Hmm, I had forgotten about an incident I experienced on the 14th St. Bridge (George Mason Bridge) a couple years ago. I don’t know if it’s the same guy because it was dark at the time. I was riding from D.C. to Arlington in the evening, after sundown. I don’t remember the exact time but it was well past dusk. I had a blinking front light and I was probably wearing my usual high-visibility gear (either a dayglow windbreaker or a bright white running shirt). I was riding on the right side of the path. Up ahead, I saw a cyclist approaching. (I don’t remember if he had a light or not, but I could clearly see him.) OK, not a big deal. Except that he moved to his left, directly in front of me. I started waving and gesturing for him to move back. There was no reason whatsoever for him to move into his left lane and directly into my path.
I kept pedaling for a few seconds. Then I decided to move to my left to avoid him. After a few seconds, he moved to his right, to get directly in front of me again. This wasn’t a case of confusion when passing. He was clearly playing a game of chicken. I moved back to my right, about 20 feet before we passed. As he rode by, I could tell that he was an older man. Definitely not in his 20s. More like 50s or 60s, although I can’t be certain. I was pretty angry about the situation. I didn’t shout out too much, but I did say something like “What the hell?” I didn’t see what kind of bike he was riding.
I posted about it on the forum back then. I think someone mentioned another encounter on the trails with someone who might have been the same person. Perhaps it’s a generalization, but I usually find most of the older cyclists (50s, 60s) to be more conservative and careful on the trails than some of the young bucks. That’s partly why I was so surprised about the encounter.
I wouldn’t be surprised if it was this Jonathan Mark fellow.
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