Ginny

So, I commuted both directions yesterday for the first time.
My commute to work is all downhill, which means all uphill
going home. But I leave at 7 so the traffic isn't as bad.

I was really apprehensive leaving work. I put on my HRM and
it read 140 bpm (60%) as I was locking my salon door. I wasn't
looking forward to bikeing home alone.

I hit the hills and stayed way right, doing all of 5 mph on the longest
steepest hill (steep for me at least). When I reached the top, no one had
buzzed me, no one yelled, I was feelin' pretty good! The rest was through
a residential rich area and flat the rest of the way home. Even after the
hills I was hitting 22mph on the flats. I was smiling! I was doin' it! Yeah, me!

Then I got out of the rich area and it all came to a head.
On a two lane each way, 2 miles from home, I hear a vehicle
approch from behind and I figure they are going to go around. Instead
they get RIGHT behind me and lay on the horn for maybe 10 seconds.
SCARED the Sh*t out of me! Adrenaline starts rushing, I'm getting
shaky and they go around but get right in front of me again maybe 12 inches
from my front tire, laughing and hooting the whole time. Then they lay
on the gas squeal away. I calm down at the next light. Take a drink and
feel like 'okay, that wasn't so bad, I'm okay'. Light changes and I go and am
up to 18 mph in just a few seconds. Adrenaline muct still be kickin'!
Then another red pick up goes by, I hear 'f-ing *****' and the passenger GUY
spits out the window, a lugie lands on my arm! I'm trying to get that off
me and they start laughing and take off! No, I didn't get a license, much
more attention in trying to get that gross off me. I stop at the next light
and squirt my water bottle all over my arm. And start to have a panic attack.
My throat is closing up, I'm trying not to lose control of my bike, I can see my street
from here.
I am about to turn onto my street and yet another RED truck honks and yells
something out the window. I don't hear what it is, I'm trying to breathe!
I ride onto my street and cool down, my throat opens and I begin to cry.
I'm a girl, what can I say.

I'm low blood sugar at that point, the world looks like a really bad place
and everyone in the world sucks. I go in and call the DH who is in Yellowstone
with my son's 6th grade trip and cry to him. Then I go take a scalding hot shower.
I lay on my bed and am surreounded by my other 3 kids who make the world
a better place and I go to bed.

I drove to work today. My safety and peace of mind is worth more that $3.15
a gallon!

So, how was YOUR commute!

DataJunkie

It sounds like you live in an entertaining part of town.

It would be my guess that your apprehensive frame of mind set the tone for the commute. Meaning that the idiotic antics of these motorists pushed you over the edge that being apprehensive had already set you close to. It happens to the best of us. However, the motorists behaviors were pathetic and childish.
Also, Friday is notorious as a commute day when motorists go insane and I swear the lunatics are regularly let out of the asylums.

I would try and ease back into the commute when I felt the time was right or jump back into it. I am insanely stubborn and would pick the latter course of action. The more I am harrased the more obnoxious I tend to be. It would be my guess that you do not share this mindset. Just do what is right for you. Also, you could look into another route.

Good luck and don't quit.

-no commute. I am on vacation.

chipcom 

I'm glad you are ok and sorry that you had such a terrible commute home yesterday. People really do suck sometimes. I'm sure you know that every ride won't be that way, but you have to do what you makes you feel safe and comfortable. Let's hope karma deals with the creeps who harrassed you.

Ginny

I keep thinnking that maybe all the crap I'll have to deal with through the season happened in one day and from now on it'll be smooth riding.
And the DH mentioned that at 7:30 it's after happy hour, so maybe I was dealing with drunk jerks.

I will get back on and di it again, just not for a few days. School is still in session next week. I rode yesterday because someone else was picking up my kids. And the DH will ride with me from now on. He needs the excersize as much as I do and we never have problems when it's two bikes.

Oh, and Chip, where in Ohio are you. I grew up in Medina County.

ECDkeys

I'm really sorry to hear of your awful commute home.

Like someone else suggested, is there another route you could take? I don't mind taking a significantly longer way if it makes me feel safer. More time on the bike can't be a bad thing. And if it indeed was a happy hour crowd you were dealing with, then I definitely would be looking for the road less travelled. I do not want to be anywhere near alcohol impaired operators of motor vehicles, whether or not they're respectful of cyclists.

I'm glad you're still committed to riding. Eventually, you'll learn to ignore those jerks. Gratefully, I haven't had many confrontations with motorists, but when I have, I just remind myself how miserable their lives must be if this is what they resort to. I am most at peace when I'm riding, and I'll be damned if I'll let anybody take that away from me.

biketony

Next time, maybe a snack before leaving would be a good idea!

chipcom 

I live in Summit...about 1/2 mile from the Medina county line, near Wadsworth. When I was just a little Chipcom, we lived in Brunswick and my Grandpa used to work a farm that is now part of the Hinckley Lake metro park.

ItsJustMe

If you just don't let it get to you (smile and wave no matter what they say/gesture) eventually they get bored and give up. That's my experience, anyway.
Remember, pretty much anything said or done from a car translates into "Hey, look at me, I'm a complete moron!"

donnamb 

Ginny, I am sorry to hear about your crummy and scary commute. DataJunkie is spot on about Fridays, and the fact that you have to leave work at 7 probably didn't help. If you do decide to return to bike commuting, how about skipping Fridays for a time? The rest of the week is very different, IMO.

I've got some other suggestions about feeling safer. Do you have a cell phone? If so, get yourself a little handlebar bag so that it is at easy reach. Thus far, whipping out my phone and making like I'm dialing 911 has stopped every jerk dead in his tracks. There's also pepper spray you can attach to your bike. You may never use it, but I'll bet you'll feel more confident simply because it is there. I can't have it on my bike because of a no weapons policy that my employer has, but I doubt a salon has any such thing. I also have an airhorn on my bike. I've rarely used it, but I feel more confident knowing it is there and that I can be heard if needed. When some jerk blows his horn at me, I blow right back with the airhorn. Shocks the heck out of them every time because they expect you to be all quiet about their harassment of you.

DataJunkie's also got a great point about setting the tone. It's been 11 years since I've lived in metro Detroit, but I still carry that "don't mess with me" aura that my dad made sure was there and finely tuned. Portland is a friendly, civilized place, but my "Detroitness" has been of great help to me in bike commuting. I realize it's a hard thing for women to develop after they've eneterd adulthood, but if you can pull it off, it will serve you well in all aspects of your life. One of my girlfriends who grew up as one of the white minority in a Detroit neighborhood has a good visualization for it:

"Imagine that when you are walking along the street (or in your case, Ginny, riding your bike), you have this forcefield totally surrounding you for about 3 or 4 feet in every direction. This forcefield consists of razor-sharp blades and spikes, and anyone who invades your buffer space is going to get it but good. Walk (or ride) like you know that. Be confident because no one is going to mess with that forcefield, and if they do, they're only asking for trouble. And you are trouble."

Now, I'm not talking about physical trouble, and I'm not talking about not bailing from a scene when it's beyond bad. There is no way in the world I could ever physically overpower 95% of all males of our species. I'm referring to your aura, the tone you set, your bearing and demeanor. Most men who do what they did to you are bullies and cowards, especially with women. You show some assertiveness (not belligerence), and they almost always back down. For the rest of them, there is the cell phone and pepper spray.

I wish you all the "don't mess with me" energy in the world, Ginny.

Ginny

Yeah, a good reason to have a Hershey's kiss or two in my jersey pocket!

Ginny

I lived in Brunswick in the early 70s.
I went to the Hinckley Buzzard Day every year. My dad was part of the Hinkley Chamber and we ran the pancake breakfast every year.
My SIL still lives in Wadsworth. Their band used to kick our butts every year at State.
I went to Cloverleaf High School.

Ginny

You're right.
Normally I'm much tougher. I think my lack of blood sugar really made everything
seem much bigger than it should have been. And I was already afraid. I don't normally
bike alone.
Thanks, though. They are all morons!

Ginny

Oh yeah, no more Fridays alone!

I'm loving the airhorn idea! Be getting one of those this weekend. If it just hangs from my bike all summer, I'll still feel like it will be okay.

Normally I'm tougher, but yesterday was just not my day.
And thanks. I appreciate it.

chipcom 

Your dad more than likely knew my uncle, who was Hinckley's first police chief. You and I most likely saw each other at one of them Buzzard Day pancake breakfasts.

yes

Don't do it for the $3.15 a galon. Do it for the fun. If something happens, take a breather and chill out. No need to rush right back in there. If you keep with it, your road biking skin will become thicker - that is, not much will really bother you. One day I got yealled at 4 times. Other than that, I hardly ever get a comment.
B/t/w - I've started wanting a tandem as well. I see in your sig that you are getting a Burley. Nice - I'm jealous.

Ginny

I consider myself lucky to get the tandem I'm getting.
Original owners wants a newer go-faster CoMotion so he's giving me
a great deal on the Paso.

And I know that this is a temp situation. It will not happene every day.
It will happen occasionally and I will have to deal with punks on the road.
I'm a big girl now and need to just let it roll.
I keep telling myself that.
After all I was just spit on, they didn't throw a bottle at me, they didn't hit me
and I'm fine. My situation is easy compared to the people that got hit over the
week. I'm no longer feeling like I shouldn't commute.
I like to ride and no one will keep me from doing it.
Scr*w them!

Carbonfiberboy 

License number, license number, license number. Practice looking at plates and memorizing the numbers of innocuous cars. You can call in the number on your cell. You won't have to remember it all the way home. It's assault. It's a crime. They don't have to even touch you for it to be assault. Just threatening you with their vehicle is enough. That'll be your razorwire. Assault me and I call the cops. It's that simple. Just get completely off the road while you call!

Woodlark

Ginny, I am a diabetic and when my blood sugar gets low, I become very paranoid ...scared the h**l out of me the first time it happened... I didn't know what was going on. I'm not belittling the obnoxious activities of the drivers who harassed you, but it might not seem quite so bad if you make sure your blood sugar levels are where they should be before you try commuting again.

rando

sad to say, every cyclist has these experiences. honks scare the bejeebus out me too. and I've been yelled at more than once. is there another route you can take that takes you off the difficult parts of the route? Once I found some alternate routes I had a much better time. you handled it just fine as it was, sounds like. Fridays may be worse as others have said although I always have commuted on fridays and not noticed a difference. always carry a snack and water with you! keep on keeping on!

Highcyclist

+1 This is great advice! Never underestimate the psychological underpinnings of human interactions. Low blood sugar truly sucks, so I always carry cliff bars when riding. I hope you keep commuting on the bike. We all have bad days.

chephy

Yes, get their license plate. And if it seems like the driver may have some alcohol in his blood (and I think that's quite likely with that sort of company), definitely mention that.

Sorry to hear about such a bad commute. What a bunch of a$$holes!

deputyjones

Wow, that is some of the most awful things I have ever heard from a cyclist, and it makes my blood boil to hear it. You certainly have every right to be as upset as you were, and I cannot imagine that things would ever be that bad again. I would bet you just happened to encounter a series of unfortunate coincidences with meeting that many violent jerks on the road in one short ride.

In terms of dealing with it in the future donnamb and others have provided some great advice. Having a "don't mess with me attitude" works very well and having things like a cell phone, pepper spray and a horn can help you with having that attitude and having a way to deal with the situation when it gets out of hand.

Mostly though, I think the message I would like to get across is that you have almost assuredly dealt with the worst behavior from cagers that you ever might and you hung in there. Good job, and I have feel pretty confident in saying that the rest of your rides will be a lot more fun.

Ginny

When I've read other posts about bad things happening, I always ask myself why they didn't get a plate number!?! Well, now I understand! I was much more worried about keeping my bike upright when the honking occured. They got right in front of me and I could easily have seen the plate if I wan't o frazzled by the honk. With the spitters, I was trying to get that crap off me so didn't look then.
Sometimes it's not easy!

I keep thinking that my mental attitude yesterday just fed the jerks. They won't get that nutrition from me again! Thanks to all.

Tom Stormcrowe

Good for you, Ginny! I just look at the jerks like this......


If they are honking at me, they are leaving another cyclist alone, and they are definitely seeing me.

Are you sure it was different red trucks, by the way? I've had repeaters happen and found that even if you don't have a camera in your phone, if it looks like you just took their picture, then they'll usually run away like the cowards they are.

Brian Ratliff

Ginny,

Take to heart what donnamb said. She knows what she's talking about. And don't feel bad about skipping Fridays. Most experienced commuters will tell you that the world goes a little crazy on Friday, especially in the evening. My father (you can ask him, his handle is "John C. Ratliff") had not one, but two serious accidents involving cars (one sent him to the hospital for a concussion), both on a Friday. He doesn't ride on Fridays anymore. I only rarely do.

It is unfortunate that society makes it so that cyclists have to have a tough skin. If you keep it up, you will find that it is all hot air and no bite. Never escalate the situation. The only times I've felt threatened for my life were the times when I escalated, yelling a curse word or flipping the bird. Both of those times, the driver in the car made it clear that he (and it is always a "he") was willing to physically assault me. The second time, I was actually nervious going home that day, that I would run into him again and he'd remember the morning and try something.

Just be tough. It is hard for me, as a male, to offer this advice and I wish there were something more I could offer you. So I'll end with: just listen and get to know donnamb. She's a piece of work and knows what women cyclists go through and how to handle herself in the face of that.