cudak888 

You had a bundle of fun with my last sarcastically poetic report of an idiotic local cyclist, so I figured I'd check back in to deliver my latest encounter.

Picture a four way intersection in that same ritzy golf-course area I mentioned a few months ago in my last post. Single lane traffic in all directions. The north/south traffic handles 40mph traffic, while the east/west street borders the golf course to the north, residences to the south, and is a favorite for peds, joggers, roadies and leisure cyclists.

I'm heading westbound on the 'ol 1961 Paramount at 15 mph or so, at this moment about 50 feet from the intersection. Enter Mr. Beer Gut, heading westbound, on a step-through hybrid; saddle on the floor, right hand on the bars, his left holding the leash of his overfed golden retriver mutt. They're on the wrong side of the road, and have just stumbled themselves to a stop at the intersection.

I forsee the worst happening already. I'm 20 feet to the white stop line at this point. He begins to struggle himself across the intersection at this point. I shoot a glance over my shoulder. A Volvo X90 is approaching behind me at appoximately 500 feet. A bit too far for a cager to notice my signal, but I bring my left arm down and rotate my palm for the stop signal as always.

Beer-gut just clears the intersection, but not entirely at this point - there's about 10 feet of space between the edge of the north/south road to the white line on the east/west road I'm currently on - lots of room for errors. I'm 10 feet from the white line at this point, on the correct side of the road, coasting foward at 2-3 MPH, waiting for Beer Gut to do what all wrong-wayers do - swerve around all obsticals.

He doesn't. He continues his snails crawl, intent on his spot on the wrong side of the road. I stare at him, and come to a stop. Now the Volvo X90 has now caught up, and is waiting behind me for Beer Gut to take the initiative and get the hell on the correct side of the road. He and his dog sit like the pompus fat @$$es they are - baseball cap and all - and give me a look of "screw you - I'm going down that side of the road that you're on, whether you like it or not."

I give a look back to the X90, crank the pedals, and move to the left, as Beer-Gut continues on. I didn't say anything as we passed - I didn't care to argue with some fatzo hick equipped with an attack dog as to the rules of the road - I simply shot him a dirty glare. He didn't bother to look back - he was too busy shoving the X90 out of the lane behind me.

Another courteous Miami leisure cyclist - complete with dog on endless leash.

What next? Well, it is coming in my next post to immidiately follow this.

-Kurt

East Hill

Kurt, you certainly do run into some colourful characters! I never have anything like that happen on my travels up and down the local MUP.

Well, almost never. My local MUP is located not far from a dog/cat boarding kennel, so quite often we have young, bored dog exercisers out with the dogs. I will give the dog exercisers credit--they do keep to the right of the path, and they do keep the dogs on a lead. But, the young things are ALWAYS chattering away on their mobile phones. Fortunately, the dog exercisers only have to go one mile out and then head back . A few days ago I got to encounter one of the exercisers with a pack of six dogs. That was a big group of dogs! I did manage to squeak by though. Barely.

East Hill

randya

So despite the favorable climate, Florida sucks for cycling, what else is new?

cudak888 

MUPs? Forget MUPs around these parts unless you want some peds to unwittingly run you down while "powerstepping" to their Walkmans. Either that, or cluelessly walk right into your path (or head-on into you) even if they're looking straight at you.

Miamians are stupid, and the rest that aren't stupid are antagonizing - plain and simple. The typical Miami racist rumor that blames it all on the Cubans or Latin Americans is a bunch of bull. The majority of this city - regardless of age, gender, race, religion or insurance company - was behind the door when the brains were being handed out.

You're lucky that folks herd their dogs over there. Around here, folks love extendable leashes to a sickening degree - most folks walk their dogs with 15 feet of leash unwraveled - just enough for a dog to get a chance on a cyclist at the other side of the road. Either that, or they'll amble along the road - so-called "master" on one side of the road, the dog sniffing, examining, peeing, et. cetera on the flowers on the exact opposite side of the road. The leash of course, is not locked.

One of my favorite incedents to rant about recently were the two ladies dressed in Speedo athletic wear, walking a basset hound down the road. Sure enough, technically impossible as it may be, they succeded in blocking an entire, single lane of traffic - dog in the middle, one woman on each side. Go figure.

Excuse my ranting.

-Kurt

cudak888 

Nah. These things happen from time to time around here, but otherwise, if you stick to most lesser-traveled streets (some big boulevards, in some cases, may not be highly traveled some days, or even during some times), it can be enjoyable. Same for the two-lane streets.

For that matter, I've had more motorists (and a motorcyclist) thank me for my hand signals then I've had idiot motorist/cyclist/pedestrian encounters.

Look at it this way: It's a little bit of rural suburbia mixed in with some New York.

-Kurt

bigpedaler

reminds me of my meander yesterday w/ my daughter on her bike, and my nephew in trailer....

riding through the local park on the greenway, several dogwalkers were out; we negotiated around them easily enough -- even a set like you describe! they heard my tires on the asphalt, and then my direction to my daughter to follow single-file in that area. they moved over, and i only got one short dirty look from one woman.

but the funniest of the bunch was a young woman "walking" her dog -- yeah, he was leashed, but he had the retractable leash handle in his mouth! i guess he was walking himself! i ALMOST said something about the local leash law, but this bimbo clearly wasn't worth my breath.

I-Like-To-Bike

After reading your brand name dropping smartdonkey snide remarks about another bicyclist who doesn't meet your approved profile, I too say "screw you."

cudak888 

Oh, you're far too nice. I simply call out "ON YOUR LEFT" and pass them with safe distance.

Incidentally, look into pages about voice training if you'd like to learn how to speak from the diaphragm - this helps a lot when you want to call out "On your left" without yelling, but in a voice loud enough that everyone within 100 feet can clearly hear it for everyone's benefit of safety.

Very easy to get the hang of it - have yet have a ped or cyclist fail to look back immidiately to see what's coming up behind them. Most of the time they'll give you room too...

...UNLESS it is a rollerblader. I recently had a case in where a rollerblader was coming opposite to me on the correct side of the road - taking up the entire lane in the process, with a BMW and a Ford Expedition tailgating behind her. You'd think that she'd stop trying to gain speed for a moment to let them pass, but she wouldn't. Both vehicles ended up passing just a few seconds before the worst possible moment. What else is new?

-Kurt

cudak888 

Ah, this post is moving up in the A&S world - I Like To Gripe has made a post here.

-Kurt

I-Like-To-Bike

Wow! Talk about the kettle calling the pot names. Reread your own non stop gripping rant OP about a cyclist and generalizations about entire groups of people who doesn't wear the right brand names, Whiney.

cudak888 

Post like these make me wish Bike Forums had a "Best Of" ***- uh, FLAGGING nomination



-Kurt