Bikers, the Bicycle Type

It's a very sore point around here.
There are cyclists that ride in large groups and WON'T ride single file to let traffic past.
Cyclist clubs sometimes arrange large group rides (a dozen or more) along routes that are not always that bike safe.
The roads around here can be extremely narrow with deep (like 6 to 10 foot deep) ditches often on both sides of the road.
Some places 2 school buses can't drive past each other in opposite directions without each of them hedging off the edge of the pavement by a few inches.
Drivers can be complete idiots too - especially passing cyclists so closely that someone gets sideswiped with a passenger side mirror.
Both sides often can (and do) have atrocious road manners - the road rage can make people do stupid dangerous things.
One driver got mad enough he spread tacks on the road to pop bicycle tires - he got arrested for that - people got injured.

As mad as drivers get with the spandex crowd (the cyclists), the cyclists themselves get bent out of shape if they are on a shared bike/walking path and pedestrians are too slow for them.
Sharing the road is not easy.

Cycles on the road NEED to obey traffic laws as if they were driving cars - they often don't do this (like stop at stop signs, ride on the correct side of the road, signal turns, etc) - and every year a few get killed for it - as horrible as that is - often it's not the drivers fault.

We've got country roads that are beautiful to ride down - but we have cars, trucks, cycles, farm vehicles, motorcycles - and horses - and everybody needs to pay attention to what's going on around them.
Don't even get me started about texting while driving.
I saw a car flip over 3 times and land upside down in a 10 ft ditch last summer in front of our house.
The young lady was wearing her seat belt - it saved her life - but she was texting, jerked her wheel and flipped over.
If a bike had been anywhere near her, she'd have killed someone.

Additional:
It's become bad enough here that police have got involved at certain times of the year.
They've issued tickets to both car drivers AND cyclists for failure to obey laws of the road.
It does help to get people to mind their manners especially if it hits them in the wallet.

Some of our bikers are lovely, aware people, others are irresponsible, distracted, the same as the drivers.

I don't care to bike much any more because I've had problems with other bikers being unpredictable. One almost ran into me after I had clearly signaled and they hadn't. It's hard to read other people's minds... the cars are almost more predictable.

I guess I don't want to assume what people think when they're riding, but I was in a cab last week and the person in the front seat opened her door to get out, and a biker ran into the open door. It was really astounding that a. the biker wasn't hurt, b. my friend wasn't hurt and c. the door to the cab wasn't damaged. I mean, really, think about it! Just a second before or after, who knows what might have happened? I think that I was the most shaken because I realized immediately how lucky my friend and the biker were.

Anyway, I guess I'm thinking out loud too. But I admit that when I'm driving a car and I come up on bikers, i get really nervous.

Are you talking about bicycles or motorcycles? Here we call people who ride motorcycles bikers and people who ride bicycles cyclists.

I also see lots of cyclists who don't obey the rules of the road and who ride without helmets. Many car drivers are very aggressive towards cyclists as well. Fortunately my city has lots of bike routes with bike lanes and bike paths. When I can't get to my destination on a bike route I plan my route using side streets and stay away from major streets. There are times when I will ride on the sidewalk as well.

No idea. I've heard of cyclists here having things thrown at them from cars. My husband was run off the road by a car once. On purpose. (Sadly, didn't catch the tag# b/c he was a little distracted trying not to die or wreck in the trees/ditch/street sign). I don't get it. Most of the folks on bikes around here are fairly well behaved. At least the ones I see.

But all types are in all places, really. Idiots behind the wheels of autos and on the wheels of bikes. There are just fewer people in general on bikes, so bad behavior of a few reflects disproportionally on the rest, I suppose.

I do sometimes wonder about younger people... if they actually understand what the traffic rules/laws are relative to pedestrians and bikes. Bikes are supposed to operate like a motor vehicle (not having the same protections as pedestrians). That includes signals (I wonder how many people under age 30 even know what an arm signal is, would recognize one, or what they mean) and stopping at signs/lights, etc. Those people drive cars, too.