It occurs to me from my participation in a number of different forums that Americans love to express their rage for bicyclists on the road. I am a bicyclist. It's one of my many passions. So give me your best shot. In the end we may all learn something.
Paul,
If you love it, good for you. Some of your colleagues are brain dead and around here a few have left this world as road kill. My wife is a Triathlete. She doesn't train on public roads. Here it is hilly, too many blind curves, and traffic goes from light at midday to bumper to bumper at Rushhour.
Speaking of Rush hour around here in Suburbia, Every Tuesday we have a group of 20-30 that insist on riding as people make there way home. They ride on hilly roads with double yellow "do not pass' the whole way. They string cars back 3/4 of a mile or more. Going up hill, this peloton will slow to 10 mph as these recreation cyclists huff and puff.
They tell me they have the same right to the road as cars. I disagree. I use my car for transportation, they are cycling for recreation. I can't play golf down the middle of a road.
Further along with that thought is cyclists must follow the same rules as motorists. Yeah, right!!! They blow through stop signs, pass on the right, weave in and out of stopped traffic, etc.
You want to ride in flat assed rural Iowa, go for it. Tell your Bernie Sanders Urban and Suburban buddies to GTFO the roads during the week. There. I said it!
"The Democrat Party looks like Titanic survivors. Partying and celebrating one moment, and huddled in lifeboats freezing the next". Hatari 2017
"Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid." Han Solo
