Warning- this will be rant like and non running related.
I left work on Wednesday with the plan of running speed work at be gym. It was super hot out and I didn’t want to be tempted by the lake path so I took the back roads home. I passed a couple of cyclists which always make me shake my head- this road is hardly built for 2 lanes of traffic let alone a bike. Blind corners and hairpin turns abound. Anyways, when I finally get back to town I turn onto a frontage road that really is just a secondary freeway. Seriously, the average speed is in the 60’s.
There was a large Yukon in front of me and a few cars behind me. Up ahead I noticed a man riding his bike with a grocery bag. This road does have pretty decent bike lanes, I’ve actually considered running it before. The biker kept drawing my attention; he didn’t look too stable,the bags were throwing off his balance. Then he went down, sideways, directly in the Yukon’s path.
My brain refused to process what I was seeing. Somehow, the Yukon slammed on the brakes and swerved left, I slammed on the brakes and went right, bear in mind, we were both driving fairly fast. The driver of that Yukon had amazing reflexes- he missed the man and oncoming traffic. He ended up angled partly in the other lane and partly off the road. How we all avoided a wreck is still amazing to me.
The man, who was really a kid was fine, more angry embarrassed than hurt. A car coming the opposite way offered him a ride but he turned it down. He picked up his groceries before getting back on his bike. It was during all this that my faith in humanity took a little hit.
The Yukon was still blocking part of the opposite lane and you could see that oncoming traffic was stopped about 50 yards up the road waiting while the boy was picking his stuff up. The SUV behind me started laying on the horn. Seriously?! You can see what is going on, get over yourself! The horn turned out to be not enough for them and they sped out from behind me into the partially blocked lane and floored it past the kid still in the street! The car behind them followed suit. Are you freaking kidding me?! You see multiple vehicles stopped, one in the wrong lane, a kid in the street and you think it’s ok to throw a temper tantrum and squeeze yourself through!? I was so angry!
Honestly it’s taken me longer to type this than it did to get everything squared away last night. I could come up with no good reason for the cars to behave the way they did. Come on people, what if that was you in the street? Or a family member? Don’t get me wrong, I think a runner or a cyclist is doubly responsible for watching out on the roads. It doesn’t matter who’s in the right, against a car, we lose. That said, people driving don’t need to be asshats- get over yourselves!
Once we were all on our way, there was a stop sign about a mile ahead. The Yukon and I ended up next to each other, he went right and I was going straight. We had a brief conversation through open windows. He was super pale and I wondered if I looked similar. I told him he had amazing breaking skills. He thanked me for stopping. We went our separate ways.
I was so shaky due to the situation and my anger at those 2 cars that I just went home. I really wish the kid had let someone give him a ride home. Part of me wishes I could have hollered at those drivers, part of me knows that would have solved nothing.
Thanks for letting me rant, I needed to get that out. Regular Slacker programming will return next post.
Share your thoughts!! Please- am I wrong to be pissed?
