Tuesday 18 August 2009

A note of thanks...

...to the driver who pulled up alongside me whilst I was cycling along a remote countryside lane earlier this evening, wound the window down and issued forth a series of expletives around which were anchored some semi-coherent words concerning the fact that he doesn't pay his road tax for the use of cyclists (I wonder if he might have used a shorter word beginning with "c" though) like me.

For one thing, I can't say that I felt particularly intimidated. Nor did I betray any response other than to stare at him as he spoke and then drove off (I'd like to think that I looked impassive in my shades - just allow me that indulgence will you? Thanks), and in fact I felt a sort of pity when I saw him do the same to another cyclist further along the lane and up the hill. Well, when I say pity, what I really mean is that I found it all a bit pathetic, and wondered what he was trying to compensate for.

The thanks are in order though, for the fact that the annoyance and anger that it provoked in me meant that I shaved a good five minutes off my time for this particular route, and I feel thoroughly invigorated as a result.

Good job really.

9 comments:

Rosaria Williams said...

Assholes come in all contrivances. Glad he didn't rattle you.

Zhoen said...

That's a guy with a load of problems.

I'm always very careful of bicyclists. Even the ones who are stupid and dangerous. Especially them.

DJ Kirkby said...

He should have been reported to the police.

zola a social thing said...

It seems to me that our Trousers was on his bike and riding uphill home after a nice visit to the local pub.

The plot doth thicken me old Kegs.

Fire Byrd said...

OOh Paradoxical road rage, galvinising you to greater speeds...
xx

trousers said...

They do, lakeviewer. And although not rattled, I was angered, but glad to be able to channel that immediately.

He must be, zhoen - I could be wrong, but it didn't feel like I'd just caught him on a bad day.

I tend to forget that there are stupid cyclists - not through bias I hope, but admittedly through the perspective that, en velo, it's them there people in the motorcars that I mainly have to watch out for. Mind you it's far easier to remember the few stupid/dangerous drivers than the majority of sensible ones.

He should have been, Deej - moments afterwards I was kicking myself for not thinking to note his number plate. Should some other such situation occur, I'll hopefully have the presence of mind to do so.

zola, well it would seem like that to you, wouldn't it :) Actually there's a number of nice pubs on that route, but I didn't even have any money with me..

trousers said...

Fire Byrd, yes indeedy! It's amazing just how much of a boost of energy it gave me - not that I wish for further such incidents to improve my cycling..

Montag said...

Nothing like a good tongue lashing to get the adrenalin pumping!

He could have been a time traveller out doing "good" deeds, warning cyclists on a particularly dangerous stretch of roadway...in his time-line the poor cyclists had come to grief.

You never know.

trousers said...

I have to say that such a thing had never occurred to me, Montag... :)