Reader letter #12 - Shall we move to South Bend?

Here's a sad letter written in response to my Rivendell Reader piece 1,001 Nightmares. I asked readers to suggest good places for cyclists to live or to warn me about bad places.

Where I live, if you don't have a NASCAR, a soccer mom or a Notre Dame football bumper sticker on your Escalade or F-150 pick 'em up truck then you (meaning ME) are counter-culture.

I have BEEN HIT with beer cans, coins, and 7-11 Big Gulps. In one of the incidents the guy turned around and came back to do the deed. These are above and beyond the usual verbal assaults I experience on a regular basis.

I have often pondered what threat I pose to the average driver. I have come up with some theories, my own personal take on these situations, and the rationalizations I make for their behavior.

Since all of the perpetrators so far have been male, in most cases I feel there is homophobia/threat to masculinity going on here. There is such a correlation between driving and being macho in this culture that any intrusion into their precious driving space is seen as grounds for punishment.

Then there's the "there's a biker in those tight shorts. Must be a homo. Let's git 'im" scenario. My sexuality has been called into question when I'm running or riding more times than I can count. I can usually take comfort in realizing that those people are ignorant about cyclists and runners and terribly insecure in their own skins.

Then there's the very small percentage of drivers out there who are truly sociopaths and really don't care about anyone, least of all a guy on a bike. Maybe they are drunk or loaded. Maybe they are up to their ears in debt. Maybe they're in a gang and are homicidal. Whatever the case, those people are truly dangerous and I hope I don't cross paths with one of them. Maybe that was the type Maynard had words with.

Whatever the case, I rarely confront motorists. I have to assume that if the guy is willing to call me a faggot or whip a beer can at me, then he's perfectly willing to put a cap in my ass, or put a gag ball in my mouth and "get the Gimp out" on me (pardon the Pulp Fiction analogy).

I also leave the house with the expectation that I will encounter one of these people. It's damn sad that I have to do that, but I am less likely to have my ride ruined by them if I keep that thought in the back of my mind. But I keep riding. I will not let them have any more free rent in my head than is necessary, and I will not let them keep me off the road.

If I get whacked I will take responsibility for my actions. My number will have come up. I know I'm engaging in a dangerous activity but I will not grant them the power to keep me off the bike.

I feel this is a pretty sick and twisted culture and lots of folks are running around with varying degrees of mental illness. Regardless, I will keep riding. Whatever Maynard chooses to do I'm sure it will be the right decision for him and I wish him the best.

JC (Note: no, not that one) South Bend, Indiana