Stooge Logic...

So there I was, riding along the road yesterday; it was a nice morning, cool, patchy sun with some high clouds drifting by. A bit of a breeze was stirring, trying to build into something stronger, but it was at my back and not causing any trouble. I hear a car approaching from behind, clearly moving at a comfortable speed - at or below the limit. Then, just as the car gets up to me the driver guns the engine and the dark green corvette speeds away. Honestly, things like this perplex the hell out of me, I mean how mentally lame do you have to be to think this is some kind of accomplishment?

A strong rider, when he revs up for a sprint, can generate about 2 horse power. That is so far from the 400 to 600 hp of the corvette that I should have simply laughed and shaken my head in pity at the clear delusion of the driver. This, of course, would have been the best way to turn the incident around and claim the high ground. But no, the immediate reaction won out, and I let the bird loose to fly around through the air in anger instead. The fact that I was pretty focused in the moment, and moving at a good strong clip for this section of road, only to have the moment disrupted by someone else's unnecessary inconsideration helped me decide to respond in anger rather than pity.

I am never sure what certain drivers think they are accomplishing when they pull stunts like this, soothing some sense of inferiority, asserting some image of misplaced power? Although, again, considering the contrast between the bike and the corvette, the logic would have to be pretty warped to gain any kind of satisfaction. The old saying keeps coming to mind - it would be funny, if it weren't so sad.