Predators Vs. Herds on the Roads

I am pissed. I like to ride my bike solo sometimes. I like to have my coffee, noodle around the house and then when it pleases me I like to take my bike where it pleases me. Why do I need to make plans with other people just because there are jerks out there that don't care about another life?

I admit to being naive. I only started cycling a few months ago and it was only until recently that I avoided riding on main roads. It wasn't because of the fear of cars, it was because I was afraid of falling off my bike and not having the cardio and not being comfortable changing gears. And then recently I got the taste of riding on the real road. Oh boy, that was fun. No riding in circles. No riding the same 2 miles over and over. This was pure bliss; the early morning dewy smell, the sunrise, the changing landscape, the wildlife. It was all there as the group of us cycled quietly.... ok we were noisily chatting and yelling the things that group cyclists yell to one another in communication. I was learning group cycling etiquette.

I have begun to realize that metaphorically, cyclists are akin to herd animals such as horses, rather than predatory pack animals such as wolves and lions. Like herd animals, a group of cyclists move in the same direction. And the reason that the group exists is protection. The most important protective factor is risk dilution -- because even if a predator attacks, the risk for any individual is greatly reduced. Drivers are like predators because they are faster and more effective at getting away with pulling down a herd member if that cyclist is on their own or in a smaller herd.

That is why I am pissed. I was nearly mowed down on a solo ride. I was without my herd. I was out enjoying the leg burn, playing with cadence, enjoying the speed of the hill, when a car flew close by me at a million miles an hour. The crouching car didn't even inch over to the other lane. As a result, the Doppler effect of the predatory car nearly blew me and my bike over. I nearly peed my pants.

I am still not scared of riding on the roads but I am more conscious of what it means to ride solo. I have been scolded by friends for riding solo. And now they are furious with me and have banned me from riding solo. Why do I have to ride with the herd? I love riding with the herd, but there are times when I just want to ride solo. I guess the price is too high. The predator's need for speed is too high and their disregard for human life too low.

If I understand Darwin's theory of natural selection, I believe we are reproducing predators with unfavorable traits. I thought that we were supposed to be reproducing those with favorable traits. Depends on what you view as favorable I suppose. Funny, I thought the price of a human life as being high would be a favorable trait. Yet, according to Darwin's theory I am probably going to be attacked by a metallic predator. Something is amiss with this theory. And so I join a herd. Luckily we humans are smart and innovative. Because the next group ride gets to stop at a vineyard. My kind of herd!