Share the Road…

I have started biking to and from my Summer class at the U of S and so far I’m loving it. There does however, lie one problem. I’m riding on the road as I am supposed to, keeping up a pretty good pace and it seems that everyone who drives passed me in the gas-powered vehicles has a different, yet similarly disgusted look for me. They seem to think that I am not supposed to be there and that the sidewalk is for cyclists. It is not. Legally, I’m supposed to be on the road. I obey the laws, wear a helmet, and go relatively quickly. What’s wrong with that?

I really noticed this problem when yesterday, I was biking along and a big (waaaaaay to big) white truck has to drive around me, loosing maybe 3 seconds out of his day. I get the look and then it happens. He hammers on the gas pedal releasing a puff of black exhaust out of the back of his truck, right into my face. Come on… the looks I can deal with, but that was just too much. I couldn’t help but think… What a(n) _________. (You fill in the blank!) Okay, enough ranting.

On a more positive note, I haven’t been run off the road yet and once I get to my 8:30 am class, I am quite awake. I’m sure it helps that my prof has a Scottish accent and an admirable sense of pride in the course he’s teaching, but I remain awake throughout… a problem I’ve had with morning classes. I have tried to avoid them. So if you can take anything away from reading my post, take this: If you ever have troubles staying awake during morning classes, try simply doing a little bit of physical activity before hand. It helps keep me alert and I find I am retaining much more of what the prof says than normal. It works for me, and maybe it can work for you!