1srelluc
Diamond Member
The online reaction quickly curdled into something between open contempt and frothing rage. The comments turned vicious — dehumanizing, childish and dripping in casual bloodlust.
“They get what they get if they want to act like a bunch of idiots who think they’re above the law.”
“I can’t stand them. They act so entitled.”
“Well, die then.”
This wasn’t the usual liberal-conservative knee-jerk showdown. President Trump’s name was hardly mentioned, and the vitriol had nothing to do with Iran or Israel or any of the usual religious or racial canards.
The target of this internet fury: cyclists.
In this case, a group of them, out for a Saturday morning ride in Deland, about 30 miles north of Orlando. By any reasonable definition, the bicyclists were the victims here. But in the bizarre ecosystem of anti-cyclist hysteria, innocence often doesn’t matter. The verdict arrives before the facts do.
About a dozen riders were pedaling east on a two-lane road when a pickup truck approached from the other direction. The driver crossed the centerline into the oncoming lane and plowed into the group. A security camera captured the impact. Several cyclists were hospitalized, including three in serious condition.
The 30-year-old driver, who stayed at the scene, was later cited for failing to maintain his lane. The Florida Highway Patrol report listed his condition as “asleep or fatigued” and also as “inattentive.”
Many drivers see road cyclists as obstacles masquerading as people. They resent being slowed down. They complain that cyclists don’t “pay for the roads,” as if people on bikes are somehow exempt from taxes. Even the clothing they wear seems to be an emotional trigger.
Some of the complaints are nonsensical, but the “othering” of road cyclists is real. A 2019 Australian study found that more than 3 in 10 people thought of cyclists as “less than human.”
I'm just glad that fad has died down in my AO....Nobody minded at all when there was just one or two peddling along the byways but when gaggles of 20+ of those spandex clad jerks out of NOtVA started showing up on weekends it was more than a bit much.
They would not spread themselves out but would run in packs on our narrow back roads.
Finally the SD put an end to it by ticketing them for obstructing traffic and land owners started posting the places where they would park.
