>They're not seething with rage at you. Make yourself visible, stay aware, follow basic effective /
>vehicular cycling principles, and you'll be fine.
Oh, I agree. Occasionally you'll get a driver who's seething with rage, but isn't personal. The
worst that can happen is that they'll kill you on the road like a bug, but that's what life
insurance is for.
Why worry about it, all you can do is stick to your training and experience and do it by the book.
That doesn't mean lack of flexibility and awareness, those are in the book too.
The more you ride the more relaxed and aware you will become, all it takes is time. Learning to
distinguish between significant and insignificant threats is a big part of this that Forester only
alludes to, in city traffic the taxi and the tourist are big time risks whereas the bus is larger
but more predictable.
My biggest challenge has been in learning how to read non-signalling car and pedestrian behavior,
after a time you will gain an appreciation of the dynamic such that you will know with absolute
certainty what they are going to do. Subliminal awareness of intent.
Keep riding, eventually experience will overcome trepidation and you won't feel uncomfortable.
There is a danger zone here where confidence overcomes experience that is well known on motorcycles.
It is the same on bicycles. This is the zone where most of the big mistakes happen. You've mastered
the machine and the environment, or so you think. But you haven't, yet.
Be aware of this, it is very important. Keep on doing it by the book until you are well after the
initial comfort zone. You will have to consciously master your natural tendency to rewrite the book.
Remember, there are old pilots and bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots.
Control, awareness and discipline will see you through.
Hope that helped.
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