Spotted...

Aww, I missed that, What time was that?

I had it the other way up tonight with not 1 but 2 black cabs pulling out into me requiring emergency swerving

Got involved in a very stupid scuffle/stand-off/handbag fest at Angel junction this morning.

I was stopped waiting at the lights in the cyclist ahead box when I heard shouting. A motorcyclist on a big dirty rat bike thing had stopped in the cyclist ahead box, and from what I can work out a tall skinny and nerdy-looking hybrid cyclist must have clipped him trying to squeeze between him the bendy bus stopped at the line. The motorcyclist was gesticulating and revving his engine shouting "You touch my bike and i'll smash your bike!".The cyclist turned round and started shouting back that he shouldn't be in the box anyway. The motorcyclist then rolled forward and deliberately, but not desperately violently, whacked the cyclist's back wheel with his front. This sent the cyclist into bezerker mode and he backed up and assumed attack position (in that way that weedy people who've never been a fight in their lives do) with one fist drawn at shoulder height, away from the body pointed vaguely at the motorcyslist's helmet... I don't think he'd thought it all the way though to be honest with you.

Anyway I was watching all this unfold relatively unconcerned for anyone's immediate safety until the lights changed and the motorbike started revving up and trying to barge the cyclist out of the way. At this point I thought "Solidarity brother!" and swung round to stand right in front of the motorbike facing him. I noticed at this point that another cyclist who'd been watching proceedings had done exactly the same and was standing next to me. So there were now three of us standing with our bikes in front of the furious motorcyclist. He was still revving, swearing and threatening but at least he'd stopped trying to run people over. A few polite but firm, "What's your problem?"s from the assembled cyclist blockade seemed to take the wind out of his sails a bit. The lights were still green at this point and the traffic was starting to back up and honk so as the original victim/aggitator/whatever made his escape, we both peeled of and continued on our way leaving the motorcyclist to do likewise. I noticed he deliberately passed too near the fleeing cyclist as he passed him at the top of pentonville road but nothing that could be construed as a further attack I don't think. If i'd thought about it a bit more clearly I probably would have taken his number and reported him... but to be honest it was all a bit handbags at dawn. I don't think he really intended to anything other than intimidate and threaten. The contact he made although deliberate was also deliberately gentle (he was doing little more than barely tapping the cyclict) so all in all i'm pretty happy we (me and the other commuter) played it about right.