Brooklyn Heights beloved

 Old folks still have a big voice about cycling.

“Slow down!” The gurgley old man yelled from the corner as I peeled around a left turn near Borough Hall. Then, he yelled again, more pronounced. “Slow down! Jaaackass!” He had a great voice. I felt like the opposing pitcher on an away game in Ohio somewhere. I had the green light and the right of way. I wasn’t going over the speed limit. I did nothing wrong except enjoy the centripetal forces of my Surly. Grounded by momentum, fixed gears are amazingly fun to power through the turn, not unlike a Porsche 911. I’ve learned that people get scared when the see me turn like that, but I believe it’s more the feeling of surprise that masked itself as scared.

For whatever reason, there are a lot of old people in Brooklyn Heights who are vocal about their distaste for cyclists. The prior day, my son and I were confronted by a couple, both easily in the 80s, who scolded me for not stopping behind the crosswalk, I had stopped in front. “Shame on you, with you child” they said, tapping on his helmet as they walked behind us. I apologized to them. They were cute.

It’s a new world, but respect your elders. Be safe and try to be empathetic.