Breach of Etiquette [from BA 43-300]

"We play a rough and tumble game with near-constant danger of collision. The penalties we face are personal, often solitary, and are all too frequently fatal."

from BA 43-300

Dear fellow cyclist,

You know how referees throw out penalty flags on sport players when they do something dangerous, illegal, unfair, childish, or otherwise uncool? This is sort of like that, except cycling doesn’t have referees, and we don’t usually get crowds of onlookers cheering us on either. We’re kind of on our own.

We play a rough and tumble game, often in heavy traffic and with near-constant danger of collision. We wear little in the way of protective gear (a helmet still feels a little paltry, all things considered), and the penalties we face are personal, often solitary, and are all too frequently fatal.

As such, please consider this a Breach of Etiquette card. Not so much a note of judgment or passive-aggressive self-righteousness (another common hazard among cyclists), but a genuine article of love. We’re in this together. If I watch out for you, maybe you’ll watch out for me one day.

Respectfully yours,

A fellow soldier in the Bicycle Army