Today was grocery day. Panniers were fully stocked; peanut butter, bread, lots of dried fruit, a large tub of yogurt. The bike was heavy and I celebrated the moment by putting air in the tires before I left. I stopped by the grocery store for another loaf of bread, a jar of jam, and a couple of donuts. I felt like a regular cop on a bike. Eating my donut, drinking coffee, riding down the road.
While stopped at the traffic light on Snelling Ave and Roselawn, another cyclist approached. She we both left from the light and rode about the same pace to the next stop sign. A second car crossed through the intersection without much of a stop and she exclaimed: "Idiot" in disgust, then continued with: "there sure are a lot of idiots out there."
I reflected for a moment and responded with the thought: "oh well, I guess we cannot do anything about that and can only concentrate on our little circle of influence, can we?" I was somewhat offended by her disgust for the driver who really put no one at any risk by his action.
She dropped into her aero-bars and rode off while I was content to finish my donut and drink my cup of coffee. I watched her in front of me roll up to a red light, slow down, then proceed through the light. I finished my donut, took a sip of coffee and decided that I was going to catch up to her and ask her about her double standard.
She turned before I could catch up, but a couple of blocks away, our paths once again crossed. I said hi again. With a light tone of voice I posed the question: "not trying to be annoying or anything, but you called the guy in the car who did the rolling stop at the Stop sign an idiot, then proceeded to go through the red light at Cleveland, how come?" She took one side of her headphones out and we then proceeded to talk on the way toward work. Before going her separate way, she asked me where my helmet was?
Well, there we go again. That fine Minnesota passive aggressive "Minnesota Nice." Running late for work I didn't have the heart to catch back up to her and ask her about the sensibility of riding down on her aero bars with headphones in through the city. I guess as long as she has a helmet on, she's safer than I am. Maybe I am one of those reckless idiots out there???
7 comments:
your "minnesota nice" seems to be an epidemic down here in florida. seems that there is always an ego with a point to prove.
in other thoughts i just recently read that california is working on a law to make running a red light legal for bikes. everyone must use helmets in california ...
I didn't know that Calif. required helmets for everyone. That's a bad law. My guess is that will reduce the number of bicyclists.
What a cool milestone...one year commuting by bike everyday. I think I have until September to reach the same milestone.
Last time I was in California, I saw lots of helmetless riders.
I think of a helmet not as a safety device, but as an injury limitation tool. Riding with or without a helmet won't change your chances of a crash, only help save your skull if you do.
I use one out of habit, but make no judgment against those who don't.
Congratulations on your milestone. I hope to one day achieve the same. Without getting into the helmut debate, why are so many helmut wearers self righteous about it?
Boone's Farm: Cyclists in general seem to be an indignant self-righteous bunch!
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