You ride like an ass

Last week, riding my Surly home from work I turned a corner and stopped at the next light. There a bald, mid-thirties, dude from my neighborhood, rolled down the window of his white VW wagon and said, “You ride like an ass.” Why? “You didn’t stop for a pedestrian...” There was no one crossing the street. “I ride respectfully and I’m sorry if I did something to offend you.” As the light turned green he responded “Ok, you know what, it’s fine...”

It left me wondering. What signifies riding like an ass? Was he offended because I broke the law or was my riding style offensive in some way? I broke the law, I admit. I treat this corner similar to a rotary, looking left, yielding, rolling right.

Ultimately I think he may have felt upset because I was able to travel through the corner with ease. He had to stop and let people cross the street, that’s a definite. Cyclists bend the law and usually get away with it. It reminds me of the old days of snowboarding when skiers thought we were out of control. That is the rift between motor vehicles and cyclists these days.

But this is how I commute and it’s also how I get to express myself. I love taking a tight turn. I love moving under my own power. I love zipping between obstacles. It reminds me of riding in the backcountry. It’s liberating. I do feel for the sad chaps who have to commute by car. Traffic is miserable and perhaps he was taking his rage out on me. But cycling is the future. And if you don’t agree, call me an ass, I can take it.