Boris Bajic
Guest
I do not have a camera and do not feel inclined to buy one. This not a rant and without any evidence I'd be wasting my breath.
It is instead a slightly bemused and detached observation about something that scared me today to a degree beyond that which I find comfortable.
I was on my fixed on an single-carriageway NSL road I know very well, about 25 miles into a 35-mile loop.
A 6-tonne truck was approaching to pass me. I hadn't noticed at the time that it was being followed closely by a similar vehicle.
The truck didn't indicate, but did pull out to a respectable distance and had slowed prior to passing, while I was on a twisty section (at about 20mph).
Despite not indicating, the truck was in my 'good books' for slowing, not crowding me and starting the pass with a wide margin. (I imagine many of us do that thing of judging other road users into imaginary good and bad books).
Well... the pass started well (with the second truck starting to pull out) when there was a honking and a revving and a gnashing of teeth.
The first truck swung quite hard and quite far in towards me. I nearly opted for the grass verge, but it was all over jolly quickly. I was about a squillymeter from being bundled off, but had no idea what was happening.
Then a late-plate E-Class hove into view ahead of truck one, speeding from the scene. It had passed the first truck while it was passing me. It is not a wide piece of road.
There was lots of honking. The second truck had been (I guess) intimidated out of pulling out for the pass by the Merc and had got quite close to my rear wheel before slowing.
I think the only reason my life didn't flash before my eyes is that I have a poor memory these days.
I think that if the truck driver and the Merc tried another ten times to pass a cyclist at the same time on that stretch of road, they'd kill the rider on most attempts.
I wasn't angry afterwards, but I did get one of those little shudders of relief. The truck driver slipped out of the good book that the Merc driver wasn't even shortlisted for.
The rest of the ride was uneventful, but that little episode really hammered home to me the importance of signalling, anticipating, being patient and (ultimately) being lucky.
I was unaware of the presence of the Merc and am anyway not sure what I could have done had I known he was there. I look behind a lot, but doing 20 on an NSL road there is still a lot that can happen between glances.
It is instead a slightly bemused and detached observation about something that scared me today to a degree beyond that which I find comfortable.
I was on my fixed on an single-carriageway NSL road I know very well, about 25 miles into a 35-mile loop.
A 6-tonne truck was approaching to pass me. I hadn't noticed at the time that it was being followed closely by a similar vehicle.
The truck didn't indicate, but did pull out to a respectable distance and had slowed prior to passing, while I was on a twisty section (at about 20mph).
Despite not indicating, the truck was in my 'good books' for slowing, not crowding me and starting the pass with a wide margin. (I imagine many of us do that thing of judging other road users into imaginary good and bad books).
Well... the pass started well (with the second truck starting to pull out) when there was a honking and a revving and a gnashing of teeth.
The first truck swung quite hard and quite far in towards me. I nearly opted for the grass verge, but it was all over jolly quickly. I was about a squillymeter from being bundled off, but had no idea what was happening.
Then a late-plate E-Class hove into view ahead of truck one, speeding from the scene. It had passed the first truck while it was passing me. It is not a wide piece of road.
There was lots of honking. The second truck had been (I guess) intimidated out of pulling out for the pass by the Merc and had got quite close to my rear wheel before slowing.
I think the only reason my life didn't flash before my eyes is that I have a poor memory these days.
I think that if the truck driver and the Merc tried another ten times to pass a cyclist at the same time on that stretch of road, they'd kill the rider on most attempts.
I wasn't angry afterwards, but I did get one of those little shudders of relief. The truck driver slipped out of the good book that the Merc driver wasn't even shortlisted for.
The rest of the ride was uneventful, but that little episode really hammered home to me the importance of signalling, anticipating, being patient and (ultimately) being lucky.
I was unaware of the presence of the Merc and am anyway not sure what I could have done had I known he was there. I look behind a lot, but doing 20 on an NSL road there is still a lot that can happen between glances.
