Mountain bike, gender and right of way...

Those of us who ride a mountain bike know that the uphill biker has right of way. Of course, one has to know the difference between up and down, but suffice to say that when I'm on a trail where it's hard to tell whether it's going uphill or downhill, I just yield, to be on the safe and courteous sides.

I have found that women riders have a hard time grasping that notion. On three occasions, including one just yesterday, I've almost collided with women who were riding down on me at various rates of speed and still expecting me to yield to them.

Is it a problem of spatial orientation that women are known for having, or a deeply rooted expectation that men should be chivalrous and yield to them, no matter what, just because of their gender. I have yet to figure that one out...