…and yet I am still too chicken to learn how to trackstand properly.

A driver on my commute home must have realized my superior bicycle handling skills today because he attempted to pass my bike within millimeters. I say “attempted” because what he actually did was side swipe me as I ground my Sidi into the side of his door. Since I have the bike handling skill of a … good… bike handling… thing… I managed to stay upright while he sped off around a corner.

The entire incident took me a minute to process. He gave me enough time to yell “What the f*ck” but not enough time to catch up and/or remember his license plate. I am pretty ambivalent as to how police would actually treat a case like this anyways. As dangerous as he may have been driving, my status as a bicyclist is most definitely seen as second class.

The entire incident was not a loss however. Myself, my bicycle, and my shoes are all 100% alright. His car had a gouge from the front to the back wheel well. Since I was riding fixed (possibly what kept me upright), it was in a nice wavy motion to remember me by.

Update: I realized last night that I didn’t really set up the situation properly. I just wanted to make it clear that I didn’t get caught in the Suicide Slot. I clearly had the lane and I am pretty sure the guy wasn’t even going to take a right, he decided to do it after our little incident. I’m not sure why it matters, but I am pretty picky about trying to be a safe bicyclist and still assert my rights on the road. I am positive he saw me because I was directly in front of him after a red light. His intention (or so I hope) was to try and nudge me over off of the road and/or give me a scare. I’d be scared to think he meant to hit me, but I suppose that is possible too.