people always talk about how safe it is to ride a bike in the netherlands, and that no one needs to wear a helmet here because of the prominence of bike paths. well, i was about this close (pinches fingers together to indicate a small amount of space) to getting taken out by a cyclist who was not paying attention a few moments ago. i was passing him on the left, and he inexplicably shifted over to the left side of the bike path forcing me to ride up onto the curb and evasively maneuver around garbage bins and other such sidewalk stuff. i expect such behavior from small children, not from grown (dutch) men in business attire. these people grow up in a biking culture, and they should know better. i wasn't riding slowly, so the maneuvering was quite stressful. i pulled it off, and the man was very apologetic, but i didn't want to talk to him. i was all amped up, and i think i would have hit him if i tried to discuss what had just happened. i rode off briskly, gradually regaining my composure. if there had been a person on the sidewalk or a row of parked bikes my bike and i would have been fucked. if there were a person, he would have been fucked too.
i thought you would like to know about this.

best,
jim