LCpl Boiled Egg
Three word soundbite
It's the fairweather cyclists in their cars. They're jealous that the rest of us are so hardcore.
Flashing the headlights has no other legal meaning than "I am here", but you already knew that. they were there.On the way back from work there's a dead straight narrow residential road, right hand side (ie, my side, in Germany remember?) is free, left hand side full of parked cars. Small gap about halfway down, visible all the way along.
So I'm riding along my side of this rather narrow road, and a BMW approaches the other end. She can see me clearly: It's daylight and I've got a light on. He pauses at the end but then comes to the conclusion I'll evaporate or something and starts driving towards me.
I'm used to thinking for drivers so I stop opposite the only gap she can pull into to get around me and wait.
Driver stops about 20m in front of me.
I wait a bit.
Driver flashes headlights in the mistaken belief that either 1: I havent noticed the car in front of me or 2: they are in fact death rays and I'll vanish in a puff of smoke.
I wave and smile.
Apparanently flummoxed by this turn of events, the passenger opens the door as far as it will go with the parked cars and asks what I'm doing.
Playing dumb, I smile and point at the gap opposite me and ask "Didn't you want to pull in there?"
"Oh, gosh there's a gap..." Car edges forward and pulls onto their side of the road I nod encouragingly and give a thumbs up as the road in front clears.
Driver scowls.
I wave and ride off up the hill...
Yup, self-declared nutter...Dangerous bampot.
I only got a couple of incidents on the road this summer. Both tourists. One in an open top sports job & the other predictably a 4x4.
Worse was when I cycled a couple of miles to visit friends. A distant relative was there who was a lorry driver. He quickly started telling me he hated cyclists and if I got in front of his 44 tonnes I would soon learn my place if I got in his way etc. My host was a bit concerned and was mouthing behind him telling me to back off since he was aware I do not suffer such people peacefully. I left before the fisticuffs started.
This was quite unprovoked other than that I arrived by bike. Dangerous bampot.
I only got a couple of incidents on the road this summer. Both tourists. One in an open top sports job & the other predictably a 4x4.
Worse was when I cycled a couple of miles to visit friends. A distant relative was there who was a lorry driver. He quickly started telling me he hated cyclists and if I got in front of his 44 tonnes I would soon learn my place if I got in his way etc. My host was a bit concerned and was mouthing behind him telling me to back off since he was aware I do not suffer such people peacefully. I left before the fisticuffs started.
This was quite unprovoked other than that I arrived by bike. Dangerous bampot.
Pick the bottle up, catch up with the vehicle it came from, returning it back through the window whilst reminding them littering is an offence which carries a fine.I have noticed this happens in clusters like others have said, nothing for ages then a host of random abuse.
In each instance my guilt seems to be I was using a bike, worst instance was a coke bottle with what looked like urine in it being thrown at me.
I have stopped reacting back as you can’t sway these peoples minds, they have made a judgement and will stick with it, and too many nut jobs around.
When a guy told me earlier this week to get a rear light or he will run me other I did retort better go to spec savers but that was all.
If you get kids cruising around with their mates they will throw abuse to look big, I now avoid Friday night cycling as all the crazies come out.
Pick the bottle up, catch up with the vehicle it came from, returning it back through the window whilst reminding them littering is an offence which carries a fine.
Returned a disposable nappy thrown out the window at me. Warm day, so I'd no need to tap on the window, before returning their property and riding off.
Most drivers wait when the obstruction is on their side of the road, so this is what I expected this lady to do. Silly me !
It happens fairly regularly on this road, and I have now learnt my proper place and doff my cap whilst waiting.
I get people do this to me when on 2 wheels or 4, I think the issue is many people just:
A) Don't care.
B) Are so focused on what they're doing, that what happens outside their tin box doesn't compute.
During my partial commute on Tuesday I had stopped while on the bike at a zebra crossing as people were waiting to cross, in the time I had stopped 3-4 cars drove through the crossing totally oblivious to those attempting to cross the road..
My wife has been narrowly missed several times on a particular crossing here in Tavistock. By police cars...in the time I had stopped 3-4 cars drove through the crossing totally oblivious to those attempting to cross the road..
Yes - but we get this less when driving a Honda CR-V than when driving a Hyundai i10.. seems to be plain old bullying.