idlelaziness

I commuted across my city today(Omaha, NE), about 20 miles, to go to my friend's graduation party. I got the usual "wow, you're crazy" from most people, but she said that for me to bike that far just to see her was an awesome gift in itself(i didn't bring her a gift). Isn't that exciting?

buuut, I was biking down a four lane residential road and stopped at a light--i was the only one at the intersection for awhile. A car comes up behind me and starts honking, i assumed they wanted to turn right. I was all the way over to the right and the light was going to change in 10 seconds so I just stayed there. When i started going they yelled "you stupid cracker" out the window. It was the only time I've ever been been yelled at by a car and the first time i was ever actually was given a racial slur! i was hurt .

annnd, when i was almost home I was first in line at a light crossing a highway. When the cross traffic lefties started turning some guy in a huge pick-up yelled "i hope you die!" or something like that when he passed near me. That kind of sucked too.

HardyWeinberg

Sorry to hear about the downers. Tough it out it's worth it. It's funny, favorable comments only make me embarassed, I'm really not biking for anything but myself, so they don't cancel out the howls of cagers at all (which generally don't incline me favorably to them, of course). It's just how it goes.

I do try to stay to the left in the lane to allow cars to right-on-red though (or to the right if left-on-red is possible). If it's just clearly one tight lane and a turning car would be trapped behind another that only wants to go straight then screw'em I stay in the center.

ATAC49er

I get a lot of "You must be HEALTHY" on my job when I'm either rolling in the door or rolling out; other times, it's variations of "I couldn't do that", or sometimes,"I need to start doing that."

Racial slurs usually happen to me when I say something about some loud car stereo; there's a neighbor who has a 20-something relative who likes to 'beat', and is the worst offender...and is also going to give me an excuse to cripple him for life one of these days.

As far as 'i hope you die!' comments, never heard one. Think I would just say something bad about their mother/wife/sister....

PunkMartyr

Hey don't sweat it.. The truth is those people are everywhere. This lady had offered to shoot pool last night with some young guys. They played a couple of games. After getting ready to go and one of them says "lets go somewhere without the old lady" and she heard it. She was very upset and I just explained to her that some people don't have much class and it has nothing to do with her. The truth is all of us as a society know these kind of people and we know they are trash. The reason they do stuff like yell obscenities at random people is because deep down inside they know this too.

On a positive note, I explained that part of my religious philosophy is we are not supposed to hurt each other (justice being an exception) and we are supposed to create good while we are here.

MrCjolsen

46 years of being a white guy in California and I've never been called a cracker, honkey or gringo.

stevo9er

I think I am one of few people who can actually appreciate a good hollerin. Anytime I am out with the wife and someone yells, I am like don't worry they are just having fun.

But then you get that one time were you return the friendly finger to a yelling of "**** you ******" and they do a 180 and come after you, that kind of sucks.

Just remember it isn't personal.

CB HI

Why feel hurt or down. When someone yells something like that at you, just consider how great your life is compared to their pitiful existence.

delegado zero

When racial slurs get you down, just think: it could be worse. I'm hispanic, so to 50% of the people here I MUST be an illegal immigrant, even though I was born here and every family member I have in the US is a legal citizen. And then that leads to people thinking that if I ride a bike I must be too POOR to drive, as if there aren't poor people of every other race.

Chris L

I stopped worrying about what other people thought of me years ago -- on either side of the ledger. As far as I'm concerned, if someone's bothered by something as inconsequential as a bicycle on the road, or the colour of someone's skin, it just suggests to me that they have some serious issues of their own they can't deal with. I have no intention of letting them become my issues.

ActionJeans

LOL. At least they were kinda funny.

People are stupid. But you already knew that

J.C. Koto

Isn't it just so nice to *be* the gift
Omaha can be a cesspool. Forget those jerks as soon as you're safe! They're like that whether you're on foot, bike or in a car. Omaha is like a genuinely rude big city with the veneer of a nice simple prairie village. I hate that town. Well, not hate, just don't like. At all. Not to mention their inability to deal with and prevent violent crime...
Wait, so are you from Omaha or Lincoln?!

--John

I take that back a bit. I guess the Old Market does have those neat-o 4-wheeled bike-car things you can rent in the summertime.

crhilton

No offense to you, but Omaha does have the world's worst drivers. Worse than Missouri drivers, worse than the French they're all psychopaths out to get everyone killed in the most efficient manner possible.

I live in Lincoln. People can't drive here, but it seems to be that they're inept, not insane.

20 miles is quite the commute for a graduation party. That's just about all the way across Omaha isn't it?

bac

Sadly, this is the type of treatment you are going to get on a daily basis. There are a lot of jerks in this world ...... combine that with a 2-ton auto, and you have your daily commute.

Just let it slide off your back. Those jerks just aren't worth the time or effort.

... Brad

MrCjolsen

That must be why they named the city after an insurance company.

BarracksSi

About the "cracker" comment -- were you going through North O?

dobovedo

Just keep on doing what you're doing. Negative comments aren't a reflection on you, they are a reflection of the individual making them.

It also helps to believe in Karma. Perhaps the individual who said he hoped you'd die will die soon.

Oh, and it also helps to have a good sense of humor and imagination. Here's what I do. I mount a super weapon on my handlebars. My favorite so far is the Laser Beams of Explosive Diarrhea. When some yahoo shouts something at me or cuts me off or whatever, I fire my LBOED at them and then imagine them stuck their in their car, squirming in misery.

macteacher

On a different note, were you not sweaty when you arrived? I'm all for commuting around to the store to work (where I can change) but at a party? I think i'd be drenched and smelling by the time I arrived.

Gus Riley

Just a couple of bad apples. Fuel prices keep going the way they are we will have fewer and fewer of these idiots harassing us.

devildogmech

Come to school with me in Gary, IN.... That wont last 5 min

Novakane 

With all the rising gas prices people are probably a lot more edgy in their cars - and when they see someone who has a solution that leaves them unaffected by it, the reaction is to put you down to feel better about their sorry selves.

idlelaziness

I am originally from north omaha, but moved to bellevue and go to school in lincoln. So I was really biking from bellevue to north omaha. It did happen in north Omaha-- but five minutes earlier I was thinking "wow, this is an awesome part of town to bike through because they seem to know how to handle bikers," but then they yelled at me .

20 miles is a bit far for a party, but i biked to my old church up there all the time before it closed. if i ever come in sweaty they seem to understand, i dont get criticized for it. biking from omaha to lincoln is funner though, and gets me a bit more wet!

Lincoln biking tends to go easier, but I tend to stay to the MUPs more here, they can get you anywhere.

BarracksSi

Sheesh -- that's a trek, going from Bellevue to the north side of town. Where'd you ride out of Bellevue, 10th St.?

I used to think that riding from the Benson/Saddle Creek area to AkSarBen and north to Ames St. was a long ride, but then again, I was ten years old on a 20" AMF.

Roody

I got one of those rare (for me) racial insults. A driver was yelling at me to get over to the side (with the parked cars?) and pointing to the right out of his sunroof. I don't know if we're allowed to use his insult, but it rhymes with "shmeckerwood." When I heard it, I had to laugh. That word always cracks me up!

idlelaziness

I live around 370 and 36th, so I just take the Keystone trail into Omaha, then up grover to the Field Club trail, then through downtown, then down 24th street.

Itsjustb

It's GOOD that it made you laugh, because that's EXACTLY the right response to screamed insults.

Of course, this is easy for me to say here, sitting at my desk at work. My actual response while cycling may vary...but I'm working on it.