From reading the above I am kind of guessing I should avoid wearing a Team GB Jersey here in Arizona, as a Brit who moved out here 
Isnāt it anti-patriotic to wrap smelly feet in the US flag?
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Do you have a smelly back???
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Another data point. Yes, I have always been given more room when wearing stars and stripes. I wear it on purpose when I plan to ride are slightly busier roads.
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My experience on gravel rides here in Texas is that drivers in the country are VERY friendly. They wave, pull over to let dust settle, give plenty of room, etc. There seems to be a natural curiousity about someone riding a bike āway out hereā. I ridden with some very diverse groups and never seen ANY issues related to race but a lone rider might be another issue (I sincerely hope and pray not).
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I know a local guy that takes up 1/3 of a car lane even when there is a bike lane. He yells at a lot drivers. He thinks all drivers are rude and hate cyclists. We ride in the same area. I have a lot of friendly interactions with drivers, and in particular outside the city limits where they grow grapes and corn and have dairy cows.
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Iām North of Dallas. I have no issues on paved county roads. Similar to gravel. Some of my favorite routes leave town on the north and use these county roads. There is little traffic and I canāt recall ever having a single issue once Iām out of the city. Most people wave and/or give a friendly tap of the horn to let me know they are passing. I try to avoid Farm to Market roads and state highways unless there is a dedicated shoulder. Higher speeds and more traffic make me a little uncomfortable on those but I donāt recall any specific driver encounters. Iām just worried about distracted drivers.
I do have a Varia radar now which I really like. I like knowing someone is approaching - I can look back an acknowledge them and move to the right out of courtesy.
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Iāve been riding alone, except for 4 rides, for over a year now. Last projectile encounter was a couple months ago within 5 miles of downtown Sac, punks yelled during drive-by and threw a full plastic water bottle that hit my back. Large bike lanes in that area and I wasnāt close to the car lane.
Iām in Houston. Itās a lot friendlier on gravel than on roads for sure.
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Due to work I spent about 6 weeks in DFW (Euless) near the airport. I drove and took a bike to ride on my down time. Not only was I shocked at how the drivers respected the rules of the road in the car especially on surface streets, but how respectful and careful they were with me as a cyclist on their roads! Almost too niceā¦it was weird. Night and day difference compared to PHX. Soā¦I am left thinking the interaction between cyclist and drivers has little to due with politics. Something else going onā¦
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as sad as all this is I have a good laugh now remembering all these American backpackers who put Canadian flags on their backpacks in order to hide their nationality while travelling the worldā¦ then again: also sad.
btw: this ācoalā thing must be an American thing related to all these giant trucks you guys ride around there. Here in Europe our little 1.2 litre engines would explode trying to do the same ā¦ and actually in certain scenarios the cyclist could be even faster than our cars 
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Itās exactly the opposite here. Downtown is a war zone where every inch of pavement must be fought for, and every bike lane is an insult to car drivers and a remembrance of a battle lost to the enemy.
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My experience is different, all the distracted drivers that buzz me are in the city. They arenāt courteous in the city. They appear distracted, annoyed, and addicted to their mobile phones. Driving is treated like a video game. So I stay out of the city as much as possible. By contrast in our rural areas the drivers give me wide berth.
And then the projectilesā¦ This area is near downtown Sac:
and over the last 3 years Iāve had 3 separate incidents where plastic bottles were thrown at me. Along with honking and yelling incidents that comes across as teenagers trying to scare the cyclist. I guess the moral of the story is to not ride thru that area? It is not a bad area. This metro area was built around trees, parks, bike lanes, and a 30 mile bike/running trail along a major river. Not like the bike lanes are new.
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As a black rider my encounters might be different than others. It feels like I encounter a lot of stupid stuff from people yelling at me, to people buzzing me to a truck driver yelling at me for taking a free right hand turn with a green arrow. (and I am a crazy mofo that will yell back. Have you seen me in spandex? Tell me I donāt look tough). That being said, I have no idea if my experiences are truly different I donāt want to assume they are but that is my POV. Nonetheless, I employ three things that I feel keep me as safe as possible:
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Ride where lotās of other riders ride. Under the assumption drivers should be aware cars are on the road.
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Ride where the $$$ is! Well, if you hit me, I am hopeful you have resources that doesnāt leave me hanging. Based on my observations It turns out, the person with a G-Wagon doesnāt care to run you over. He/She has a tad bit more to lose.
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I use tech to the best of my availability! I have the Garmin Varia. I have cameras front and back. I use heat maps to understand the busiest times for cars. Then avoid busy car times.
None of it probably works but it makes me feel good. But, hey man, ride where the money is! They might not care about you but a dent in the G-wagon just isnāt worth it.
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What is a G-Wagon? Is it a shortened version of Dylanās name? #JumboVisma
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What? You clearly spend too much on your bike.
Ha! Got it. I call this āthat square Mercedesā.
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