I rode from my house to Tranquility, did two laps and headed back home. I've put in a lot of miles the last few months riding up and down Maple street. My conclusion is that in most cases the street is a lot safer than the sidewalk. However, if you're going to choose the street, you better have thick skin. If being called a d-bag or an a-hole makes you questions your self worth, you better stay on the sidewalk. Maybe there's something wrong with me but I've gotten to the point where I kinda enjoy getting yelled at. I just smile, wave and think about their blood pressure boiling over as they grip the wheel tighter. On today's ride I got yelled at once going out and once coming back. Which is about par for the course, so it wasn't going to change my riding habits. However, the incident that will stick with me occured around 78th and Maple in front of the Ready Mix plant. There were some big cement trucks taking up most of the road so I jumped onto the sidewalk. Up ahead of me was a women in a moterized wheel chair. I announced my presence and passed her on her left. I actually took the grass so that she would have plenty of room. For about the next block I could hear her calling me every nasty name in the book and some I've never heard. The difference between her and the other people that yelled at me was she was right. Sidewalks aren't for bikes. They're for ladies in wheelchairs.
One more thing, I thought this looked interesting:
Klunkerz. It's a feature lenth documentary about the origins of mountain biking
