Yelling at a Cyclist

One of my favorite BTers' husband told me once... there are "cyclists" and there are "dudes on bikes." Big difference. 

If it was truly a "cyclist" I might have said something if given the opportunity at a stoplight or something. But just a "dude on a bike" nope. Maybe "traffic goes this way" or something, but not worth it to start an argument.

I've done worse.  My wife and I were walking across a cross walk to go surf and these two lunatics just blow through the stop sign (as in, full on racing mode) and almost hit her (by almost I mean she moved her board just in time out of their way, but was almost knocked over by the momentum).  I turn into a full on caveman and take off after them.  Somehow there is a rock in my hand and I chuck it at them.  Completely miss but it got one of the guy's attention.  He and his buddy turn around (we were across the street by the time they got back, obviously).

Cyclist comes up to me and says "WTF?  Why are you throwing rocks?  You can get us killed!"  I flip out and start screaming at him incoherently (I'm sure) - as I'm boiling over with rage and ready to hulk up on these two .  Then an officer on a motorcycle pulls up (I thought it was due to me making a scene) and tells me and my wife to go to the beach and starts writing these guys a ticket.  Apparently, he was following them on their ride and watching them run light after light, stop sign after sign.

*shrugs*

Happens all the time though.  WAAAAAAAAAAY too often.  I flip flop -  I can see why a cyclist would run a stop sign/red light if there aren't any cars on the road.  I do it all the time.  I can see why a group would take up an entire car lane if there was no traffic on the road or only the occasional car.  It's when these habits become the norm and not the exception that problems start.

I don't mind letting someone know when I'm pissed.  Especially when they're in the wrong.  Then again, and this might sound like I'm Lt Col Badass (although I definitely don't want it to), but I've never been one to shy away from a fight either.  

I can hear him now "REAL Cyclists Run Lights.  It's cool to run lights.  Then we drink and drive, don't wear out seatbelt, talk on our cell phone in an airplane, and drop acid."  Good for you standing-up to your friend.  Maybe your comments will ring in his subconscious the next time and at the least save him from another ticket.

Can I add Yelling at Runners on this thread? 

I almost hit this doofus this morning as I've almost hit a doofus almost every morning that I ride on Ocean Drive.  The formula is always the same the runner: 1) doesn't have a flashing device on their person, 2) is wearing a black running outfit, and 3) has no intention of jumping out of the bike lane and onto the road/sidewalk as I'm barrelling toward them. 

I started wearing one of those high-power headlamps on full bright in-addition to the bike headlight so I can try to see these doofuses (doofusi? doofussen?) and the guy this morning still didn't see me or make a move to get out of the bike lane until he was almost on-top of me.  I want to get a bunch of those little flasher lights and start pinging these people in the head with them as I ride by and say "Save us both a trip to the emergency room, wear this!"

A couple of weeks ago I was driving a loaded horse trailer and came upon a long line of cyclists, most on tri bikes although I didn't see anyone I knew. I passed as many as I could on a straight piece of road, but had to pull back in to a gap about half way along the line before we got close to a corner. The rig is about 40ft long, so it takes a lot of space to pass someone doing 15-20 mph.

The guy in front of me is clearly struggling and the lady behind him is catching up (therefore catching me). As we get towards the end of the twisty section I look in my left mirror, and she is trying to pass me on the left in travel lane for traffic going the opposite direction! I flipped on my left turn signal to make the turn I needed and she was smart enough to drop back out the way, but how did she think that was appropriate behavior? I understand I was going slowly, it would frustrate me in the same situation, but I WAS behind someone from her group!!

In the same rig, I got stuck behind two cyclists going side by side because the rig won't fit on one side of the yellow line - even if I pass with my left wheels in the dirt I would've taken one of them out. They went for about a mile before I reached somewhere the road was wide enough for me to pass.

Normally I don't mind getting stuck behind cyclists with the trailer - I just sit well back and wait, it's one of the perils of driving a large vehicle - but some put themselves in danger and cause needless bad feeling by being ignorant or arrogant.

John

It's not my job to police the world of cyclists or be an ambassedor, except by leading by example.

Do you think that cyclists that are so blantently reckless will change because you gave them a lecture?  Reform?  No, MOST LIKELY, they will say something inflamitory back, and the situation just escalates.

A word or two, from another cyclist on a bike, when at a stop, delivered in a calm mannor MAY work, but if you lecture a cyclist from a car, the chances it escalates is probably even higher.

Again, D-bags are going to be D-bags.  It's in their DNA.  Trying to reason with them that they "give all cyclists" a bad name?  Won't work.  They probably even take pride in being the rebel.

I agree, and wanted to add that yelling out in these situations most always puts someone on the defensive. Not just the full-time d-bags, but also otherwise decent people who just made a mistake.

I guess that makes you just a dude on a bike.

DanielG - 2012-05-09 11:08 AM

PeteDin206 - 2012-05-09 11:45 AM My comment from the LEFT!! post: 2 weeks ago I did a 53 mile ride on a multi-use path

There's the problem 100 yard long pocket fisherman leashes and five abreast chatty Cathies who are doing about 9 MPH have made me only use the road even when there's a MUP available.

^^^ like^^^ especially when chatty Cathies ring their bell at you after you pass!

Should change your name to SurfingWolf.

I try to be a pragmatist on this one.

I have never seen verbally pointing out to a stupid anal sphincter that they are being a stupid anal sphincter (SAS for short) actually make them less of an SAS.

I have however seen it increase their SAS-iness.

So I see no upside, and plenty of downside for the effort = not worth the effort.

Some guy on a mountain bike did that to my wife and me a few months ago...only he was in the traffic lane--our lane--coming right at us, playing chicken.  I had to swerve into another lane to avoid him.  He was looking right at me as he approached, definitely deliberate

So I pulled a u-turn, chased him down and cut him off with my car.  Both my wife and I got out of the car to confront him about his recklessness.  We started out by pointing out that we both were cyclists and didn't appreciate his riding and the hazard he'd created.  He told me to go eff myself.  Obviously with both of us there, he wasn't going to win a physical confrontation, but basically we just ultimately shook our heads and drove off.

That was the worst example, but I see terrible riding out there almost every day, whether I'm driving or riding myself.

Had a similar situation in Chicago last weekend. I had just turned onto a busy street in the right of two lanes, and all of a sudden there is a hipster/bike messenger coming right at me and there is a car to my left and there is no bike lane/shoulder/parking lane. I honked at him, slammed on my brakes and barely had enough time after the cars on the left passed to get over to give him room to get by - he never stopped pedaling. I also pointed to the other side of the road to indicate he should be going with traffic. After I got around him I saw that he had turned around and was gunning after me (while flipping me the bird). He gave up on catching me after a few blocks...