a champion bicyclist to endorse its product?

genec

Yeah, to be honest I found that to be rather bogus too... in fact, I think just about all car ads are bogus... from "Zoom Zoom" to "The Ultimate Driving Machine." Its freaking transportation folks! That's it... a box with wheels to get you and your stuff from point A to point B. Sheesh.

Side note: I thought Microsoft's "Where do you want to go today" was equally bogus -- No matter where I really "wanted to go... " I still end up sitting in front of a darn computer under office lights.

Don Gwinn

If he's bopping his head to some N'Sync, then clearly THAT'S why he's a jerk.

bluebottle1

If he's listening to N'Sync, that's bad enough. The guy's condemned by that alone.