There are certain things that go along with riding a bike. Most of them are good, but there are a couple of things are uniquely shitty. In the last couple of days, I’ve run into one of each.
I’ll start with my latest pet peeve. Most drivers are pretty decent at passing in the left lane – they have too. Everyone in Calgary driving a monster SUV or an F150. But what’s with the drivers that insist on squeezing by me in my lane, then jamming on the brakes and turning right, making me slam on the brakes. Thanks for signaling while you pass me, jerkwads, but has anyone given any thought to waiting until I pass their exit (probably 12 seconds) and then turning? I suppose they have probably gone 4 kms, which means they are pulling in for gas on fumes.
On the other hand, riding my bike by the river today, I saw a flock of mergansers fishing (it’s possible there were synchronized swimming, but I’d put my money on fishing in a shallow section of the Bow. That’s the river, not the Encana building. It was graceful, beautiful and coordinated – three descriptions it gives me nightmares to think of trying pull off all at once. Go mergansers. If I had been in a car (oh, sorry, wait, an SUV or F150), I would have had no idea they were there.
2 comments:
Hey Hez,
I totally feel your pain about Calgary drivers being absolute a-holes when it comes to sharing the road with cyclists. I think they just can't comprehend actually riding somewhere and have no idea what to do. Just wait until you cycle in Germany. I am amazed, EVERY SINGLE TIME a driver watches out for (voluntarily) a cyclist or YEILDS to a cyclist, which happens all the time. It's a beautiful thing.
Graceful, beautiful, and coordinated? The mergansers were most definitely synchronized swimming . . . and could only have learned their grace, beauty, and coordination from Mere and Val.
Post a Comment