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I yelled at a cyclist, today.

Old 05-05-22, 10:07 PM
  #1  
MarcusT
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I yelled at a cyclist, today.

I have complete respect for cyclists on the road as I am one, but when I see a behaviour that just puts everyone at risk, it's too much for me.
Road cyclist riding in the middle of the lane on a narrow road. There was wide side lane for bikes. It was impossible to pass him without getting dangerously close. When the opportunity to safely pass presented itself after about a km, I rolled down the window and let him know what I thought of his unsafe manner. He gave me the one finger salute, I yelled "stop putting lives at risk" and moved on.
My biggest concern is the safety of other cyclists, because when drivers get fed up with riders like that, it puts the safe riders in danger.
I've ridden this road hundreds of times and yes, the side lane is perfectly suited for cyclists
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Old 05-05-22, 10:20 PM
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Did this happen in NE Italy?

Cause if it did I am sure its vary narrow road...
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Old 05-05-22, 10:22 PM
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MarcusT
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Originally Posted by zandoval
Did this happen in NE Italy?

Cause if it did I am sure its vary narrow road...
Not like it was a one lane road, but, 2 narrow lanes. And they were narrow because of the side lane!
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Old 05-05-22, 10:57 PM
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Here in Seattle, if I feel unsafe to stay in the bike lane, I can legally "take the lane." I make full use of the law where I see fit for my safety and wellbeing, all while maintaining traffic flow and keen awareness of others.

I can only remember a couple times where I was either honked at or yelled at from behind. I remember both occurred as I approached a red light. The driver behind me really wanted to speed up to that red light. This actually happened to me a couple times in Houston while I was driving. I wasn't going fast enough in approaching a red light. Some people really have to get to that red light. They have no use in smooth, fluid movement or trying to time the light perfectly to avoid a full stop.

Every other time a strange driver has yelled while I was on the bike seemed due to bad chemicals, gross immaturity, or personality disorder. So I can understand the middle finger response.
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Old 05-05-22, 11:07 PM
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Hey cager mind your own business
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Old 05-06-22, 12:56 AM
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Originally Posted by MarcusT
I have complete respect for cyclists on the road as I am one, but when I see a behaviour that just puts everyone at risk, it's too much for me.
Road cyclist riding in the middle of the lane on a narrow road. There was wide side lane for bikes. It was impossible to pass him without getting dangerously close. When the opportunity to safely pass presented itself after about a km, I rolled down the window and let him know what I thought of his unsafe manner. He gave me the one finger salute, I yelled "stop putting lives at risk" and moved on.
My biggest concern is the safety of other cyclists, because when drivers get fed up with riders like that, it puts the safe riders in danger.
I've ridden this road hundreds of times and yes, the side lane is perfectly suited for cyclists
once, driving through a large intersection in Boston, I saw a cyclist whizzing in from the right, without a care in the world (and ignoring the red light, of course) and on a trajectory that would’ve placed him under the front of my car. I laid on the horn, which snapped him back to the real world and he hit the brakes. A half-mile further on, I had pulled over and was getting out of the car, and Johnnie Biker passes by, screaming and giving me the bird. I give him a wave and a “You’re welcome!” Just another genteel interaction in Beantown 🙄
I have no problem calling out a cyclist who’s being a jackass - besides, he would’ve messed up the front of my car 😟
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Old 05-06-22, 03:47 AM
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I, also, would have saluted you, and yelled back. IMO, you were not concerned with anything but your wish to save some time. You had to wait for one whole kilometer? How terrible! Remember this moment the next time you are on a bike, and someone in a vehicle honks or yells at you.
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Old 05-06-22, 04:43 AM
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Originally Posted by LarrySellerz
Hey cager mind your own business
I'd rather "cagers" be mindful and not pass me at 30+ mph with <2 feet of space.

Not sure why op got mad and yelled at the biker tho. What a dumb thread.
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Old 05-06-22, 04:49 AM
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Originally Posted by SurferRosa
Every other time a strange driver has yelled while I was on the bike seemed due to bad chemicals, gross immaturity, or personality disorder. So I can understand the middle finger response.
I'd like say I would avoid the finger because I'm not that base, but that is not the truth. Where I am, I don't want to run the risk of further frustrating a methamphetamine maddened motorist even though I have a right to that lane.
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Old 05-06-22, 04:52 AM
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Even though it’s early…


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Old 05-06-22, 05:02 AM
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Originally Posted by MarcusT
I have complete respect for cyclists on the road as I am one, but when I see a behaviour that just puts everyone at risk, it's too much for me.
Road cyclist riding in the middle of the lane on a narrow road. There was wide side lane for bikes. It was impossible to pass him without getting dangerously close. When the opportunity to safely pass presented itself after about a km, I rolled down the window and let him know what I thought of his unsafe manner. He gave me the one finger salute, I yelled "stop putting lives at risk" and moved on.
My biggest concern is the safety of other cyclists, because when drivers get fed up with riders like that, it puts the safe riders in danger.
I've ridden this road hundreds of times and yes, the side lane is perfectly suited for cyclists

Your concern wasn't safety, that's a rationalization. If he's on the road legally (was he required to ride in the side lane?) "you might hurt someone by angering a driver so bad that the driver goes out of their way to hit a cyclist who's riding legally" is such absurd speculation that it's amazing anyone spouts this. You were mad because he slowed you down and you made up an excuse to tell him off.

You do understand that drivers yelling out of car windows is one of the major reasons cyclists hate drivers, right? I'm conditioned from all of the random yelling and "get on the sidewalk" type "advice" to flip off almost everyone who does this. Where I ride, it's either just random insults, "boo", stupid crap like telling me to ride on the far right of a right turn lane when I'm going straight, or just incomprehensible gibberish.
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Old 05-06-22, 05:30 AM
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Originally Posted by Litespud
once, driving through a large intersection in Boston, I saw a cyclist whizzing in from the right, without a care in the world (and ignoring the red light, of course) and on a trajectory that would’ve placed him under the front of my car. I laid on the horn, which snapped him back to the real world and he hit the brakes. A half-mile further on, I had pulled over and was getting out of the car, and Johnnie Biker passes by, screaming and giving me the bird. I give him a wave and a “You’re welcome!” Just another genteel interaction in Beantown 🙄
I have no problem calling out a cyclist who’s being a jackass - besides, he would’ve messed up the front of my car 😟
Well, if we're going to trade anecdotes, I was riding once perfectly legally in the lane in Lynn, on a lane that was marked with very clear sharrows when a guy in a SUV lays into his horn behind me. He then proceeded to ostentatiously go around me, yelling something incomprehensible out the passenger side window. He then parks at the ballfield about three blocks ahead, exiting his vehicle just as I happened to be passing him. I yelled in his face and pointed to the sharrow. He called me a moron, but I felt I had embarrassed him in front of his buddies which I enjoyed. Life went on.
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Old 05-06-22, 05:31 AM
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I get it, the rider would have been better in the middle of the lane rather than in the middle of the entire road.

I see this locally far too often with all kinds of riders. Mostly those on hybrids or those that have a bunch of bags mounted on the back & front with various Tractor Supply Co. reflectors all over the bicycle.
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Old 05-06-22, 05:49 AM
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Somehow these threads always start with 'I have the utmost respect for cyclists, but...'
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Old 05-06-22, 05:51 AM
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I confess I've yelled at cyclists while on my bike because they've done something to endanger me, especially on trails. Never in my car.
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Old 05-06-22, 07:04 AM
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I'm with the OP on this one. If there is a Bike lane and someone is taking up an entire vehicle lane instead, whether it is legal or not, is pretty ignorant. It is illegal for cars to drive in the bike lane but apparently it's ok for a biker to ignore the bike lane and block the entire lane making cars go around into oncoming traffic. I agree that it makes things more dangerous and more inconvenient for all involved. I had a similar situation where I was the honker and the biker flipped me the bird as well. Only time in my 30+ years of driving I had ever honked at a biker, because I had never seen one so ignorant. Point is to SHARE the road, not hog it because you can. That is the whole reason bikers get a bad rap in the first place, by being ignorant twats like that. Someday that biker will get splattered on the road either by an inattentive driver or an angry driver, and rightfully so IMO. Or cause a head on collision.

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Old 05-06-22, 07:29 AM
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Originally Posted by mcours2006
I confess I've yelled at cyclists while on my bike because they've done something to endanger me, especially on trails. Never in my car.
Heh. I read this shortly before I got off the bus this morning. Not 10 seconds after I hit the sidewalk I almost got hit by two people riding illegally on the sidewalk. I said something but did not yell.
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Old 05-06-22, 08:10 AM
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sometimes I take the lane to prevent ppl from passing me, like on a fast hill. but then I move over, so they can pass
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Old 05-06-22, 08:12 AM
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Originally Posted by MarcusT
I have complete respect for cyclists on the road as I am one, but when I see a behaviour that just puts everyone at risk, it's too much for me.
Road cyclist riding in the middle of the lane on a narrow road. There was wide side lane for bikes. It was impossible to pass him without getting dangerously close. When the opportunity to safely pass presented itself after about a km, I rolled down the window and let him know what I thought of his unsafe manner. He gave me the one finger salute, I yelled "stop putting lives at risk" and moved on.
My biggest concern is the safety of other cyclists, because when drivers get fed up with riders like that, it puts the safe riders in danger.
I've ridden this road hundreds of times and yes, the side lane is perfectly suited for cyclists
I know the frustration. good rant. I try to avoid verbal communication between myself & cyclists or myself & cagers. I def. avoid "the salute" it can trigger some ppl ... don't ask me how I know
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Old 05-06-22, 08:19 AM
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Originally Posted by rumrunn6
sometimes I take the lane to prevent ppl from passing me, like on a fast hill. but then I move over, so they can pass
https://youtu.be/-oetUAGyOW8
Same here. There are certain situations in which it's safer for me to take the lane and prevent an impatient motorist from endangering me. It's rare, but I do it occasionally. And it's legal in my state.
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Old 05-06-22, 08:44 AM
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I have a question for those who think the OP was just being impatient. If you were riding your bike at 20 mph and came upon a cyclist who was riding at 10 mph and in such a way as to make it impossible for you to pass, how would you feel?
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Old 05-06-22, 08:49 AM
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You FEEL unsafe?? LOL hahahaha
Entitled cyclist was afraid of that SPECK of dirt on the shoulder.
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Old 05-06-22, 08:53 AM
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Originally Posted by bruce19
I have a question for those who think the OP was just being impatient. If you were riding your bike at 20 mph and came upon a cyclist who was riding at 10 mph and in such a way as to make it impossible for you to pass, how would you feel?
Doesn't matter how I feel. I slow down and pass only when safe to do so.

The only person being dangerous is the one choosing to be dangerous, and in the OP's case it's the driver. It's always the driver choosing to do something dangerous.

If you don't want to encounter other road users, stay at home.
You are not entitled to go as fast as you want.
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Old 05-06-22, 09:00 AM
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Originally Posted by Koyote
Same here. There are certain situations in which it's safer for me to take the lane and prevent an impatient motorist from endangering me. It's rare, but I do it occasionally. And it's legal in my state.
Video reminds me of the time I was on a descent on a fully loaded bike in MT when there was someone behind me in an RV. Only a small shoulder, if you could call it that. Some tuurns, so I am not sure that he wanted to pass me, but I wasn't going to give him the opportunity to try.. Once the grade cooled out I found a place to pull off the road so anyone behind me could pass.
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Old 05-06-22, 09:02 AM
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Originally Posted by bruce19
I have a question for those who think the OP was just being impatient. If you were riding your bike at 20 mph and came upon a cyclist who was riding at 10 mph and in such a way as to make it impossible for you to pass, how would you feel?

Happens all the time on the MUP, and I either request they let me pass or wait it out depending on why they may be traveling in the manner they are. I am essentially infinitely patient if there's a child involved. I don't start screaming or whatever the vocal equivalent of honking is.
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