One Less Cycling-Hostile Force on the Road?

As I was waiting at the end of the driveway of my office building, waiting to turn onto the main road while it was drizzling and threatening to thunderstorm, a couple in a BMW X3 SUV pulled up, flagged me over and asked for help.

They said they were lost and needed help finding a road. I gave them directions and in thanking me, they said something along the lines of:

"We take back every bad thing we've ever said about cyclists, and will never threaten a cyclist again."

My immediate reaction was that I was glad that they've had a change of heart and will indeed not threaten cyclists again. But then the thought that these seemingly normal people, if not joking about threatening cyclists, were actually thoughtful in their actions of threatening cyclists in the past.

I guess I don't know which is worse, or at least more dangerous, threatening behavior due to obliviousness or that which is due to active thought. I suppose thoughtful threats kept in check and not carried to fruitition are probably less likely to cause physical harm, but are equally disturbing.

I have to wonder what would have happened if I had left work 30 seconds earlier and actually been on the road with these people who were frustrated at being lost at the time they would be passing me on the road.

The Hour Record (for slow riding?)

I wonder what the record is for the least distance covered in an hour of constant bike riding on level ground, no trackstanding allowed.

I don't think I broke that record, but I gave it my best shot on the fixie, going maybe 2.5 miles?

The family decided to walk to a local store about 2.5 miles away. We made it about halfway when the usual suspect decided he was tired and wanted to turn around.

I tried to match the family's walking pace, but I just couldn't go that slow, so I'd ride ahead as slow as I could manage, then circle back.

Wow, that was a real workout--not aerobically at all, but a workout in control and muscle fatigue from constant leg braking to go as slow as possible. It was kinda fun, though when I got off the bike I could hardly walk.

So that's yet another cool thing about fixies--they make it fun to go slow.