A bit of a rant

Okay so this won't be quite as cheery as my usual posts so if you are looking for a pick me up go read Get Fuzzy and stop back here again tomorrow :)

I rode my bike out in Rocky River Reservation tonight. I got there around 7:30 and rode until 8:45pm. Got in about 21 miles. Part of the valley parkway is under construction so I had a few more hills than I planned on and had to do some riding on the real roads (not the parkway). Which while not as safe is totally my right as a cyclist.

As a cyclist I am considered a vehicle and should adhere to all traffic laws that a regular car shall abide. You can check out some of the details about Ohio's cycling laws here: http://crankmail.com/fredoswald/Bicycle-Law-Digest.html

I am pretty sure that while this site says sidewalk riding is allowed that it isn't allowed in a lot of local laws. For some reason the "if you are over 12 and riding your bike you should be on the road" rule seems to stick out in my head.

For those that aren't accustomed to Elizabeth's "foul" side please stop reading now and come back when I am a bit cheerier.

Anyways, every time I have ridden in Rocky River Reservation I have had some a$$hole driver yell at me to "get off the road", or to "get on the path." Tonight of course was no exception. Only tonight not only did I get yelled at by some jerk off driver, I also got yelled at by some hicks kids in the back seat. What freak teaches their kids to yell at cyclists on the road. By the way in all the reservations I have seen there are signs telling motorist to "share the road" with cyclists oh about every couple miles. What is interesting is that everytime I have been harassed it was at the same intersection. So next time I go there I will have to look and see if there are no signs in that vicinity.

Do these people not realize that I am riding anywhere from 15-20+ miles per hour. Going that fast on the all purpose path would get me killed. Either by a dog, runner, roller-blader, or recreational cyclist. GRRRR.

Luckily cycling boosts my endorphin levels so I generally get over the affront really quickly during the ride, and I am actually not all that upset about it now but I was when it occurred tonight and I wanted to vent about it here. So if any of you non-cyclists reading this have ever yelled at a cyclist, don't do it anymore!!! We have every right to be the road with you, and frankly we are not an inconvenience at all if we are both following traffic laws.