On the way home last afternoon I'm climbing a light grade on a suburban street, and about 75 yds. ahead I see a mail van stopped at a mail box. I look ahead and see that he's gonna be weaving back and forth into the two lane road to get around the curbside cars to deliver to the mailboxes. Normally these guys move at a pretty good clip, so I kinda slow even more (after the steeper grade I just climbed) hoping that he'll get on with his business - but of course he's still at the same box when I pull alongside (maybe checking out the latest Victoria's Secret catalog?) and sure enough he zips out when I get in line with his rear bumper!

Luckily I was ready for such a move and no cars were coming up behind and he backs off once he realizes I'm there. He pulls in to the next box, I move back to the right of the lane, and from there it's a game of tag with him blowing by me, me passing him while he's delivering, until I decide screw it, it's my lane and he can work around the slow cyclist!...at least until I take my side street a few seconds later.

Anyway, just another thing to watch out for out there.

That seems to happen to me a lot on tour. Mailmen are also good to ask dirsctions of. I got a song out of it, here's the second verse:

"The Rain is Back"

The page insists that I have missed/ a turn a mile or so back,
But I'm in luck, I see a mail truck/ I ride over and I ask:
"Maybe you heard of Valley Road/ tell me, am I at all nearby?"
"Up ahead, and to the left, he said/ and looked up at the cloudy sky."

I play tag with both mailmen and busses. Of the two, I'd say the busses are the worst. When they pull in front of you, you get a nice gulp of their exhaust.

Watch the newspaper delivery guys, they are crazy. Luckily the afternoon paper in Cincinnati just went out fo buisness, so I don't have to deal with that nut job anymore.

With the proliferation of emails, online bill payments, etc., I wonder if it's just a matter of time before the USPS goes out of business too.

I'm constantly playing leap-frog with the buses around here, mostly on my commute home. I hate passing them while I'm going uphill, I get dirty looks when they try to pull out and I'm huffing my skinny arse past them at 10 mph

"...and sure enough he zips out when I get in line with his rear bumper!..."

I think Murphy's Law states that this is exactly how it is. They move right at the worst time. Learn this lesson, and be on guard.