I rode in my first cycling race yesterday after a 15 year hiatus and I had a great time. However, the behaviour of quite a number of riders left a bad taste in my mouth and made me re-think about my stand regarding the "Cyclists vs Drivers" debate.

I am just as passionate about cars as I am about cycling. And admittedly, I tend to lean towards the side of cyclists when it comes to who is in the right or wrong when incidences occur on the roads as they have more to lose, being less protected and all.

Also, I cycle with my friends (we call ourselves "Cychos") several times a week - day and night, and we have always been mindful of our on-road behaviour so as to not inconvenience motorists.

Hence, I can safely say that we are never the cause of any problems that happen during our rides - which thankfully, are few and far between.

Roads were closed for yesterday's OCBC Cycle Singapore 2010 and there were ample marshalls and officials to ensure that everything was as safe as possible. Other than the fact that the organisers could have added more events to cater for the huge increase in participants over last year, all else was fine.

Yet there were many cyclists that were a constant source of irritation to others. There were those who rode in a zigzag manner, even when there were many cyclists around them. There were a few listening to music with their earphones, oblivious to the verbal warnings given by other riders wanting to overtake them.

Then there is the one type of cyclist which I have the strongest dislike for - the idiot (can be male or female as stupidity knows no gender) that hogs the right lane and cycles slowly, and ignores all warnings given by other faster riders.

Yesterday's event threw up many of these idiots and imbeciles and really made me understand why motorists (especially drivers) have such a deep disdain for cyclists.

I do apologise for their behaviour. But please do remember that not all of us are like that.

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