You’ve Got To Look For The Good In People

According to our local [usually a total work of fiction] weather forecast, today was the only day of the week where the weather was predicted to be anything other than underwater-rainy. Now, I don’t mind riding in the rain, but it’s 16 miles to work. On Siegfried that takes just over an hour, which is no fun at all when you’ve then got to act all professional while dripping on the carpet.

So I took today as my one chance to ride to work this week. It was forecast to be a little windy, but I’m tough enough to cope with that, aren’t I?

Hmmm . . . maybe. But by the time I was about five miles from home this morning, I was having my doubts. The trouble was that by that point, I was too far into the journey to be able to get home, get the car, and still make it to work on time.

Anyway, I was glad that I persevered, because it gave me three chances to see that there’s good inside of everyone.

1. The guy who tried overtaking me on first one side, and then the other as we were going around a roundabout in Blyth. Thank you for demonstrating to me that I’d got my road position spot on, and for waiting ’till we’d cleared the traffic island at the exit before roaring past in a cloud of diesel particulates.
2. The bus driver who passed within inches of me at Bedlington Station. Thank you so much for doing your best to shield me from that vicious cross-wind. Unfortunately, it was blowing from the other side, and I was already leaning against it to counteract it from pushing me into your path. How I laughed as the bow-wave from the bus nearly tipped me into the gutter!
3. The 4×4 driver who hooted their horn at me as they passed on the hill up through Seaton Sluice this evening. I thought you were just one of the "let’s scare the Bejasus out of this cyclist" brigade, as you did give me quite a fright! However, I also glanced over the bike after you’d gone, and noticed that my pannier bag was only held on by one of its clips, and had been wobbling most precariously all over the place. How it hadn’t ended up on the road, I’ll never know.

Actually, now that I write that down, I’m not sure that Impatient Roundabout Man, or Close-up Bus Driver have got much good in them.

But 4×4 driver? You’re a star - thank you for the warning!

Filed under: Assassination Attempts, Bike Culture, Bike to Work, Industrial-Strength Sarcasm, Road Safety, Wind