Guest

And believe me- if there was any other way into DC by bike, I'd take it. Unfortunately, the only way into and out of DC by bike is on that friggin path.

This morning, some hairy neanderthal on a ghetto, two bit, K Mart blue light special nearly mowed me down from behind. I was climbing up a small incline. It's a blind spot (one of many on that friggin path), and it's at a fork in the road where the other part of the fork is where cyclists are coming down, and usually as fast as they can. So I'd just gotten over that part when the idiot sails past me. About 10 yards in front of us, there was a jogger running down the middle of the path. The idiot sails past me and the jogger. But there was another jogger coming in the other direction. As the cyclist passes the jogger (about 3 yards in front of me, by this point), the fool suddenly stops- a dead stop as the runner in the other direction passes. So I was basically boxed in, cycling around 15 miles per hour and having only a couple of yards to figure this out. The idiot had absolutely no idea how to pass... and I nearly hit both the cyclist and the runner. Instead, I began screaming and cursing- but the guy just stood there on his bike. I jammed my brakes and nearly skidded into the dumb ape, cursing as I did so. He waited for the other jogger on the other side, then took off.

Now, if the other jogger was obstructing him, I could totally see why he'd do something as lamebrained as that- but the jogger was on the OTHER side of the path- well on the other side. He had the room to go between the two, but instead, panicked and stopped (from what I gathered) and nearly caused me to smack into him and cause my bike and myself some serious damage. I did get to jump in front of him later on because there was no friggin way I was going to ride behind some idiot that doesn't know how to pass.

If that dumb fool is on the forum, this is for you:

If you don't know how to pass, why are you going to play idiot and do it? I'm riding my expensive custom Bike Friday. Do you really think it was smart to pass someone when you don't know how to pass? Do you realize that I would have kicked your ass all the way to DC and then gotten your personal information and held you responsible if I'd ended up crashing into you? You know all that cursing I did? It probably made you feel pretty scared- so I hope I scared you straight. If you can't figure out how to properly ride a bike, take some lessons, stay right, and stop putting yourself in situations you can't handle! And don't put others at risk just because you want to look like a fast, strong cyclist. You just aren't when you're piddling around on your kmart special.

Ok, I'm feeling better. But goshdarnit! I hate that friggin bike path! If there was any other way to get into DC by bike, I'd take it. I'd even be willing to ride the shoulder of the 395. Sometimes, the highway is safer than the bike path, which is a shame.

Koffee

jyossarian

Feel better?

And if the dude's on BF, he'll never admit it now.

-=(8)=-

Its a Wal*MArt bike dammit, a Sledgehammer !! Not no Blu-Lite Special
whatever the F that is !!
.......... and I yelled on yer right !!!
Waddya want ??!!??

Lamplight

Now imagine someone like that "driving" a car.

WiseOwl

Sorry, ma'am. We tried to capture this menace to society, but your description wasn't specific enough.

James

I-Like-To-Bike

Someone who? Kmart Boy or Koffee? I don't think either come off too well in the rant.

eaglevii

Today's useless ILTB post has been brought you by egotism and self-righteousness.

Guest

That's why I don't drive, I-Like!

I feel better now. It's like throwing up after binge drinking at the frat house all night. Bleah. That guy was 100% idiot.

I suppose next time, I could just hit him anyway, but the thought of my mangled, beloved bike laying on the ground with me next to it is not worth it!

Koffee

I-Like-To-Bike

Ohh, Ohh an SS boy chimes in with an out in left field ad hominem comment without discussing the issue. The discussion list for such diatribes from your tribe is south of this one.

I-Like-To-Bike

Probably a good thing too, because you wouldn't get far if you tried to justify road rage actions or why you rear ended someone else with assumptions/excuses of superiority over those who drive vehicles not up to your lofty standards.

Sammyboy

So if Koffee was in a car, was overtaken by another car, and that car stopped dead in front of her, round a blind bend, so she was unable to stop, and rear ended it, that would be her fault? She wouldn't come off well from that? I'm not sure what your point is ILTB. Coming here and having a rant which includes insulting the other persons bike doesn't detract from the fact that the other rider was in the wrong, and is a much better way than either saying it to his face, or stewing on it. What's the problem, exactly?

M.E.Riding

Meow!

unkchunk

Reads like one of those riders who has to go into competition mode when ever they see another bike. As a commuter I have to pace myself so I'll get to my destination and be not completely exhausted when I get there. Competition Boy has only one function, and that is to pass you. Once their mission has been accomplished Competition Boy frequently shuts down due to loss of energy and becomes Obsticle Boy.

Note to self. In the future when Competition Boy passes me I will slow down to put further distance between us and then re-pass only when it's incredibly safe to do so, since Competition Boy is a complete menace to himself and those around him. The preferred punishment for the Competition Boy is for him to remain Competition Boy. Me, I would be perfectly content to draft an aerobics instructor for as long as my commute allowed, but then I'm Shameless Pig Boy. The preferred punishment for Shameless Pig Boy is... err, best to skip this one as he'd probably get off on it some how.

Glad to read you got your wheel back Koffee. Or at least got another one.

I-Like-To-Bike

The point is the attitude that riding a better/different/superior vehicle than someone else somehow is proof of (or implies) being on the side of the angels in any interaction/incident. IMO, making irrelevant slams on the other's character based on his choice of vehicle, (or if he was not wearing a helmet as is done in so many other slams on other bicyclists) indicates there may be another side to the incident that we are never going to get.

Lucky07

/searching for a user named KMart Bike...

Yeah, summer is here and the time is right for idiots on the bike path. I tend to be EXTRA cautious this time of year since everyone rolls out their beater and wobbles down the path like an unpredictable child.

georgiaboy

At one time I rode bike paths. Too many close calls, distractions, and obstacles. It is difficult to go 15mpg on a bike path. Bike paths have alot of foot traffic and tend to attract slower riders.

Stay on the roads now...

robmcl

And don’t you usually call out anyone (and usually in not so nice terms) who rides anything different than a three speed or wears biking shorts as an ignorant, arrogant biking enthusiast who is somehow ruing cycling for the rest of us? Heaven forbid if you catch anyone recommending a FG/SS bike or a road bike for commuting or buying a bike from an LBS. ILTB you also are plenty guilty of using stereotypes and personal attacks to support your arguments. Also, as is usually the case when ILTB starts posting, this thread is now in danger of very quickly being hijacked from the original topic and turning into a mud slinging contest over the irrelevant.

Guest

I didn't get my wheel back. I just ride my folding bike from now on. But thanks!

Koffee

Guest

Nope. If he'd been riding a pinarello, I would have described him as an egotistical, OCP-riding, Lance wannabe, self absorbed, hairy assed ape that has nothing in particular to prove.

I could care less about what bike he was riding- I just care that I don't get hurt in the process of him trying to prove how cool that idiot is by putting me in a dangerous position.

Koffee

same time

Had a similar problem coming off the 14 st bridge last night. A guy on a triathlon bike was sprinting up onto the bridge, coming at me, and for some reason he darted over into my lane. I was on my cyclocross bike, and I thought about taking my chances with the grass hill on the side, but when I yelled "hey" the guy swerved back. Whole thing lasted about 2 seconds and it was really, really close. We were each going about 15mph, and I can imagine the sound it would make if we had hit head on.

It makes me miss the wintertime, when there's only about 10 or 15 riders out there commuting, and they know how to ride. This time of year, the paths are clogged with folks who ride like maniacs.

capejohn

Looking on the bright side. We got a new thread out it. So bike paths do have a silver lining.
I am also really pleased that he did not get your dander up. You control yourself well.

vtjim

That was me, and if you'd learn to ride faster, I wouldn't have had to pass you!

Just kidding, Koffee.

Actually I often wonder why people pass when they've got no forward visibility or when there's going to be some congestion ahead. They'd never drive that way in a car. What makes it any different on a bike? Sometimes you gotta slow down for traffic. Oh well.

Is this the W&OD trail? I lived near there (Quincy Street in Arlington) 10 years ago, and it was bad for cyclists then too.

tulip

Amen to that--I am looking forward to the winter commute again. However, I do like to see folks out who obviously are putting out considerable effort to ride a bike. Most of them are fine and not a nuisance. The pm commute can be a bit tedious, though.

jyossarian

It's funny how listing the description of the bike and rider is assumed by some super sensitive, easily distracted people, to mean that the story teller is labelling a group or making broad generalizations when in fact, the description helps us visualize the story better. What I got out of the story was a fast moving cyclist passing Koffee and a jogger, then stopping short when there was no forseeable need to, causing a dangerous traffic condition. I did not make any generalization about the rider or his choice of bike or assume that Koffee was targeting and attacking any specific group of people other than "Dumb Commuters" of which anyone could be a member of.

Mariner Fan

The last time I was in DC I ended up getting lost and was heading to Mt. Vernon on the George Washington Parkway. Coffee, I saw a nice trail along side the road. Is that the trail you use?