Over the past couple of weeks, I have heard a couple of stories of roadies and drivers going at it because of actions taken on the road. While this is a super sensitive subject amongst cyclists, each of the stories involved a road cyclist that was in the wrong and they took it among themselves to attack the driver with words and flying water bottles.
The Roadie Attitude
In my mind, there are two different kinds of road bikers.
- The Typical Stereotype Roadie – The typical roadie is the stereotype that goes along with road cycling. The typical roadie has a negative attitude, believes they are never wrong and firmly believes that the road is only for cyclists and cars should just go away. The typical roadie finds enjoyment out of confrontation with drivers as they feel it is their right to yell and scream at anything they feel is wrong. As dumb as this sounds, there are cyclists who really do believe this to the core and it is where the stereotype comes from.
- A Road Cyclist – A road cyclist obeys the rules of the road (or at least most of them) and realizes that the road is primarily used for motor vehicles. By taking extra precaution, the road cyclist is aware of their surroundings and heads out on rides to get the most out of the sport and is not looking for a fight.
Important Note: The category you fall into has nothing to do with speed or whether or not you race. It has been my experience that most road cyclists can rip the legs off over confident stereotype roadies.
Sharing The Road: It’s A Two Way Street
If you have been road biking for any length of time, you have been buzzed by, cussed at, flipped off or any combination there of. It isn’t a pleasent situation and it can sometimes be dangerous if drivers are not taking proper precautions. I hate it has much as you do, but it is part of sharing the road with drivers as it is typically a very small percentage of drivers that decide to be an ass.
Just like those few drivers that decide to take it upon themselves to show their true colors, there are those road bikers that feel they own the road and the rules do not apply. They can swing wide on turns without looking, blow through stop signs (don’t worry…I’m guilty of this one too) and run red lights (something I do not do). When called out on their bad actions, these road bikers take the defensive and blame the several thousand pound car for their mistakes.
Sharing the road is not a one way street where road cyclists get to enjoy breaking the rules while the drivers have to be held to the high standard. It is just as much our part to represent the sport of cycling in a positive manner as it is for the drivers to make safe passes and be aware of cyclists on the road. With every bad experience a driver has with a roadie, they apply that same experience to other road bikers, so your bad attitude is now affecting us all.
When you clip in and head out for a ride, you are not only representing yourself, but other road riders to drivers you come in contact with. It is already hard enough to get rights of cyclists protected in some cities, and…by taking matters into your own hands…you only make things worse for the rest of us. As cyclists, we need to take the higher road. We need to be the ones that set the example of what behavior should be represented on the road. Will there be drivers that will never get it? Of course…but it is our job to protect our safety and the safety of other cyclists by not fueling the fire.
When you take to the road, remember that you are representing the sport of cycling and your actions can negatively affect legislation and outward appearances of road cyclists in your area. Of course…if you are an ass to drivers on the road…you probably stopped reading this article a long time ago…