The Last Cyclist You Want to Hit Is the Mayor

Next time you are driving and you feel like nudging a slow cyclist, hold yourself in check, not just because you would be a huge asshole if you did so. You might wind up running over the mayor.

Mayor Menino, whose cycling is not just limited to photo ops, was on his morning bike ride when a driver gave him a thump a while back:

The woman was driving on River Street May 26 when she crested a hill and struck Menino, said Dorothy Joyce, the mayor's spokeswoman. He fell off his bike and suffered a small cut to his ankle, but told the flustered motorist to "just get going, and don't be late for work," Joyce said.

Perhaps cresting a hill is a decent excuse, as one never knows what's over that hill, but that driver had a brush with the law. The incident makes the mayor seem extraordinarily magnanimous, as most cyclists we know would have keyed her car and would have spewed expletives as she headed down the street.

If you are nervous about having your own close encounter with the mayor, brush up on Boston's bike safety laws. And, if you are a cyclist who doesn't want to be hit, you might want to invest in one of the cute blue sweatsuits that the mayor favors.

Boston Globe

Official image of Mayor Menino.