I've been toying with this post for some time. For the last 4 weeks i've been back to cycling to work 5 days a week which, in some respects, is great. In others, it is not. Where i used to cycle 2-3 times a week and come up against the occasional idiot on the road I find myself saturated in idiocy due to the increased volume of travelling.
Here are some of my highlights. Hey, we could play this like a Michelin I-Spy book - tick off the ones you've experienced:
Any additions to these tosspots on your travels?
Here are some of my highlights. Hey, we could play this like a Michelin I-Spy book - tick off the ones you've experienced:
- Driver overtaking whilst overtaking parked cars, meets car on other side of road, immediately brakes. I stop myself from hitting his rear bumper by using my hands on his car. Too. Close.
- Driver overtakes on a right hand blind bend, meets car on other side of road, nips back in. I end up bracing myself for impact on the kerb. Too. Damn. Close.
- The left hook. Driver overtakes me then immediately brakes and turns left across me into parking space. Once stopped i remonstrate with him, he advises me that 'according to the highway code, cyclists must obey car users'. How stupid of me! I had forgotten this!
- The Chip-on-the-shoulder cyclist. Late home from work one night I start to gun it down my usual route. Need to catch up time. See a succession of cyclists (spaced out on the road) down the way. They are travelling slower than me, so i give them berth and overtake. Last one bellows something unintelligible at me. I continue on. 5 minutes later I sense a bike behind me. Yep. That guy who just shouted. "I could do this all day!" he shouts. "I'm 45 years old and on a mountain bike, you're aero bars on your bike can't help against pure fitness!" he adds. Awesome. I've an arse on my rear wheel with a chip on his shoulder. Now, I slowed down to avoid a confrontation and we chatted. He turns out to be an alright guy, but getting burned made him assume i was on for a race. I was not. I was simply trying to get home quickly. We chatted for most of the way home. Kept pace. I got home faster than i normally would have.
- The pinch-point bandits. It's a pinch point, i move to primary. You drive up the inside of me and slow down. Because slowing down makes it ok to be so close my fingertips touch your wing mirrors.
- The poor judge of speed. I am travelling on the road at 25mph+ you are at a junction. Yes, I am a cyclist. No, that does not mean pull out of the junction into my path. Too. Damn. Close.
- The shared-use path Nazi. Part of my route is on a shared use path. That's fine, i give peds distance and berth and always ring my bell coming up behind them. With thanks to the 70 year old lady who insisted not only was i travelling too fast but the best way to slow me down was to deliberately step into my path to tell me so. We both almost died. Congratulations.
Any additions to these tosspots on your travels?
