Is your car allergic to white paint?

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I have recently got back from a short 60k loop, and should be feeling brilliant because so much of it was brilliant.

Drivers saw me early, gave me loads of room, patiently followed me until it was safe - awesome. After riding out of my local knowledge, I was on my home leg, relying on sense of direction as per usual.

I ended up on a moderately wide A road that I knew led home. I have in fact cycled on this road before, the tarmac is lovely and smooth and 38-40km/h is a sustainable cruising speed. I joined this road 10 miles away from town.

I think only four or five cars passed me properly, and two that I don't count as one was a police car and the other was the car in front of the police car. EVERYONE else muscled past me with the minimum room possible, including a terrifying stream of dump trucks of the kind that cause the most cyclist fatalities in london. One would come past me about every 5 minutes, the nose would go past fine and then they would just pull in causing me to brake a couple of times, and have to move left every other time.

I got beeped 19 times in 10 miles!!!! :becool: ;) :smile: :becool:

I should also point out that the opposing carriageway had bugger-all cars in it, but still the drivers felt they could only inch two wheels over the line, if at all! 4x4 drivers were by far the worst, followed closely by executive cars then vans.

Just as I hit the town some numpty in a black Seat Leon passed me so close that I could have touched his car with my elbow without letting go of the bars. Of course he got stuck in traffic all of 20meters ahead, and I was able to remonstrate with him.

Which went nowhere, because "You shouldn't be in the middle of the road then should you?"

Grr, I know A roads are not prime cycling grounds, but come on, I am allowed to be there and did none of them think that MAYBE, JUST MAYBE I DIDN'T REALLY WANT TO BE CYCLING THERE EITHER, any more than they did.

Grr
 

yorkshiregoth

Master of all he surveys
Location
Heathrow
Thankfully these muppets do seem to be in the minority but alas we generally only remember the ones who want to squash us.
 

domtyler

Über Member
That is the harsh reality of being a cyclist in the UK circa 2007 unfortunately.
Either deal with it or.....

:sad::becool::becool::thumbsdown::becool::smile:;):B):cry::sad:
 
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