Still a bit shaken

[Bigtallfatbloke]

I an embarrassed to admit that I havent ridden since being attacked by that white van driver the other day. To be honest it did shake me up a lot. The thought that at any given moment a homicidal maniac like him could be right behind me intent on killing me is scary to say the least.

I know I mustn't let him 'win', I am sure his intentions were to scare the crap out of me and remove anothe rcyclist from 'his' road.

I will go out tomorrow and can only hope that this (and other **** wits) leave me alone.

 

[Keith Oates]

As you say Bigfella, don't let them beat you. Go out tomorrow and enjoy the ride and things should be back to normal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[fossyant]

Go out and kick ass !

 

[graham56]

Stick with it big man. Same thing happened to me and i felt like throwing the towel in, but after posting on the old C+ forum i got so much support and encouragement from other forum members i just had to get back out on the road. Don`t let the ba$tard$ get to you, i`m sure you can rise above them. Good luck next time out.

 

[beanzontoast]

I know some say we should stress that cycling isn't dangerous, because to do otherwise puts people off, but experience shows that there are dangers - and the attitude of other road users is one of them. I doubt anyone can cycle for a long time without coming across someone who acts aggressively towards them.

Only you can know when you feel confident, but I really hope you do get back to thinking of cycling as a great thing to do.

 

[Odyssey]

Push it out of your mind and get back out there or sit at home and live in fear. Those are your choices.

Everyone gets shaken up to varying degrees when they are attacked, either verbally or physically and the trauma can get to you a bit. Best thing you can do is climb back up and keep doing what you always do. You'll soon begin to feel better if you do that. Otherwise you'll continue to feel worse if you sit at home and dwell on it.

 

[tdr1nka]

BTFB, I stopped riding for 5 years after an bizarre run of incidents which culminated in being chased for over an hour, by a driver in a Volvo.

I know your feelings only too well, and second beanzontoast viz confidence.
Just don't forget how much fun cycling can be!

 

[Abitrary]

Remember that a D-lock is more than just a lock.

 

[buggi]

BTFB, I stopped riding for 5 years after an bizarre run of incidents which culminated in being chased for over an hour, by a driver in a Volvo.

an hour!!!!!

Remember that a D-lock is more than just a lock.

when i had my run in with the Aston Martin driver who tried to run me over we discussed various things that could be used as weapons.

CO2 cartridges can give a nasty coldburn. i always keep mine in my pocket now.

those really loud noisy personal attack alarms (the one's with the cord that you pull out to set them off) make an excellent "hand grenade". Pull the cord and throw your new grenade into the back of the van/car. will give you enough time to get away while you deafen the driver in their confined space.

pumps make a great baton.

if you really feel nervous have you not got someone you can go out with the first time? don't let this w@nker win big fella.

Besides some of the usual w@nkers i have the pleasure to come accross, one time i had someone stalk me! i was riding along and i passed a parked car with someone in the drivers seat. we made eye contact in his wing mirror. thought nothing of it, until the same thing happened again a mile down the road. i thought "i'm sure i've just seen him". sure enough half a mile down the road there he was again. god knows how long he had been following me but he carried on following me for another 4 mile. he basically was waiting for me to cycle past then driving a bit further up the road and stopping to wait for me. eventually i stopped about 50 yards in front of him, turned round and made eye contact so he knew i knew. he took off down a side road and i just knew he was gonna reappear further up the road. yep he did, but this time i was waiting with the cops on the phone and gave his reg humber. once he saw me on the phone he took off, but typically the cops never reported back to me.

if i had let him and everyone i had a run in get to me i would not be riding now, sitting at home getting fat and miserable. get back on the horse big fella.

 

[Pete]

Please don't lose heart BTFB, think of this as a one-off. When you do bring yourself to get out there again on the bike, take note of all the 99% of decent drivers out there (white van drivers amongst them!) who give you plenty of room and treat you as a road user.

 

[Zoiders]

I caught a transit van full of pikeys stalking me on one dark and rainy night

I had just finished half of an effing big climb to to the top of the hill where I lived, I was in the town centre, it was empty, the roads were empty, about 10 at night on a sunday

A sliver transit had been following me for about 300 metres, it was about 30 metres behind me crawling along, I only noticed because of a flicker from the head lights, I looked behind a few times and they were still following, I pulled off the road sharpish and got my back to a wall, reached for the phone and the motorbike chain style lock I had, they then sped up and buggered off, 3 sets of pikey eyes watching me as they did. They were definately up to no good as they could have overtaken me at any time, plus they were holding back and keeping the revs low so I wouldnt hear them, I think a mugging for the bike may have been the plan, knock me off and then chuck it in the back of the van. Standing your ground off the road and making them aware that you have pinged them does the job in most cases. Most thieves want an easy target who doesnt see it coming.

 

[Joe24]

Get back on that bike, dont let this guy try and get the better of you.

Worst thing i did when canoeing was one i had a slight accident and i ended up trapped in my boat, upside down the white water course not being able to get out. When i did get out i was fine. When i walked down to a more quieter spot to get in i just stopped and found it hard to get back on. When i did get back on i was scared so much that the boat and my dream of becoming an amazing C1 paddler went, and i ended up not using the boat for about a year. I did manage to get back on and do it again, but i left it too long and just didnt have any motorvation to carry on. There was also the bit of fear in the back of my head that it would happen again.
So take it easy, and give it a go. When you do go relax, or do what i did in my canoe and get yourself ready in your head before, then just go for it fast as you can.

 

[Shaun]

Take it steady, and stay close to home. If your nerves get the better of you, it's a quick and easy ride home.

If it helps, go out with a mate or family member for some company to distract you from any bad thoughts.

Work on it at your own pace, and you'll likely be back to normal again sooner than you expect.

Don't be beaten though; you are still shaken-up, but it will get better over time, and you WILL enjoy your cycling again ...

Good luck,
Shaun

 

[EmGee DK]

Its scary to read about the bad experiences some of you have had. I am fortunate enough to live where most major roads have bike paths. And most minor roads up here are pretty much traffic- and idiot free. However since God granted us this, he showed a wicked sense of humor and made sure that a gale force headwind is included in the package.

 

[Zoiders]

I tend to avoid cycle paths around here as they are well away from the roads and go through the kind of places reserved for cottaging, soliciting and dumping the bodies of dead prostitutes, one route is in a park where 30 percent of violent crime in the entire county of Staffordshire takes place, a cycle lane that runs through a wood, the chavs lay in wait and ambush people, they have had to put fences up to stop it