attacked by cyclist, broken arm

[Andrew Price]

> Thanks for all of the kind messages. It really helps. The aspect I
> have trouble with is that a cyclist would do such a thing to another cyclist.
>
As Theo [sort of] said, the ability and inclination to ride a bike are not
universal indicators of mental stability or decent behaviour among our
species.

[... but they'll do until some better indicators get here...]

As a 54 yo roadie I [and the entire complement of this ng] feel for you;
when someone goes down we all in some small way share the pain. The good
news is that your physical injuries will probably heal quickly.

its the mental aspect of this that troubles me - that bogan needs to
understand just how stupid he was and the legal system is a very poor
distributor of wisdom and a less than successful corrector of poor human
behaviour.

This will be hard to accept but beyond getting your out of pockets paid for
and trying to ensure he can now see the malicious stupidity of his ways, you
will need to let this go, as a kindness to yourself, without in any way
"going soft" on what he did.

Immerse yourself amongst those with better natures, however they travel. You
were just unlucky enough to encounter the really small percentage of
malicious humanity in a mad moment.

A really good supportive cycling bunch may help - reflect on the nature and
kindness of the vast majority of cyclists[1].

best, andrew


[1] exclude bunch sprints, different rules apply.

 

[Zebee Johnstone]

In aus.bicycle on Sat, 12 Jan 2008 23:13:38 GMT
Andrew Price <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> its the mental aspect of this that troubles me - that bogan needs to
> understand just how stupid he was and the legal system is a very poor
> distributor of wisdom and a less than successful corrector of poor human
> behaviour.

I have a strong suspicion that this was a bit of "identity" gone
wrong.

That the attacker either thought he knew the victim, or more likely
thought he knew the victim's "type". That the rider he saw was trying
to pretend to be something he wasn't, or was otherwise usurping an
identity the attacker held dear. "Not a real [fill in the blank]".
And so had to be taught a lesson.

It's also pretty likely the attacker had no idea of the possible
consequences. I expect he "knew" what would happen - the "Not a real
[fill in the blank]" would wobble, or get a shock. He didn't expect
the rider to fall off (even though that was quite likely) and certainly
didn't expect serious injury (as that isn't inevitable from a fall).

He focused on what he wanted to do - make a point - rather than
on what might happen.

I don't think that makes him a bogan, makes him a fairly normal human
being. After all, he did come back and identify himself, that's not
the mark of a bad man. A thoughtless man he was. A fool for thinking
a perfect stranger owed him any kind of understanding of whatever kind
of "real cycling" he was into.

To me the villain is the mindset that says "anyone who doesn't do
things the way I do them is wrong and has to be taught a lesson".
Well... that's not right really, because that's how societies
function, without a general understanding of what is the right way to
do things, it would be "where am I going, and what am I doing in this
handbasket?" But how someone else rides a bicycle when it's not about
safety or sense or social contract, that's different.

I hope the original poster manages to put this behind him and get back
into riding, it's serious fun. And that the idiot with the complex
learns that actions have consequences you might not forsee when you
are just focusing on what you want...

Zebee

 

[cfsmtb]

The main reason I'm posting this is as a warning to others. If I had
in any way anticipated this, I don't think I would have a broken arm.
Please cross-post anywhere appropriate.

Was this you on Jon Faines program right now? Well done for stating your opinion, especially saying how sad the whole situation was and how illogical all this aggression is when people are travelling around.

 

[AndrewJ]

On Jan 13, 10:59 am, Zebee Johnstone <[email protected]> wrote:
> In aus.bicycle on Sat, 12 Jan 2008 23:13:38 GMT
>
> Andrew Price <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > its the mental aspect of this that troubles me - that bogan needs to
> > understand just how stupid he was and the legal system is a very poor
> > distributor of wisdom and a less than successful corrector of poor human
> > behaviour.
>
> I have a strong suspicion that this was a bit of "identity" gone
> wrong.
>
> That the attacker either thought he knew the victim, or more likely
> thought he knew the victim's "type". That the rider he saw was trying
> to pretend to be something he wasn't, or was otherwise usurping an
> identity the attacker held dear. "Not a real [fill in the blank]".
> And so had to be taught a lesson.
>
> It's also pretty likely the attacker had no idea of the possible
> consequences. I expect he "knew" what would happen - the "Not a real
> [fill in the blank]" would wobble, or get a shock. He didn't expect
> the rider to fall off (even though that was quite likely) and certainly
> didn't expect serious injury (as that isn't inevitable from a fall).
>
> He focused on what he wanted to do - make a point - rather than
> on what might happen.
>
> I don't think that makes him a bogan, makes him a fairly normal human
> being. After all, he did come back and identify himself, that's not
> the mark of a bad man. A thoughtless man he was. A fool for thinking
> a perfect stranger owed him any kind of understanding of whatever kind
> of "real cycling" he was into.
>
> To me the villain is the mindset that says "anyone who doesn't do
> things the way I do them is wrong and has to be taught a lesson".
> Well... that's not right really, because that's how societies
> function, without a general understanding of what is the right way to
> do things, it would be "where am I going, and what am I doing in this
> handbasket?" But how someone else rides a bicycle when it's not about
> safety or sense or social contract, that's different.
>
> I hope the original poster manages to put this behind him and get back
> into riding, it's serious fun. And that the idiot with the complex
> learns that actions have consequences you might not forsee when you
> are just focusing on what you want...
>
> Zebee

(original poster)

Yes, the truth here is that good people do bad things. Sometimes they
do really bad things.

I will be able to put it behind me. Current prognosis is 6-12 months
of no riding. Beyond that I
will most likely wear a brace of some sort on the forearm. I can't
break it again - this is the 2nd
time (first was my fault - tram tracks).

Thanks for your kind thoughts - ride an extra km, or slow down for a
pedestrian, for me.

I did a spot on 774 this morning - we discussed hell riders, and
cyclists on shared paths.

 

[Zebee Johnstone]

In aus.bicycle on Sun, 13 Jan 2008 16:40:59 -0800 (PST)
AndrewJ <[email protected]> wrote:
> I will be able to put it behind me. Current prognosis is 6-12 months
> of no riding. Beyond that I
> will most likely wear a brace of some sort on the forearm. I can't
> break it again - this is the 2nd
> time (first was my fault - tram tracks).

Ouch!

Umm... Had you considered a recumbent, 2 wheels or 3?

No stress on the arms, as they aren't taking any weight. And with
Underseat Steering they don't even hold up their own weight....

A 2 wheeler from www.flyingfurniture.com.au or www.trisled.com.au
(TriSled being in Melbourne and FF in Canberra) would keep you riding
and exercised.

A 3 wheeler from Trisled or www.greenspeed.com.au would maybe be even
better - no chance of falling over in a trike! (you can tip over if
you are doing *really* spirited cornering, but you have to work at it.)

2nd hand Greenspeeds do come up now and then. Also FlyingFurniture has
some cheapish trikes and some second hand ones I think.

Zebee

 

[AndrewJ]

On Jan 14, 11:52 am, Zebee Johnstone <[email protected]> wrote:
> In aus.bicycle on Sun, 13 Jan 2008 16:40:59 -0800 (PST)
>
> AndrewJ <[email protected]> wrote:
> > I will be able to put it behind me. Current prognosis is 6-12 months
> > of no riding. Beyond that I
> > will most likely wear a brace of some sort on the forearm. I can't
> > break it again - this is the 2nd
> > time (first was my fault - tram tracks).
>
> Ouch!
>
> Umm... Had you considered a recumbent, 2 wheels or 3?
>
> No stress on the arms, as they aren't taking any weight. And with
> Underseat Steering they don't even hold up their own weight....
>
> A 2 wheeler fromwww.flyingfurniture.com.auorwww.trisled.com.au
> (TriSled being in Melbourne and FF in Canberra) would keep you riding
> and exercised.
>
> A 3 wheeler from Trisled orwww.greenspeed.com.auwould maybe be even
> better - no chance of falling over in a trike! (you can tip over if
> you are doing *really* spirited cornering, but you have to work at it.)
>
> 2nd hand Greenspeeds do come up now and then. Also FlyingFurniture has
> some cheapish trikes and some second hand ones I think.
>
> Zebee

Excellent suggestion! I'll look into it.

 

[brucef]

On Jan 14, 9:52 am, Zebee Johnstone <[email protected]> wrote:
> Also FlyingFurniture has some cheapish trikes

$1790 looks pretty good to me.