back to the war on MacArthur Boulevard...it is a shock that this road is not covered in the blood of cyclists
the other day I went for a post work ride
initially I had planned on hanging with Dean and Grant while Lisa went to an elementary school function
it was a PTA style meeting which Lisa is involved in at one level or another
Lisa was not in the mood
Lisa did not have the energy
Lisa was feeling burned out after a long day at work
so Lisa opted to hang with the boys at Dean's soccer practice
which freed me up for a post work ride
this was good... my body and soul needed a ride
the mixture of rain and adult responsibility was cutting into my prozac... my prozac is the bicycle
I need prozac
as if you could not tell
I definitely need prozac
but instead I try to medicate with the bicycle
the pills of the brave new world worry me
I rode the city streets through Georgetown then down onto the Capital Crescent Trailah... the pleasure of life away from the stress of the car culture
the car-free pleasure of the Crescent Trail only lasted a few miles
when I hit the Maryland-DC border I got back onto the road with the cars
not more than a mile on MacArthur Boulevard and I was already grinding my teeth and clutching my handlebars
the cars passed fast and closetoo fast and too close
some of the cars passed intentionally close and then cut quickly into the lane in front of me
what sort of lesson does this teach?
the usual brown stars were on their cell phones and checking their blackberry devices
I was hammering at a good pace on the cross bike in the big ring
but remember... this is a cross bike... where the big ring is not so big
so my top speed may not be road racer top speed
but this is understood... as I am not a road racer
there is a bike lane that runs along side of the MacArthur Boulevard
but I stayed on the road
my pace was too fast for the multi-use bike path
and well... it would be hard to maintain my pace on the bike path
the sand, the mud, the glass would be part of the slow down process
but my desire to respect the blue haired ladies with the blue haired dogs keeps me on the road
I can not help but think that if I were on the bike path with my wife or my children I would not want to be passed by a bicycle moving over 15MPH-20 MPH... on the road I was definitely averaging close to 20
that dangers on the bike path are as great as those on the road
different... but also dangerous
so I gave the couples holding hands their space
the awkward rollerblader need not worry about me... they can focus on staying upright without me buzzing past their side
and all the dogs on leashes long and short were not a risk to me or themselves with their erratic moving about
I left the bike path to the slow moving cyclists and all the other multi-use traffic
I stuck to the street
not to be inconsiderate to the car drivers and their need to rush home to their two car garages and their ultra wide flat screen televisions within their god awful mcmansions
but to be considerate of others
I was in fact where I should be
the road is where the fast moving bicycle belongs
the multi-use bike path is no place for pace lines and road training
fast and closefast and close
cut off
fast and close
the notion of LIMIT seems to be misunderstood when the driver interprets the signs marking the SPEED LIMIT
the car drivers fail to understand that LIMIT=MAXIMUM
and this MAXIMUM is in reference to the speed that cars should move when they are approaching other cars
which is clear to me that the cars should be cruising below this SPEED LIMIT when encountering a person not surrounded by crumple resistant side panels and a variety of airbags
BMW... the obnoxious driver's machine... we all know that classic joke*
HANDICAP PLATE... I am thinking that your handicap is mental
Soccer Moms... respect my life as you respect the lives of your children
Bad Boy Club with your Bazooka Tube... you are not smooth... you are a cheese head
the list goes one
the majority of the drivers were respectful
but this vicious minority were aggressive... obnoxious... inconsiderate... and most definitely not conscious of the WORST CASE SCENARIO!
no... these drivers are not thinking of the WORST CASE SCENARIO
these drivers have no concern for me or my well being
as I am not a human being in their eyes
I am a cyclist... which translates to an obstacle
these drivers all passed me fast and close
some faster and closer than others
many trying to make a point by zipping back into the lane in front of me encroaching on my right to space
many making an aggressive pass only to get stuck in the line of traffic just ahead
there were words from my end and honking from theirs
the body language of the passing drivers
and then the body language expressed by the cars
it was all very negative
there was traffic
there are lines of traffic on this road every day
these daily commuters are accustom to these lines of traffic
just as they are accustom to the people on their bikes
instead of learning how to behave around the cyclists
these drivers develop a habit of misbehavior
the road is long with beautiful sweeping turns
this is a great road for the bicyclist due to the infrequent cross roads and the infrequent need to stop
on carless nights this is also a great stretch of road for a motorcycle
I do not own a motorcycle
the cars were backed up on the north side where cars enter what may be the Clara Barton Parkway
I flipped off a handful of the drivers stuck in the queue
passing all of those assholes who passed me so fast and so close
yelled a few things at some others and continued on my way never breaking pace
this sort of behavior does nothing for the cause
but... I was STEAMED!
their actions that nearly killed me got them no further
had they followed on my rear wheel at my meager pace
something about people threatening my life really pisses me off
I was having a good ride
I was feeling strong
and there were still some miles to hammer out
so I hammered
my day was going too well to let these losers bring me down
as I passed Glen Echo I was frustrated with the SLOW AND GO style of driving and the failure of the drivers to yield me the right of way
these things are to be expected
I caught another long line of cars at the Historic Cabin John one lane bridge
the timing was perfect
I rolled past the line of cars waiting at the light and sifted into the cars on the road rather than the sidewalk
the car that I tired to pass fought hard to beat me to the narrow passage
it was sketchy
but I kept my sharp elbows out and held my ground
across the bridge I split the line of cars by riding the double yellow line
past this stop sign I was given some space
most cars were taking the left to access the route to GW Parkway or I-495
the cars were less frequent which only changed the percentage of obnoxious drivers
and there were plenty of obnoxious drivers
I tried to ride to the right... but when a car passes too fast and too close I often feel as if I need to ride closer to the center of the lane so that the passing cars know that they need to cross the double yellow line when they pass
there is not enough room for them to pass within the lane
the passing car driver is not factoring in that I may have to move six inches closer to center to dodge an obstacle in my path
the madness continued
I got more attitude from more drivers
more assholes that just do not want me to be there
why do they think that my being on this road alters their destiny?
I know what some of these people are thinking....
WHY IS THIS GUY ON THE ROAD WHEN MY TAX DOLLARS PAY FOR THIS BIKE LANE?
well... I already answered that
it makes sense to me to be considerate of the bike path culture and stay on the road when I am trying to keep a fast pace
I roll through the STOP SIGN at the northern point where The Clara Barton Parkway meets up with MacArthur Boulevard.... one two three cars make a slow and go move through the Stop Sign feeding on to MacArthure
the fourth guy is shaking his head as I roll throughcomplete disapproval
he was forced to make a complete stop
like a complete stop he passes me on the left.... ignoring that he is about to rear end the last car in a line of cars in front of him
oddly enough two more cars behind him make this same aggressive pass
I do not flip off any of these guys
they are out of control
they have some sort of RAGE that I do not want to contend with
I roll on the double yellow line then zip over to the bike path so I can pass the 100 yards of cars stopped at the Stop Sign at Brickyard Road
then I move back onto MacArthur
still hammering on the flats
my pace drops on the slight incline at Old Angler's Inn
then it happens
that same cluster of assholes who passed me so fast and so furious minutes ago make another pass
the bird is contained
I keep my profanity to myself
but the pressure is too much
when the last fat ass in the BMW passes inches from my hip I let it go
BAD PEOPLE
BAD BAD PEOPLE
my pace picks up as my anger fuels me
I have no intent to try and catch these people
but I am angered
I am angered that our society is producing such troglodytes
to think... they can afford that car... they live out here... these are people making some high dollar decisions
these people are idiots
I crest the hill and drop in towards Great Falls past Falls Road
once down and only once up
a mixture of not much time and not much strength I head back without repeating the hills
I figure it makes more sense for me to hammer the flats that expend my energy on the winding hill that feeds down to Great Falls on the Maryland side
the ride back is similar but different
there are some assholes...
but there are less cars going into the city than coming out
I arrive home feeling refreshed
my legs are worked
I feel good
good ride... bad people
the good of the ride outweighed the bad people
but there are lots of really really bad people
people that should not breed
people that more than likely never give in this world but only take
there are too many people in this world... most of them bad
*classic joke
what is the difference between a BMW and a Porcupine?
the porcupine has many pricks on the outside
the BMW has one prick on the inside