Sadly though, in life there are always angry people. I met a man who blamed the recent deaths on those cyclists who sadly lost their life, and who thought that me calling Boris a blithering idiot somehow translated to me making sweeping, politically influencing comments. Which he took offense to. Because he probably votes Tory. Or UKIP. Anyway, I neglected to mention that HE WAS ON A BIKE. So, you ride a bike in London but you aren't, to quote, 'interested in cycle safety'... well you Sir are a teensy bit of an idiot. Actually scrap that, I could tell him what I think of him, but to quote Joan Larkin that would call into question 'the minor issue of my c**t's good name'. Suffice to say...
Anyway. Park that and move on... I spent the rest of the morning cycling around on my wife's Dutch bike, and it got me thinking about how different bikes make different cyclists. Sat upright on Juliette, an 18kg steel beast, I surveyed the world from a new (albeit slower) angle. Unlike sportier bikes, I wasn't in an aggressive cycling position. I didn't then become aggressive in my cycling manner. Might be why, on a recent trip to Amsterdam, I didn't meet an aggressive, sweaty, Lycra-louts. Could be the bikes, or could be the copious amount of cafes...
After 4 miles, I arrived at home having barely broken a sweat. I could look around, checking traffic with ease. The massive handlebars also meant that I had a real road presence - literally at risk of taking out small cars, motorbike riders and fellow cyclists.
So in this situation, put at the helm of a massively heavy and huge vehicle, a behemoth of steel and cables, I did what any road user would do... I drove it like I'd stole it kept it steady, gave myself extra room when overtaking, and generally made sure everyone involved had space. Not that difficult; so maybe the lorry drivers and buses that came a little bit too close could follow that advice...
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