“Cyclists think they’re cars. They think they morally own the road because they are environmentally ‘aware’. Well get out of my way cyclists! Get out of the left turn lanes; you’re not a car. Look out, I’m a motorist! Get off the road and go home.” ~”London Peter”
“THE TIGHTER THE SPANDEX, THE MORE LAWS THEY DISOBEY. ~”Young, Stew”
An article in the Victoria Times Colonist, on Wednesday, March 11 prompted outrageous comments like these on the TC website. The newspaper itself was bombarded by disgruntled drivers’ letters, following a near-catastrophic accident in Saanich the previous Saturday, involving two cars and a group of cyclists, including Olympic gold medalist Simon Whitfield.
The article—which concentrated more on the fact that the cyclists were riding a double-paceline than the fact that the accident was caused by impatient and careless drivers—stirred up a cauldron of bicycle hatred not only on the pages of the TC, but also on the roads of Saanich, BC. Our Wednesday ride threaded a gauntlet of abuse.
I sat down and wrote the following letter-to-the-editor at the end of Wednesday’s 100-mile training ride. It appeared on Friday, next to Simon Whitfield’s mea culpa.
Victoria Times Colonist, March 13, 2009—Pg. A11
As a two-time cancer survivor, I’d venture that I know the value of life more than most.
It’s my lifelong passion for cycling (I’m 57) that got me through treatment and back in the saddle; the last time just before the series qualifying me for the quadrennial Paris-Brest-Paris, the oldest existing cycling event in the world.
With 5,000 entrants in 2007, PBP clogs the narrow country roads between the French capital and the coastal city halfway point for four days, day and night.
Every village welcomes us with cries of “Bonne route!” or “Courage!” to the ailing.
Families climb to the top of the nearest hill to cheer and offer nourishment—physical and psychological. The roads are not closed. Motorists drive patiently for many kilometres behind large groups, until they can pass safely—shouting “Bravo!” as they do.
Of course, cycling is France’s national sport. But there’s something else at work as well.
As I train around Victoria, often assailed from cars by the kind of virulent abuse and vulgarity we’ve seen in the Times Colonist’s pages and web comments regarding the incident on Lands End Road, I dream of the civilized country folk and scenic roads of Brittany.
In the meantime, I hope to survive the irate motorists of this region.
Latest Tweets