Own Worst Enemy
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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
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
>
>
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.
In message <bh89tq$bpq$1@hercules.btinternet.com>, Peter Taylor <peter@fponline.co.uk> 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 tossers 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 p.j.clinch@dundee.ac.uk
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
On Mon, 11 Aug 2003 14:40:58 +0000 (UTC), "Peter Taylor" <peter@fponline.co.uk> 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. 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?
Roadies. EPO does this to their social skills.
--
dan@dod.no - Orange Patriot -03
On Mon, 11 Aug 2003 14:40:58 +0000 (UTC), "Peter Taylor" <peter@fponline.co.uk> 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" <peter@fponline.co.uk> 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
"Peter Taylor" <peter@fponline.co.uk> wrote in message news:bh89tq$bpq$1@hercules.btinternet.com...
> 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
> 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" <ihb@btinternet.com> wrote in message news:BB5D6BC6.C3F7%ihb@btinternet.com...
> 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
Ian must be edykated coz e writed:
> 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
>
Of course I wouldn't beat someone to a bloody pulp in front of my kids, but it does severely nark
me, when people swear in front of them, and I invariably feel like doing so, by the time I see them
again my ire has waned of course.
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
Bastards. 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" <peter@fponline.co.uk> wrote in message news:bh89tq$bpq$1@hercules.btinternet.com...
> 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
>
Peter Taylor wrote:
> Any thoughts on this?
Yes. It's a curious and implausible story, in my entire driving career I have probably not been
delayed for 30 minutes by cyclists in total and you managed that much all at once.
James
"Peter Taylor" <peter@fponline.co.uk> wrote in message news:bh89tq$bpq$1@hercules.btinternet.com...
> 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.
>
I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt but finding it hard. How were they acting
dangerously?
Onviously I wasn't there but don't you find the fact so many of them responded negatively strange?
On Mon, 11 Aug 2003 14:40:58 +0000 (UTC), "Peter Taylor" <peter@fponline.co.uk> wrote:
>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?
Not a bad distance - you should come here more often ;-)
Guy
===
** WARNING ** This posting may contain traces of irony. http://www.chapmancentral.com (http://www.chapmancentral.com/) New!
Improved!! Now with added extra Demon!
On Mon, 11 Aug 2003 14:40:58 +0000 (UTC), "Peter Taylor" <peter@fponline.co.uk> wrote:
>Any thoughts on this?
On your experience, from this distance, not really, but it doesn't surprise me in the slightest.
Head problems abound everywhere. It must be the super-duper 'gear', but something happens to our
egos when we hit the road, that's for sure, regardless of what we're operating. There are some
zealots who see only cagers and really do believe that all cyclists are beyond reproach, and others
who see only 'petrol' and anything else as annoyingly irrelevant. But it's a complete of crap. It's
also kind of depressingly sad really.
gb
Peter Taylor <peter@fponline.co.uk> wrote:
> Any thoughts on this?
Sniff sniff?
Troll****?
--
Marc Stickers,decals,membership,cards, T shirts, signs etc for clubs and associations of all types.
http://www.jaceeprint.demon.co.uk/
Garry Broad must be edykated coz e writed:
> On Mon, 11 Aug 2003 14:40:58 +0000 (UTC), "Peter Taylor" <peter@fponline.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> Any thoughts on this?
>
> On your experience, from this distance, not really, but it doesn't surprise me in the slightest.
> Head problems abound everywhere. It must be the super-duper 'gear', but something happens to our
> egos when we hit the road, that's for sure, regardless of what we're operating. There are some
> zealots who see only cagers and really do believe that all cyclists are beyond reproach, and
> others who see only 'petrol' and anything else as annoyingly irrelevant. But it's a complete of
> crap. It's also kind of depressingly sad really.
>
> gb
>
>
>
Lets face it, on the most part we are both cyclists and motorists, the people who act like this on
bikes are probably the road rage motorists too.
Ian
why.....cant you compete with a ''51'' minute man !!!!!!!!!!!
D@vo The bigger the ring the more it hurts
"Ian" <ihb@btinternet.com> wrote in message news:BB5D9D4D.C471%ihb@btinternet.com...
> 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
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