I wanted to pass along part of an email from reader Brandon Wright. I’ve had encounters similar to the one he describes while riding my bike on the road, and I think he’s exactly right. As for the column he links to here, I don’t necessarily agree with the writer’s take on “obnoxious riders” but I do think his conclusion is correct and worth considering in Virginia.

Andy,
I’ve read your stuff, and know that of all the people at the Times Dispatch who could get something like this column from the Baltimore Sun out there, it’d be you. I commute by bike whenever I can to save money and train for races. When it warms up it’ll be daily. I’m selling my car, too. I just don’t need one.
What it boils down to is that I am tired of being buzzed by motorists who feel like I’m better off in a ditch. Like I don’t have a right to their road. I just hope that you can get awareness out there. I feel like this guy but without a camera to mount on my bike.
Thanks Andy. See you on the trail.