I read an article yesterday concerning some pretty bad road rage between a car driver and about 50 cyclists yesterday from Sydney, Australia and was blown away that anyone in a car would take it that far. Well, we got a little taste of that last night during our group ride although, it was no where near as bad as the incident in Sydney.
We started out with eight riders heading West on 27th street at around 28mph and rolling through the draft lines really smooth. Speeds were good, comfort level was good, and overall I was feeling that I might be getting the snap back in my legs. We were nearing the point where the group usually picks up the pace and I of course found myself on the front pulling. As soon as we crested a hill, I heard the attacking tires of J. Fry and he was dragging four other guys with him. I tried to latch on but didn't quite have it. Bullerman, Houlihan, and I continued to cruise along and caught back up within the mile when the rest of the group went for the sprint and then regrouped before heading North towards New Hartford. We only made it about 300 meters or so down the road when a gentleman in a gold car, such as a Toyota Camry or such, flew around us, honking his horn, and yelling something that I did not catch. We did the right thing and politely waved at him as he drove away. To our amazement he slammed on his brakes, leaving matching black marks on the pavement, and skidded off the road onto the gravel shoulder. I continued around him and on my way North at a whooping 13mph while the rest of the group had a short discussion with him. One of the riders in the group was even heard reciting the Iowa law concerning bicyclists and their rights on the roadways of Iowa. After about five minutes or so of the car driving down the shoulder while having this discussion, my fellow riders began to catch back up to me and we proceeded to pick up the pace on the way to New Hartford. The guy in the car followed us most of the way but must have turned around sometime after we kicked it up to the 30 mph mark again. It was just a reminder that as a cyclist, you need to keep your eyes peeled for the psychos behind the wheels of cars. Some of them still think that they own the roads more than we do.
Anyway....after arriving in New Hartford and having a short discussion about our recent event the group of seven, Houlihan turned back for Cedar Falls right before the incident, began the section back to Cedar Falls on Beaver Valley Rd. Everything was clipping along really well and I was feeling like having a go at the next sprint. We all made it over Three-Tier hill pretty much together and the pace was in the 28mph range with a slight head wind. There were only about three of us that were actually taking pulls and I found myself on the front WAY TOO MUCH so I slowed down to about 19mph and then the group finally came around and four of them went off the front, go figure. I was alone again and giving chase. I started to pull R. Fry back in and after catching him, the two of us started to reel in Mike J. too. We were getting pretty close to the sprint and almost had Mike so I went for it about 200 meters out and was able to catch him right as I crossed the line. A little bit of satisfaction after that one. A quick regroup and we were heading back to Cedar Falls at speed again with the one last hill left before the final sprint. I hate the final hill but, Bullerman pulled me to the top and I stayed with the front riders. Approaching the final sprint I was in the back and waiting for someone to jump so that I could follow them instead. Finally, J. Fry went and I jumped on his wheel waiting for the chance to get around him. He moved back to the right towards the center of the lane and away I went around him on the left. It was a short lived sprint for me as Doug came around the right side and beat me to the line but, I was definitely feeling a lot better by the end.
Legs are pretty heavy today so I'll probably take the day off for some rest. I put in 200 miles this week so I think that I deserve it.
Read the complete post at http://carlosdajackal.blogspot.com/2008/05/tension.html