[Yak] Road vs. trail

[Rudy Rivers]

I am a recreational bicycle rider. I love to be outside on any bicycle. I have recently changed careers and am traveling quite a bit. My interest in folding bikes was reinforced by the airline industry and their elitest attitude toward shipping bicycles. After making a few trips with my full size bicycle ( in a hard bicycle case) and the expenses incurred I have happly joined the BF community (8/2006). In the last 4 months I have ridden in Chicago IL, Jacksonville FL, Pittsburgh PA, Washington DC, Baltimore MD, Ontario CA, Houston TX, Atlanta Ga. All of these rides were on rental bikes or my full size bikes that I managed to ship or drive to a few of the closer locations. All of that background information and various trips have given me a lot of varied rides and not near enough time in the saddle.
       I prefer trails, probably due to my lack of experience in traffic. I have ridden a fair amount on the road, I trained and rode the MS150 in 2005. However  I have never been harrassed on a trail like I have on the streets of Houston, my home city
       I am reasonably visible while on my bikes. I am 6'4" tall, weigh 245lbs and own every bright bicycle apparel available in those XXL sizes. Even though I was very visible this one lady decided to make it her mission to move me off the divided residential road, which had no shoulder. After numerous close encounters and noisy and ugly horn and facial exprssions of her contempt of my presense I was able to allow her to pass. A block later she was stopped at a traffic light and I rode up next to her and explained that I had her tag number and that I was not going to put up with her rudeness muchless her illegal behavior. As she looked at me, I think she decided that I was not going to disappear, and she would reconsider her actions in the future. I told her I live around here and that I recognized her and know her husband, and that I would definately let him know of my displeasure with her actions. 
       As I rode on down the street another driver approached me and told me that he had witnessed the actions of the other individual and he was glad that I had enough
  guts to say something to the woman. He explained he was also a cyclist and we exchanged info and now we ride together. We are both big men and we can definately be seen. My point is, Houstonians are not on the whole unfriendly to cyclists, but the roadways are not very accommodating, as a few other yaksters had acknowledged in other comments. The mayor is a cyclist and is trying to change the situation and perception of Houston from the bicyclist viewpoint. There are so many people from everywhere in that city, the majority do not know the law, rules or courtecy of the road. 
  Trails are my vote at least for now. Sorry about the soap box.
   
  yak-request at bikefriday.com wrote:


Rudy Rivers 281-495-9742