Roman Mica recently posted an article about a local sheriff's take on cyclists, traffic laws, and attitudes. The sheriff, along with many readers, made very vocal comments about their perception of the attitude of cyclists. In return, cyclists tried to help others understand the environment they sometimes face. And to be fair, other cyclists did much to prove the sheriff's point.
On Sunday, there was yet another incident in which cyclists paid the price for the actions of a driver. In a race in Monterrey, Mexico, an alledgedly drunk and sleeping driver slammed into riders on the course of a local race. One cyclist was killed and another 10 were injured. One article is here. A word of caution, the included picture is quite disturbing and somewhat graphic.
To avoid the accusation of stereotyping, allow me to start by saying that not all drivers are drunk. Most drivers remain awake while driving and focus reasonable attention to the road and others around them. And it is, fortunately, still relatively rare for a cyclist to be hit by a motorist.
There is, however, a big "but." Cyclists have no way of knowing which motorist IS drunk. Or asleep. Or paying more attention to (pick one: their cell phone, the radio, breakfast/lunch/dinner, personal hygiene, some very important aspect of the local scenery). When a car is approaching with a great deal of momentum, cyclists have little warning of any impending doom.
So, when the motorist decides at the last moment to lay on their horn to "warn" the cyclist they are passing, reactions tend to be negative. If passengers in the car try to "share" a beverage container (or the actual beverage) with the cyclist, the response is unlikely to be positive. Motorists (and civil authorities) who are completely oblivious to the law regarding a cyclist's right to the road often elicit bad attitudes.
I share the road with hundreds of cars every time I get on my bike. The vast majority of them are in the hands of responsible drivers. The occassional poor choice on their part is most likely offset by the occassional poor choice on my part. The opportunity for unintentional situations always exist.
They aren't the ones that concern me. For any non-cycling motorists who might read this, remember that "wonder" is a two way street. While you wonder about a cyclist's "negative attitude," they are wondering if you're driving the car that is going to injure or kill them.
Blogging has been a bit slow the past few days, though not for a lack of activity or things to post. Sometimes things just get so busy that the blog takes a back seat for a while.
It was a great weekend for training, though it would have been nice to get out a bit more. I managed to get in a short ride with one member of the youth tri club. It was a windy day, so she got some experience biking into a stiff headwind. After that workout, I imagine she's hoping for favorable conditions come race day.
I also managed to get out on my own for just over 30 miles on Sunday. It was another windy day, and it was a good workout. Most importantly, I managed to knock back nearly three bottles of Gatorade in the ride, which took just under two hours. Small victories. I tend to go through well under a bottle an hour.
Like last week's 75 mile bike, tomorrow will be a good test of fitness. Mrs. Pol has a conference to attend, so I have the day off to play dad. Since I'll have a more time in the morning, I'm going to complete a big swim. I was thinking about a bike ride, but my swim always needs more work than my bike. And there's nothing like 4000 yards (or more) to hone swim skills.
And it's less than a week until the first triathlon of the season. I'm almost a lock to do better than my first attempt at this race, and I'm trying to decide whether to run it or RACE it. I'm sure my competitive spirit will show up on Saturday, but I'm playing cautious with my body.
Between a back tweaked during the Green Bay Marathon (some would say completely wrecked) and another ruptured ear-drum, I'm a walking disaster. Luckily, I don't see the ENT until June 10th. They offered an appointment on the 6th. I declined that one, as I hardly need a doctor telling me to stay out of the water with a race on the 7th.
I've lived this long (however long that happens to be) with a blown ear drum, a few extra days won't hurt (much).
So. Tender back. Ruptured ear drum. Some would tempt fate by asking, "What next?" Not me. I've got too many races coming up, so I'll let fate bug someone else.
So, stay tuned and I'll have a nifty race report, next week. It's the "Return to Trinity." A throwdown with the course that treated me so badly when I ran it as my very first triathlon. A near guaranteed PR. And hopefully far less drama...
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