Pleasantville: The Nod, the Finger, the Wave, the Smile

Pleasantville: The Nod, the Finger, the Wave, the Smile

YOU’RE RIDING ALONG AND YOU SPY AN ONCOMING CYCLIST. IT doesn’t matter if you don’t know him, or that he’s in full pro kit, or his bike is an upright clunker, or it’s just a kid riding to her neighbor’s house. The friendly thing to do is say hello. The road is an unruly place sometimes, so add a little brightness to your day and hers by acknowledging her existence and the shared joy of being on a bike at the same time. A long held cycling adage is that it’s always better to have a crummy day on the bike than no day on the bike at all, so keep this in mind when you see others on two wheels.
If you’re in a pain cave and can barely make out that a bicyclist is in your field of vision, a gentle nod and smile will do. Hands need to be on the bars for safety? Just lift your index finger and flash those pearly whites. Riding along on the flats? Go ahead and give a nice friendly wave and a grin. It helps not only to connect but is always a good reminder that we should never take cycling (or ourselves) too seriously. After all, at the end of the day we’re really just big kids on bikes.
It may not come as a surprise that there is occasionally animosity between people behind the wheel of a car and those on two wheels. A friendly wave or smile is also a good technique to use when vehicles are courteous enough to pass you with extra caution or wave you through a stop sign. If a driver is being less than kind to you as a cyclist, or just has the idea that anyone on a bicycle is a menace to society and should be riding on the sidewalk, use the same techniques. Killing them with kindness is a powerful tool and no matter how you feel about being treated less than respectfully, you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Who knows? You might just even change the mind of one of those drivers so that they give the next cyclist a little more leeway.
Remember, we’re all out here sharing the road—it’s just that some of us are lucky enough to be having fun doing it.