near accident on the Meewasin this morning

<rant>
I'm gearing up for the annual Queen's House Bike-a-thon later this summer (pledge warning some of you may be hearing more about this around payday)  So this means riding my bike to work a lot.  It is a very safe and pleasant route - I ride down Princess St., turn down a block to take the crossing light at the corner of Queen and Spadina and then I am on the Meewasin all the way including that uber cool bike bridge on the Circle Drive bridge. 

I'm 56 and learned how to ride a bike before 10 speeds were invented.  There was a strong emphasis on Elmer the Safety Elephant and riding single file when with friends, always signalling, etc. and I tend to be the cautious, law-abiding type. 

So imagine my surprise when I almost got hit this morning by oncoming bikers riding two abreast and with a buddy coming out of the Realty Executives' Boardwalk almost into me except one of the on-coming duo yelled "Hey watch out!" and the guy merging into the trail managed to brake.  I'm not sure who  was being shouted  at - me or the buddy but I assumed it was the buddy because I was riding on my side of the trail and had carefully passed two pedestrians and met several oncoming cyclists and a jogger with no problems already.

How did I know these three hooligans were together?  Ummmm well they were all dressed the same:  in City of Saskatoon bike Police uniforms.  Up until now I figured the Bicycle Mounted Constabulary  were there to make the trails a little safer and perhaps to stop cyclists racing several abreast during a busy commuting time and give them a warning.  Now I realize in some sort of twisted motivational logic they are there to model bad uncool bicycling behavior so the rest of us do the opposite. 

I shall retire to bedlam
</rant>