My first truly scary experience

[Mr Cheese]

I'm fairly new to Cycle Chat and haven't posted anything other than a "hello". However, I thought I would share a rather unpleasant experience I had yesterday evening.

I was out on a ride with my wife and dad, we had covered most of the uphill stretches on our route and were enjoying a nice downhill run back towards home. We were on a single carriageway which was rather busy, with a steady stream of cars coming the other way, some overtaking a cyclist, leaving little space for anyone to overtake us.

I was aware of a car quite close behind me, and some engine revving. A white BMW then proceeded to overtake me, but with nowhere near enough space to get round all three of us, started to move back in behind my Dad, in the process squeezing me in towards the kerb. My brakes went on but I feared he was going to cut me in completely, so I gave his car a quick tap on the rear wing to remind him I was there. Big mistake!

The driver slowed down to get to the side of me, wound down his passenger side window and enquired as to what the f@%k I thought I was doing. I explained that I needed more space and that I was trying to remind him I was there. After a few more expletives he zoomed off down the road. I thought that was the end of it.

As we came round a bend I could see him waiting in a farm entrance at the side of the road. He was out of his car and was waiting at the side of the road. As we approached he shouted at my wife, then my dad. As I got close he looked as though he was going to try to grab me. Luckily there were a few cars coming down behind me, and I had space to move out, the following cars then stopped him from grabbing me.

By this stage I was getting worried. I was aware of a fast approaching car, and again he was at the side of me, window down, this time just shouting and swearing. I had no idea what he said, but by this stage I was in no mood to argue. He swerved left to push me into the kerb, went ahead of me and started to slow, I presume in an attempt to stop me. Again there were other cars following, so I managed to slow down and create a gap, and as he pulled in I managed to get round him, with the cars behind following, effectively trapping him at the side of the road.

By now we were getting close to home, so I decided to leave my wife and dad and see if I could somehow lose him. I carried on along the road and headed for a small track I knew I could use. However, unknown to me he had followed my wife and dad and started shouting at them. My dad had the quick thinking to deny there was anyone else with them. Whether BMW man was convinced by this or not I'm not sure, but he gave up and left.

The whole incident left me rather shaken, and understandably has upset my wife and dad, although luckily until I left them they weren't fully aware of what was going on.

My tap on his rear wing was intended as a warning, but I am fairly sure I won't be doing it again. You never know who is going to be in the car, and how they will react.

 

[gaz]

People don't like anyone to touch there pride and joy. But they don't think about your safety and the fact that if you can touch their car, then they are too close.

If it happens again I would suggest just getting away from them. I.e just stopping and turn around as he goes past you. He probably isn't smart enough to know what you did.

 

[I am Spartacus]

Interesting....
if you do happen to 'touch' a car for reasons that they have become a bloody nuisance or whatever, then I am afraid you have to be ready for the full monty.....
be ready to back up with extreme violence towards the driver and get the first blow in and make it a good 'un.. but remember to ditch your road shoes first.. they make handy weapons and you wont go arse over on the cleats.

 

[Black Sheep]

at the first coming alongside shouting and swerving at you I'd have possibly been telling him to stop driving at me or his door mirror is coming off.

Do you have the registration number?

see the template for writing a statement and report it, the sooner the better.

 

[JoysOfSight]

You got your explanation wrong - whether you stuck your arm out for support or not, the correct thing to say is "it was your fault, you hit me cutting back in". It probably won't stop them being angry and swearing, because nobody likes to admit they are in the wrong, but it's pretty unlikely that you'd get that whole "wait for them up ahead" episode going on.

I would be very careful about trying to ride past someone on foot. You are extremely vulnerable - if it was me I'd simply stop as soon as you see them - if necessary in the middle of the road (creating a huge audience if they run up to give you a lesson anyway). Likewise riding past where you are exposing yourself to them in their car - even worse.

I've hit a few cars/vans in my time - but never frivolously. People hate it, although some have the good grace to look worried at the near miss. At the end of the day, though, you've got a better chance against someone's fists than under their wheels.

 

[fossyant]

That's not dissimilar to my experience in rush hour a few weeks back, but I didn't even come near the car - my mistake was a response to someone beeping at me, and shouting to 'get out of his f-ing way' - I was stationery in traffic. My response was to stick my hand up (no fingers) and tell him to 'f off'............ all went to pot from there. Got his reg, reported him, Police interviewed him, no further action, although the vehicle is 'known' to them, and now has another 'incident' logged against it.

There are some real nutters out there.

Makes me think you are better jumping off and giving it large and removing every panel with a large d-lock.... rather than doing the 'correct' thing.........

PS you are knackered in road shoes....either leg it, or at least find some soft grass to stand on.

 

[theclaud]

Mr Cheese - interesting thread here for comparison. Ben confirms that he would do the same thing again in similar circumstances. Of course you have to err on the side of caution about confrontation if you have other cyclists with you, especially if you are the more experienced or confident rider, but I have found it necessary to strike vehicles passing too close on a number of occasions. It's quite true that the driver might over-react, but the important thing is to remain calm once you have made your point or taken the action to preserve yourself, rather than responding to further aggression from the driver, but I think on balance the need to resist the bullying and manage driver behaviour for your own safety is very important. Your initial response when he wound down the window and shouted at you was, in my view, entirely reasonable and calm, and you don't have anything to reproach yourself for.

 

[Ticktockmy]

Interesting....
if you do happen to 'touch' a car for reasons that they have become a bloody nuisance or whatever, then I am afraid you have to be ready for the full monty.....
be ready to back up with extreme violence towards the driver and get the first blow in and make it a good 'un.. but remember to ditch your road shoes first.. they make handy weapons and you wont go arse over on the cleats.

The secret is to get him or her to take the first swing, that then gives you the right to defend yourself, using only the mimumn force of course required to deter him from carrying being agressive towards you, the visor on most cycle helmets make a nice defence tool, so does a kick in the nuts.. But its what we have to put up with these days, road rage seems easy for the slobs who look at cyclist as a easy target, the worse seem to be overwieght unfit, who think that being obese means they are super human and super fit.
They forget that most cyclist are normall far fitter than themselves, and can run rings round them.

 

[Hicky]

I think if someone has the will to follow you then riding into somewhere well populated is probably the best bet for witnesses should anything further happen.

Ignore the idiot and keep a lookout for the car if this was one a route you normally go down......out of curiosity was it in Rochdale?.....I'll know to avoid BMW's!

 

[DrSquirrel]

If someone got too close I don't see why you shouldn't touch it. After all you had a good reason to, if you are scared of this reaction you might as well just dive out of the way of everyone. Some kind of Police intervention should have went on really, considering they waited, followed, and followed you again.

 

[Mr Cheese]

Thanks for all the comments everyone.

I am not one for confrontation (I think it's an allergy!) so I'll not use the tap on the car wing technique in future.

Many good points about not carrying on with the car behind me, but with the adrenalin pumping I suppose I wasn't really thinking, although I did have my wife and dad to worry about, neither of whom are strong cyclists.

Ignore the idiot and keep a lookout for the car if this was one a route you normally go down......out of curiosity was it in Rochdale?.....I'll know to avoid BMW's!

Yes, it was dropping down from High Crompton into Rochdale. It was a very flashy BMW in white, so not easy to miss!

 

[swee'pea99]

Nasty experience. You have my sympathies. I'm not much of a bruiser myself, so I know exactly how you feel. I'm afraid there's no getting round the fact that there are some savage and violent people out there...as others have said, try to get reg numbers and get onto the police. It mightn't help, but it can't hurt. Some of these people accumulate records, and end up losing licenses, which can only be to the good. 

 

[marinyork]

As there were three of you and not you on your own and he deliberately waited and initiated round 2 in a threatening manner I'd have been off down the police station.

 

[ThePainInSpain]

Typical BMW tosser.

Don't know if it's the same in the UK, but here it appears that all BMW drivers are retarded.

 

[avsd]

A very nasty experience. I would be minded to discuss it with the local police station. The driver following your wife and father was particularity unpleasant and unnecessary. Please do not allow it to stop you enjoying cycling.