Flocktober

10.16.2015 13m
This was the monthy 412Flock ride, with a hint of Halloween theme and a possible CosPlay appearance from the Japanese-American Society.

It was raining lightly until just before the ride. Angela appeared in a unicorn outfit and Drew appeared in an anime kit, but that was the extent of the costumery - although it must be said that cyclists often affect a costume of their own.

I towed the music cart for the ride. We didn't have a playlist, but Ray suggested The Cramps who have a horror-movie / scifi sound and it worked well.

While Thursday was a ride of expected conflict that never appeared, Friday's ride was an anticipated milk-run that turned into a bit of unexpected agita. Several drivers overtook and passed us in very aggressive maneuvers; they certainly gave us 3 feet of clearance, and they crossed the centerline to do that, but they did it with oncoming traffic approaching. They gunned their engines and put others at risk, all in order to stop at the next red-light a minute or two ahead; now that they were in front of us, their position was perhaps forty feet further along than if they'd stayed behind us.

One man pulled abeam our group and starting yelling at us. Then he pulled over and stopped in front of us, engine running and headlights on. He shouted back at us, and M. quite wisely said I don't need to get in front of that car. So we waited, then he pulled off.

We continued along to Free Ride, which was having a going-away party for one of their staffers. It was a nice group and a friendly room, but the agitation of the aggressive passing and the shouting drive stayed with me for a while.