My first confrontation and why it will be my last.

[Matthew_T]

Much better to open the car doors - all of them and just ride off!

Or open the boot and pass on the passengers side. That will really p1ss them off.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

Much better to open the car doors - all of them and just ride off!
(NB: don't do this if the car has passengers in it as you will get flattened)

Wow! Imagine just how annoying it would be to open his tailgate!

 

[Andrew_P]

Pretty sure I have read on a forum someone grabbed the car keys and threw them in to the field and rode off. Trouble was it was on his commute and had to vary route clothing etc. Would have been better cycling just in front dangling the keys lol

 

[Andrew_P]

Road cleats - forget it. Like standing on ice !

I was thinking more of them sliding down the irrate motons shin..

 

[400bhp]

Pretty sure I have read on a forum someone grabbed the car keys and threw them in to the field and rode off. Trouble was it was on his commute and had to vary route clothing etc. Would have been better cycling just in front dangling the keys lol

I tried to grab someone's manbag off a passenger seat from a convertible once, as he was calling me a daffodil.

Must have been amusing for the onlookers looking at two grown men fighting over a manbag

 

[Rob3rt]

I tried to grab someone's manbag off a passenger seat from a convertible once, as he was calling me a ****.

Must have been amusing for the onlookers looking at two grown men fighting over a manbag

WTF, lol!

 

[markharry66]

Use the old south london trick azor blades in collar of my jacket and pocket full of loose change, I dont know why I dont have many friends

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

My worst confrontation was something out of nothing

Car close passes shouting "pay effing road tax".

Now I *should* have been satisfied that the car would have been snapped illegally going through the tram gate (enforced) but for some reason I mouthed off back and indicated them to pull over.

Now, this was a car full of knuckle draggers and chavs and as it happens, their mates were in a following car, at which point discretion was indeed the better part of valour when the DID pull over they jumped out and swaggered towards me. I veered past and took primary to force a following car to act as a buffer between me and them.

When I took my turning, they followed and sped off - BUT - this route was 2 miles up a slow incline unlit rural road with plenty of hidden pull-ins, I spent the whole time scanning each pull in for signs of them waiting for me and looking for escape routes up bridleways etc because earlier they seemed spoiling for a scrap, and what better place to give somebody an 8-against-1 beating?

Thankfully they had sped off and continued, so I guess I "won" by having them stop in their mad rush, but it was a hollow victory and could have been a hell of a lot worse

 

[Andrew_Culture]

Lummy! Had a very close pass this morning and made an involuntary noise of surprise. Driver was flipping me the bird so I gave a cheery smile and a wave. He slammed on his brakes and skidded to stop (in heavy traffic) and I had no safe way of getting away from him so moved onto the pavement and looked for an escape route.

He started yelling at me from his window:

Him - "What the eff is your effen problem? Apart from the fact you're on a effen bike and you are a effen dickhead?"

Me (with calm body posture and gentle shrugging smile) - "both of those things probably"

He proceeded with remarkable vitriol and repeated offers to 'put me in an effen hole', this went on for some time and when the cars behind started sounding their horns he stepped up a gear and I decided that if he got out of his car to carry out his threats I could likely sprint to safety. I shrugged and said "oh be nice!" To which his voice went up an octave and he wheelspun away.

I know it's safer not to say anything at all, but it was all I could do to show him how calm I was and that he wasn't going to get fisticuffs from me. When I got to work I got a migraine and am now back at home.

This was my first commute in some time (after injuring myself) and it was spoilt! I didn't get the reg

 

[Andrew_Culture]

If you cycle around Ipswich then watch out for black BMW with the reg n879 (or similar), he's more obsessed with holes than the Pontypines.

 

[TheJDog]

I have never been able to walk away from a fight in my life, and I wish I could start now. I think you could teach me a thing or two..

 

[Maylian]

Ah miladdo, as part of the training i give i teach my students to use the bike as a defensive device and weapon.

I've had some good feedback over the years, including a PCSO who was attacked and managed to break the guys leg with the bike.

There are also several decent groundpin techniques you can use with the bike. If you have the knowledge being on a bike gives you positional and tactical advantage.

And remember to unclip your lid before entering combat.

I want some additional training then!

I've had a few experiences and I will shout at the drivers, being my size and increasingly muscular physique I'm not overly concerned about what are mostly tubby loud mouths in their cars getting upset at cyclists and what their reactions may be. As long as it is only their reactions and not their and the cars reaction...

My most recent confrontaction was a chav on a scooter riding it along footpaths, confronted him. He wanted it to go to fisticuffs despite my advantage. When I agreed and asked him to just wait whilst taking my camera out and started to try and "snap" his number plate he did the fastest vanishing act ever, and all on the road like a normal motorist. Whilst I don't condone / like violence I'm not afraid of it but I try and think of more intelligent ways to avoid it now

 

[HLaB]

Its funny how people react.
A couple of years back now but I was cycling up a wide quiet residential road at about 10:15am on my old commute when I was ovetrtaken by a car which had plenty of room to do so and did, but after he did so he slammed on the brakes and shouted something.
I ignored it, but that only seemed to serve to wind him up further, with more erratic driving (braking, reversing at me, shouting etc); I continued to ignore .
He then drove off only to reappear a few moments later, with more of the same. This time I could make out his shouts 'try that again hard man and I'll effing kill you'.
My response 'Try what ?' only seemed to wind him up further
Fortunately, the next part of my old commute took me by the Police HQ and that might have persuaded him to desist.
But what had made him react like that, mistaken identity and ignoring him only wound him up further

 

[fossyant]

Should have blown him a kiss !

 

[Andrew_Culture]

Should have blown him a kiss !

Ha! His opener stating that he believed the existence of a bike below my body was a lamentable problem made it clear that we had little common ground to bond over.