Sometimes it's the little things

Saturday morning, we were riding downtown to meet a friend for brunch. Riding in the bike lane, we passed a line of angle parked cars. A truck began backing out, and I kept riding and tried to make eye contact. I did. The driver glanced at me and immediately turned back around and continued backing directly towards me.

I had to brake to a stop while he completed his maneuver. It wasn't close or really even dangerous, but it's these little occurences that sometimes add up to a sense of non-belonging for everyday cyclers on the road. It would be nice to think we're all watching out for each other, motorists/cyclers/pedestrians, but it seems instead to degrade into a survival game. As a little guy, a cycler sometimes spends too much time trying not to get squashed.

The motorists who just don't care are somehow more disheartening than the overtly aggressive. The loudmouths are empowering, make me feel like I'm still in the fight. The quiet ignoring ones send the message that I've already lost.