Read the following account* today on a Malvern History page (of all places) from a woman who allegedly encountered some cycle rage:

Beware of mountain bikers on the path at blackhill, yesterday 3 men on bikes were going up that path and I politely said you aren’t supposed to be on this path, and I got a mouth full of abuse and then one of them pushed me, I did report them and the conservators said that it is becoming a real problem!

It’s a sad reminder to us all to be ambassadors for the human race first and foremost, closely followed by our chosen activity?

*Of course I’d expect maybe a different account of events would be related by the cyclist in question. But let’s be awesome whatever, eh?

One of them pushed a woman, or basically she stood in their path and they brushed past as they couldn’t stand still all day waiting for her to move.

I shout bollocks as this as a matter of fact. Part fiction, with people actually being there as the only fact.

The bloke I had an encounter with- who was shoving me (and towards the edge of a drop). If I had taken the bait and even just pushed him I know he’d have given a strangely one-sided fictional event to the authorities. If I had lamped him- then he’d have called it attempted robbery no doubt.

There are some seriously small-minded people out there, plenty of walkers leave gates ajar, let their dogs run lose near Lamb and sheep and then the occasional weekend summer ones who drop litter.

The most interesting encounter i’ve had with walkers was when some auld girl started having ago about us not give way, (we were going up hill on a double track, and had formed a single line to the left.)
Two other members of her party told in no uncertain words to shut up, and apologised to us. We just smiled.
We learnt two things
So some people are out for a arguement, having one would make them happy. Being “a victim” would make them even happier.
So people are quite nice.

doubt that happened TBH

would more likely to have given her a few words saying they don’t care and brushed past her as she refused to move

as they probably just carried on and couldn’t be arsed with her “polite” rant she turned bitter and decided to say that she was pushed

had it before, sadly I end up mouthing off back at them, when I should just ignore and walk away

I doubt very much 2 other blokes let another male push a woman with any force right in front of them

There’s a side to every story.
Years ago when I used to do a lot of running, I was coming off Great Gable down a path, at speed. There was a group of 3 or 4 walkers in red socks and green anoraks coming up the path. When they saw me they spread out across the path and linked arms so that I couldn’t get through. Then started shouting at me. About 10 seconds later the friend that I was running with followed me down. He was 6’4″ and reasonably well built. The painful walkers instantly moved to the side of the track and got out of our way. We carried on. I hate bullies.
Some people want to create confrontation because it makes them feel better.

Once I was pulling a fair sized tree from across a footpath at stupid o’clock on a Sunday morning. A lone female walker walked up and berated me whilst I was doing this. Not once did she offer to help.

Some people are utter tools, males or female.

Once I met some really nice walkers who stood to the side of the trail and let me pass. I then promptly stalled on a rock step and fell off into the bracken.

they helped me out and didn’t laugh too much.

Oh yes I’ve been cheered on before on more than one occassion.

In France an old lady told me I wasn’t riding fast enough.

The best argument I use with aggressive walkers is to tell them that Elgar used to ride his bike on the hills. That normally shuts them up..
It’s normally the older generation that tend to think the hills is theirs and anyone doing something that they don’t like is in the wrong.

I’ve also been passed by bike riders whilst clearing trees and they either havent stopped, or grumbled about me being in their way.

ownership of a bike doesn’t automatically infer good character anymore than ownership of walking boots infers that you’re a cantankerous dick.

ownership of a bike doesn’t automatically infer good character anymore than ownership of walking boots infers that you’re a cantankerous dick.

^^

A voice of reason. Additionally- the Blackhill easy-access path in question is actually signposted ‘no bikes’, so you will find all manner of people (lots of tourists frinstance) in all manner of footwear. And all manner of cyclists (lots of tourists frinstance) on all manner of bikes.

It’s certainly not becoming to assume that it was the person who claims she was assaulted to have been the ‘aggressor’ simply because you had a bad experience once. Walkers/cyclists are not Sunni/Shia, just people out and about in a shared space. As Hora (ironically or self-incriminatingly stated!) –

people actually being there as the only fact.

So unless one was there, why pick sides/assume?

I think there is a huge difference between mountain bikers & someone riding a mountain bike, there are many tools round here that ride mountain bikes, they wouldn’t think twice about shoving & abusing someone, that doesn’t make them mountain bikers, it all goes back to tarring everyone with the same brush.

If it helps, subsequent comments on the page in question were mostly measured, stating not wishing to tar all cyclists with the same brush.

Amateur historians eh? I’ve met a few in my time, always doing this and that 😉

malvern rider I’ve got actual experience of people on foot being idiots. multiple times.

I’ve ridden with many many people, people I’ve just met and we’ve ridden along together, people I’ve happened to be riding on the same trails with- I honestly cant remember any of these strangers or friends of friends blasting close and past walkers at speed.

I’ve also noted that on bank holidays/ in Summer there seems to be suddenly litter out on the trails. Funny that. Mountain bikers are mountain bikers. Dont tar them- I’ve seen little evidence of them being cocks. Friendly to strangers, unlike roadies and likeable for the main.

How many times – on natural trails have you had any sort of agro or seen agro from a mountain biker?

As I mentioned earlier I was ‘assaulted’ by a walker. The first thing I did was report him to the local Police with the comment that he is looking to provoke a fight/more than likely is doing so to allege assault himself.

A few years ago I got grumbled at by an old bloke for riding through a local park. He didn’t say anything to the lady of pensionable age 50 yards behind me riding her shopper.

There was a load of reports of really aggressive mountain bikers in an area near me. I met one of the walkers who’d been reporting it – it was one of the things they told me as he ranted away. The most aggro couple I’ve met. I think it was deliberate and he expected to get a shove etc as his wife/familiar was filming us on her phone as he pushed his luck. Bonkers. And funnily enough there only seems to be an issue with these aggressive cyclists in that one small area, where they walk. Same area that a load of home-made anti-bike signs went up. I can picture them at home with the FC guy’s number on speed-dial, trying to put on a different voice each time 😀

This is why I don’t ride the Malverns at busy times 😉 I know others don’t have the same flexibility. In the seven or so years I’ve been riding there, we’ve probably have less than 10 ‘confrontations’, some of which I’ll hold my hands up and say were entirely of our own making. Some were because there are some (walkers, cyclists, paragliders, etc) who just exist to suck the joy out of everything.

It’s easy to see from both sides; relatively small space with lots of different trails users. Fast bikes can definitely be scary on narrow tracks, walkers deliberately blocking trails can be irritating. Room for all, nod and smile boys, nod and smile.

But pushing up tracks at busy times when they are specifically banned? That’s not trail advocacy, that’s just borderline confrontational.

Oh and there are a lot more walkers than cyclists. And some (not all by any means) have a ‘we were here first and you’ve ruined it’. Conservators and associated committees etc are dominated by this one group. It’s hard to see how any quasi-legislation around trail use could be enforced. But it’s not hard to think what it might target…

Have you got a link MR?

You can also feel a confrontation before it happens and by saying ‘good morning, lovely day’ , before they open their mouths, seems to diffuse the majority, whether they are in the wrong or not.
Cant think of anytime, we as a group haven’t utilised the approach of the need of shouting, arguing etc. If they ‘do’ grumble, just a simple ‘ thanks, have a great day’ and carry on, usually ends the conversation.

Hora man, you lost me. Maybe re-read what I wrote. I’m advocating not making assumptions or taking sides.

*For the record – and to answer yr Q – in ten yrs here I’ve had more hassle as a walker from rude/thoughtless bikers here than I have as a rider from rude/thoughtless walkers. And I split my Hills time roughly both ways as a dog owner and cyclist. But we are talking a very few incidents. Certainly not enough to inspire me to point pre-emptive blame at cyclists from another walker’s account of things. But that goes both ways. My negative experiences are statistically negligible compared to overwhelming positive experiences from either walkers or mtbrs. Also no ‘assaults’ from either. Confrontation, yes – I was once forced to speak up after narrowly escaping being flattened. That doesn’t qualify me to rant about mtbers in general. Neither would I wish to.

malvern rider I’ve got actual experience of people on foot being idiots. multiple times.

But I still don’t recommend confirmation bias to be a sensible or honest way forward. Just deal case by case, with evidence at hand. And ALWAYS be awesome, and if that is difficult, just be safe and polite for other path users. That was my original message and remains so. Even if someone is being an a55, we are all still ambassadors for ourselves, for humans, and for cyclists :-/

I’ve been riding the Malverns’ since the nineties and can count on one hand the amount of times I’ve had a run-in with walkers, in fact the majority of folks seem quite happy about it. However it’s quite intimidating when a group ride past you at full kilter.

Oh yes I’ve been cheered on before on more than one occassion.

In France an old lady told me I wasn’t riding fast enough.

😯

Have you got a link MR?

Honesty says ‘yes’ – wisdom, on the other hand – ‘no’ 😉

Honesty says ‘yes’ – wisdom, on the other hand – ‘no’

Boo 🙁

Mountain bikers are mountain bikers.

Love is love is love!

Reminds me of the FB page “Hateful Old Hikers Association” which incites hatred towards mountain bikers and others in such a way that he/they also promote trail sabotage and endangering those who ride.

If anyone visits facebook to view this nonsense, please do report to FaceBook to have page removed.
Please report specific articles and comments by him/them as to have FaceBook consider removing completely.

🙂

You can also feel a confrontation before it happens

this. I refuse to engage with them now. If they want to vent their poisonous spleen, they’re not going to get the chance to do it on me, and spoil my day.

I’m always puzzled why people ride the Malverns at weekends/bank holidays etc when the place is packed. I’m guilty of riding cheeky routes but I’m not stupid enough to do it on busy days.
some riders/horse riders/walkers don’t have the common sense they were born with

I’m always puzzled why people ride the Malverns at weekends/bank holidays etc when the place is packed.

^^Like most adaptable locals I suspect. Self included. Weekenders* are there because it’s the weekend, and I am master of deduction! Problems happen so often when users of any group don’t know much about access/byways or even courtesy. The weekends are a goldfish bowl especially along the ridge, and some possibly tourist bikers sometimes see it as a trail centre, while some possibly tourist walkers see it as an excuse to stand in large groups across the path nattering about stuff/let many dogs run wild. I’m sure they all have stories about each other.

*(Whether on foot or by bike/car)

I’m always puzzled why people ride the Malverns at weekends/bank holidays etc when the place is packed.

Unfortunately I don’t have a lot of choice, what with work/home commitments, I do however stay on the lower parts of the hills and away from the touristy hot spots.

ownership of a bike doesn’t automatically infer good character anymore than ownership of walking boots infers that you’re a cantankerous dick.

There are tools everywhere and, believe it or not, some of them ride bikes

I’ve had plenty of confrontations with walkers though, they seem to be be more vocal when they’re in a group.

The faked panic like I’m riding at 60 mph as I slowly trundle towards them is always funny

Beware the ones with red socks 😉

Oddly enough I took my new bike out on to the Malverns last Friday in daylight. I think it was the first time I had ridden in daylight for nearly 2 years on the hills. I pretty much exclusively ride at night when the only other thing you will meet will be a birghtly lit rider coming the other way.

However, I must have passed over 25 walkers on Friday, and to a man and woman they were all very cheery and returned my “hellos” and “afternoons” with the same.

The path in the OP is a difficult one. It was surfaced with the help of disability access funding which is why it’s a rare one with clear signage on it (unlike many of the other footpaths). The former director of the conservators (Ian Rowat) was a very pragmatic and decent man and since Im a neighbour of conservator land I had a few dealings with him. I did mention the idiocy of the restriction of that one path – (It’s pretty much the only path that prevents a legal circumnavigation of the hills.) and we had an “understanding” in that if Im out on the bike, Im polite and dont take the piss, and equally there’s no reason, yet, for the conservators to have to start aggressively enforcing access restrictions. It’s a lot easier to do that in the dark though 🙂

I went for a cheeky little spin at a local World Heritage site today to give the bike a shakedown after some ‘repairs’ (my spannering prowess is tenuous at best)..

Err long story short, grim clay surface was unbearably dull so I cut off home asap.. I encountered a few proper redsocks complete with gaiters and ski poles and the worst I got was ‘oh my your bikes in a shocking state, you’re gonna need to give that some serious attention with a hosepipe when you get home dear’ The rest were just mutual smiles and all of us politely making room for each other..

I’d hate to live where some of you lot do