Being harassed while riding the roads
04-06-21, 09:59 AM
#101
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I used to commute in Chicago on a regular basis and rode on the weekend with friends. I have been shouted at a few times. The best was when I was retiring home after a long ride in heavy traffic, a ball game had just let out, when a passenger in a car yelled "get a car looser!" As he passed I noticed the Cubs attire and realized he was a Cubs fan and I yelled "Who's the looser?" The Cubs hadn't won in many years at that point.
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04-06-21, 11:17 AM
#102
Senior Member
Imagine that. The OP gives a trolling rant about harassment, lumps the perps into a group for easy targeting, and then spurs us to argue with one another about who the boogie man really is. How'd that work out?
Next time, don't take the bait. We've met the bad guy, and he is us.
Next time, don't take the bait. We've met the bad guy, and he is us.
Good topic OP, people can be jerks to cyclists, good to get some perspectives on how to handle it.
Last edited by m2244; 04-06-21 at 11:31 AM.
04-06-21, 11:29 AM
#103
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What I have found if I'm merely harassed is that I get over it much more quickly if I just wave. And I'm not talking about a single finger wave either. We're all different, but plotting the perpetrator's demise is something I don't want to obsess over for a week. Even if they deserve it and the world would be better off without them.
If it's more egregious than just words, I haven't really settled on a satisfactory response. I'm generally in favor of calling the cops if it's an illegal act. They are calling the cops about cyclists. And lying.
As far as the political or socio-economic motivations of these people, well, that's not really a fit subject for General Cycling. And I would say you are probably wrong anyway, mind reading is an inexact science.
If it's more egregious than just words, I haven't really settled on a satisfactory response. I'm generally in favor of calling the cops if it's an illegal act. They are calling the cops about cyclists. And lying.
As far as the political or socio-economic motivations of these people, well, that's not really a fit subject for General Cycling. And I would say you are probably wrong anyway, mind reading is an inexact science.
04-06-21, 03:57 PM
#104
Newbie
Quite frankly, we have it good today. When I started riding back in 1975, us riders frequently had bottles, cans and other trash thrown at us. Not out of malice but just thinking it's funny. We got pushed off the road and one time for me, I got run off a bridge and fell 10 feet down into a creek. I road home soaking wet when it was in the 40's. No cell phone to call home and no payphone to make a call in the countryside.
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I used a bike as my primary means of transportation in NYC back in the 90s, and I can’t tell you how many times I was nearly run over by some maniac driving a city bus!
I still ride in the city regularly, and the *******s are still out there, trust me. you still get drivers honking, cutting you off or passing too close... there just aren’t nearly as many of them, thankfully.
Last edited by cb400bill; 04-06-21 at 06:39 PM. Reason: Do not use symbols to change the spelling of words.
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04-06-21, 04:06 PM
#105
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Imagine that. The OP gives a trolling rant about harassment, lumps the perps into a group for easy targeting, and then spurs us to argue with one another about who the boogie man really is. How'd that work out?
Next time, don't take the bait. We've met the bad guy, and he is us.
Next time, don't take the bait. We've met the bad guy, and he is us.
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