Incident leads to a teaching moment
It was about 6:45 a.m. on a gorgeous Sunday morning just a few weeks ago. We were biking to the meeting spot of our cycle group before heading out for a nice morning ride.
I had the unfortunate luck to hit a pothole, losing my water bottle. I pulled over to let a car pass, intending to retrieve my bottle. The driver had other plans.
They proceeded to honk and spew profanities at me. Without inserting the multiple f-bombs I received, I was told where to go, how to get there and to go play in traffic. Amazed but not undone, I saw this as a wonderful teaching moment.
First, understand that most cyclists have a legal right to be on the road. Pursuant to Florida Statute (Section 316.2065), “a bicyclist who is not traveling at the same speed of other traffic must ride in a designated bike lane or as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway. A bicyclist may leave the right-most portion of the road in the following situations: when passing another vehicle moving in the same direction; when preparing for a left turn; when reasonably necessary to avoid any condition or potential conflict including, but not limited to, a fixed or moving object, parked or moving vehicle, pedestrian, animal, surface hazard, or turn lane.”
However, cyclists are not getting a free pass. A cyclist has a responsibility to cycle respectfully as well. This means not blowing through stop lights and stop signs, not riding two abreast and obeying all traffic controls and signals. If we want motorists to respect us on the roads, we need to extend the same courtesy in exchange. Not only is it the right thing to do, it’s also the safest way to ensure no one gets hurt.
Let’s face it, cars are 2,000-plus-pound weapons. Cyclists, on the other hand, ride 17-pound carbon, aluminum and titanium bikes. Clearly, we are over-matched against a V-8 steel shell traveling six to seven times our speed.
Trying to improve fitness and set personal records in sports is hard enough. Maintaining a motivation level to get out of bed every Saturday morning at 5 a.m. is a struggle in itself. Do we really need to add senseless confrontation to the list? Can’t we all work together, share the roads and extend basic courtesies to one another? Be safe and please be careful out there.
Angie Ferguson is an exercise physiologist from Fort Myers, Florida. She is a USA Triathlon Advanced Level 2 coach, Ironman Certified coach, Slowtwitch Certified coach, USA Cycling coach and has a Specialty in Sports Nutrition certification. For more training tips, read her blog at www.triathlontrainingis fun.com or contact her at www.gearedup.biz.