This was the second pair of jackasses we saw today.
Below is a reasonable likeness of how the first pair looked.
The vast majority of the drivers in Missouri, as in the other states on this trip, have been wonderfully courteous and cautious. If they are looking to overtake us from behind, they go wide (often 100% into the oncoming lane if it’s clear) or slow down, even to a crawl, and wait patiently until we crest the hill and wave that it’s safe for them to proceed without them having a head on collision or us joining the roadkill menagerie. Or, if there’s any sort of safe shoulder we get into it and let them pass, which is faster for them and safer for us, because of the small number of non-furbearing jackasses.
Today’s NFBJAs were two pickups hauling large RV trailers behind them, approaching me from behind on a short, steep, blind curve. My intuition detected no courtesy/caution so I would have gone from the two feet of hard, rumble-stripped shoulder I had onto the soft shoulder to let them pass, but the soft shoulder was super soft, which I knew from letting the previous vehicle pass and almost falling over as my tire sank into the unusually deep, soft gravel. So, I stayed on the hard shoulder and hoped they would slow their roll for the 30-60 seconds it would take me to crest the hill. Nope! They didn’t slow in the slightest and protected themselves by staying in the lane and blowing past me, way too close for comfort. Why is their 60 seconds more important than a cyclist’s continued non-maimed life? The consequences, in the US, for a driver-caused death or maiming of a cyclist are insanely low. I’ve read numerous articles about the “it’s a shame about that cyclist, but the driver just can’t afford to not have a license, or to serve time” culture in the US. So, unfortunately, it may be a long time before the cycle-unfriendly drivers change. End of rant.
