Just got my teenager cycling - bullies in cars - I'm furious!

[Julia9054]

Just got my 15year old son cycling regularly this summer after years of disinterest.

This evening, he is riding back from a friend's house when a car full of young lads overtakes him and drives next to him swearing abuse out of the windows. He pulls up behind them at the junction (about 5 mins from home) when one of them gets out and puts his face about 6 inches from his swearing at him and giving him a load of abuse. The idiot then gets back in the car and they speed off leaving my lad feeling really shaken up.

I'm furious - they wouldn't do this to an adult and they wouldn't do this to anyone ever again if I got hold of them!

Reported to the police but as he was too shaken to think of getting the registration number, there is not a lot they can do. I just hope it doesn't put him off.

 

[Linford]

Lads in their mums car can be such knobs. I had a car full drive up next to me about 7 years ago when I was riding my old MTB, one leaned out of the rear window and poured a bottle of flavoured water over me. they pulled into a trade park a bit further up which was about 2 minutes from my house. I went out looking for them in my 4x4 with a head full of read mist . I'm honestly glad I didn't find them looking back as I'd have turned their mums Chavalier into a tin can and then had to face the consequences.

Hope your lad isn't put off by it, knobs use all manner of vehicles to prove themselves

 

[Hip Priest]

Sorry to hear about this Julia, and I hope it doesn't put your son off. Some groups of young lads in cars can be idiotic. They're giddy with their new found freedom, but lacking the maturity to handle it.

I had a carload of spotty herberts give me a bit of stick when they drove past earlier this year. But when I caught up with them at the next lights the windows went up and they all seemed awfully quiet.

 

[Jaco45er]

Hope he doesn't get disheartened Julia, you can't account for stupid little boys acting big( from experience, they wet themselves quickly when confronted one on one).

Does he have a camera phone? Not that I would advise him to have it on show, but if it ever happens again ( and it more than likely wont), he may feel a little more secure if he could sneak a picture of the car and reg.

Just a thought !!

 

[shouldbeinbed]

if he wears a helmet, a tubular type light (smart lunar 25 style) or an actual headcam (tho good ones are pretty costly) may well act as a deterrent.

A couple of times, I've heard kids on the side of the street say 'not him, he's got one of those cameras on there' whilst holding a can of coke they've been shaking up for the occasion.

 

[Boris Bajic]

Brilliant that he's riding! That will bring so many positives that the odd reverse will seem as nothing.

It is not pleasant to listen to a tale of woe from one's children and you both have my sympathy... but the crass behaviour by the oafs is not ultimately a function of junior being a cyclist. Some clowns will look for sport, trouble and confrontation wherever they can find it. On that occasion they found it with a cyclist.

All cyclists will have had moments when the silliness, selfishness, ignorance or aggression of others has ruined a ride. But all cyclists will have a gazillion more rides, each of which more than outweighs that unpleasant moment.

I hope he stays keen and takes full advantage of an excellent way of getting about.

 

[Julia9054]

He doesn't wear a helmet. He uses a beat up old bike as transport around town. Apparently this was the focus of the abuse. His bike, unfortunately, is purple (it was free - we didn't have a choice of colour!) and this, it seems, makes it "gay"!
He had not had a good day. Him and his friends had been building a treehouse on the rec only to have it trashed in front of them by a gang of older thugs and then this on the way home.
If he continues to use his bike as much as he has this summer, I will have to think about investing in a "manlier" set of wheels!
I would never advise young people to get their smartphone out in public. So many kids get robbed that way.

 

[MontyVeda]

it's a pity that life on earth is blighted by utter nobbers every now and again... hope he doesn't let the experience get to him. And for the record... purple bikes are cool. Purple's a cool colour

 

[Jaco45er]

Sadly it doesn't matter what age you are to encounter a muppet. I was out on a ride earlier this summer, and had to jump on the road for a mile between tracks. Some donut in his old Golf, gf in the passenger seat thought it was funny to drive straight at me and swerve at the last minute. To his gf's credit I could see her screaming at him but he was just laughing.

That said, I have covered many miles in the last 25 years (only a small percentage on The road) and I can count the number of incidents by idiots on one hand.

Most people are good, it's just a few bad apples that spoil it for others.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

I'm furious - they wouldn't do this to an adult and they wouldn't do this to anyone ever again if I got hold of them!

Yeah they would.

But these sort of nobbers are only a tiny tiny teeny-weeny % of the people you meet when on a bike, some of whom are extraordinarily courteous and considerate around vulnerable road uses,

and good job you for getting him on his bike.

 

[172traindriver]

He doesn't wear a helmet. He uses a beat up old bike as transport around town. Apparently this was the focus of the abuse. His bike, unfortunately, is purple (it was free - we didn't have a choice of colour!) and this, it seems, makes it "gay"!
He had not had a good day. Him and his friends had been building a treehouse on the rec only to have it trashed in front of them by a gang of older thugs and then this on the way home.
If he continues to use his bike as much as he has this summer, I will have to think about investing in a "manlier" set of wheels!
I would never advise young people to get their smartphone out in public. So many kids get robbed that way.

Its a shame the world is full of a******s such as these idiots. I really hope your lad isn't put off by these idiots and carries on doing something positive which is the total opposite to these lads that are probably of a similar age to him. It is refreshing to see a young lad doing something positive rather than hanging around dabbling with drugs and alcohol and trying to act hard and damage property etc.
Talking of idiot young guys in cars abusing cyclists a couple of years ago a mate of ours did LEGOG and did the return GOGLE in one go. That is some achivement considering he was self supported. On the way north he crashed in Devon or Somerset and injured his wrist. Hospital said badly sprained so being the idiot he is he continued.
On the return journey south in the Midlands not far from his house ironically some chavs in a beat up car drew up to him and thought it funny to push him off. No witnesses as normal.
On completion of the marathon the local hospital diagnosed a broken wrist from the first fall at the beginning of the ride.

 

[Puddles]

Seems nobbers are everywhere these days as I saw on Velo Vogue today

Avid Cyclist Grabbed, Dragged by Man in Passing SUV

 

[postman]

I am 63 and i was shouted at on saturday as i was coming out of Otley.Some numpty in a mini GOING THE OTHER WAY.Why i have no idea.Give your lad all the best from us.Hopefully this is just a one off.There are some right idiots out there.

 

[KneesUp]

<sigh> It's behaviour like this that makes me despair for my gender. I never understood why a large minority of older boys/younger men where such utter ends of bells when I was one. Now I'm middle-aged I don't understand why a large minority of middle aged men are the same. </sigh>

I know it's not the issue at all, but when I was 14 or so I got bored of the colour of my bike (silver) so I stripped it down, nitromorse-d the paint off and sprayed it British Leyland black-ish with some old rattle cans I found in the back of the garage. If your son is now sensitive about the colour of the bike you could suggest re-spraying it, and he could learn a bit about maintenance at the same time.

 

[bozmandb9]

Reading this thread has made me angry and sad. But I like to see the opportunity in the challenge.

Firstly, given the opportunity, if I'm ever fortunate enough to witness anything like this, the thugs will bitterly regret their actions. Circumstances will dictate whether this is as they face a magistrate, or contemplate some unscheduled modifications of their vehicle.

But OP, tell your son we've all been through it, and you just have to take a lesson from it, the lesson being that 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger'. Pity these idiots, know that they are just jealous, of what who knows (or cares).

Is there a website where you can name and shame motorists with reg number and car details from such incidents?