Intersection of Compare and Contrast

I had a good ride on a state highway.  Most of the time it was 55 MPH and divided median and light traffic.  A great day to be out riding.  I was dressed in full riding gear: full face helmet, heavy leather jacket with armor, riding chaps, riding boots, and riding gloves.  If you crash, what you wear is what you crash in, so I always wear my riding gear.  Heck, I'm looking at even more gear upgrades.

I was heading back home and coming to my turn off the state highway.  I come up on an intersection.  My side of the road had a left turning lane, two lanes going forward, and a right turning lane.  The intersecting road had 2 lanes in each direction.  A lot of lanes, lots of potential for misunderstandings, and potential for things to go wrong.  Out in the country with limited connecting roads, divided median, and light traffic, it was much safer.  Here with all the cars and lanes, it is much more dangerous, even though I'm not moving.

As I came over into the left turning lane, I shifted down to first gear and kept it there.  My hand was on the clutch ready to move.  This is something they taught in the MSF class.  And I always do that.  The only time I am in neutral is when I am off the road and parked somewhere.  I kept looking around the intersection and analyzing everything going on.  I kept a watch in my mirror for cars behind and watched the other lanes and pattern of the lights.

Then a guy on a bike pulls up one lane over in the forward direction lane.  I look over at him. He's on a bigger bike than me.  But, no riding gear that I could make out.  No helmet and a t-shirt.  He puts the bike into neutral.  When my gaze swept back to him, it kind of looked like he was looking at the indicator lights to confirm neutral.  (Tip, don't trust the light.)  Then this is the best part.  He stands up, gets his cell phone out, sits back down in a relaxed stretched out position, and starts playing away on his cell phone.

I see fellow bikers with don't share my attitude on riding gear.  Often I see no helmet and that makes me cringe.  Before today, my favorite was a guy I saw riding with no helmet, shorts, and flips flops.  But that all just pales in comparison to seeing this guy without any gear get all cozy with his cell phone at the red light at the intersection.