Own Worst Enemy

"Peter Taylor" wrote in message
...
It is not necessarily only car drivers who are at fault.

On Sunday, driving along some local lanes having picked up my daughter
from
a sleepover, we came up behind a group of cyclists - perhaps 20 or so
riding
in a group.

I hung back maybe 50 yards as the lane was quite narrow. The rear marker
kept looking round, as did a number of others so they were well aware that
I
was there.

After a mile or two at 10 mph, the road widened. Instead of allowing me to
pass, they continued, this time riding 4 abreast. After 10 minutes of
following them , I gave a very short blip on the horn. The response was a
couple of "fingers" from the group.

This carried on for another three or four miles, until the group strung
out
on a steepish hill. I managed, eventually and very very carefully to get
past them. One swore - pretty obscenly - at me as we went past -
certainly
not words I want my young daughter to hear.

To be frank, I was appalled. I am ALWAYS careful of cyclists and riders -
giving plenty of room. I am sympathetic to the predicament of cyclists
especially on the roads in this country, and it will not affect my
attitude
in the future. But this sort of deliberate confrontation is pointless,
stupid and dangerous, and does not help relations between car drivers and
cyclists. I am not quite sure what it was all about, but it was pretty
unpleasant. This lot were all middle aged and clearly dressed for
cycling -
shorts, various "team" jerseys and pretty expensive looking bikes.

And for the record, I am a cyclist myself. Not fanatical but I cover 5K -
6K per year in the UK and France and have does so for years, including
some
reasonably long distance trips.

Any thoughts on this?

Several.

1. 5-6k (miles or km) puts you into serious verging on pretty fanatical
IMO.

2. Roadies doing 10 MPH?

3. Where, when and which club? If they could be identified I suspect
they would get an earful from various people here.

4. Description of the bikes? (Road, MTB, muddy, clean)

5. How close did you have to pass them? Especially the ones that swore
most valuably?


Sorry to be a suspicious old fart but there are sufficient inconsistencies
in your tale to make me Troll aware. While I have been out with a group
that has purposely held cars back for a short period of time (due to the
dangerous nature of the road), I have never known a properly constituted
group do so for longer than strictly necessary for their own or others
safety.

There is something not quite right about your description.

T

It is not necessarily only car drivers who are at fault.

On Sunday, driving along some local lanes having picked up my daughter from
a sleepover, we came up behind a group of cyclists - perhaps 20 or so riding
in a group.

I hung back maybe 50 yards as the lane was quite narrow. The rear marker
kept looking round, as did a number of others so they were well aware that I
was there.

After a mile or two at 10 mph, the road widened. Instead of allowing me to
pass, they continued, this time riding 4 abreast. After 10 minutes of
following them , I gave a very short blip on the horn. The response was a
couple of "fingers" from the group.

This carried on for another three or four miles, until the group strung out
on a steepish hill. I managed, eventually and very very carefully to get
past them. One swore - pretty obscenly - at me as we went past - certainly
not words I want my young daughter to hear.

To be frank, I was appalled. I am ALWAYS careful of cyclists and riders -
giving plenty of room. I am sympathetic to the predicament of cyclists
especially on the roads in this country, and it will not affect my attitude
in the future. But this sort of deliberate confrontation is pointless,
stupid and dangerous, and does not help relations between car drivers and
cyclists. I am not quite sure what it was all about, but it was pretty
unpleasant. This lot were all middle aged and clearly dressed for cycling -
shorts, various "team" jerseys and pretty expensive looking bikes.

And for the record, I am a cyclist myself. Not fanatical but I cover 5K -
6K per year in the UK and France and have does so for years, including some
reasonably long distance trips.

Any thoughts on this?

Peter Taylor

In message , Peter Taylor
writes
It is not necessarily only car drivers who are at fault.

On Sunday, driving along some local lanes having picked up my daughter from
a sleepover, we came up behind a group of cyclists - perhaps 20 or so riding
in a group.

Snipped story about offensive cyclists.

Any thoughts on this?

Peter Taylor

Could you tell what club they were from? Where were you and at what
time? Perhaps someone from this NG was there.
--
Michael MacClancy

www.macclancy.demon.co.uk

Peter Taylor wrote:
It is not necessarily only car drivers who are at fault.
snip
Any thoughts on this?

You get ******* on/in any form of transport, and you also get
considerate users on/in any form of transport. I have a hearty dislike
of the sort of fool you describe encountering, because they give *me* a
bad name as a cyclist.

Whether I'm in a car or on a bike I try and show apposite courtesy to
all other road users. That courtesy is usually repaid, but if someone's
duty-neuron is fully occupied with being a dickhead there's not much
will get through to them :-(

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

On Mon, 11 Aug 2003 14:40:58 +0000 (UTC), "Peter Taylor"
wrote:

Any thoughts on this?


They perhaps felt that 50 yards was too far back and that you weren't
making a proper effort to overtake (whatever a proper effort is).

No need for the swearing, though.

James

--
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/c.butty/Larrau.jpg

Dan wrote:

On Mon, 11 Aug 2003 14:40:58 +0000 (UTC), "Peter Taylor"
wrote:

It is not necessarily only car drivers who are at fault.

On Sunday, driving along some local lanes having picked up my daughter from
a sleepover, we came up behind a group of cyclists - perhaps 20 or so riding
in a group.

I hung back maybe 50 yards as the lane was quite narrow. The rear marker
kept looking round, as did a number of others so they were well aware that I
was there.

After a mile or two at 10 mph, the road widened. Instead of allowing me to
pass, they continued, this time riding 4 abreast.

This carried on for another three or four miles, until the group strung out
on a steepish hill. I managed, eventually and very very carefully to get
past them. One swore - pretty obscenly - at me as we went past - certainly
not words I want my young daughter to hear.

To be frank, I was appalled.

Any thoughts on this?

Roadies. EPO does this to their social skills.

Had a similar experience not long ago at a great local pub - the Watership Down
at Freefolk - when a load of bikies descended one Sunday lunchtime.
They barged in with several - notably older ones - demanding this that and
everything else, using language that was embarrassing.

I was there by dint of having ridden their with my young son.

No they were not 'roadies', but seemed to be members of a national touring club
and I do know what club they were also from.

With the poor press given to cycling by the media, such behaviour is just a
further nail in cycling's coffin and more ammunition to the anti-brigade.

Rudeness is always devaluing.

John B

I would have had a little "chat" with anyone swearing in front of my
daughters, perhaps involving a wheel brace as there were a few of them.
There is never any excuse for that kind of behaviour, they were drongos of
the first order.

Ian
oh, and I am a fanatical cyclist, I just do not tolerate fools.



wheel brace...mmmmmmmmmm
and you dont tolerate fools..........are you not one then ???? cus anybody
who thinks the problem is sorted with a wheel brace in front of a child is
no more then
pathectic !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

D@vo the bigger the ring the more it hurts








"Ian" wrote in message
...
Peter Taylor must be edykated coz e writed:

It is not necessarily only car drivers who are at fault.

On Sunday, driving along some local lanes having picked up my daughter
from
a sleepover, we came up behind a group of cyclists - perhaps 20 or so
riding
in a group.

I hung back maybe 50 yards as the lane was quite narrow. The rear
marker
kept looking round, as did a number of others so they were well aware
that I
was there.

After a mile or two at 10 mph, the road widened. Instead of allowing me
to
pass, they continued, this time riding 4 abreast. After 10 minutes of
following them , I gave a very short blip on the horn. The response was
a
couple of "fingers" from the group.

This carried on for another three or four miles, until the group strung
out
on a steepish hill. I managed, eventually and very very carefully to
get
past them. One swore - pretty obscenly - at me as we went past -
certainly
not words I want my young daughter to hear.


Any thoughts on this?

Peter Taylor

Davo must be edykated coz e writed:

I would have had a little "chat" with anyone swearing in front of my
daughters, perhaps involving a wheel brace as there were a few of them.
There is never any excuse for that kind of behaviour, they were drongos of
the first order.

Ian
oh, and I am a fanatical cyclist, I just do not tolerate fools.



wheel brace...mmmmmmmmmm
and you dont tolerate fools..........are you not one then ???? cus anybody
who thinks the problem is sorted with a wheel brace in front of a child is
no more then
pathectic !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

D@vo the bigger the ring the more it hurts



You say that with your sig? Looks like I'm in good company, try engaging
your brain before you put your keyboard in gear.

Ian

Davo must be edykated coz e writed:

re my sig............bone head...try a 56 ring
not a ''girls'' 48 ring

I'm not lowering myself to your level by getting into a slanging match with
you on here.

Ian

*******s. As usual, a small minority spoil it for everyone else.

I must say though, even though I am now an official biker, I detect there is
a "holier than thou" attitude amongst certain cyclists that I have met - a
sort of "I am on a bike but you are in a comfy car so you can wait" kind of
thing.


"Peter Taylor" wrote in message
...
It is not necessarily only car drivers who are at fault.

On Sunday, driving along some local lanes having picked up my daughter
from
a sleepover, we came up behind a group of cyclists - perhaps 20 or so
riding
in a group.

I hung back maybe 50 yards as the lane was quite narrow. The rear marker
kept looking round, as did a number of others so they were well aware that
I
was there.

After a mile or two at 10 mph, the road widened. Instead of allowing me to
pass, they continued, this time riding 4 abreast. After 10 minutes of
following them , I gave a very short blip on the horn. The response was a
couple of "fingers" from the group.

This carried on for another three or four miles, until the group strung
out
on a steepish hill. I managed, eventually and very very carefully to get
past them. One swore - pretty obscenly - at me as we went past -
certainly
not words I want my young daughter to hear.

To be frank, I was appalled. I am ALWAYS careful of cyclists and riders -
giving plenty of room. I am sympathetic to the predicament of cyclists
especially on the roads in this country, and it will not affect my
attitude
in the future. But this sort of deliberate confrontation is pointless,
stupid and dangerous, and does not help relations between car drivers and
cyclists. I am not quite sure what it was all about, but it was pretty
unpleasant. This lot were all middle aged and clearly dressed for
cycling -
shorts, various "team" jerseys and pretty expensive looking bikes.

And for the record, I am a cyclist myself. Not fanatical but I cover 5K -
6K per year in the UK and France and have does so for years, including
some
reasonably long distance trips.

Any thoughts on this?

Peter Taylor