fthomas

For those of you who live in S. California - South Orange County I connected to Camino Capistrano to Camino de Estrella and back for a total of 20 miles. Outbound was into a stiff 5 to 10 mph wind and a decent tailwind on the way home. It is one of the few relatively flat rides around here.

Camino Capistrano has a few short steep sections once you get closer to Camino de Estrella, but for the most part it is a straight rolling ride. Most of it has a bike lane, though there are lots or cars parked in it and in one section a lot of semi-tractor trailer rigs. There are quite a few sections where the bike lane ends due to intersections and on ramps to Interstate 5.

Southbound I had four honking, two were when we were all stopped for a red light with right hand turn lane and then back into a bicycle lane. Why are they honking? No one is going anywhere until the light changes. It isn't that difficult to keep up for a car length and then move to the side ensuring I am past the right hand turn folks and back into the bike lane. One was a tow truck who started honking a quarter mile back in an area with no bike lane and I was up against the shoulder. Last and most impressive was some idiot in a BMW 500 series with his widow down who passes me in a bike lane yelling for me to get on the sidewalk. Literally 1 minute later he was stuck at a red light with a right hand turn lane and the straight lane. I could have pulled in behind him, but chose to pull in behind the second car to avoid a road rage incident. That would have been me beating him with my tire pump. LOL!

The ride home was uneventful with the exception of a California Highway Patrol car coming towards me far below the speed limit and when we made eye contact he gave me a thumbs up. He then turned around and drove by slowly to let me know he liked my bike.

Biker395 

The odd thing is that I was in the OC riding with a number of people on Sunday, and we got beeped at a number of times too. But they were friendly beeps. We had some people actually cheering us on as they drove by.

I was riding with an older group than usual ... maybe they thought we needed the encouragement. lol

volosong

Dang! OC sounds like a pretty rough neighborhood to ride. We went to the Tall Ship festival at Dana Point on Saturday and I was amazed at all the bike lanes everywhere. Lots of riders out too. I told Jayna that we need to come back with our bikes and do a little exploring. Maybe not . . . if people are so antagonistic towards bicycles.

BluesDawg

Do you have better places to ride or is this a necessary part of your way home?

OldsCOOL

A 5-10mph wind isnt stiff, it's just a breeze. A stiff wind is more like 20mph.

Anyyyyyyways.....you did much better than I would have.

John E

The nice thing about being honked is that it verifies that the motorist has actually seen you.

I have forced myself to learn the proper response (a friendly wave, never the one-finger salute or a shouted profanity).

TGT1

Only BMW drivers. It replaced the Cadillac as the choice ride of the A hole a decade or more ago.

jimincalif

Most, but not all OC drivers are pretty courteous to bikes in my experience. I have had people yell and throw stuff at me in Laguna Beach, but not elsewhere.

John E

My younger son resembles that remark. He drives a 1991 3-series 4-door sedan, which is basically Germany's rear drive answer to the Honda Civic, and he definitely knows to be patient and safe around bicyclists.



What is the difference between BMW and cactus?

The ****** are on the inside instead of the outside.

fthomas

Dana Point is a great place to ride. Getting back to my place is a bit of a chore for me at my current level. There are some major hills coming out of Dana Point. The traffic is pretty slow speed as well in the areas with bike lanes.

I'ld go for it. Nice trail headed past Doheny State Park.

fthomas

That is what I did with the tow truck. I waved the left hand up and down and pointed left and he moved over giving me plenty of room.

B. Carfree

No, no no! Pumps aren't made for beating people. The pump gets ruined if you do that. Far better to insert the pump into some dark, soft hole where it is protected from damage during any altercation.

fthomas

I think that might actually work with the liberal use of a dry lube.

Artkansas 

My response to "Sidewalk!" is "Parking Lot!"

BlazingPedals

I wonder which part of the term, "sideWALK" he didn't understand.

Oldguyonoldbike

I'm grateful that for the most part people around where I live and ride are really pretty courteous to bikers. The only time I've been yelled at in recent memory was a "Get off the road!" during a snow storm. Now that I think about it, it probably wasn't bad advice.
That being said a cyclist was killed about a month ago on a state highway that I ride fairly often. He was riding on the eight-foot-wide shoulder and got hit by someone who was texting.

big chainring 

No honking. But I did have a Jeep full of coeds moon me. Delightful!

bruised

Are you sure they were all honking at you? I've put 7000 miles on bikes over the last 2 seasons and maybe I've been honked at twice. It sounds like people in your area need to chill.

70sSanO

I ride in Orange County all the time, but I pick my poison. Twenty five years ago I would ride roads exclusively and everywhere... Laguna Beach, Irvine, San Clemente, etc.

Now I am more careful about the roads I ride and plan my route accordingly. Some roads are just not worth it. If I can find a good trail, as a connector, I'll take that before dealing with crazy distracted drivers on some roads. I think it is pretty universal in highly populated areas that people don't have patience. Plus California is auto dependent so most everyone drives and do not take some form of public transportation.

Right or wrong, I'd probably drop down to PCH and pick up the trail at Doheny and go from there.

John

rydabent

Gee--------------and I thot people in Southern Calif were supposed to laid back.

catgita

Seems like a attitudes are seasonal. In long beach today someone honked and flashed light at me at a red light. Traffic suddenly seems really chaotic. May have been the same person that honked the last 3 times in as many years, because it was the same neighborhood and same type of car.

peterws

We do have a problem using the bike paths (ole railway lines) cos theyre full of cyclists. Mostly retired young, who go out in large groups. And Yours Truly is always facing em. . . .
Guess who has the priviledge of giving way. . .If ya cant beat em. . .

TGT1

There's something to that.

About this time of year I quit commuting on the bike till spring.

It's not just the lack of daylight, attention span and tempers seem to shorten with day length.

trackhub

That's what I thought as well, until 1982.

I spent the summer of '82 in Southern Cali, staying with friends in Tujunga. I have never, ever, encountered people with such
short fuses. Must be something in the air / water. Or, maybe it's all the fires.

Now, a disclaimer: I own a BMW and I am a cyclist. I have learned that A-holes can drive pretty much anything,
but my own observations and experience tell me that the worst / most belligerent are the "Honda Chicks" I have mentioned before.
i.e. young females, with Honda automobiles.

Sculptor7

Agree. Faced some nasty headwinds in the past month. Think they were a tad more than 5 - 10. These were the flags at Prout's Neck one day when I rode 26 miles.