Arguing with Cagers

[Adrian Boliston]

Have any of you cyclists ever got into an argument with a cager and then thought "What really is
the point???"

On my commute home this evening there was this slow cyclist ahead with a car stuck behind it unable
to overtake due to oncoming traffic.

I was stuck behind this car and there was another very impatient car stuck behind me!

When the oncoming traffic cleared the car in front of me overtook the cyclist, and I obviously
followed this car past the slow cyclist, but the impatient car then tried to overtake me *while I
was overtaking the other cyclist* and he suddenly had to abort the overtake due to another
oncoming car.

About 50 yards ahead we came to a "give way" road junction and I was waiting to turn right and the
impatient driver was waiting to turn left and suddenly I hear "OI MATE!" from this driver.

"What the F**K do you you think you were doing back there you nearly got your self f**king KILLED??"

(By now he had a line of 5 other cars patiently waiting behind him also waiting to turn left)

I said "What are you talking about?"

He said "You just overtook that cyclist with no f**king warning at all!!!"

I said "You just tried to overtake ME waithout checking if it was safe first" (referring to the
oncoming car)

anyway, I soon realised that there was little point in arguing any more, so I just said

"It appears you are in the wrong yet you don't realise, and this ain't getting us anywhere"

He said

"You are a f**king t*sser, F**KING T*SSER, T * S S E R !" and drove off at high speed spinning his
wheels and burning a lot of rubber!

Makes you wonder if cagers suffer from brain oxygen starvation of something!

 

[Peter B]

"Adrian Boliston" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> >
> When the oncoming traffic cleared the car in front of me overtook the cyclist, and I obviously
> followed this car past the slow cyclist, but the impatient car then tried to overtake me *while I
> was overtaking the other cyclist* and he suddenly had to abort the overtake due to another
> oncoming car.

I bet he didn't signal his attempted overtake, in which case he tried to overtake you
without warning.

IME very few cars signal before overtakeing me on my bike (lorries generally do). Only slighty more
signal when overtaking other motor vehicles, a pet peeve of mine.

Pete

 

[Adrian Boliston]

"Peter B" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...

> I bet he didn't signal his attempted overtake, in which case he tried to overtake you without
> warning.

The daft thing was that he was about to turn LEFT at a junction only a few yards further on, so he
would have gained very little by overtaking me anyway, possibly a second if that!

 

[Paul - XXX]

Adrian Boliston deftly scribbled:

> "Peter B" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>
>> I bet he didn't signal his attempted overtake, in which case he tried to overtake you without
>> warning.
>
> The daft thing was that he was about to turn LEFT at a junction only a few yards further on, so he
> would have gained very little by overtaking me anyway, possibly a second if that!

And would likely have cut you up ..

--
...................................Paul-*** Seti 1417 wu in 10303 hours
http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/ http://graffiti.virgin.net/ar.sole/Index.htm

 

[Paul - XXX]

Adrian Boliston deftly scribbled:

> He said
>
> "You are a f**king t*sser, F**KING T*SSER, T * S S E R !" and drove off at high speed spinning his
> wheels and burning a lot of rubber!
>
> Makes you wonder if cagers suffer from brain oxygen starvation of something!

Heheheh, I never stop and argue with anyone 'on the road'. I don't reply to them in any way
shape or form.

I have been shouted at, as both a cyclist and as a driver, as a wrong doer and as someone in the
right. **** happens, I just smile, wave and ride / walk / drive away, apparently oblivious to any
threats etc.

As a 'youngster' I may have been different ..

--
...................................Paul-*** Seti 1417 wu in 10303 hours
http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/ http://graffiti.virgin.net/ar.sole/Index.htm

 

[Chris French]

In message <[email protected]>, Adrian Boliston
<[email protected]> writes
>Have any of you cyclists ever got into an argument with a cager and then thought "What really is
>the point???"
>
Yep, which is why I don't bother anymore. Firstly people tend not to be a receptive mood so often an
abusive argument ensues, with little result. And far from being a stress reliever I usually find
that I feel more stressed after it than before.

And of course one day you might meet the nutter with a knife.....

I either ignore them or just smile or wave (which can really wind some people up) and then
forget them.

I take the same approach when in the cage.
>

--
Chris French, Leeds

 

[Alex Graham]

Adrian Boliston wrote:
> Have any of you cyclists ever got into an argument with a cager and then thought "What really is
> the point???"
>
> On my commute home this evening there was this slow cyclist ahead with a car stuck behind it
> unable to overtake due to oncoming traffic.
>
> I was stuck behind this car and there was another very impatient car stuck behind me!
>
> When the oncoming traffic cleared the car in front of me overtook the cyclist, and I obviously
> followed this car past the slow cyclist, but the impatient car then tried to overtake me *while I
> was overtaking the other cyclist* and he suddenly had to abort the overtake due to another
> oncoming car.
>
> About 50 yards ahead we came to a "give way" road junction and I was waiting to turn right and the
> impatient driver was waiting to turn left and suddenly I hear "OI MATE!" from this driver.
>
> "What the F**K do you you think you were doing back there you nearly got your self f**king
> KILLED??"
>
> (By now he had a line of 5 other cars patiently waiting behind him also waiting to turn left)
>
> I said "What are you talking about?"
>
> He said "You just overtook that cyclist with no f**king warning at all!!!"
>
> I said "You just tried to overtake ME waithout checking if it was safe first" (referring to the
> oncoming car)
>
> anyway, I soon realised that there was little point in arguing any more, so I just said
>
> "It appears you are in the wrong yet you don't realise, and this ain't getting us anywhere"
>
> He said
>
> "You are a f**king t*sser, F**KING T*SSER, T * S S E R !" and drove off at high speed spinning his
> wheels and burning a lot of rubber!
>
> Makes you wonder if cagers suffer from brain oxygen starvation of something!
>
>

I had a similar but less abusive experience today. I was approaching a mini roundabout, and could
hear a car approaching from behind, so I moved out into the middle of the pretty narrow lane and
came to a stop at the give way line. As I stopped I heard a beep from behind and looked round to see
a very jumped up woman in the car behind. She seemd annoyed that I stopped without giving her enough
room to join me at the give way line and then drive off and cut me up. What she thought I intended
to do, having stopped at the give way line, apart from waiting for a slot and resuming my journey I
do not know. Anyway she gesticulated wildly, so I waved and smiled and turned back to looking for a
gap in the traffic. When one appeared, I nipped through, and was making my way up the road, going
under a railway bridge where the road kinks when she roared past on the wrong side of the road.
Luckily for her child there was nothing coming the other way (not that she knew that at the time).

Cretin.

I took immense pleasure in overtaking her less than a mile later on.

--

-Alex

----------------------------------
[email protected]

http://alexpg.ath.cx:3353/cycling/ http://www.westerleycycling.org.uk
----------------------------------

 

[Just Zis Guy]

On Thu, 13 Feb 2003 18:23:02 -0000, "Adrian Boliston" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Have any of you cyclists ever got into an argument with a cager and then thought "What really is
>the point???"

Apart from in uk.tosspot, you mean?

>When the oncoming traffic cleared the car in front of me overtook the cyclist, and I obviously
>followed this car past the slow cyclist, but the impatient car then tried to overtake me *while I
>was overtaking the other cyclist* and he suddenly had to abort the overtake due to another
>oncoming car.

Ah. Clearly trying to adhere to the True Path and exceed the speed limit to improve his safety.

Well, it's more likely that this was a classic case of cager's fixed idea syndrome - eyes firmly
fastened to the back of the bike ahead, mind locked onto the Prime Directive (I *must* overtake),
not realising that the bike was even there.

>"What the F**K do you you think you were doing back there you nearly got your self f**king
>KILLED??"

Of course - responsibility for the unsafe manoeuvre must, by definition, rest with the other person.
It is quite inconceivable that any cager could possibly be in the worng - ever. About anything. It
was also the oncoming car's fault for being there, as the right of way clearly reverts to the other
side of the road if there's any kind of obstruction.

>He said "You just overtook that cyclist with no f**king warning at all!!!"

Ah, of course - no cager would *ever* overtake a bike without signalling, after all

You need toi learn what signals are for: they are for *other* road users to tell *road owners* what
they are going to do, and for *road owners* to instruct other road users to get out of the way if
what they are going to do requires other people to brake.

>anyway, I soon realised that there was little point in arguing any more, so I just said "It appears
>you are in the wrong yet you don't realise, and this ain't getting us anywhere"

>He said

>"You are a f**king t*sser, F**KING T*SSER, T * S S E R !" and drove off at high speed spinning his
>wheels and burning a lot of rubber!

Thus demonstrating for all to see who the real ****** is

I was overtaken yesterday by someone More Important Than Me (i.e. driving a BMW). He was about
halfway past when he realised that (a) there was a car coming the other way and (b) we were rapidly
approaching the back of a traffic jam. So he floored it and pulled in sharply and braked hard. Lucky
I have disc brakes. Fifty yards later he turned right. As I rode past him on the left while he
waited for a gap in the oncoming traffic I gave him the benefit of a phrase I picked up from a bloke
I used to work for: "THANK YOU VERY LITTLE!"

Cagers can be (and frequently are) complete wankers.

Guy
===
** WARNING ** This posting may contain traces of irony. http://www.chapmancentral.com (BT ADSL and
dynamic DNS permitting)
NOTE: BT Openworld have now blocked port 25 (without notice), so old mail addresses may no longer
work. Apologies.

 

[Chris French]

In message <[email protected]>, "Just zis Guy, you know?"
<[email protected]> writes
>
>
>I was overtaken yesterday by someone More Important Than Me (i.e. driving a BMW).

He didn't realise you were riding the two wheel equivalent then?

--
Chris French, Leeds

 

[Graham Glen]

In message <[email protected]>, Alex Graham <[email protected]> writes
>
>I had a similar but less abusive experience today. I was approaching a mini roundabout, and could
>hear a car approaching from behind, so I moved out into the middle of the pretty narrow lane and
>came to a stop at the give way line. As I stopped I heard a beep from behind and looked round to
>see a very jumped up woman in the car behind. She seemd annoyed that I stopped without giving her
>enough room to join me at the give way line and then drive off and cut me up. What she thought I
>intended to do, having stopped at the give way line, apart from waiting for a slot and resuming my
>journey I do not know. Anyway she gesticulated wildly, so I waved and smiled and turned back to
>looking for a gap in the traffic. When one appeared, I nipped through, and was making my way up the
>road, going under a railway bridge where the road kinks when she roared past on the wrong side of
>the road. Luckily for her child there was nothing coming the other way (not that she knew that at
>the time).
>

That sounds like Barnes - both the kink in the road under the railway bridge and the idiot car
drivers in the area.

Graham
--
Graham Glen

 

[Alan Oakley]

I didn't have an argument but scared the S';T out of a cager.

The car driver had started to overtake but the traffic was heavy and so didn;t complete it. After
about a minute they must have thought that at 15 mph I wasn't there any more and stated to move back
into the kerb. It was loooking pretty dodgy so I thumped hard on the passenger window, who screamed
very loudly.

hopefully this left them with browner underapants than when they started their journey.

 

[Graham Glen]

In message <[email protected]>, Alex Graham <[email protected]> writes
>Graham Glen wrote:
>
>> That sounds like Barnes - both the kink in the road under the railway bridge and the idiot car
>> drivers in the area. Graham
>
>Wow! I take you live round there

No, but I commute between Southfields and Brentford via there every day, and most of the stupid
things that motorists do are in Barnes. I always go through the bridge in the middle of the lane to
stop people overtaking there.

>
>Yes, lonsdale road at about half past three is quite a picture as well
>- 4x4s parked on the pavement outside the school, 3 point turns in the middle of the road etc.
>

I came along there last night, with a Lumicycle Halide light and still some idiot pulled out in
front of me. How does it work, nowhere in Barnes is less than outrageously expensive, but the
population appears to have a higher than normal ratio of stupid people. So, somewhere there must
be an agency that advertises extremely well paid jobs for extremely stupid people. Obviously
everybody in urc is too intelligent to have their number (well, except perhaps for P*** S****),
where should I look?

I know I would get bored, but I could always take the job and read a book at the same time.

Graham
--
Graham Glen

 

[Adrian Boliston]

"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> Cagers can be (and frequently are) complete wankers.

Well in 20 years of cycling I have never till today had an argument with a cager, so I will follow
advice and ignore perhaps with a cheery wave to wind them up!

 

[Alex Graham]

Graham Glen wrote:

> That sounds like Barnes - both the kink in the road under the railway bridge and the idiot car
> drivers in the area.
>
> Graham

Wow! I take you live round there

Yes, lonsdale road at about half past three is quite a picture as well - 4x4s parked on the pavement
outside the school, 3 point turns in the middle of the road etc.

--

-Alex

----------------------------------
[email protected]

http://alexpg.ath.cx:3353/cycling/ http://www.westerleycycling.org.uk
----------------------------------

 

[Alex Graham]

I couldnt agree more there - lots of 4x4s that never do anything more strenuous than mounting
the curb etc

all manner of stupid driving happens around there. people on the school run do 3 point turns in the
middle of the road so they dont have to sit in traffic all the way to hammersmith bridge...

And yes a giant headlight is v useful. Aimed at wing mirror height

--

-Alex

----------------------------------
[email protected]

http://alexpg.ath.cx:3353/cycling/ http://www.westerleycycling.org.uk
----------------------------------

 

[Alex Graham]

Alan Oakley wrote:
> I thumped hard on the passenger window, who screamed very loudly.

Ive never heard a passenger window scream before :-D

--

-Alex

----------------------------------
[email protected]

http://alexpg.ath.cx:3353/cycling/ http://www.westerleycycling.org.uk
----------------------------------

 

[ecce_ecce]

You know what he means means mate - so why be so pickey ?


My experiences :

Riding along with "dave" got overtaken by a bloke in a car who almost "killed" me by getting so close - I'm sure I felt a slight touch on my leg from the bonnet (paranoia).

This guy obviously wasn't a "local" coz about 200 m on, theres a round-about and traffic is bad because of local schools.

So, Dave and myself decided to chase the c*nt down - easy no problems.

The car was indeed stuck in the school rush.

Unclipped my feet, literally threw my bike onto the verge, turned around and dave had done the same and anyway, we proceeded
to kick the *****ing* **** out of the lights, number plate, boot, side of rear door.........
the guy in the car just sat there like a **** - he didn't know what had hit him - ******.

Feeling much refreshed we continued on our way.




Riding around Windsor, I approached a round about - signalled - checked over my shoulder - moved into the middle of the road - fully seeing this micra coming towards me- the old guy and his mrs didn't give way and just cut me up .

They had to stop for a car at the round about and so as I pulled along side to the left of their car.

As I went round the round about - I managed to land a good kick on the passenger door (made a dent as well !!!)

God, the old bloke went spastic - even made an exaggerated swerve towards me whilst shouting ****ing this, ****ing that, **** you - I think he must have been in the army.

My advice to car drivers if you read this is DON'T **** with ME. coz I (yes I DO) have a death wish - personal saftey takes a back seat whenever I'm out on the road - so having a fight with anyone (apart from boxers, people who have shotguns on them or secret special services people) is no hardship to me at all.

 

[Frank]

"Adrian Boliston" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Have any of you cyclists ever got into an argument with a cager and then thought "What really is
> the point???"
>

One good trick, is to block the cars path and then very politely ask why the car is beeping/what is
the matter. If you have genuinely done something wrong you can apologise and thank the driver. If on
the other hand the driver is behaving like a complete **** and was just in a hurry you can slowly
point out in your best humble but righteous manner (Think Harold Bishop out of neighbours) that they
would have got where they were going much quicker if they hadn't beeped you in the first place.

I find this doesn't stress me out, of course it is easier if you have a car to block the offending
drivers progress.

 

[Tony W]

"Frank" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>
> One good trick, is to block the cars path and then very politely ask why
the
> car is beeping/what is the matter. If you have genuinely done something wrong you can apologise
> and thank the driver. If on the other hand the driver is behaving like a complete **** and was
> just in a hurry you can slowly point out in your best humble but righteous manner (Think Harold
> Bishop out of neighbours) that they would have got where they were going much quicker if they
> hadn't beeped you in the first place.
>
> I find this doesn't stress me out, of course it is easier if you have a
car
> to block the offending drivers progress.

Think and 'Neighbours is oxymoron'.

Personally, I find arguing with other road users is a waste of time. Most are unable to see beyond
their own short term 'needs' so some prat arguing with them on the finer points of road etiquette is
a waste of breath.

Under the right circumstances I will shout a merry Anglo Saxon greeting -- possibly accompanied by a
suitable wave. It doesn't help them but i find it quite cathartic.

 

[Tony W]

"ecce_ecce" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> You know what he means means mate - so why be so pickey ?
>
>
> My experiences :
>
> Riding along with "dave" got overtaken by a bloke in a car who almost "killed" me by getting so
> close - I'm sure I felt a slight touch on my leg from the bonnet (paranoia).
>
> This guy obviously wasn't a "local" coz about 200 m on, theres a round-about and traffic is bad
> because of local schools.
>
> So, Dave and myself decided to chase the c*nt down - easy no problems.
>
> The car was indeed stuck in the school rush.
>
> Unclipped my feet, literally threw my bike onto the verge, turned around and dave had done the
> same and anyway, we proceeded to kick the *****ing* **** out of the lights, number plate, boot,
> side of rear door......... the guy in the car just sat there like a **** - he didn't know what had
> hit him - ******.
>
> Feeling much refreshed we continued on our way.
>
>
>
>
> Riding around Windsor, I approached a round about - signalled - checked over my shoulder - moved
> into the middle of the road - fully seeing this micra coming towards me- the old guy and his mrs
> didn't give way and just cut me up .
>
> They had to stop for a car at the round about and so as I pulled along side to the left of
> their car.
>
> As I went round the round about - I managed to land a good kick on the passenger door (made a dent
> as well !!!)
>
> God, the old bloke went spastic - even made an exaggerated swerve towards me whilst shouting
> ****ing this, ****ing that, **** you - I think he must have been in the army.
>
> My advice to car drivers if you read this is DON'T **** with ME. coz I (yes I DO) have a death
> wish - personal saftey takes a back seat whenever I'm out on the road - so having a fight with
> anyone (apart from boxers, people who have shotguns on them or secret special services people) is
> no hardship to me at all.
>

Would you care to provide name, address and the dates of the incidents so you can be reported to the
appropriate authorities.