Scary moment this morning

[shouldbeinbed]

I'm riding along a narrow wind-y road no safe opportunity to pass & doing a decent 20~ mph with a big Merc a couple of inches from my rear end moving about in my mirror and gunning the engine periodically. I'm big and confident enough not to let it bother me ( although he's clearly a nobber) when I come up to a blind bend near the local animal rescue place and see a cat dash into the road totally unsighted of me and me of it, inches from my front wheel. Couldn't brake with nobber still on me, it was a hell of a skillful steer round it even if I do say so myself and I must have shaved the end of its tail. The rest of the ride was a bit adrenaline fuelled and shaky.

 

[I like Skol]

Green Lane/Millstream Lane seems to be predominantly used as a rat run by nobbers in cars. Have had a few near misses over the years when I have driven that way, with pillocks coming around the bend by the bridge at warp speed in the middle of the road. In fact back in the 90's my wife was forced into the stone wall at the side by just such a brainless wonder shortly after she had passed her driving test. It shook her up quite badly.

 

[Archie_tect]

If I was followed by someone that close I'd pull in and let them go- like tractors do [or as they're supposed to do!] No point in flying round blind bends nearly running over things and unable to stop safely in fear of someone behind you... maybe that's just me.

 

[I like Skol]

Give in to a nobber bully? No way. I'd make sure that if they took me down there would be an enormous, satisfying gouge across the bonnet of their expensive car!

 

[HLaB]

Touch wood I have never been tail gated at speed

 

[Archie_tect]

Give in to a nobber bully? No way. I'd make sure that if they took me down there would be an enormous, satisfying gouge across the bonnet of their expensive car!

... a blood-stained one?

 

[Gixxerman]

Your fault as your bike is obviously too sexy and is a "pussy magnet".
Pleased you survived the incident unharmed though.

 

[I like Skol]

... a blood-stained one?

I know it might be delusional macho BS but it 's an attitude that actually works really well for me. The belief that I am going to give back some of the pain I may suffer at the hands of a nobber gives me confidence. I don't have to be aggressive about it but acting confidently and giving out the clear signal that I ain't going to take no sh1t makes these drivers sit up and take notice. If they can see that you mean business, know what you are doing and won't be pushed around they tend to not bother trying, whereas if they think a bit of intimidation is going to get them in front of you then they will do it every time.

 

[Archie_tect]

No problem being assertive when, say, you have a hundred metres of stationary traffic to pass and you maintain primary to do it especially when there are traffic islands in the way too, regardless, but with the prospect of, say, a couple of miles of single track road ahead, I pull in and let everyone past at the passing places- it helps them and doesn't mess me about and it's appreciated. Being assertive just lets people know what you intend to do so that they can see what you intend to do- positive shoulder checks, positive signing, confident road position but without taking primary when there's no need to.

 

[I like Skol]

If it is the road I am thinking of then it is mostly down hill (hence a decent speed), very limited for pulling in/passing opportunities, and the bit where it is feasible that someone might want to pass after the road flattens out a bit past the sewage works is probably less than half a mile but still tight and bendy. Even if you did pull over to let someone pass you would most likely be in the exact same situation, holding up another car, the moment you set off again at that time in the morning.

The OP is quite right to keep riding on that stretch and make the car/s wait a moment.

 

[ColinJ]

Touch wood I have never been tail gated at speed

I rode down into this dip at 40 mph once. As you can imagine, that produced a lot of wind noise in my ears so I hadn't noticed that some pillock in a big car had accelerated up behind me and was only 6 inches from my back wheel when I turned and looked over my shoulder. I was not impressed ...

 

[I like Skol]

I tailgated and then passed a big Merc E class coupe a couple of weeks ago as I dropped off Holme Moss towards Holmfirth. Passed him just before the hairpins near the bottom as I knew he was going to slow me right down through the good bit

Turning the tables.......

 

[Origamist]

If I was followed by someone that close I'd pull in and let them go- like tractors do [or as they're supposed to do!] No point in flying round blind bends nearly running over things and unable to stop safely in fear of someone behind you... maybe that's just me.

The OP remarked: "I'm riding along a narrow wind-y road no safe opportunity to pass"

 

[Crankarm]

Why didn't the OP just sit up, slow right down and slowly glance behind?

If the driver became lippy, the OP should have slowly come to a stop and politely asked him or her WTF they thought they were doing harassing and trying run down cyclists?

 

[shouldbeinbed]

If it is the road I am thinking of then it is mostly down hill (hence a decent speed), very limited for pulling in/passing opportunities, and the bit where it is feasible that someone might want to pass after the road flattens out a bit past the sewage works is probably less than half a mile but still tight and bendy. Even if you did pull over to let someone pass you would most likely be in the exact same situation, holding up another car, the moment you set off again at that time in the morning.

The OP is quite right to keep riding on that stretch and make the car/s wait a moment.

Exactly the stretch of road and exactly the reasons for keeping them in check, it is dangerous and unsighted to overtake for the majority of it, And there is every chance that I'm going to get pulled in on very abruptly for the next bend, as stupid as they sound, they knew not to overtake as much as I knew not to let them. There is the occasional a******* who wants to play macho but they're all noise and bluster down there. The cat was the scary part, hitting it would have put me into chummys 3 pointy radiator, the wrong line would have made a right mess of me and bike in the metal railings immediately by the carriageway and probably seen the car nose into the railings on the other side.