A driver close-passed a cyclist at a roundabout in Alabama – then did something almost nobody does.
They went on the internet and asked cyclists how to do better.
The Post
The post was simple. A retired man, driving a classic ’68 Corvette in Gulf Shores, had squeezed past a cyclist when a car was coming the other way. He felt guilty. So he found an online cycling community, and asked the them for advice.
“To a cyclist on a 10kg bike, your 2000kg car feels much like a 40,000kg fully-laden truck would to you in your car.”
What followed was a masterclass in patience – from both sides.
What the Cyclists Said
The cyclists came through. One response summed it up perfectly: “Just imagine that the bike is a car. Overtake them as you would if they were a car, move into the other lane to give plenty of space. If you can’t do that, don’t squeeze through, just wait.”
Another reminded him of the physics: “To a cyclist on a 10kg bike, your 2000kg car feels much like a 40,000kg fully-laden truck would to you in your car.”
And then there was this, which cut straight to the point: “When you feel that you’re giving enough space when overtaking, it’s probably not the case.”
The Driver
The driver was polite, a little confused, and wonderfully old-school – signing off almost every reply with “Thank you and God bless.” He didn’t know that “overtaking” meant passing.
He wondered aloud whether cyclists just pull over when a car comes up behind them. He mentioned, unprompted, that his seatbelt stays off because he drives a topless Corvette with nearly 320 horsepower.
Someone advised him to buy a bike and ride it for a month. His response: he was thinking about getting a Harley again, but his wife wanted to go to Panama City Beach.
The Comment That Hit Different
One comment clicked in a way the road rules didn’t. A fellow retiree drew a comparison the driver immediately understood: “I used to work at a northern Indiana steel mill as a union crane operator. Anything can kill – especially when you’re dealing with heavy loads and high speed. Always treat your equipment with the respect it deserves.”
That was the frame he needed. Not road rules, but operating heavy machinery near people.
The Bigger Point
Buried in the chaos of the thread was a simple truth that cyclists already know from experience: most drivers aren’t malicious. They’re just unaware. They’ve never been on the outside of that metal cage. They’ve never felt 2,000 kilograms brush past at speed with two feet of clearance.
And most of them have never once stopped to ask.
This driver did.
One commenter said it quietly but it deserved a louder moment: “I guess I’ll be the first to thank you for being capable of self-examination and wanting to improve your knowledge of a topic. Both rare qualities in 2026.”
Hard to argue with that.
The road is a shared space. It doesn’t always feel that way – but threads like this are a reminder that goodwill still exists out there. Sometimes it just needs a roundabout in Alabama to bring it to the surface.
