Skullo 

I was out for a pleasant twenty miler on a local river trail yesterday. The trail crosses the river many times going through multiple communities. Most of the bridges are wide and I bet four bikes could cross side by side with room to spare.
Most of the crossings have a blind corner on each end . I generally slow and take the middle if no one is in sight.
I under no circumstances pass other riders on these small bridges no matter how slow they are. Also this MUP is supposed to 15 mph limit, though postings are few and most probably are not aware of the limit.
With no warning I am passed on the left very close and very fast. I have been at this long enough to know when I am being screwed with. The rider also cut in front of me within two feet of my front wheel.
I shout out ." Hey ! Too close!"
Still on the bridge he slams on the brakes skidding sideways to a stop right in front of me. I slam on my brakes and we are face to face.He is an older person maybe sixty and is angry.
He screams in my face “What are you going to do about it!”
I say nothing.At that instant a bike rolls up to my right with a woman who is with him. She says” Hey we all share this path”.I say to her .”He cut me off and almost took out my front wheel”.I don’t believe she was close enough to witness the incident.She changes her tune and says “I keep telling him to say on your left”
I am still on my bike and have said nothing to him.He leans into my face and is as angry as any one I have seen and screams, Eat s##t! He then spins around and rides away fast.I say to the woman you better take him home . She grunts and follows him.As they were leaving I noticed they had matching e-bikes.light green and more like road or gravel bikes. The man had bike handling skills and was fit.I will guess he could be a racer.,former racer possibly BMX or Motocross. Why do these a types insist on riding down other riders and close passing you?
My take:
He cut me close on purpose for his kicks. I called him out on it. His response was an admission that he did it on purpose.There was enough view at the other side of the bridge there was no oncoming traffic to warrant such a close pass.
I am far from a coward and would never fight unless I could not get away and in self defense. I have been around ,am military trained and have served in a combat zone.
The woman with him knows how he behaves towards others on the paths. Gets his kicks trying to scare and intimidate. I am also almost 71 years old.I am fit but of course not as strong as I was in my prime.
This all transpired in less than 15 seconds I think.I said nothing to the man besides my initial shout out of to close.I was waiting for him to accelerate his attack.There was no quick escape as I was standing over my bike. I guess he expected me to apologize, or act scared of him .Luckily he left and did not wait for the woman following him.
This guy appeared fit and must be having a blast terrorizing people with his new fast toy.
I post this on fifty plus because this is my tribe.
I ride bikes to get away from the stresses of life. I have given up almost all social contact because of covid. Now this a:!,@le makes an appearance.Hope I never see him again.MUPs are for old people , dogs ,moms with strollers. Not wannabe badasses.
I have never experienced rage from a cyclist. Several times a year on trails and on the road I am passed by cyclists whom pull in front too close . I guess they are practicing the bike skills.
Like I said I know when someone is toying with me.The thought of being taken down by one of these people . It could end my cycling , put me in a nursing home or kill me. I have skills myself .Have ridden a lot in large groups with skills from high to none.Enough rant for now.

CAT7RDR

You were the target of a bully.
He will choose the wrong guy in the future that will show no mercy towards him.
Discretion is the better part of valor.

BobsPoprad

There are jerks everywhere.

Sounds like the wife agreed with your assessment.

Good to just ride away.👍

Skullo 

In my younger days I probably would have.I ran in circles where I did get in a few fights.
I would only have engaged if forced into self defense. Most bullies are cowards looking for a soft target.
I did not even have time to get off my bike before he left.Still , an upsetting incident.

gobicycling

These types are everywhere. Today I was driving my car at an appropriate rate of speed for the traffic and a sharp turn into a pharmacy parking lot which has a tricky low cement barrier that I and others have hit in the past. I have reported this along with others to both the company and the store but nothing has been done. As I was turning carefully, I noticed a white van behind me about one foot away who loudly gave me his horn as he went another direction. No reason for it except his own impatience and bullying. They're everywhere, even in bicycling. You did well.

canklecat

The need for speed attracts jerks everywhere, every mode of conveyance.

Check out videos of the Nurburgring track during Touristenfahrten drives, when the infamously dangerous track is open to inexperienced drivers with fast cars that they're barely competent to park, let alone drive fast. Veterans of the Nurburgring say it used to be both fun and safe, but has become a relentlessly dangerous wiener waggling contest.

I follow website and social media posts from Strong Towns, run by a writer who has good intentions and believes, for example, that all it takes to nudge people to drive more safely is to redesign accesses to feel more cramped and dangerous for driving quickly and recklessly.

My reply was to say the writer hasn't spent much time on a multi-use path. The typical MUP would seem to meet the standards for a shared accessway that encouraged safer use by design. But anyone who's actually spent time on an MUP knows that some people consider it a challenge to misuse that shared resource and endanger others in pursuit of some lizard brain instinct to bully others.

I've been passed by a speed demon on narrow MUP bridges, although he wasn't hostile about it. Just inconsiderate and disregarding the conditions and oncoming traffic. And as ebikes, monowheel powered skateboards, etc., become more common, I'm seeing more reckless speeders in crowded areas.

Unfortunately every MUP devolves pretty much the same way. I've seen MUPs since the 1970s in Southern California and the Washington DC area, and they're all pretty much the same. Demand almost invariably overwhelms supply. The original designs are rarely suitable for growth that wasn't anticipated, mostly because the people who plan, design, build and maintain MUPs don't actually use them. But, hey, that MUP looked so cosmetically appealing on paper, screens and mockups. Better still, skip building anything and just slap some paint on the existing roads. And it enables the city to check off a box on the livability checklist to attract profitable businesses and high paying jobs to increase the tax base.

jppe

The fella is really angry about something completely unrelated to cycling. I hope he can get it worked out before he hurts someone else and himself. I’m sure it affected your ride but you just happened to be where he was that day. Keep on pedaling!

Kabuki12

Yea, I usually don’t use MUP’s for various reasons. The main thing is the inconsiderate nature of the few ruin it for the rest of us. I was riding on a really nice one in San Diego with my wife on her new Townie pedal assist bike, I was on one of my classic vintage racers. She has an ebike because of certain disabilities and it has no throttle, you have to pedal to get the aid. We were doing about 10mph and there was no one around just open path ahead. We were pedaling along on the right side of the path with plenty of room to our left , she was behind me. I heard something and just that quick a rider with no notice hit my left arm at a speed so fast it seemed like a flash. It didn’t really knock me sideways but startled me . I didn’t say anything, I signaled to pull over and asked my wife if she was hit as well. She was fine but said she thought I was going to crash from the incident. It was the only incident on the ride but enough to shake me up for the rest of the journey. I have no idea why the rider did what he did, I am just glad the path wasn’t busy with more people.

PeteHski

There are angry, aggressive people everywhere. Sooner or later it will get them into serious trouble one way or another. There was a guy at work who drove everywhere like a complete lunatic. Really off the charts nutter. But it didn't end well for him after hitting a truck head-on one night. You did the right thing not taking the bait.

geoffr

Have to ask, what is a mup?

Gravel Rider

Multi User Path?

base2 

Multi Use Path

Mostly it's a place for walkers with dogs on 10 foot leashes & joggers to run up the middle of & turn around to be hit face on when you try to pass them on the left as you are supposed to.

Not really a place for bicycles at any speed due to pedestrian flagerant disregard for posted rules of use.

zandoval 

I don't see where you could have done anything different other than take a spill to get his attention. Horn, taser, 38, bear spray, maybe a camera, I just don't see a good out come with any confrontation. And there will probably be more of these guys in the future. Be careful friend... Ya did him a favor by not engaging...

Clyde1820

Fairly ridiculous behavior, clearly violently threatening. Had he made one solid "move" against you ...

Bully, definitely. He's going to meet someone who won't tolerate being victimized, at some point. Even if it kills him. Hopefully he'll wake up before then. If not ... then, not. It's all on him.

Kudos for being capable of withholding a solid halting of him, to terminate the violence. The only thing that didn't "save" him is he didn't follow through with it.

It is everywhere, these days. People have largely had enough of being "pushed" around, having little say, being told what to do, etc. Far too many are lashing out, now, even with deadly violence. It's pitiful, and sad. I get that sort of treatment from drivers of vehicles on a weekly basis, when driving my own car. For no other reason that that: they're there, and ticked, and wanting to lash out at anybody who's there.

gthomson

That's insane and maybe something to report to the authorities? verbal assault, especially to someone older than him? That kind of behaviour disgusts me and is unacceptable. Sure, maybe he was having a bad day and just flipped a switch but to react like that is NOT COOL.

When I ride MUP trails I slow things down knowing there are dogs, kids, elderly people strolling across the path who aren't thinking about getting hit by a bike or scooter and when I see A type personalities that are riding to get a PR, I have to shake my head.

Why are you riding a MUP trail at full tilt? go to a designated location which was designed for that type of riding, like a mountain bike trail, BMX course or open road for racing.

shelbyfv

If he's on the same path regularly, get a mirror so you can see him overtaking. A fake wobble in his direction may be enough to get his attention. If you are really committed, brake check him, maybe use a well timed elbow. JK, of course.

Skullo 

I don’t think he saw me until he was on the bridge.There is a 90 degree blind corner leading to it. He barely missed me at high speed.
Yesterday was wet and cold so I drove to the area and walked over to the trail to look at the scene.



I was probably half way across.
Reckless e-biking is becoming a problem.
Those steel girders would have done some damage if he bounced me off them. If I had not yelled at him there would have been no anger explosion from him .Bullies generally only threaten people they think they can whip.Glad I kept my cool, as even if I whipped him, my hands would hurt today.

JohnDThompson 

The MUP is not the place to set personal performance records. People who are not willing to take it easy and show respect for other trail users should ride elsewhere.

rumrunn6

it's assault. report it. call the local police station, tell the story, tell it twice. the call is recorded. don't wait for an opinion. it doesn't matter. you made the report it's on record. there's no discussion with the police. you reported the assault. if it happens again & it sounds like it already did, before you, & the other ppl report it, it's a pattern of behavior. a repeat offender. it's not your job to connect the dots, it the obligation of law enforcement. make the call. describe the couple & the bikes. explain it twice. thank them for listening. say goodbye

jamesdak 

I wish all the drivers that yell at me when I ride on the road understood that.

Clyde1820

Yup.

And given the in-your-face threat of "Whaddaya gonna do about it, eh?!!" it could easily be classified as felony assault with threat of battery. Far more than merely a misdemeanor assault, in many places.

The utility of full-time audio+video recording's getting more important, these days, with such things on the rise.

rumrunn6

1st ride of the summer, a cpl years ago, on the 4th of July, Wifey & I were on a leisurely ride together. distracted by a nearby beach view, she crashed into a "bollard" like those, hidden by shade. it was so slow, in fact, that she screamed far enough in advance for me to turn my head & see her crash into it. she broke her fall w/ her hand, which broke her wrist

that rider & others like him, are a menace (meaning, it's the individual, not the machine)

BobbyG

Skullo You made his wife aware of it and I'm sure this isn't the first time she's had to deal with his bad behavior. It will come back to bite him.

In the mean time get a helmet cam or action cam. I've been riding with one for 7 years.

Then in situations like this you can calmly point to it and ask the jerk to "Say hello to the internet!"

curbtender

Anybody who gets that angry will carry it with them for a long time. Your words will ring in his ears. Let it go, you'll be better off.

prj71

Why not stick to riding county highways in the country or getting a gravel bike and riding some back roads. Not understanding why people want to ride on MUPs with all sorts of other users on them. The few times I have rode them (I don't anymore)...little kids are always an issue. They never pay attention to where they are going and have had them cut out in front of me and I've had to slam on the brakes.