Chips thrown at me

[Digital_Cowboy]

I don't have a lot of tolerance room for this. Having something thrown at you while cycling is plain scary; doesn't matter who does it or what they throw, they make the choice to do it and if anything was to happen as a result, they deserve to face the consequences IMO.

+1,000,000

 

[Thompson]

I've had apples thrown at me once, some teenage boys ran back behind this fence andstarted throwing apples over, luckily none hit but they were pretty close, and solid.

 

[Digital_Cowboy]

Only twice had something thrown at me. The first was years ago when I was riding home from school. I was almost at the top of a hill when one of the other kids threw lemonade. We were about 13 and I think he was trying to be funny but hadn't really thought it through. I fell off my bike and when he saw how angry I was, he scarpered before I could even get back up.

I've also had a lad deliberately leap out in front of me when I was zipping downhill but I'm not sure if that counts as throwing something.

The second time I wasn't on my bike but had instead made the terrible mistake of taking a stroll in Wichita Falls, Texas. (In fairness, only one other vehicle even honked at me during my trip and that time I was even on a proper pavement.) I'd asked at the hotel for directions to the bank but the staff seemed confused when I told them I was on foot. No worries, I thought. It's three minutes by car, that's not far at all. I can explore. I was walking on a 2 metre wide strip of grass with car parks and fast food outlets to my left and the main road to my right. It was actually really nice to walk along until a truck screamed past and I distinctly heard the shout of "Freak!" and a strawberry milkshake sailed in front of me. It was pretty scary and I can't imagine how much worse it would have / could have been if I were on my bike.

Be careful about saying that, there are people here who will accuse you of making that up. As they don't believe that people actually do that kind of thing. And if you had hit the fool who jumped out at you they'll blame you saying that you were following too close or going too fast, or both.

 

[Digital_Cowboy]

Posted this on here a few times, so aplogies if you've read it before...but yeah I've had something chucked at me.

I was on one of my first bike rides as an adult, just thinking about commuting. I was heading slightly downhill back into the village on a national speedlimit road, doing about 30. I was 'hunkered down' on the drops. There was a car coming the opposite direction, couple of hundred yards out of a 40mph zone. I heard a shout and felt something hit my left bicep/shoulder.

Luckily I managed to stop OK. Turned out it was an egg. Now when you consider that I'd been on the drops, this must have been aimed at my head, just missing...

So I'm heading one way at 30, they're heading the other at 40mph minimum. Ignoring the speed of the throw itself, I reckon 70mph impact? Or to put it in more practical terms, it took 2 weeks for the bruise to disappear.

The good thing about this was that this moron decided to turn round a way up the road and drive back to shout and gloat. Which was handy as I was onto a 999 operator and able to read out his registration etc...

I heard back a couple of weeks later that he'd been picked up on a pile of charges, including this, and was pleading guilty to dangerous driving.

I've also have had an egg thrown at me, fortunately it wasn't a square hit. Why the bloody hell do some people think that it's "okay" to throw things, anything out of a moving car at a person on the bike?

We all know that if someone did the same damn thing to a member of their family that they'd be livid and out for blood.

 

[Digital_Cowboy]

I had a PCSO jump out in front of me a few weeks back waving two fingers at me shouting its 20mph as the speed sign lit up, i assume the fingers were to emphasis the fact not some form of insult i nearly ran him over anyway and just gave him a nutter look and carried on. :-)

What's a PCSO? As I told Lucheni, be careful making that claim, as there are those here who will accuse you of making things up. And blame you if you had hit the person who'd jumped in front of you.

I don't know what their problem is. They'll also accuse you of using "extreme" examples to make your point.

 

[moralcrusader]

What's a PCSO? As I told Lucheni, be careful making that claim, as there are those here who will accuse you of making things up. And blame you if you had hit the person who'd jumped in front of you.

I don't know what their problem is. They'll also accuse you of using "extreme" examples to make your point.

PCSO = Glorified security guard / plastic policeman etc etc.


Haven't had anything thrown at me, but I'm always a little wary when WVM in particular overtake - I seem to remember someone on here taking a cup of coffee to the face while cycling on the same route that I take to work.

 

[Dragonwight]

What's a PCSO? As I told Lucheni, be careful making that claim, as there are those here who will accuse you of making things up. And blame you if you had hit the person who'd jumped in front of you.

I don't know what their problem is. They'll also accuse you of using "extreme" examples to make your point.

I think most cyclists have been harrassed in one way or another so its not so strange to have someone hassle you and most of us who cycle know that.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

It's not really an anti-bike thing though is it?

I've had stuff throw at cars I've been in and I've had eggs thrown at me (and others) from a passing car when I was stood waiting in a taxi queue and buses seem to be a constant target.

 

[BentMikey]

It often is an anti-bike thing though, as cyclists are seen as an out-tribe per TRL549 and are thus common targets for this sort of behaviour.

 

[Adasta]

What's a PCSO? As I told Lucheni, be careful making that claim, as there are those here who will accuse you of making things up. And blame you if you had hit the person who'd jumped in front of you.

I don't know what their problem is. They'll also accuse you of using "extreme" examples to make your point.

A Police Community Support Officer.

 

[Digital_Cowboy]

PCSO = Glorified security guard / plastic policeman etc etc.


Haven't had anything thrown at me, but I'm always a little wary when WVM in particular overtake - I seem to remember someone on here taking a cup of coffee to the face while cycling on the same route that I take to work.

Thank you, we tend to refer to them as "rent a cops" on this side of the pond.

Count yourself lucky that you haven't had anything thrown at you while riding.

 

[Digital_Cowboy]

I think most cyclists have been harrassed in one way or another so its not so strange to have someone hassle you and most of us who cycle know that.

Sadly, I think you're right about that, i.e. most of us have been harassed at one time or another. Close passes are such a common occurrence that for better or worse I don't even count them anymore.

 

[Digital_Cowboy]

It's not really an anti-bike thing though is it?

I've had stuff throw at cars I've been in and I've had eggs thrown at me (and others) from a passing car when I was stood waiting in a taxi queue and buses seem to be a constant target.

There's a web site that sells air horns that are designed to be used on trains, but they sell them to be installed on regular cars/pickup trucks/motorcycles. Most people who buy them do so for one reason and one reason only. That is to come up behind people going about their regular business and scare the crap out of them.

I've had one such person try it with me, it scared my bird more than it did me. And I saw another peanut get pulled over and cited for having them on their pickup truck.

 

[Digital_Cowboy]

A Police Community Support Officer.

Thank you.