Tom@WashDC
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Loudoun County, VA.
A Deputy Sherrif actually. I was cruising my usual route, an eight mile round-trip run of paved tails, running parallel to a 2X2, 4 lane parkway with a wide grassy median strip. The trails and surrounding areas are beautifully manicured, lined with landscaped trees, rock walls, shrubs, flowers, and rolling grassy banks and hills.
I was riding on the right side of the pathway, in the direction of traffic. As I approached the intersection, I dropped my Rohloff a few clicks down to a lower gear and took off through the intersection. My Bafang Ultra kicked into high power in response to my exertions on the pedals. I glanced at my helmet mirror, saw that the lane to my left was clear, and I darted off the trail, entering the road at a 45-degree attack angle at increasing speed. I popped on, and then off, the grassy median, shot into the opposite lane of traffic, which was clear for a hundred yards or so. I was headed down the street in the wrong direction. As first cars began to approach in the distance, I angled left and popped off the road, onto the paved trail to my left,
I slalomed in and out of a long line of trees, banking up and down some steep hills like I was surfing the big ones at Waimea Bay. About two minutes past the intersection, all the sudden, to my right, a silver SUV with flashing red and blues shot up onto the median strip, coming up behind me. What appeared to be an officer of the law leaped out of the SUV and started running across the road, pointing, and yelling at me. I cound't hear him as I was jamming to Twighligt Zone by Golden Earing in my Sena stereo helemt. I was curious to find out what he wanted, what his problem was, so I stopped out of curiosity. He came over to me and screamed, "you wanna tell me what the hell that was back there?" I said "What?". He said "shooting across two lanes of traffic, jumping the median, and driving in the opposite direction of traffic! That's reckless driving!"
I said "Oh that". He said "Yeah, that!"
Apparently he was many cars back at the first intersection, and was slowly stalking me as I did my acrobatics down the parkway on the adjacent trail!
He screamed "I've never seen anything like that from a bike during my 22 years of traffic enforcement! Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t write you up for reckless driving!"
5/5/2024 updated
He was mad hot. In a calm and measured voice, I said: “Well, I’ve been doing this run for four years since I got my bike during the pandemic. Each day, I’ve gained more strength, and developed new skills incrementally. Each day I tend to push the limits just a bit more, developing new abilities daily. What you saw back there from your point of view seemed reckless. I understand that. For me, it was just part of my daily routine”.
He appeared stunned at the frankness of my explanation. He asked me how old I was, and expressed surprise that I was 66.
He told me he was head of traffic control in this district for the last 12 years. The outer edge of his district encompassed the first mile of my daily run. He said he’d never had a fatality on his watch for the last 12 years and wanted to keep it that way. He was waving his hands, raising his voice, and shaking his head back and forth.
In a measured tone, I told hm that he was right! That I knew I was required to act like a motor vehicle while on the road, and my crossing lanes, and driving in the opposite direction of traffic was dangerous behavior. I apologized to him for my riding style and told him that this was a good “wake up call”. I said that with that type of riding, “time was against me, and sooner or later I would probably get hit by car”. I told him I respected his position, and that I would play by the rules in his bailiwick. That he was “Boss”.
He said, “how do I know you are telling the truth?”. I raised my right hand, three fingers, and said “Scouts Honor”. He shook his head, and said, “do you know how many people have broken their promises to me?” I felt sad for him at that moment. He had a look of sadness and defeat on his face. I’m sure in his position, it’s easy to develop a high degree of cynicism towards human behavior. I replied, “I’m sorry people don’t keep their word with you, it must suck, but I won’t let you down. I appreciate the fact that you have been so kind and reasonable to me”, all the while, still holding my right hand high. He shook his head and departed.
It was a good interaction. He started out like a volcano. In the end, his demeanor mollified, and I assured him that the encounter would result in a change to my riding style in his territory. The Law Man and the Outlaw came to an understanding.
Truth is, it just kills me now not to shoot across that beautifully manicured parkway when there is no traffic anywhere in sight.
But Scouts Honor, an Oath to a Code taken in youth when my ideals were at their zenith, I shall not break it.
I was riding on the right side of the pathway, in the direction of traffic. As I approached the intersection, I dropped my Rohloff a few clicks down to a lower gear and took off through the intersection. My Bafang Ultra kicked into high power in response to my exertions on the pedals. I glanced at my helmet mirror, saw that the lane to my left was clear, and I darted off the trail, entering the road at a 45-degree attack angle at increasing speed. I popped on, and then off, the grassy median, shot into the opposite lane of traffic, which was clear for a hundred yards or so. I was headed down the street in the wrong direction. As first cars began to approach in the distance, I angled left and popped off the road, onto the paved trail to my left,
I slalomed in and out of a long line of trees, banking up and down some steep hills like I was surfing the big ones at Waimea Bay. About two minutes past the intersection, all the sudden, to my right, a silver SUV with flashing red and blues shot up onto the median strip, coming up behind me. What appeared to be an officer of the law leaped out of the SUV and started running across the road, pointing, and yelling at me. I cound't hear him as I was jamming to Twighligt Zone by Golden Earing in my Sena stereo helemt. I was curious to find out what he wanted, what his problem was, so I stopped out of curiosity. He came over to me and screamed, "you wanna tell me what the hell that was back there?" I said "What?". He said "shooting across two lanes of traffic, jumping the median, and driving in the opposite direction of traffic! That's reckless driving!"
I said "Oh that". He said "Yeah, that!"
Apparently he was many cars back at the first intersection, and was slowly stalking me as I did my acrobatics down the parkway on the adjacent trail!
He screamed "I've never seen anything like that from a bike during my 22 years of traffic enforcement! Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t write you up for reckless driving!"
5/5/2024 updated
He was mad hot. In a calm and measured voice, I said: “Well, I’ve been doing this run for four years since I got my bike during the pandemic. Each day, I’ve gained more strength, and developed new skills incrementally. Each day I tend to push the limits just a bit more, developing new abilities daily. What you saw back there from your point of view seemed reckless. I understand that. For me, it was just part of my daily routine”.
He appeared stunned at the frankness of my explanation. He asked me how old I was, and expressed surprise that I was 66.
He told me he was head of traffic control in this district for the last 12 years. The outer edge of his district encompassed the first mile of my daily run. He said he’d never had a fatality on his watch for the last 12 years and wanted to keep it that way. He was waving his hands, raising his voice, and shaking his head back and forth.
In a measured tone, I told hm that he was right! That I knew I was required to act like a motor vehicle while on the road, and my crossing lanes, and driving in the opposite direction of traffic was dangerous behavior. I apologized to him for my riding style and told him that this was a good “wake up call”. I said that with that type of riding, “time was against me, and sooner or later I would probably get hit by car”. I told him I respected his position, and that I would play by the rules in his bailiwick. That he was “Boss”.
He said, “how do I know you are telling the truth?”. I raised my right hand, three fingers, and said “Scouts Honor”. He shook his head, and said, “do you know how many people have broken their promises to me?” I felt sad for him at that moment. He had a look of sadness and defeat on his face. I’m sure in his position, it’s easy to develop a high degree of cynicism towards human behavior. I replied, “I’m sorry people don’t keep their word with you, it must suck, but I won’t let you down. I appreciate the fact that you have been so kind and reasonable to me”, all the while, still holding my right hand high. He shook his head and departed.
It was a good interaction. He started out like a volcano. In the end, his demeanor mollified, and I assured him that the encounter would result in a change to my riding style in his territory. The Law Man and the Outlaw came to an understanding.
Truth is, it just kills me now not to shoot across that beautifully manicured parkway when there is no traffic anywhere in sight.
But Scouts Honor, an Oath to a Code taken in youth when my ideals were at their zenith, I shall not break it.
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Possibly confiscating the illegal e-bike, too.
