Cyclists are such nice people

[Over The Hill]

Daughter is home from Uni for summer and has got a job in a hotel cleaning rooms. She has been anti-cycling for years (as most teens seem to be) but the job is 5 miles away down back lanes and so she has borrowed a bike and (mostly) cycles it.

A few days ago she headed for work but found a lane blocked off and impassable so had to come back about a mile or more to take a detour. As she did this she just told another cyclist the road was blocked and they sorted out the detour and had a quick chat.
That is about an expected level of friendliness, but this other cyclist took the trouble (unprompted) to stop off at the hotel reception and tell them that daughter would be a bit late for work as the road was blocked.

Perhaps it is that she is a bit of an odd sight being a bit of a hippy teen girl on a drop bar tourer but she is getting lots of friendly chats and encouragement and just niceness from other cyclists. She is really amazed at how lovely everyone is and this had helped he see cycling so positively and to like this "club" so much that on her day off she went for a bike ride and it talking about getting her own bike!

So thank you to the very helpful cyclist going from Oakley towards Winchester who stopped off at the hotel. You may have got another cyclist onto the road.

 

[Markymark]

<cynical>Was the other cyclist male?</cynical>

 

[guitarpete247]

Some of us are nice. But for every nice, helpful person there will be a grumpy, miserable unhelpful git.
I say "Hi" to all I pass. Or at least nod if I'm struggling to talk. Most respond but some just go by not even looking in my direction.
Glad to hear that her first encounter has been with one of our helpful, friendly comrades.

 

[numbnuts]

Nice one

 

[surfdude]

a thread about friendly cyclist is a novelty .normally one cyclist does not say hello back to you and everyone is up in arms . its nice when people are nice . just wish there was more of it

 

[Sara_H]

I'm a cyclist and I am very nice. Modest too.

 

[John the Monkey]

I've helped push broken down cars out of junctions (whilst other drivers mostly looked on, waiting for someone else to sort things out), given directions, and always offer help if I see someone else with their bike upended by the side of the road. I've also helped round up an escaped dog (again, motorists sat in their cars looking on while the owner and I coaxed the terrified canine onto the pavement).

I think it might be some sort of sense of being together in adversity (I don't think drivers treat any road users particularly well (even their fellow drivers)) so maybe I go out of my way to be different, in that respect.

 

[KneesUp]

I've helped push broken down cars out of junctions (whilst other drivers mostly looked on, waiting for someone else to sort things out), .

Totally off topic - but I once came upon a queue of traffic just out of Glossop (just before you get to Glossop Caravans, if you know it) caused by a car that had broken down a hundred yards or so from a turn off. I was the fourth car back, I think, so I hopped out and OH took the wheel while I pushed the stricken car to the turn off - the driver of another car came to help fortunately as we couldn't help but notice that the two mid-20s passengers hadn't bothered to get out, let alone help. And none of them tanked us. It makes me angry every time I drive past, and it was 3 years ago.

But back on topic - cyclists are a bit more considerate I think. It comes from being in the world rather than sealed off from it I think.

 

[snorri]

But for every nice, helpful person there will be a grumpy, miserable unhelpful git.

I feel a little sorry for you, I find the grumpy miserable types are vastly outnumbered by perfectly reasonable and friendly types.
I don't consider a stranger on a bike who does not wave to me to be a grumpy miserable git, so perhaps that slews my opinion on the matter.

 

[Archie_tect]

Totally off topic - but I once came upon a queue of traffic just out of Glossop (just before you get to Glossop Caravans, if you know it) caused by a car that had broken down a hundred yards or so from a turn off. I was the fourth car back, I think, so I hopped out and OH took the wheel while I pushed the stricken car to the turn off - the driver of another car came to help fortunately as we couldn't help but notice that the two mid-20s passengers hadn't bothered to get out, let alone help. And none of them tanked us. It makes me angry every time I drive past, and it was 3 years ago.

But back on topic - cyclists are a bit more considerate I think. It comes from being in the world rather than sealed off from it I think.

The 2 passengers didn't get out?? I would've told them to get their backsides out of the car and get pushing or just get it rolling and then leave them to their own devices.

I stop to help push people who have broken down in awkward places or have got stuck in winter snow... it amazes me that people don't know how to bump start a car - one even kept their foot on the brake pedal while we tried to push... or they leave the ignition switched off... or leave it in first instead of second, or they never get round to letting the clutch out... sad.

Once got ten people pushing a service bus sidewards off a kerb that had got stuck in snow.... that was fun!

 

[lesley_x]

I'm always amazed by how friendly other cyclists are. Pretty much no other group is as curteous and helpful. I stopped by the side of the road yesterday because my speedo was on the blink, nothing more, and within 10 seconds a cyclist had stopped to make sure I was ok

 

[raleighnut]

Ditto for the pushing of broken down/stuck in snow cars apart from one memorable occasion.
There was a van stuck on a hill with just a driver, a pedestrian and me pushed him up past the slippery bit, next car with also a single occupant got stuck so we pushed that, however when the 3rd car with 4 people in it became stuck and not one of them got out we simply looked at each other, shook hands and left them to it. They didn't pass me in the next mile til I turned off for home.

 

[KneesUp]

The 2 passengers didn't get out?? I would've told them to get their backsides out of the car and get pushing or just get it rolling and then leave them to their own devices.

I stop to help push people who have broken down in awkward places or have got stuck in winter snow... it amazes me that people don't know how to bump start a car - one even kept their foot on the brake pedal while we tried to push... or they leave the ignition switched off... or leave it in first instead of second, or they never get round to letting the clutch out... sad.

Once got ten people pushing a service bus sidewards off a kerb that had got stuck in snow.... that was fun!

I didn't really notice they were there until we stopped - you keep your head down when you're pushing. And when I did notice I was too gobsmaked to say anything, and besides which my OH had driven up to us, so I got in and carried on. But it was a new low in many ways.

My dad told me of times in the 50s when the bus driver would get a bus full of kids to push the double-decker school bus in the snow, which of course they all they all loved, especially if they weren't the one that got showered in slush when the wheels span. I rather suspect school bus drivers aren't allowed to tell (or even ask) the kids to do that now.

 

[Archie_tect]

Didn't mean it to sound like criticism of you KneesUp- I was just amazed they sat there and let you push on your own!

+ I suppose pushing it back to where it was might have been silly....

 

[KneesUp]

Didn't mean it to sound like criticism of you KneesUp- I was just amazed they sat there and let you push on your own!

+ I suppose pushing it back to where it was might have been silly....

I didn't take it as a criticism. I remember being in the car and a few miles later saying to the OH "There were passengers in that car you know" - it took me a long time to process just how ungrateful and lazy/entitled they were. As I say, I still get annoyed by it when I drive through Glossop!