Where does one stop?

What was the long-term feeling that the old geezer took away from the scene?

• I've been such an idiot and will never drive irresponsibility in the vicinity of cyclists again.

• It was 6 of one and half a dozen of the other, these things happen, life goes on.

• Those psychos on bicycles shouldn't be on the roads.

If it's in any way the last option, he's going to subconciously act out his feelings by continuing to try and muscle riders into the gutter. That's why I think we sometimes need to curb individual rage for the sake of the wider velo-community.

Not very rock 'n' roll, I know.

sounds like the driver just didn't know how he's supposed to treat cyclists on the road.

if you must stop and talk, just tell them firmly that they need to read the highway code then go about your business.

old people often don't understand the rules of the road, they get confused and frustrated, maybe he's scared enough to drive properly now, maybe he thinks all cyclists are cunts and wants to kill them all..

it can go both ways

Fear is not a healthy motivator.

you betcha!

Now I'm scared.

Hurricane, chill the fuck out.

I get my moments of rage, but screaming at old people, getting into their cars and generally menacing them is not going to help matters. You need to be more respectful, too - 'some bitch in a Yaris'?

I know it's hard not to react; I almost got into it with some rude boys who were throwing eggs at me and my girl from a car a couple of nights ago, but I'm really glad that I didn't.

Deep breaths, dude.

Hi, im new too. i shout quite a bit when i feel hard done by. the other day a white van changed lanes into me and nearly clipped my back wheel, just before some lights. i turned round and told him to fuck off and he tried to rev into the back of me but stalled. i rode off fast. i did not feel quite as big and tough.

it's satisfying to shout but people who drive like arseholes are sometimes bigger arseholes than you could ever imagine. i drink cammomile tea. it helps.

I got myself into some paroxysm of rage last Wednesday evening when some cunt drove into my back wheel on the junction of Rivington St and Shoreditch High St - this is after we had both been stopped waiting at the junction for 15-20 seconds (I can only assume he was impatient and wished to give me a little nudge out into the road). I got off and went round to his window and gave him some abuse, most of which began with 'wa', 'fu' or 'cu' and probably ended with something like 'people like you don't deserve a licence'.

The guy was obviously getting a bit tired of my endless (and TBH overblown) tirade, as he said 'there was no need for that now, get on your way'. Which I did, after realising that I probably was getting a bit too psycho. After going down a sidestreet to cut onto another main road, I met the car again. We clocked each other in his mirror and I was so so tempted to gob in his window, but I didn't... I'm a bit ashamed of myself for considering it, but I didn't do it, as I realised I was probably going to contribute to motorists' negative perception of cyclists even more than I had already.

So basically I think there comes a time when you have to chill the fuck out, realise when you look like a nutjob (er, getting in the dude's car sounds a tad nutty, IMHO) and get the Tube or bus the next day in order to regain some distance from the daily situation, realise why you get on your bike everyday rather than suffer the general public's halitosis, and thus regain your cycling zen.

[/my tuppenceworth]

I got myself into some paroxysm of rage last Wednesday evening when some cunt drove into my back wheel on the junction of Rivington St and Shoreditch High St - this is after we had both been stopped waiting at the junction for 15-20 seconds (I can only assume he was impatient and wished to give me a little nudge out into the road). I got off and went round to his window and gave him some abuse, most of which began with 'wa', 'fu' or 'cu' and probably ended with something like 'people like you don't deserve a licence'.

The guy was obviously getting a bit tired of my endless (and TBH overblown) tirade, as he said 'there was no need for that now, get on your way'. Which I did, after realising that I probably was getting a bit too psycho. After going down a sidestreet to cut onto another main road, I met the car again. We clocked each other in his mirror and I was so so tempted to gob in his window, but I didn't... I'm a bit ashamed of myself for considering it, but I didn't do it, as I realised I was probably going to contribute to motorists' negative perception of cyclists even more than I had already.

So basically I think there comes a time when you have to chill the fuck out, realise when you look like a nutjob (er, getting in the dude's car sounds a tad nutty, IMHO) and get the Tube or bus the next day in order to regain some distance from the daily situation, realise why you get on your bike everyday rather than suffer the general public's halitosis, and thus regain your cycling zen.

[/my tuppenceworth]

Someone did that to me the other day. I twisted round to face them and pulled an exaggerated expression of confusion and spread my hands mouthing 'why?' They were reasonably apologetic.

I spat in a driver's face once after he cut me up and opened his window to call me a 'cu...' It was purely instinctive and to be honest, a beautiful shot, but it ended with him chasing me all around the east end before we finally had a proper rolling-around-on-the-floor punch up.

It was ridiculous, retarded and definitely not my finest hour. Sure, he deserved some kind of shit for what he did, but it is honestly one of the most disgusting things I have ever done. I felt I was in the right at the time, but looking back I was being a dick.

I don't know what the answer is. No one should have to take shit off impatient wankers who hate their lives, jobs and modes of transport, and I'm all for being vocal and if necessary, backing it up. But whenever it happens, I get depressed as to why it happened and letting myself sink that low.

Meh

I think he gets the point now.

On a similar note I have read in a American forum discussions about what type of gun is best to carry when riding, factors include size weight (always important for the cyclist) and power. Where to carry the gun, some go for kidney places holsters others carry the gun in a bar bag for easy reach.

I think you should stop before you get the stage of considering guns.

I got really shouty and rude at a bloke for not indicating last summer; he in turn got REALLY SHOUTY and threatened to stab me. He was pretty fucking scary.
Now I try to smile and say none threatening stuff; I call everyone who pisses me off "Chuckles" rather than "wanker" etc.

you got into his car?????

i have one hell of a temper and sometimes you just cant help yourself. that's just the way it is. not condoning anything, but in the heat of the moment shit happens. i've been a lot harsher than i should've been sometimes, and sometimes not harsh enough....

Meh

word of the moment

hurricane you sound like a pretty angry guy. I agree with bringmemyfix and his option 3 - that old man will make more of an effort to muscle cyclists off the road.

Once witnessed a driver open his passenger door onto a cyclist with his kid strapped into a child seat on the back. Driver looked like he was gonna do a runner so I made sure the guy and the kid were alright before I sat on the front of the car and waited for the cops to show up.
Got to testify in court next month for it lol

I normally just bang on their window/door/bonnet etc and give them the finger before cycling off.

I came very close to being hit the other day. I swerved to avoid some knob that pulled straight out into the cycle lane without looking. I ended up on the floor as I lost control of the bike. I picked myself up and was pretty close to full on psycho mode whilst storming towards the car. But when I saw it was an old guy, and he had opened his window, I managed to calm down and just with a raised voice, asked him if he had seen me, and if not why not. And explained to him to be more careful next time. If I had been hurt though I am not certain I would have been as calm and collected.

And Anyone driving a BMW or 4x4 i Usually just give the finger too before they get a chance to fuck me over anyway

ipod on - soundtrack to Juno. No possible way you could freak out then.

Mostly now I wag my finger & frown at people. Though occasionally I have a shout.

It's easier to be more zen now the sun is shining. You're on a bike in the sunshine, they're stuck in a car.

I generally think I cycle aggressively and I'm far more of the shouty / get vexed breed rather than take a deep breath and count to ten type but when I've taken things too far and chased or threatened drivers I've never felt righteous, just crap because I rarely behave that way in the rest of my life. Equally I've also had my bluff called by my share of nut-jobs who are genuinely psycho all the time, not just when using their mode of transport.

I roll the dice on a daily basis but I always try to be positive, saying that there really are some cnuts out there on the road too.

My normal reaction is an instinctual "You fucking insert as necessary" as the driver drives off. But last year I had the oppurtunity to catch the white van wanker up.

He had a trailor and nearly took me out as he overtook me and went closer into the left of the lane.

When I caught up with him (I'm quite a big, swetty mess of a bloke when cycling) I said something along the lines of "You wanna watch what you're fucking doing with that thing, you nearly fucking knocked me off!"

He and his mate apologised and we parted.

I think the fact that I was obviously alarmed and it lookd like he'd put the wind up me (or he was scared of what I may do, hmm, hard to tell actually(his window was open so that may be it) may have stopped the situation escalated.

Anyway the point I'm trying to make (eventually) is that by appealing to someone's better nature you may get a more satisfactory result, not applicable in all situations I know but that chap would probably have had a sifferent respnse had I been hurling abuse at him from the off.

Chuckles!

I'm gonna use that.

It was ridiculous, retarded and definitely not my finest hour. Sure, he deserved some kind of shit for what he did, but it is honestly one of the most disgusting things I have ever done. I felt I was in the right at the time, but looking back I was being a dick.

Fuck me Sano, there is something of the night about you, but disgusting is a tough word. He could have caused you serious damage. its not a mistake just a lesson.

Maybe the safe option would have been to jump the lights, head around the corner and seagul him square between the eyes. has the benefits of releasing some tension, its not as dirty as spit and the look on his face.....!

jesus wept, what's with all the aggro today on here? must be a river of slime.

jesus wept, what's with all the aggro today on here? must be a river of slime.

Agreed. Soften the fnck up you cnnts. The sun's out and everything.

this thread is a bit scary.

i admitted to losing my temper in my first or second post here i think. i've done it a few times. but on reflection i only tend to really turn the air blue when someone has attacked me verbally first (and especially if they're in the wrong AND have had a go at me). other than that i usually let it go or confine myself to muttering and the occasional shout or gesture. mostly though i EXPECT people to behave like twats and so aren't all that surprised when they do. not only does that make the ride safer but it's way more relaxing that way.

last week i was coming out of a side turning onto a quietish street, as i approached the junction a blacked-out gangsta-style range-rover came belting along the road, over a speed bump and past the turning causing me to brake pretty hard. no biggie. it was his right of way. i was just counting on anyone that might be coming being slowed my the speed bump i knew was there. incorrect assumption on my behalf. he was going pretty fast and so was i so i just braked hard, pulled a quick stand, then continued onto the road behind him. he gets about 30 metres past the junction and stands on the brakes, stopping in the middle of the road. i think, "oh maybe he's on the phone or something" and cruise past him. as i pass he shouts something and waved his arm out of the window. naively perhaps, i thought "maybe he wants directions" so i waited for him to catch up again. his beef was basically "you're looking at me like i'm in the wrong". er, ri-i-i-i-ght. he was pretty sinister and aggy about the whole thing and wanted to know if i had a problem with him or wanted to start something etc. i politley explained that nobody was in the wrong, nobody had broken any rules or had any problem as far as i was aware and that i was happy if he was happy. it all got a bit silly then. he accused "you people" (cyclists) of "being on a another planet" but it was clear that the non-confrontation had pretty much taken the wind out of his sails by then. it ended up with him spitting "JOG ON!" repeatedly at me, and me smiling and headshaking as i pedalled off (he even let me go in front of him). hehe.

all in all i'm pretty glad i didn't try and get into his car, call him a cunty or spit at him.

When I was cut up and nearly knocked off by a left turning car a while back, I was prompted to chase this car for about a mile before I could get in front, and force her to stop. As I went to unleash my 4 letter tirade on the merits of traffic awareness, I noticed that she had a kid in the back seat, so tried to hold back a bit. Ending up sounding like an exasperated, rambling, public school buffoon. Oh, wait...