Benjamin Weiner wrote:

I've volunteered as a course marshal for bicycle races, some
on closed roads. When you do this, you discover that the world
really does look different from inside an orange vest. People
will do remarkably dumb things. Like step off a curb into
the path of a motorcycle leading a big pack of fast-moving
bicyclists, despite being cautioned, yelled warnings, and even
occasionally physically restrained. Some motorists also behave
badly - people will do rather risky things to avoid a 10-second
delay - but thankfully I've only had to suffer verbal abuse
and not had people drive through the cones onto the course.

I can remember one crit in New Jersey where a car from "inside the
course" pushed through the cones and rode in the gap between a
breakaway group and the rest of the pack. Yeesh. This after about
two weeks of constant reminders that they should park their cars up to
a WHOLE BLOCK AWAY.

It's days like that I'm glad I'm not a cop (since I would have had a
sidearm in easy reach). ;-)

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $695 ti frame