One day I was riding along my usual route when I pondered, “Do people hate bicyclists? Or maybe they just hate me.” I don’t think the latter is the case. However, I really do feel that a lot of people feel resentful towards people like myself who choose the biking alternative. I have been screamed at out of windows on an almost daily basis, I am stared at when I’m beside a car at a traffic stop, I’ve had various small objects thrown, yes thrown at me (including a lit cigarette, on one occasion). I get flipped off, casted strange looks, etc… What I really want to know is this: Why, when I am choosing a healthy active lifestyle while doing no damage whatsoever to the environment, do people feel that they have the right to look down upon me? This will certainly not stop me from biking, but what I really want to know is, am I being too sensitive? Should I just let this go perhaps? View it as a minor annoyance?
Please, lend your stance on the issue in the comments section. Do you feel the same way? Maybe a bit different? Perhaps someone is on the other side of the issue, and finds bikers a nuisance. Go ahead, comment away. I don’t bite!
