Brown Trouser Moment

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Kestevan

Last of the Summer Winos
Location
Holmfirth.
Really thought my number was up this morning.

Flying down the bypass (fast downhill dual carriageway), doing 45ish when a bloody artic overtakes me. The pass was fairly close to start with (I could have touched the side easily), but as soon as I was level with the end of the tractor unit he started to pull into my lane, I honestly thought I was going to end up under the trailer wheels.

I had absolutley nowhere to go, slammed on the brakes and got as far across into the curb as I could (scraping the pedal down the high curbside). The very back end of the trailer missed my front wheel by at most 6 inches.

Didn't even get the reg (I think it was a foreign plate) and there were no markings on the rear of the container.

I was properly scared for the first time on the bike.
 

karan733

New Member
shoot, sounds scary :smile: I keep thinking it wont happen to me, but when nothing you can do will get you out of trouble you realise how vunerable you actually are!
 

mr_cellophane

Legendary Member
Location
Essex
I think my brown trouser moment would start when I reasiled I was doing over 40 even on a clear road :smile:
Just get back out there and keep peddling.
 
OP
OP
Kestevan

Kestevan

Last of the Summer Winos
Location
Holmfirth.
User3143 said:
At that speed you should have been in primary or very strong secondary. You may have been though...?

Very Strong Secondary probably describes it best, 3 - 4' away from the kerb. If I hadn't have been I would really have had nowhere left to go. As it was I needed every inch available.
 

dondare

Über Member
Location
London
Kestevan said:
Really thought my number was up this morning.

Flying down the bypass (fast downhill dual carriageway), doing 45ish when a bloody artic overtakes me. The pass was fairly close to start with (I could have touched the side easily), but as soon as I was level with the end of the tractor unit he started to pull into my lane, I honestly thought I was going to end up under the trailer wheels.

I had absolutley nowhere to go, slammed on the brakes and got as far across into the curb as I could (scraping the pedal down the high curbside). The very back end of the trailer missed my front wheel by at most 6 inches.

Didn't even get the reg (I think it was a foreign plate) and there were no markings on the rear of the container.

I was properly scared for the first time on the bike.

Is that 45 mphish or 45 kmphish?

Interesting about it being a foreign plate, as most of these lorries have the driver's position on the left side where they can see cyclists.
 
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Kestevan

Kestevan

Last of the Summer Winos
Location
Holmfirth.
45 Mph.

That's about my usual speed down there - I had other things on my mind at the time so it could have been a couple of mph either way.

I think the driver was perfectly aware of where I was, he had to have seen me as he approached from behind, or I'd have been smeared all over his radiator.

Probably wanted to "teach me a lesson" for being on his road.
 
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Kestevan

Kestevan

Last of the Summer Winos
Location
Holmfirth.
Lee,

I'll spell it out for the hard of thinking

1. "Other things on my mind" The poster asked how fast I was going. My usual speed down this road is 45 Mph give or take. When the lorry passed me the "other things on my mind" tended to be avoiding being killed, rather than looking at the bloody speedo.

2. I was as stated 3'-4' away from the curb when the lorry started to overtake. By slamming on the anchors and diving into the curb (actually brushing the curb with my pedal ) I managed to avoid being dragged under the back wheels of the trailer.

Now admittedly to a pedant the 6" clearance between the front of my wheel and the back of the truck, at the speeds involved is not strictly speaking "every available inch" but I think it's as near as doesn't matter to most folk.
 

dondare

Über Member
Location
London
Lee always looks for an angle if there's a lorry involved.


45mph is a lot faster than any driver would expect a cyclist to be travelling and could explain why the driver started pulling in too soon.
 

battered

Guru
It does sound to me like a straightforward underestimation of your speed. 45 is quick by any standards and most motorists seem to be surprised when they see me travelling at over 10mph, and not in the gutter. Certainly at anything better than 20mph in town I adopt a very assertive road position - I want enough room to go round an open door and if anyone wants to go past then they can use the other carriageway, they are the ones with the engine after all.
 

steve52

I'm back! Yippeee
interesting thats profestional tour riders descent speeds well done, they need a mountain to do it if i tuck in down a really steep hill i can hit 46 mph to pedal at that speed i need a cadence of 160+
 

stevepratt48

New Member
Had a sinilar experience with a bus, he actually pulled in so far het hit the Kerb in front of me. No time for 'reg' but I rang the bus company, with time, direction & position, hopefullty they would have scared him as much as he scared me......
 

dondare

Über Member
Location
London
4F said:
Pot for Mr Kettle ?

Glad you are OK Kestevan

How you mean?

I blame the design of these vehicles which mean that anything close enough to be in immediate peril cannot be seen by the driver. I don't blame the driver for this.
 
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