I am fit. I am great. Share the road.

Maybe its her way of pushing back against my blog post of yesterday about exercise, but today my wife clipped the "Pearls Before Swine" cartoon from the local newspaper and shared it with me. The included URL is a hyperlink to a colorized version that is superior to the grey scale scanned image of the newspaper clipping.

http://comics.com/pearls_before_swine/2009-06-02/

No doubt about it. Some cyclists are snooty and thumb their nose at traffic laws. Especially some of the elite, fast riders. On multiple occasions, a small peleton (tightly spaced group of riders that takes turns drafting behind each other) of such riders have nearly forced me off the road while passing me in a bike lane. These kinds of cyclists irk other cyclists and drivers alike because its all about them going fast, regardless of the consequences and inconvenience to anyone else. Irksome behavior by people on bikes is not limited to fast, snooty riders. Some laid back bike riders (they don't deserve to be called cyclists) also irk drivers by disregarding stop signs and switching from one side of the road to the other whenever it suits them. Think meandering beach cruiser rider with iPod ear buds. They give responsible cyclists a bad name. I agree with the comment to the cartoon that is time stamped Jun 2, 2009 08:50 pm. "Jerk cyclists annoy you, but jerk drivers kill you." Don't be a jerk driver. Pay attention. Put away your cellphone while driving. Be courteous. Whether driving a car or riding a bicycle, come to a full stop at all stop signs and red lights...even when turning right. Share the road...not because cyclists are great, but because living the Golden Rule while driving makes the world a better place for all of us.

P.S. Invite your non-cycling friends to read this posting.