The number of people completely oblivious to surrounding hazards and showing a lack of consideration to others in equal measure, always leaves me dumbfounded on these rides.
I did the Tour de Broads 40 a couple of weekends back with a younger female friend who'll torch me on an MTB, but had never so much as ridden a road bike in her life. She's fit (stop sniggering!) and not far off as tall as me, so I adjusted my RT-58 to suit her, threw on some MTB clipless pedals and off we went.
By her own admission, her biggest fear was just not really knowing what hazards the roads brings. Judging by the feet up, clipped in track stand she did at the very first junction we came to, I need not have feared for her bike handling capabilities.
However, I did find myself taking a defensive position behind her on the road to stop her continually being buzzed, not by cars and vans, but by kamikaze Stravarseholes who will slow down for literally nothing. I actually took to blocking one group of knuckleheads off completely. It was a quaint, narrow and twisting village, thronging with pedestrians, as it seemed to be a bit of a destination with a river and tea shops, etc. Alerted by the sound of a screeching Mavic rim/brake combo behind, I saw a 'club ride' bearing down on us with barely room for two abreast, but they weren't slowing down for anybody.
They didn't have much choice once I'd parked it in a wide stance, due to oncoming cars (I say oncoming - Mostly stationary due to riders overtaking on the white line) and I held them there until the road opened out a couple of hundred yards later. Exactly as I would do in a similar situation with a car behind me. I got a few choice looks as they eventually passed us, but I couldn't care less.
Don't start me on the three abreast octogenarian touring cyclists on the A149....
Ultimately, I've come to the conclusion that cyclists, like any other road users, are a representative cross-section of society and that it therefore comes with a proportionate amount of dickheads and the completely oblivious.
Great day out though and we got us a roadie convert who realised that there's more to life than threading one's way through a wall of trees.
