F*cking Cyclists!

Greetings,

as somebody who commutes 100+ miles a week to work in London on my trusty
slick tyred MTB, this may appear an unusual header. However, I have to
comment on the most bizarre SMIDSY moment I've ever encountered which
happened this morning.

Halfway into my commute to work I only just managed to avoid a fellow
cyclist who shot off the pavement to my left between two parked cars, almost
"T-boning" me, as our American cousins would say. Having swerved to my
right to avoid an impact, and even more quickly to my left to avoid a car, I
was not best pleased.

I followed the other cyclist over a 580 metres (the joys of a Shimano
Flightdeck) to the next red light, noting that not once did they check over
their shoulder when passing parked cars, skips, etc., and also noting their
complete lack of lights and reflectors at 7am on a winter morning, as they
rode their all black bike, dressed from head to toe in black, right up to
the woolly hat.

At the lights I pulled along side them, and in the politest terms I could
muster said, "do you want to get run over? Have you ever thought of some
lights? It would be a good idea on these roads." Can you guess the reply
of the young lady of about 20 to me? "Sorry mate, I didn't see you!"

I did a quick double take of my fluoro jacket, glowing Lumicycles, multiple
Cateye LEDs, Ron Hill Bikester Reflects, and all the Scotchlite on my kit,
pannier, and frame, sighed deeply, and headed off.

Sometimes I can almost, but only almost, sympathise with the cagers.

T.T.F.N.

SPENNY

"Spencer Bullen" wrote in message
news
Greetings,

as somebody who commutes 100+ miles a week to work in London on my trusty
slick tyred MTB, this may appear an unusual header. However, I have to
comment on the most bizarre SMIDSY moment I've ever encountered which
happened this morning.

Halfway into my commute to work I only just managed to avoid a fellow
cyclist who shot off the pavement to my left between two parked cars,
almost
"T-boning" me, as our American cousins would say. Having swerved to my
right to avoid an impact, and even more quickly to my left to avoid a car,
I
was not best pleased.

I followed the other cyclist over a 580 metres (the joys of a Shimano
Flightdeck) to the next red light, noting that not once did they check
over
their shoulder when passing parked cars, skips, etc., and also noting
their
complete lack of lights and reflectors at 7am on a winter morning, as they
rode their all black bike, dressed from head to toe in black, right up to
the woolly hat.

At the lights I pulled along side them, and in the politest terms I could
muster said, "do you want to get run over? Have you ever thought of some
lights? It would be a good idea on these roads." Can you guess the reply
of the young lady of about 20 to me? "Sorry mate, I didn't see you!"

I did a quick double take of my fluoro jacket, glowing Lumicycles,
multiple
Cateye LEDs, Ron Hill Bikester Reflects, and all the Scotchlite on my kit,
pannier, and frame, sighed deeply, and headed off.

Sometimes I can almost, but only almost, sympathise with the cagers.

T.T.F.N.

SPENNY




Natural selection in action....

Don't you just love nature.

"Spencer Bullen" wrote in message
news
Greetings,

as somebody who commutes 100+ miles a week to work in London on my trusty
slick tyred MTB, this may appear an unusual header. However, I have to
comment on the most bizarre SMIDSY moment I've ever encountered which
happened this morning.

Halfway into my commute to work I only just managed to avoid a fellow
cyclist who shot off the pavement to my left between two parked cars,
almost
"T-boning" me, as our American cousins would say. Having swerved to my
right to avoid an impact, and even more quickly to my left to avoid a car,
I
was not best pleased.

I followed the other cyclist over a 580 metres (the joys of a Shimano
Flightdeck) to the next red light, noting that not once did they check
over
their shoulder when passing parked cars, skips, etc., and also noting
their
complete lack of lights and reflectors at 7am on a winter morning, as they
rode their all black bike, dressed from head to toe in black, right up to
the woolly hat.

At the lights I pulled along side them, and in the politest terms I could
muster said, "do you want to get run over? Have you ever thought of some
lights? It would be a good idea on these roads." Can you guess the reply
of the young lady of about 20 to me? "Sorry mate, I didn't see you!"

I did a quick double take of my fluoro jacket, glowing Lumicycles,
multiple
Cateye LEDs, Ron Hill Bikester Reflects, and all the Scotchlite on my kit,
pannier, and frame, sighed deeply, and headed off.

Sometimes I can almost, but only almost, sympathise with the cagers.

looks like they are out inforce today:

Newsgroups: cam.transport
Subject: Bl**dy cyclists! ;-)
Date: Fri, 23 Jan 2004 18:37:08
Today I suffered an interesting misfortune: I was "right hooked" by a
cyclist who thought it was a good idea to turn right from the left-hand
side of Trinity Street without looking for overtaking traffic, signalling
or slowing down noticeably ...

Spencer,

I can sympathise. See the "Bl**dy cyclists!" thread on cam.transport.

I have a theory that I'd like to test: the idiots who do that sort of
thing on bikes are one and the same as the people who do it in cars. Can
anyone back this up (or down)?

DJA



--
Daniel Auger

Please remove "_nospam" from address to reply.

On Fri, 23 Jan 2004, jamie g wrote:

Newsgroups: cam.transport
Subject: Bl**dy cyclists! ;-)
Date: Fri, 23 Jan 2004 18:37:08
Today I suffered an interesting misfortune: I was "right hooked" by a
cyclist who thought it was a good idea to turn right from the left-hand
side of Trinity Street without looking for overtaking traffic, signalling
or slowing down noticeably ...

Well done, you beat me to it. ;-)

You're missing part of the header:

From: Daniel Auger

Fortunately nobody was hurt and damage to my bike is probably no more than
the cost of his.

--
Daniel Auger

Please remove "_nospam" from address to reply.

"Spencer Bullen" wrote in message ...
Greetings,
snipped
I followed the other cyclist over a 580 metres (the joys of a Shimano
Flightdeck) to the next red light, noting that not once did they check over
their shoulder when passing parked cars, skips, etc., and also noting their
complete lack of lights and reflectors at 7am on a winter morning, as they
rode their all black bike, dressed from head to toe in black, right up to
the woolly hat.


At these moments I console myself with the thought that if you remove
accidents involving these stealth cyclists (along with cyclists who
get "doored" due to incorrect road positioning) from the accident
stats urban cycling is fairly safe. With or without helmets.
Iain

"Spencer Bullen" wrote in message ...
Greetings,

as somebody who commutes 100+ miles a week to work in London on my trusty
slick tyred MTB, this may appear an unusual header. However, I have to
comment on the most bizarre SMIDSY moment I've ever encountered which
happened this morning.

Halfway into my commute to work I only just managed to avoid a fellow
cyclist who shot off the pavement to my left between two parked cars, almost
"T-boning" me, as our American cousins would say. Having swerved to my
right to avoid an impact, and even more quickly to my left to avoid a car, I
was not best pleased.

I followed the other cyclist over a 580 metres (the joys of a Shimano
Flightdeck) to the next red light, noting that not once did they check over
their shoulder when passing parked cars, skips, etc., and also noting their
complete lack of lights and reflectors at 7am on a winter morning, as they
rode their all black bike, dressed from head to toe in black, right up to
the woolly hat.

At the lights I pulled along side them, and in the politest terms I could
muster said, "do you want to get run over? Have you ever thought of some
lights? It would be a good idea on these roads." Can you guess the reply
of the young lady of about 20 to me? "Sorry mate, I didn't see you!"

I did a quick double take of my fluoro jacket, glowing Lumicycles, multiple
Cateye LEDs, Ron Hill Bikester Reflects, and all the Scotchlite on my kit,
pannier, and frame, sighed deeply, and headed off.

Sometimes I can almost, but only almost, sympathise with the cagers.

T.T.F.N.

SPENNY

Where would the UK organ donor program be without these 'donors'? Just
think what good condition the organs will be in with all that aerobic
exercise, at the time of donation!

In message c.uk,
Daniel Auger writes

I have a theory that I'd like to test: the idiots who do that sort of
thing on bikes are one and the same as the people who do it in cars. Can
anyone back this up (or down)?

One idiot cycling on a narrow section of pavement along Wandsworth
Bridge Road this afternoon narrowly avoided me, but his handlebars hit
the arm of my friend, who was walking just behind me, then he nearly
collided with a couple wheeling their kid in a stroller. My friend told
him to watch where he was going and the couple also said something to
the effect that he should be using the road rather than the pavement.

The guy, I'd guess in his mid-20s, stopped a few yards back and
unleashed a torrent of abuse, including 'fxxxing piece of white ****'.

He was clearly in the wrong but obviously wasn't prepared to be
challenged about it.

--
congokid
Good restaurants in London? Number one on Google
http://congokid.com

"Spencer Bullen" wrote in message
news
snipped story of irresponsible pavement cyclist

I had a similar experience some time ago when cycling through a village one
morning.
I saw a paper boy riding on the pavement and correctly assumed he may drop
of the kerb onto the road without looking, so was prepared when he did so
and left space.
Unfortunately I didn't assume he'd then ride diagonally across the road
without looking so when he did so sudden evasive action was neccessary which
put me a few inches to his right. As I lightly made contact to wake him up I
merely said "if I was a car you'd probably be dead now", he looked shocked
but hopefully it's a lesson he'll remember.

More worrying was the adult **** approaching from the opposite direction on
the track around Rutland water a couple of weeks ago.
At that point the track was straight, flat and quite wide so I stuck to my
LHS but he approached on the same side. Thinking that he was an adult used
to using roads he'd stick to convention and move to his LHS but he didn't,
he headed straight at me and I decided that to avoid ambiguity I wouldn't
move as we could end up both moving at the last minute and collide.
His evasive action? To mount the grass on my LHS and pass that way even
though we were the only two people using the track.
Frightening to think he may also drive.


--
Pete

On Fri, 23 Jan 2004 22:32:10 -0000, "Spencer Bullen"
wrote:

Halfway into my commute to work I only just managed to avoid a fellow
cyclist who shot off the pavement to my left between two parked cars, almost
"T-boning" me, as our American cousins would say. Having swerved to my
right to avoid an impact, and even more quickly to my left to avoid a car, I
was not best pleased.

How I hate those. I've had a few close calls with pavement cyclists
suddenly swerving into the road. They never seem to look. When I was a
child you almost never saw anyone over the age of about 6 riding on
the pavement. I think pavement cyclists are now in the majority, at
least round my way. At night they're almost always unlit. I suppose
the rationale is "I'm only on the pavement so I obviously don't need
lights". The problem is only going to get worse until the police start
getting heavy with pavement cyclists, unlit cyclists, and red light
runners. If we want to be treated as vehicles we need to behave as
vehicles.

--
Dave...