I have a great revenge story.
I live in the UK, in Liverpool. I’m a racing cyclist, and used to do a lot of road racing (now I just do time trials). About 13 years ago I met up with around 60 other club cyclists for a ‘chaingang’ on a still light Thursday evening. A chaingang is a very fast, race pace bunch training ride usually along a dual carriage way, or some road with no stops etc.
Anyway, whilst riding in a big bunch (2 abreast) towards the dual carriage way, a ‘yoof’ in a red Ford Fiesta cut up the head of the group, and shouted some abuse. I was in the middle of the bunch, but the head riders sprinted up the road chasing after the idiot in the Fiesta. Unfortunately (for him) the Fiesta had to stop at a roundabout about 500 metres up the road. The head riders quickly caught up with him, shortly followed by the rest of us who had all upped our pace to follow.
There were some seriously ‘hard’ guys in the bunch (I was just a kid at the time), and when they caught the Fiesta Driver up, they parted like the Red Sea around both sides of, and in front of, his car. The 20 riders or so then proceeded to bash their fists on the bonnet and roof of this twit’s car, and shout abuse at him. The kid was obviously cr*pping himself!!
It was really great to see this idiot get his comeuppance. However, this was 10+ years ago, and traffic levels have risen ridiculously since then. Also car drivers attitudes to cyclists have gotten so much worse since then. It was a risky thing to do, and wouldn’t be wise to do today as there are so many nutters driving around here these days. Nutters who would literally run a bunch of cyclists down and make off, if they felt that their precious car was being ‘attacked’.
Cyclist death rates per 1 million miles ridden in the UK are surpassed only by motorcyclists (which I am also). However, because I ride a motorcycle safely (these days!) I actually feel so much more vulnerable on a bicycle. Cyclists are despised in the UK, more so now than ever. and I find that thoroughly depressing. As a kid I never picked up on it (I grew up near the Yorkshire dales) and would cycle miles and mile with no trouble. These days, I try and avoid cities, stick to quiet country lanes and avoid the rush hours. I try not to ride at night, and do a lot of turbo training (indoor training device). When I do go for a training ride in Liverpool, I pick the quietist time I can (midday) and expect to get cut up, abused or threatened. My tactic now is simply to stop, and let the culprit ‘win’ because I know that I can’t. Groups of yobs are annoying, because you dare not stop, and I will occasionally flick them the ‘V’ and sprint off. I used to get so worked up, say at traffic lights etc., and indignant because I was in the ‘right’, but it’s a waste of energy trying to do anything about it.
I would think very hard about commuting as a cyclist. You just cannot ‘beat’ a lazy, selfish and aggressive gimp in a 2 ton piece of metal. Don’t forget that the pseudo ‘return to womb’ experience of being in a car as a driver, can bring out the absolute worst in people, even mild mannered people. Add to that the fact that the law ‘system’ is against you as a cyclist (whatever anyone might try and tell you) you’re on a loser. With the planet choking it is truly depressing that cyclists aren’t encouraged, respected and embraced instead of being vilified and detested.
I will add that I am a car driver too, and always look out for bikers and cyclists when I’m in a car.
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