I love to hate Portland bicyclists.
I mean, it seems like every time I’m out driving in SE Portland, some bicyclist is engagine in some suicidal ass-holery, just daring me to run into him or her. If I wasn’t driving a modern econo-car, which would probably sustain $1500 damage while just denting their tire, I might take them up on the offer.
I see people riding the wrong way on Hawthorne, people riding through red lights downtown, all sorts of foolishness.
I mean, really, it makes it sooooo easy to think that bicyclists suck.
It’s with this mentality that I entered the world of the commuter bicyclist a week and a half ago. Astounded by gas prices and by my likewise-inflating six-pack keg where my stomach used to be, I talked my wife into letting me get a bike so that I could ride in to work on days where my schedule accomodates it. The first ride was last week, and I realized that, though you may never forget how to ride a bike from the standpoint of basic pedalling and staying upright, there’s more to it than that.
I was riding into town yesterday when a thought crossed my mind. I’d been watching a lot of bicyclists in the last few days. Probably at least 50 in the four days out of the last seven that I’ve been commuting by bike. And, among them all, I may be the worst transgressor of the various rules of the road for bicyclists.
Amazing. I realized that, if I was driving a car near myself on a bike, I’d watch myself, hate myself, and use myself as a justification for my ongoing wrath against all cyclists.
Which opened my eyes. Because I try to be conscientious in the things I do. I just don’t always succeed.
There’s this thing in psychology called the primacy effect. Basically it says that we develop a first impression of something, and we look for things to reinforce that first impression. When I was a kid, I loved bicycling. Did it alot. Then I stopped biking for a long time, fell in love with my car, and drove around oblivious to the bikers around me until someone did something that pissed me off. And then I decided bikers sucked, and then I found lots of individuals to support my derision towards all bicyclists as a class.
Upon review, that was stupid and wrong. When you think about it, for every one bicyclist that miffs you by doing something intentionally wicked or just stupid (I’d be in the second class, I swear!), there are scores that ride very well, within the rules, and in as unobtrusive a way as possible. To judge a whole barrel of apples by the one bad one that is entirely failing to spoil them isn’t fair.
So, I still despise bicyclists. However, I confine that loathing to the particular individuals who particularly offend, as opposed to the whole group as a class. And I remain hopeful that the next time I come upon a particular detested biker, they will have cleaned up their act.
And, by the way, if you see me out there messing up, feel free to hate me, but just don’t run over me. I may get this whole bicycling thing figured out yet!