Risk assessment of assertive cycling

One risk element is rarely discussed or even analysed in detail as far as i know. That is the risk of being 'punished' by drivers for riding in this manner. Unfortunately too many people I know have recently experienced drivers swerving into them or recieved serious abuse for 'taking the lane' (including myself who was assaulted by a car passenger for this on petherton road N1). There are numerous posts about such incidents on the forum (the 101 W***kers and c*nt of the day threads for example).

Yes, but your incident was completely untypical. It wasn't just a moment's impatience but full-bodied assault, and all you were doing at the time was waiting at a junction. I really would place this in a separate category.