Angry angry angry

Try and ignore the bad stuff and concentrate on loudly and demonstratively thanking any good behaiviour from drivers on the roads. I have major anger issues and this approach is really working for me.

Soooo true! I have really enjoyed cycling the past week after thinking of giving it up. I've actually realised yesterday that it's because I don't care about what others are doing anymore, it goes right over my head. I just ride as safely as I can.

Dooks and the art of Zen

Trucks, busses and other big stuff always drift out right before turning in left. it's a nasty place but that pecker made it so much worse. it sounds to me like you were shaken by the lorry manuva before this fuck-lump decided to join in. hope you get the sun in your face clear roads the way home, for these piss-drops are few and far between.

no matter how you acted he is and would still be a cunt

Hi Vee vee

yes I'm french, living in Paris. "Ducon" fits exactly the attitude of that dumb asshole.
Like Dooks, it took me some time to calm down.

I usually manage to stay calm while riding, I do not yell at anybody neither answer to their crap talks.

But this, week, with the strike going on in the subway, more and more people are taking their car to go to work, it is a complete mess. People get nervous, drive like crazy. It is a bit stressful

Bus, truck and car drivers are always in such a rush to get to their next traffic jam, two or three seconds extra stuck behind us makes them late for it.

@tapenade & VeeVee

Is Ducon like Enfoire? or more sympathetic

@ Dooks,

good buddy, take a breath and relax. Good to hear no harm was done to your lovely personage or your steed.
I'm with Skully, best to praise the good, and ignore the bad, unless as in your case it was done with intent, then a stern and coherent talking to is required. Best to let them know in clear concise terms that they are in the wrong rather than shouting abuse at them, however good it makes you feel at the time. Most drivers back down when you approach them in a calm manner rather than frothing at the mouth, hard I know when the adrenalin's flowing and its fight or flight, but I find i works for me.
Looking forward to going out on a lovely autumnal ride with you soon, once me leg heals up..

I've seen the power of the key applied in a very stress reducing fashion. I was in a car, and observed a bus pulling across to the left without checking for cyclists first. He nearly killed I guy who managed to slam his brakes on and drop behind the bus just seconds before it crushed him. He whipped something out of his pocket, accelerated up the right hand side of the bus and keyed the paintwork hugely, gouging a massive way line the full length of the bus. He pedalled off in a thoroughly unflustered way. It was quality.

Don't pass turning trucks. Fucksake!

I respect your rant though. I love a good shouting match. Fuck zen.

Dooks, this must have been bad as you're usually chilled out ......

I'm lucky enough to have one of those faces that unintentionally invites people to open their car doors just as I'm approaching them.
I often find that once I've got steamed up with one incident I really have to take a deep breath and laugh/scream it off, otherwise I become a maniac myself and get it in my head that everyone else is wrong and everyone's out to get me, even though it's probably me riding badly in a rage.

You shouldn't be riding that close to cars that a door opening would make a difference.

I totally understand where you are coming from Dooks.
I become an absolute monster when I am endangered like this and I am normally a very calm and chilled person. Its like my personality completely changes when I am on my bike and in traffic.

Must be my pre-homo sapien brain which is by-passing my normal though processing abilities. The fight or flight scenario. Seems like this brain seems to hang around and fight!!!

True, hippy.

It usually seems to be when I'm filtering through traffic and people think it's a great time to jump out of a cab or just pull over to drop someone off. There's not always space to give them a wide berth and they don't bother looking as the traffic's not moving (as all they see are cars not bikes).

@tapenade & VeeVee

Is Ducon like Enfoire? or more sympathetic

Yes it is a bit like Enfoire but milder. It comes from "con" and by adding a Du in front makes it sounds like a surname (like Dupont). Someone tried to swerve into me once and when I shouted "OI" he looked at me took his earphones off and shouted "SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!". My brain instantly came up with "Ducon" and it made me laugh all the way to home. It helps me vent in a fun way.

Dooks and the art of Zen

i know i know. i usually try and keep zen (or at least keep a lid on it). at worst as on monday i might indulge in a little light-hearted hand signalling, window tapping and eye-pointing as in "hello! what ARE you doing you numpty!" sort of thing. but for some reason the intent behind this morning's little stand off just flicked a switch to a hitherto unexplored part of my neanderthal brain. like i said, i'm really not proud of it and would like to think that i'll bear it in mind for next time. i'm cool now tho thanks.

as for overtaking trucks. i know, i know. but in my defence:

he was in the left lane indicating left and braking to turn off. i checked the traffic behind me (plenty of room) and pulled into the right hand lane. the truck then turned the opposite way to the one he was signalling and started to encroach on the other lane and come to a stop. i was watching him the entire time and keeping out of his way. when he totally blocked the entire road, i stopped safely behind him in the right hand lane. THEN mister cuntypants in his white van came hammering behind me and started with the beepbeep. hardly darting up the inside of lorry turning left is it?

thanks for all the concerned and calming words tho. you are collectively wonderful and wise. i will be very "om" on the way home tonight.

I went through a period of getting agro, banging on every car roof that came within a foot of me, etc... then one day I reaslised I'd lost the love of riding and was in complete survival mode. From that day I accepted that everyone on the road was probably going to do something that was going to upset me, slowed up a bit, rode defensively and learned to let things go. Now I'll sometimes have a chat with a driver if they give me a really near miss, usually try and be nice about it and generally find they are really apologetic and take on board the need to look out for cyclists.

i know i know. i usually try and keep zen (or at least keep a lid on it). at worst as on monday i might indulge in a little light-hearted hand signalling, window tapping and eye-pointing as in "hello! what ARE you doing you numpty!" sort of thing. but for some reason the intent behind this morning's little stand off just flicked a switch to a hitherto unexplored part of my neanderthal brain. like i said, i'm really not proud of it and would like to think that i'll bear it in mind for next time. i'm cool now tho thanks.

ah a long fuse. it's good to get the steam out and whats even better is the twat you vented at deserves no guilt! all worked out nice

you should spread some of that "Om" past westies later. before Big Red gets at it....

@Hippy

I had a feeling you were going to post that^ :) it made me laugh.

But some of us find it harder to cope with the anger than others. I guess you can cope with getting all fired up but I can't; like steamroller^I was getting seriously upset and adrenaline-fuelled - I felt like the Beastie Boys' Heart Attack Man. So I had to learn a new way of getting about.

ah a long fuse. it's good to get the steam out and whats even better is the twat you vented at deserves no guilt! all worked out nice

you should spread some of that "Om" past westies later. before Big Red gets at it....

You can't take an om west, without cracking a few heads...

(I need to leave this office).

ahh thanks. i went east and sold a saddle for a couple of pints. (cheers ferris). will get to westies soon tho. right now i have some stinky stinky cheese and a tumbler of nice red. all is well.

despite! (yes there's more) leaving work and riding north over blackfriars going staight on in the bike lane only to have someone cut right across me at that junction where the cyclist was squished last week. managed to keep it to some frantic braking and exasperated gesticulating this time.

that's three too many dear deaths for one day (in all the exitement i didn't mention the cabbie doing the classic kerb-to-u-turn-without-looking-or-signalling that nearly took me out only a few minutes after the first incident).

we all have bad days i suppose. i'm just glad to be home and safe right now.

and looking forward to getting back out there with my om-face on tomorrow.

a