Spotted...

all-time favourite run in with another cyclist last night spinning down bow road (toward waterloo bridge).

middle-aged schmuck on a boris bike without looking comes out of a side street (through covent garden). i give him the 'shake my head/think first' look.

we meet at the lights where he says - 'don't shake your head at me. that's what's wrong with you English, none of you know how to drive' (!)
to which I reply: 'i'm not english, i'm american, and i'm also jewish - any other wildly uninformed stereotypes you'd like to throw out there while we're here?'
he didn't really know what to say to that other than 'american - even worse'
the rest of this will be typed out as dialogue.

schmuck: 'you can't ride in a city like this'
me: 'but you ignored my right of way! do you know the highway code?'
schmuck: 'no, but i know the rules of cycling in a city - you must sit upright, maintain a speed under 10mph - you have an illegal bike and you cycle faster than anyone i've ever seen, you're a danger to society. you must respect the rules'
me: (spellbound) 'excuse me? but you were in the wrong?' (can i also point out that i really wasn't going that fast)
shmuck: 'i'm dutch, we invented the bicycle'
me: (completely amazed) 'no you didn't - and just because it's a nation full of bikes doesn't mean you can invent the imaginary rules of cycling in London'

at this point, the lights changed, so i set off. and here's the best part - my new Dutch buddy went right through a red light, straight through crossing peds, where I stopped.

passing him when the lights changed, i yelled out 'but running through red lights is acceptable?' and he laughed at me and went 'those are the rules!'

mental case.