This past weekend I was able to be part of a RAGBRAI team for 2 days. And by saying I was a part of the team, I mean I rode along while my boyfriend drove a large van with 8 cyclists and their bikes to the first town of the ride... We then drank adult beverages and relaxed until they were to leave for the next town (via their bicycles) the following morning. Needless to say, I have some complaints.
I should start by saying that I've only been on a bicycle about 5 times in the last 10 years, and every time goes something like this:
However, I do have eyeballs, and a brain that comprehends words, so I am fully aware of hardcore cyclists DEMANDS to be treated as any other vehicle on the road. "SHARE THE ROAD" is the most common sign I see. Not to mention the infamous Raygun shirt, plainly stating "Please don't run over me" in reversed text. (I don't quite get that one... part of me hopes to someday...)
Is it the people demanding the road be shared with cyclists that annoy me? Absolutely not. It's the people demanding this, and then blatantly ignoring basic traffic laws, that annoy me, and quite frankly really chap my ass.
If you have no idea what I'm talking about, chances are you've got an arrogant cyclist's body stuck to the underside of your car that you likely hit without knowing it when they ran a stop sign or red light. (Go check quick... their family may still be searching for them.) They are literally everywhere not yielding/stopping/signaling/any of the 'ings.
On the streets of the hosting towns for RAGBRAI this year, they were everywhere. Which is to be expected. However, they could care less about anyone in a larger, more powerful, automobile. They would cruise down the left side of the road, and stare at you as if you were driving the weinermobile! They would come-in-hot to a stop sign and only stop once they saw the anger filled glare you cast upon them while waiting to see if they WOULD stop! It was a cluster-fuck to say the least.
Would I like to partake in this 40+ year tradition of biking across my beautiful state of Iowa? Absolutely. However, I'm a bit worried at how many people I'd want to murder along way. The trend I did finally notice is that the more rude and arrogant riders were typically over the age of 45-50 years old (looking). One man, probably around 60 or so, complained at a [volunteer] concession stand about a 50 cent banana before speeding off on his $2,000+ road bike. I mean really? C'mon.
I'm not here to lecture. I'm just here to bitch about things. So I'll leave it at that.
