[Jeff Higgins]

I would sure like to hear the other side of this from Mr. Kinkade. Reading Mr. Wren's clearly one-sided account doesn't really tell us everything we need to know. If we believe him, why of course the Jamis-Hagens Berman team are completely blameless in all of this. They were just riding along, obeying all traffic laws, minding their own business when this man attacked them. Totally unprovoked. Honest - just ask everyone on the team.

I suspect there may be more to the story. I wonder how long Kinkade was stuck behind these guys while they refused to move over and let him pass. I wonder if they were actually only two abreast and as far right as possible. I wonder if Mr. Herriott was possibly the aggressor, moving over in an attempt to damage Kinkades' car once he was finally able to pass, and simply lost control when he did.

As a former exceedingly avid cyclist, I've seen it all, from inside the group. What Don says is absolutely spot-on: single cyclists (and I would include pairs or threesomes) seem to respect traffic law a good deal more than groups. I quit group riding over 20 years ago for that very reason; I simply got tired of all of the angry motorists - motorists whom, it was clear to me, had every right to be angry with us. I saw cyclists damage cars that were finally able to get past our groups, either by smacking them with their tire pumps or kicking them with their cleats. I even remember guys carrying rocks in their pockets just to throw at cars that they felt slighted them in some way.

It's the perfect crime for the puffed up, self righteous militant cyclist. Any incident whatsoever will almost always be blamed on the motorist, and these cowardly heroes on their bicycles know it. And they know the motorists know it, so that emboldens them even more.

This situation has gotten quite bad in the areas surrounding Seattle, the rural farm country with all of the nice driving and riding roads. It's just a hop skip and a jump for all of the Seattle cyclists to throw the bike onto the rack and drive out into the country, where they swarm the back roads en masse. Most are very conscientious and do their best to get along with all of the other road users. Guaranteed, though, on a nice day like today, one will encounter at least a group or three that think they are above all of that.

I followed just such a group today, riding three, four, five abreast across the entire lane on a road with no passing zones for miles. They were doing fifteen mph or less and simply would not let me pass, despite repeated toots of the horn. Oh, they looked back, they knew full well I was there, but would they go single file to let me by? Hell no. I was stuck behind them for a couple of miles.

So (and I've mentioned this here before, but have not actually followed through), here is the new plan: can of bear spray in the car and on the bike at all times. The kind with about a 30-40 foot range. Next time (and there will certainly be a next time, with spring and summer approaching), when I finally have room to go around a group like this, I'll be passing slowly enough to make sure my passenger (if I have one) or myself has time to hose down each and every one of the sorry SOB's. I'm hoping to start a movement, where more and more motorists fight back like this.