Cycling, Arkansas Style
 

This an email from Arch. He said I could post it so you cyclists could commiserate and wish curses upon the redneck responsible.

So I'm riding on this idyllic peaceful country road in Arkansas when a black truck slowly approaches, yells, "get off the road you fucking fag", and slowly pushes into me, making slide onto the poison ivy covered shoulder, crashing into the bushes.

He then backed up, presumably to harass me some more, but saw me stand up preparing for a fight and drove off.



Yikes!! I had tried to warn him that we're not very cycling-friendly in this part of the country, but that's pretty bad even for us.

He reports that his bike is okay. I had to specifically enquire, though, as to whether he is okay. (He is apparently banged up pretty good but mostly alright.)

Mean people suck.

Score one for cyclists needing weapons for self defense.

no kidding. I hear Arkansas is a pretty gun-friendly state. Perhaps he can pick one up at Wal-mart for tomorrow's ride.

If you hear from him again, give him best wishes and tell him to stay away from large black trucks. My truck, btw, is white.

tell him to only go on group rides.

I belong to a bicycle touring list and one of the most divisive topics that can lead to week long arguments is whether or nto touring riders should bring weapons. The split is around 50/50 of those who post. So the next time you see some guy out int he middle of nowhere and are tmepted to throw something at him or so forht, bear in mind it is about 50/50 that he is armed.

I know a guy who used to ride to ride his bike from Dallas to Houston to get to the port, he was a merchant marine. He would bring a handgun mainly because of all the dogs. Firing the gun would scare off the dogs.

I have yet to find a dog that can run 30mph indefinitely, so I don't have to worry about dogs.

This story will put me in bad standing with the peta crowd, but here goes. I used to ride this loop around the west side of the SLC valley that took me through bennion and Heriman. In those days, this area was very undevleoped and there was nothing out there. there was one run down farm house that had a couple of large mutts that used to chase me every stinkin time I rode by. I couopd out sprint him, but it was always close and he was big and mean. It used to really tick me off. So taking a clue from a paperboy trick I knew, I took a syringe (w/o needle, of course) and filled it with clorox and water and when the dog came out I sprayed him right in the eyes. He yelped and beelined back to home and I never had a problem with him again (he would stand and bark but would nto chase me).

Wow. That's unbelievable really. Arch, hope you're doing ok and that karma catches up to that redneck bastard.

In my neck of the woods in northern Mississippi, there is no room for bicycles or joggers on the sides of the roads. They all appear to be 20' wide with a double yellow stripe down the middle; thus spending the very minimum on paving.