A Cyclist Hating Cop

This winter hasn't been the greatest for skiing and snowboarding, but it has provided great days for cycling. Last Tuesday should have been one of those days. The sun was out, the skies were clear, and the temperature was unusually warm. I was able to make it out of work by mid afternoon, which left me with some free time to take the bike out. I also had new shoe covers that I wanted to test out. Everything seemed perfect up until a minute and a half into my ride. I was a block north of my house, climbing up a steep little hill, when I saw a cop pass by in the opposite lane.

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Ten seconds later I heard a beeping sound from close behind. When I turned around, I saw the same cop with his lights on signaling me to pull over. I was few pedal strokes from the top, so I waited until I reached the top to stop. Before I was off my bike the officer was already out of his car and walking towards me. It was apparent by the strut of his stride and tone of his voice that the situation was not going to be a good one. Unluckily, this proved to be true. I received a ticket for running a four way stop in a residential area during the dead of afternoon. He saw me coast through the four way stop at the bottom of the hill. Even though I slowed down, looked both ways, and found the intersection completely empty, he thought it was serious enough to deserve a ticket.

Who gets pulled over and ticketed on a bike in residential area? Perhaps I could understand getting a ticket if it was rush hour traffic, on a main road, and I was making boneheaded moves? But this was quite the opposite. A warning was all that was needed for the officer to get his point across. But the opportunity for him to display his power and authority was too great and he couldn't help but throw the book at me. The whole situation was simply ridiculous and its making me mad just writing about it. To keep my blood from boiling, I will add two more quick cents and be done.

1. The cop is simply a cyclist hater. He goes out of his way to prey on those who pedal. I googled his name along with his police department and found that he has a history of ticketing cyclists. He's had a legal battle with a cyclist who took him to court to fight over a ticket.

2. All I can do is have pity for this poor policeman. The guy must have never have been able to ride without training wheels as a kid, and now has a deep hatred for those who did learn to ride on two wheels. As such He will never experience the enjoyment and fulfillment that come cycling.