Sorry for this, I am VERY annoyed!

[GetAGrip]

As I have said before, I understand everyones comments and am taking everything on board but it is a lot different to say something on here than to actually do it when out on the roads.

I have already altered my route to avoid going through the bad end of Rhyl (and to get more miles in) after incuring a lot of anti-cyclist behaviour in the summer. By no means am I going to give up cycling even if the whole population of cyclists is against me. I enjoy cycling and hate it when someone disrupts my day like this.
What makes it worse is when I come on here and look for positive advice, but I get the usual bombardment of abuse and negative comments from people who have got nothing better to say.

Matthew, I don't think you realise just how much people seem to have taken you into their hearts on this forum! If so, you would also realise that far from being abusive and negative in their comments, posters may be exhibiting increased fustration in their posts, because, like me, others just want you and all cyclists to stay safe on the road.
Can I suggest you take some time and just read back over some of the threads you have started recently, then take on board the POSITIVE advice given by most others and when out on your bike and stay focused, stay safe but also ENJOY your ride!! .

 

[Dan_h]

As I have said before, I understand everyones comments and am taking everything on board but it is a lot different to say something on here than to actually do it when out on the roads.

I have already altered my route to avoid going through the bad end of Rhyl (and to get more miles in) after incuring a lot of anti-cyclist behaviour in the summer. By no means am I going to give up cycling even if the whole population of cyclists is against me. I enjoy cycling and hate it when someone disrupts my day like this.
What makes it worse is when I come on here and look for positive advice, but I get the usual bombardment of abuse and negative comments from people who have got nothing better to say.

Matthew, I don't think the whole population of cyclists are against you. I certainly am not and I hope that it does not come across that I am. I think in general everyone is trying to be supportive. Due to the many years of experience that people on this forum have of the kind of incidents that you are encountering the best advice is to let it go and not try to chase down and talk to the drivers.

By talking to the drivers you are effectively turning what is a minor irritation (the initial close pass in this case) into a much longer interaction that ends up with you having your day ruined by being told to f-off by the driver. We all have these irritations when using the roads, I still get wound up when I am cycling and someone does something that is dumb or thoughtless, however the trick is to not let a minor incident on the road become a day ruining event.

Also I think there is real concern on here for your safety. Whenever I see people chasing cars to confront them it makes me nervous. Yes we all shout sometimes in surprise or anger when we encounter fools on the road but generally drivers don't pay much attention to that. However you make it a bit more personal when you pull up to their door to have a word with them. However calm and polite you are people often react very badly to criticism. As has been said before you do not know who is driving the car. There are very aggressive people out there who will think nothing of giving the irritating cyclist (as they see it) a smack in the mouth. Gaz had a video of a car who slammed on his brakes after a close overtake got out and looked like he was going to hit him for a minute basically for being in primary... imagine what someone like him would do if you did something he took really personally!

In short I think that most of the people on here just hope that you can find a way to stop getting wound up by the actions of other road users before you either get hurt or give up cycling or both!

 

[MrHappyCyclist]

I think a lot of the frustration with these idiots is caused by the feeling that there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. I tend to shrug off incidents that a year ago would have got me very annoyed, simply because I have got used to them (which I think is worrying in itself), but I still get seriously pissed off at least two or three times a week. I am sure that if we had something like Roadsafe here, I would find it a lot easier to stay calm, knowing that I will be able to report them with a good chance of something being done about it. I've written to our Police authority about this, but I haven't had even an acknowledgement, and am not holding my breath waiting.

 

[fossyant]

We were all 17 once, so do understand - takes maturity to calm down. I rode home with a big lad (6 foot plus) a few weeks back - he was 17 ish, but he was far more aggressive/unpredictable in traffic than I was, and where I passed a van without trouble, he ended in a slanging match with the driver.

It's all about experience. The riders in the local clubs will have loads of experience - they won't ride in Rhyl as it's crap for cycling. I'm a regular visitor, and when training, I've always avoided Rhyl, and used the back roads to get passed it - you aren't going to get quality training riding through the town centre.

Plenty of nice areas to get cycling round there - just pick better/alternative routes where you get a good work out, and less traffic.

 

[fossyant]

Most of my riding is commuting, but I avoid the congested areas as much as is possible. On training rides, I tend to avoid riding through the centre of local villages - i.e. pick roads where you aren't going to end up in a traffic queue, or 'shoppers' wandering about the road. Route planning is the key to a good ride.

 

[addictfreak]

Ditch the camera, and ride your bike! If I complained about and chased down every vehicle that passed me too close, I would never get to work!

 

[MissTillyFlop]

I encounter quite a few idiots when cycling in London. It is difficult to remain calm some times. But I try to limit it to one hand gesture a month and the rest of them I just put down to being frustrated because they don't have any genitals, BO and live with their mum even though she died several years ago.

 

[Dan_h]

I encounter quite a few idiots when cycling in London. It is difficult to remain calm some times. But I try to limit it to one hand gesture a month and the rest of them I just put down to being frustrated because they don't have any genitals, BO and live with their mum even though she died several years ago.

Thanks for that, I almost covered my laptop with my coffee!!

 

[Andrew_P]

Ditch the camera, and ride your bike! If I complained about and chased down every vehicle that passed me too close, I would never get to work!

+1 The other factor is that I still have a clear memory of the first few rides on busy roads and how vulnerable I felt, cars and lorries seemed really close, maybe this is playing a part. What seemed like close passes 18 months ago go without notice now.

 

[tyred]

I used to very prone to getting wound up by anyone who annoyed me, on the road or anywhere else.

Now I just think fark them and forget it. Getting wound up only stresses you out, nobody else, life is too short. It is most unlikely that any car driver is trying to hit you. They may make mis-judgements, they may do things out of ignorance or general stupidity but it's not intentional. If you keep chasing them down, someday, you may push some nutcase over the edge and he/she will try to do you harm.

It is not worth it.

 

[Arjimlad]

The word "cockwomble" has entered my mental vocabulary on such occasions, thanks to an earlier post on this very site.

I find it defuses the anger rather well, because it also makes me laugh. Happy Christmas everyone - even cockwombles !

 

[400bhp]

..... It is most unlikely that any car driver is trying to hit you. ....

It is not worth it.

If taken literally you are correct - however there is a sizeable minority that choose to do a punishment pass, i.e. getting as close to you as they can, without making contact, but attempting to make some point or other,

 

[400bhp]

Most of my riding is commuting, but I avoid the congested areas as much as is possible. On training rides, I tend to avoid riding through the centre of local villages - i.e. pick roads where you aren't going to end up in a traffic queue, or 'shoppers' wandering about the road. Route planning is the key to a good ride.

Listen to Fossyant, he makes sense.

Old people do have a purpose you know - even if it is just to get young people into old age.

 

[GM]

Matthew, I don't think you realise just how much people seem to have taken you into their hearts on this forum! If so, you would also realise that far from being abusive and negative in their comments, posters may be exhibiting increased fustration in their posts, because, like me, others just want you and all cyclists to stay safe on the road.
Can I suggest you take some time and just read back over some of the threads you have started recently, then take on board the POSITIVE advice given by most others and when out on your bike and stay focused, stay safe but also ENJOY your ride!! .

+1

 

[GrumpyGregry]

1. It is sometimes very satisfying to have a row with an idiot. I've been known to chase them down occasionally just to have the row.
2. If you start a row, you have to be prepared for it to end very badly for one of the parties. The only time a guy took me up on my offer to get out of his car, he quickly changed his mind. I've never had anyone try to run into me afterwards either but it does happen. Maybe I'm lucky.

2011 was the year I decided to stop doing 1. 2 only happened once this year, the guy got out to discover he was a foot shorter and several stones lighter and, despite his rage, not even half as angry as I was making out I was. (I called on my inner 'berserker')
I concluded I have been, indeed, lucky.
I've decided to stop riding my luck.
Luck always runs out.

As to the OP: We have a bridge like that one just a hundred metres from my house. The only answer is to go flat-out and block the lane in a super-exagerated-I-am-a-rolling-road-block primary with lots of Armstrong vs Ulrich style looking daggers over your shoulder at the lead vehicle.

At such pinch points do not give them any space to even think about attempting the overtake. Own your bit of the road. Dominate it. Then let them past to hit the traffic as soon as you can.