HOT TOPIC ALERT!

Unless you live under a rock, I’m sure you’ve heard of the constant war being waged between road cyclists and drivers. Some states are worse than others, but like it or not, Colorado has been a relative epicenter for a lot of the 2-wheel/4-wheel controversy. You see, there are a ton of road cyclists here and a lot of pros actually train in Boulder. As a result, there have been battles over the years over this big question: who has the right of way on the roads?

Because there are so many cyclists in Colorado, I had convinced myself that drivers were becoming more accepting of their 2-wheel counterparts. However, a story that came to light this week proved otherwise. Again, this video made national news, so if you have already seen it, please bear with me. In short, two cyclists were out for leisurely ride when an SUV came up behind them and essentially harassed the hell out of them with his horn. One of the cyclists had his smart phone with him, so he recorded the incident. Check it out:

A lot of non-cyclists have reacted with humor: they thought the incident was kind of funny. However, having spent months living on my bike, I’m not laughing. Personally, I’ve been run off the road and honked at, but never anything close to this level.  I definitely understand that some cyclists can be jerks and ride 85 abreast; that’s not cool. However, the bottom line is that drivers really need to start sharing the roads.

I’ve spoken with a ton of my non-cycling friends about this topic, and I continually hear that cyclists on the road are “annoying” and “stressful.” Why is that?

If you’re a cyclist, what’s the worst encounter you’ve experience with a car?