A young woman with whom I frequently discuss bike-commuting issues complained about the amount of honking she hears from drivers who, she suspected, are trying to tell her to get out of the road. I said that I hardly ever got honked-at, and we speculated about whether it's related to our routes (possible) or riding styles (which are very similar), and came to the conclusion that someone, perhaps us, ought to arrange for PSA's during Michiana Bike to Work Week encouraging better driver behavior.
This weekend I rode about 80mi (130km) to and from a small lake for a regatta. I didn't wear a shirt to avoid getting too sweaty before spending the day sailing (yes, I enjoy my low-carbon lifestyle). I was honked or shouted at by several cars full of young women, and only once by an older couple who I assume wanted me off the road.
So, why is the physically fit female cyclist in lycra shorts getting honked at? Probably the same reason the shirtless young male one did. The drivers are expressing appreciation, not anger. A couple years of using our glutes to commute has had more than just health benefits.
Thus, the correct PSA is quite possibly a picture of me from 2006, when I was an unhealthy 225lb, and today, now that I'm down to 185lb. Results fairly typical, given the metabolism boost. Perhaps not as good as $4/gallon gasoline, but if you need a reason to ride . . .
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