Holy S*it. Is That A Bike Or A Car???

If you are new to riding on the road, this entry may be for you.

In today's entry, I would like to talk about something called 'aura'.

Main Entry: au·ra
Pronunciation: 'or-&
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin, puff of air, breeze, from Greek; probably akin to Greek aEr air
1 a : a subtle sensory stimulus (as an aroma) b : a distinctive atmosphere surrounding a given source
2 : a luminous radiation : NIMBUS
3 : a subjective sensation (as of lights) experienced before an attack of some disorders (as epilepsy or a migraine)
4 : an energy field that is held to emanate from a living being



Numbers 1b and 4 are relevant for cyclists.

Cyclists dress in loud flashy colours. We don loud helmets, put on blinking lights and reflectors, and the more experienced ones try to ride defensively. Because, unlike car, bus, or truck drivers and to a lesser extent, motorcyclists, cyclists are vulnerable.

That's why its easy for other road-users to bully us. As been said before, we are skin over metal, whereas they are metal over skin.

But it is possible to ride in such a way as to encourage them to treat you with the same respect that they would give to other drivers.

Here are a few suggestions to note, from my 24 years experience of riding bikes.


1. Create the impression that you are a vehicle worthy of sharing the road with.

I'm not sure that riding with a rear-mirror actually gives me a greater aura. But if I were a driver, and I see a cyclist up ahead with a mirror, I tend to think he probably is aware of me.

My respect for him goes up a notch. This isn't some kid who doesn't care about other road users. At least he probably gives a crap.

How about lights and a helmet? Those certainly help. But at this point, you want to be careful to ride as though you're an actual responsible road-user, and not like you are a kid.

2. Observe the Traffic Code.

Stop at lights. Allow larger vehicles to overtake (duh).

This last point is very important but very few newbies and even some old birds actually adhere to it.

I've seen a pair of cyclists signalling that they want to move right with a bus right behind them, when they should have braked, let the bus move ahead, THEN move right.

How colossaly stupid is it to expect a bus to give way to a cyclist? Even if you are right and the bus driver is wrong, several tons of metal still stand between your decision.

Larger vehicles have right of way.


3. Be Authoritative.

You have the gear. You observe the Traffic Code. Now ride like you are a Pro.

I don't mean to weave in and out of traffic like you are a bike messenger on crack.

But you have to exude an aura that shows you know what you are doing.

Those two roadies trying to get the right-of-way before the bus didn't get their way, because they looked like pushovers. Limply raising your arm to signal 'right' means you don't think you're going to get your way.

Signal like you mean it.


There's this joke I heard once that I would like to share with you.

Private Lim went overseas on a peace-keeping mission, and somehow wound up in the heat of battle. After a while, his platoon was running out of ammunition, and close to panicking, he saw that one of the guys from another platoon, Corporal Kumar, was without a gun, but pretending that he was shooting the enemy, pointing his arms as if he was holding a rifle all while shouting "bangity bang."

Curious, Private Lim approached Corporal Kumar and said, "What on heck are you doing?!" Corporal Kumar replied, "I don't know, I just discovered that if you point and shoot like this, it works." Sure enough he demonstrated, "Bangity bang" and enemy soldiers fell dead. Private Lim was impressed, and so he did the exact same thing.

"Bangity bang" and just like that, enemy soldiers started dropping.

Private Lim fired again. "Bangity bang" and another enemy soldier dropped.

Thus he did it again and again.

But then, one of the the enemy soldiers did not drop but kept walking in his direction. "Bangity Bang" said Private Lim a bit louder.

The man did not drop but kept walking closer and closer. Private Lim was beginning to worry.

"Bangity bangity bangity BANG!!!". To no avail.

And just as the enemy soldier was within a few feet of Private Lim, he heard him saying, "Tankity tankity tank tank..."


And that is all I have to say about that.

--------------

I braked hard to a stop in front of this caucasian earlier today, and he like flinched for several seconds before uttering these words.

"Holy s*it. Is that a bike or a car???"

Given that I was expecting him to give me a tongue lashing, that was... way unexpected.

Anyway, that's how today's entry was inspired.

What did he see, though?











This entry was brought to you by the letter A. As in, "fucking a', dude." I always assumed it means 'ace'.


In other news, today, I count 3 other bike commuters in my office tower. Bumped into the 3rd today, much friendlier chap than the other two. Rode a Trek to work. Nice chap. Rides a size 20".