pallen

In small-town Texas, where I grew up, both sides of traffic stops for a funeral procession. The further away from the city you get, the more people do it. Roads are often narrow. Its also just a sign of respect for the mourners and its considered an insult to blow by without acknowledging. The pace of life outside the city is much slower - people aren't usually in a hurry. In a really small town, chances are you know the deceased, or at least some of the family.

RJM

ClydesMoose

I had no idea about the stopping for a funeral procession.

I probably wouldn't have stopped either. /shrug

deacon mark

As someone who does funerals it is a show of respect to stop because while people died each day, normally it is not something we come across everday. All cars pulled over and you should too if for no other reason than you could be a hazard and get yourself hurt in the process. What if this was a funeral procession of a deceased cyclist who was killed riding his/her bike.................As far as the time trial well in the end.........the real end...... it probably does matter how fast we get our bikes around a course.

CrankAndYank

If I was dead I wouldn't really care, but I'd want other riders to hammer by, not stop!

CrankAndYank

Again with invalid analogies. A door is a bottleneck, an open road is not.

BykOfALesserGod

It's all about me and what I want to do.

AdelaaR

There's no way I'm stopping for anything while riding TT practice ... certainly not some funeral.

unterhausen

around here if you stopped for a funeral procession going the other way, you'd almost surely be run over

cbk9811

It's a tradition like ,saying hello or good morning.
Or excuse me or pardon me.
Not everyone does it, not everyone is aware of the practice.
Had you known about the tradition of pulling over would you have?
Your answer, is the only one that matters....

Also some people grieve at funerals and some throw a party in honor of the person who passed as a celebration of that life that's moved on. It really depends on your perspective.....

Mike F

Unfortunately, so was the guy in the box. His clock just ran out. Im kinda superstitious and If I did that the thought of getting in a wreck/killed on my bike would bug me.

rpenmanparker 

First of all, I have lived all my life in big cities where the practice of stopping for a funeral processing travelling the opposite direction is unknown, even in New Orleans and Houston, arguably southern cities. I agree it must have to do with narrow rural roads and close knit communities, neither of which I have much experience with. But second, I would have been a little less likely to be so dismissive if OP hadn't been trying to be so cute and had just called that area the Bible Belt. That makes things a lot clearer. Buyable belt? Really?

gregf83 

I'm 53 and would probably have been yelled at as well. I'd never heard of this tradition and never stopped in a car before. I can't remember the last time I even saw a funeral procession so I suppose the chances of me committing this faux pas in the remainder of my lifetime are slim.

RoadMike

I demand the herse in my procession maintain a steady 26 mph so the local cycling clubs can motor pace the procession. If we're gonna have traffic control, there's gonna be a ride, whether I get to enjoy it or not.

tmass

Not talking analogies talking about the ability to observe and practice some manners that dictate a little respect to others. I consider it an observance of someone's character on how or if they practice any. Manners are a a dying art these days.

himespau 

That's the thing. You think stopping for a funeral procession going the other way is proper manners. In the 4 states I've lived in (so yes, I'm a sheltered person), I've never heard of that. Heck the town I grew up in (well 10 miles outside of) only had 10,000 people and we were the big city for all the little towns within an hour's drive (my mom's town 800, my dad's 250) because we had more than one stop light and a Walmart AND a Kmart. Never ever heard of that. Sure, most of the places I've lived were in the North, but still. On the other hand, rolling down your window and cursing someone is ****ty manners no matter where you're from.

RJM

It's common in Kentucky.

Both the yelling and the stopping.

rpenmanparker 

Nothing you said was wrong, but one has to know the standards before he canpractice them. It appears this practice is a bit sketchy and likely outdated. So bad manners is not necessarily the correct conclusion.

Velo Vol 

No one dies where you live?

rpenmanparker 

In many communities graveside services followed immediately by internment has replaced the church service and procession to the grave site. Also in many cases internment is private folllowed some days later by a memorial service. So processions have become relatively rare.

CrankAndYank

Fify.

kenji666

Down here in the South, you can't throw a cat without hitting a church or funeral home.

gregf83 

Typical BF logic

clausen

Actions like yours separate Men from boys. It might not be your tradition but you should respect others.

Rowan

If you knew or knew of the person and liked them, you'd been in the courtage behind the hearse.

If you don't have a clue who it is, then life goes on as normal, including riding past on a bicycle.

It's a very 1950s, small-town custom.