So the other day I was out riding around my usual evening stomping ground of Chesterfield Valley. As the sun sank, I found myself proceeding eastbound on the Monarch Levee Trail, nary a pedestrian or fellow cyclist in sight. Approaching one of the gravel road crossings, I noticed a maroon Toyota Highlander moving towards the trail on the gravel road. Oddly, he pulled off and parked at the foot of the levee, on the grass, parallel to my direction of travel. As I drew alongside, the roar of an engine alerted me to odd happenings. The Highlander was pacing me! I was cruising along at a brisk 20mph. Thinking that perhaps the SUV driver was trying to figure out how fast (or slow) I was going by pacing me, I naturally nailed it. Accelerated up to around 28mph, the SUV engine roaring anew to keep pace. Over about 200m or so I drifted down to 25mph, not deigning to look over at the SUV, which I could no longer hear. Fortified by fear that perhaps the SUV driver meant to launch onto the trail proper and run me down - I was a cylist and it was a big powerful cyclist-mashing SUV after all - I proceeded at that pace to the next big metal posts in the trail, maybe 1/3 - 1/2 mile along.
Why would an SUV pace a bicycle, on grass? Why would he accelerate to match me, then drop back? Very mysterious.
I proceeded down to the ice rink, then deciding there was enough light for another lap, I turned back. The SUV was back on the gravel road where I'd initially spotted him, moving again towards the trail crossing. I slowed, because there are "Yield" signs on the trail. He stopped at the foot of the levee, still on the road. I proceeded, with a friendly wave. The driver waved back. That was the last we saw of each other.
Weird. Perhaps it was one of the creepy statues come to life and out for a joyride?
No comments:
Post a Comment