"Tom Keats" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:
[email protected]...
> Women riders have a civilizing influence.
I was transportational cyclist when my husband decided on his two year
sabbatical that he wanted to take up road biking. A year later he finally
convinced me to join him, but only if we rode a tandem. So a few weeks
after we got the bike we showed up to ride with my husband's normal group of
bike buddies, all male. As we came screaming down a long flat, to make a
turn into the hills I held my hand out to signal the turn (that's what the
ladies in the back do, signal turns...). My husband said no, no, there is
no way the cars are going to let us over, but sure enough, the car slowed to
let us over and we made the left turn. Now maybe it was just the driver
gawking at the half naked lady hoisting a bike over her head that was
printed on my jersey, or maybe it was the long hair sticking out of the back
of my helmet, but none of the guys could believe a driver on THAT road would
give cyclist the right of way. Note, it doesn't happen much when we are
out, but it doesn't happen at all when my husband is out without me.
Fast forward a few years later. I have my very own adorable tiny road bike,
and a group of school moms that we all go out and climb hills and share
school information and save our husbands tons in therapy bills. I am
absolutely amazed how patient traffic is with us. They stop and motion for
us to go ahead. They will follow and only pass if they can do so very
safely. In all my rides only once did a car honk at us. And I just waved.
I assumed they must be someone we knew, because after riding with the ladies
that long I am SURE they weren't honking at us to be mean.