Knocked off by teenager.

[Slick]

Three sixteen year old teenagers loitering on bmx bikes up to no good, our victim dressed in Lycra, speeding through the village like an Exocet missile, bang, boom, boof, he crashes into one of the youfs who decided to cross the road on his BMX in front of him as he passes. Lying in the road our victim quickly surveys his situation, gets up, balancing on his cleats, clutching his damaged road bike, cursing and swearing .......... from a distance while the youfs laugh at him. Now tell me who is likely to come off worse if the situation escalated? Maybe the youfs had knives, most do these days. I shouldn't imagine a sleepy village has been immune to the upsurge in knife crime.

Maybe 21mph is not too fast to ride anywhere but it might haven been a tad too fast riding through this village upsetting the locals.

No they don't.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

Too many mentalists on CC these days

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Thread aside, I find it peculiar that we are so quick to demonise teenagers. The vast majority are good eggs. When did we become so cantankerous?

 

[tom73]

No they don't.

@Slick it spot on most young people are not carrying a knife.

 

[Heltor Chasca]

@Slick it spot on most young people are not carrying a knife.

My teenager daughter carries a pallet knife in her art bag. She is very good with oils. She has a butter knife in her picnic basket too.

Packing she is.

 

[jefmcg]

Too many mentalists on CC these days

???

 

[Globalti]

Lack of anticipation by the OP, I'd say. Should have anticipated that BMX riders tend not to go in nice predictable lines like roadies and called out a friendly warning. When anybody looks like pulling out on me, my voice is my equivalent to a car horn.

 

[srw]

I was riding through a village and noticed 3 teenagers on bmx’s at the side of the road on the pavement. As I got to them doing 21mph one decided to cross without looking straight into my path. Hit his back wheel came flying off. Luckily only cuts and bruises. I’m not happy about ripped bar tape, scuffed rear mech and pedal. I shouted a few choice words at him, wanted to punch him but restrained as he was only about 16. His chav mates were just laughing. As I felt my self getting more wound up I just got on & road away before anything could escalate. If I had been a car or motorcycle he’d have been hurt. There’s so many stupid people around these days you can’t enjoy anything anymore.
Good thing I wasn’t on a £6,500 Cervelo S5 like my friend bought the other day.

And how was the teenage victim of your careless riding?

 

[jefmcg]

Norty, norty.... you forgot to explain that your picture is of the well know charlatan mentalist, Derren Brown. Or were you assuming head be beaming that into the mind of the reader?

That's what the question marks meant. I thought it was obvious.

 

[Johnno260]

after a few incidents recently I assume anyone I see to be a risk, sad but true.

 

[Levo-Lon]

I read that as knocked up by a teenager

 

[FishFright]

You’re right, even if you’re hammering a segment or just on a flyer, you need to forget all that and slow down. I will ride more defensively in the future.

Now imagine reading about a car driver beating his record for a section of public road .....

If you want to race then get a licence and race in a league.

 

[MichaelW2]

Kids on BMX are always a danger sign. Scruffier ones may not have brakes, feral ones may be trying to taunt you or may just not have any awareness in their simple teenage brains. On Hastings sea front we used to get high end flatland stunt riders who seemed to be OK but they were the exception.

 

[jefmcg]

"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."

 

[Smokin Joe]

Now imagine reading about a car driver beating his record for a section of public road .....

If you want to race then get a licence and race in a league.

Strava turns cyclists into the pedal powered equivalent of the stereotypical Audi/BMW driver.