My first confrontation and why it will be my last.

[Andrew_Culture]

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..

I guess I may have internalised my upper hand, I used to support violent people with learning disabilities. I had training in passive defence. One of the guys I used to support was so damned tough he could wake from a general anaesthetic and be on his feet and running within ten minutes. I could handle that, so a pillock in a rough old Beemer didn't seem like someone I needed to test my mettle against. He'll, I don't care how rusty my mettle is to be honest.

I Wish this type of confrontation didn't give me such a pounding headache though.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

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

I'm quite a large fellow, but all this cycling has lost all my upper body bulk! With a scooter on a path he was clearly in the wrong and a discussion may assist the purp in realising this. My only crime was being a dickhead, which I can't really apologise for, in fact I think the ability to think differently could be my best asset

 

[fossyant]

I know the crime. You were riding single speed and not fixed, and he was questioning your manliness

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I know the crime. You were riding single speed and not fixed, and he was questioning your manliness

Ha! That MUST have been it! The second he saw me freewheel he knew the world needed improving by the conversion of a grey haired SS rider to fixed!

 

[Cletus Van Damme]

Years ago I would of lost it but now I just ignore close passes. There seems to be quite a lot of body builders around here that look like they are into steroids. Knowing my luck it would be one of those driving if I gave a car driver the finger(s).

 

[Andrew_Culture]

Years ago I would of lost it but now I just ignore close passes. There seems to be quite a lot of body builders around here that look like they are into steroids. Knowing my luck it would be one of those driving if I gave a car driver the finger(s).

I certainly don't like close passes but I too have learned not to comment. This one totally took me by surprise, if I knew how to access street view on ipad I'd show you how pinched the road is.

I was in a really good mood so it it was more 'cooey' that 'YaBass'

 

[glenn forger]

I love cycling and don't want anything or anyone to spoil it, but about three months ago a driver made me so mad I swore at him. Anyone know the silly cycle lane on Prince Of Wales Road in Norwich? Cycling west from Thorpe Road, at the lights outside the train station, I'm in the ASL to the right, lined up ready for the cycle lane that takes me up POW Road. Car undertakes to my left, driver says "Oy! You're on the wrong side!"

I say "I'm turning right, you fxxxxxx dxxxhead" and he slams the brakes on and gestures me to get closer. "Fxxxxxx muppet" I said, and cycled away.

 

[Dave Davenport]

Complete waste of time reporting any of this kind of stuff to the police in my experience.
I know it's not big or clever and I should know better at my age, and I keep telling myself to ignore it. But when some knobhead deliberately puts my life at risk because he thinks I should be on the cycle path or 'it's against the law to ride two abreast' or 'I don't pay road tax' I will do my utmost to, at the least scare the sh1t out of them so they think twice about doing again.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

Incidentally when I told my (very cool) boss what happened he said 'you ought to get a helmet camera'. Oh how we chuckled

 

[Archie_tect]

It's only a matter of time until one of these 'brake slammers' gets rear ended by the following car, then it will be an interesting conversation between them and the Police.... unless it's already happened?

 

[Andrew_Culture]

It's only a matter of time until one of these 'brake slammers' gets rear ended by the following car, then it will be an interesting conversation between them and the Police.... unless it's already happened?

It would have been me in the middle! I did worry about him shooting back, which was another reason to move to the pavement.

 

[Archie_tect]

I like your approach Andrew- I take the same line.

Angry motorists can be relied on to do the most stupid things once they've lost it, so best avoided wherever possible: whatever it was that made them angry in the first place continues to fuel their spite until they've calmed down.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I like your approach Andrew- I take the same line.

Angry motorists can be relied on to do the most stupid things once they've lost it, so best avoided wherever possible: whatever it was that made them angry in the first place continues to fuel their spite until they've calmed down.

I think he may have been confused that I didn't disagree when he called me a dickhead

 

[Andrew_Culture]

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Ipswich http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/motability-scooter-knocks-cyclist-into-river.132870/

 

[albion]

My last semi confrontation was mildly confusing.

I overtook white van man 'safely according to me' at the 'always there' stationary traffic. He shouted out to me 'you might get killed'.
I can't recall whether I had glared at him in anger over his totally pointless and dangerous pass manoeuvre on me 500 yards earlier.