Why do they yell out their windows?

If you're going to ride a bike outside on a regular basis, you are going to encounter people yelling things at you out their windows. I can't possibly comprehend what compels these people to do this, or what they feel it accomplishes, but there will always be people like them. I am fortunate enough to live in an area where it really doesn't happen to me particularly often, maybe once a month if that, but it still perplexes me.

I've got news for you window-yellers though: 95% of the time, I can't even hear what you are saying. I am assuming that you are trying to make me feel bad by yelling something derogatory - although I still can't figure out why you feel the need to yell at people on there bikes. Does it make you feel better about yourself? But anyway, if you are trying to insult me and make me feel bad, you are doing a bad job of it, because I have no idea what you said. I had another one today, who slowed down as he passed me and yelled from the driver's seat over his friend in the passenger's seat, and I have no clue what he said.

This is just one of those things I will never understand. A few that I have actually been able to understand in the past, was one "Go to France!" I am not sure if this meant he thought I should be in the tour, so maybe I should take it as a complement. Then there was another person who seemed genuinely concerned about my safety and told me that I should be riding on the sidewalk... which is funny both because we are not supposed to do that and because it was like 7am on a Saturday and there were no other cars in sight. Annoying drivers are just something we'll always have to deal with. I've had one person actually pass me and intentionally slam on their breaks and move over to force me to slam on my brakes. I've had a complete idiot drive by me while I was going about 35mph down a hill only to quickly move over to the right lane and slow to turn in front of me. That one scared me so much that I screamed at the woman, but I am sure she was oblivious.

I also did once manage to get hit by a car, although that sounds more dramatic than it really was because I somehow didn't fall off my bike. This van took a left turn onto the road I was on, drove right next to me for about 20 feet and then went to take a right turn directly into me. She bumped my thigh and pushed me off into a gas station parking lot where she stopped. She looked like she had probably had her license for about 20 minutes, and her friend who was with her looked incredibly relieved that she was not the one driving the car. Aside from just being shaken up and a slight bruise on my leg, I was far more preoccupied with my bike and if anything had happened to it. Luckily, my bike was also fine. I just told her to be more careful next time and considered myself extremely lucky. So watch out for crazy drivers!

Training is going well. The weather is getting a whole lot better which just makes training about ten times more enjoyable, as does the progress I'm seeing. Running in shorts, starting to get the faintest hint of a tan on my face and my legs, not freezing on the bike or worrying about ice. Now if only the last of that pesky snow would go away!