Slight rant..

I've had a coupla close calls over the years, mainly as a paperboy but I do ride quite a bit on country roads nowadays and they can be scary… however today was the first time I thought WTF!

I was cycling back from the creche with the nipper in the bright blue/yellow trailer concentrating on making sure I didn't get too close to the kerb but not so far out that I'd be a nuisence – either way I was only moving 6" (if that) from the line I had taken on the kerb when I realised I could reach out and touch the side of a van… yes it was roughly travelling at the same speed as me (car in front was turning right, van wanted to undertake), but the trailer is a double width job… it must have been half an inch from the wheels of the buggy.

I've read on here about people hitting cars etc and always though "how the bollcoks do you do that" until today when I put 2 very respectable punches into the side of the van leaving big indents of my right hand. I did see the van driver give me evils as I gave them the univeral **** sign (not that common in ireland, but all the more effective for that), but in the heat of the moment forgot to take the the details (it was some independnet electical fella)…

please cheer me up by telling me he needs to spend 3-400 quid to get it fixed, it's obvious that it's punch marks – if not from what source.

On the bright side, the nipper and I got home safe and she didn't appear to have noticed. Can't tell the wife because she'd ban me picking the kid up with the bike.

Cycle further out and "be a nuisance". That way, drivers have a better chance of seeing you and cannot squeeze past while there is oncoming traffic.

Guestimate = Time for strip & fit 2 hours, panel repairs 4hrs & Paint 7 hrs @ £30.00 per hr
Paint & Materials £ 160.00
All plus VAT
£632.50 inc VAT

£0 – it'll be a works van and therefore not his concern…even if he owns the company…

He'll push out the dents causing little rust creases at the edges with time. However he'll also keep alookout for you sometime in the future, could be days or even weeks. He could even find the wrong cyclist and punch or run him off the road.

What Druidh said.+1

Up to a point the more space you take up, the more space motorists give you. Ride like a victim and you'll end up being one.

Funnily enough, since I started doing this the number of altercations I've had has dropped right away – I've only really had 1, which was a motorist pulling out of a side street almost into me – he couldn't see me as I was behind the bus!

Good on you! My best altercation with a car was when when almost hit me in heavy traffic in london. It was a sunny morning, car driving along with his windows open, thinking about it the car must have also been left hand drive, because I could see the driver right next to me when he cut me up, almost knocking me off. Anyhow, I soon caught up when he hit the traffic at the next set of lights. It was just too tempting not to do it, so I just spat at the driver through his open window. ( a nice big disgusting one) He was fuming and tried to chase me down the bus lane, of course never caught me. Still brings back a smile to me

If I was to hit someones car or spit at them I wouldnt do it with an escape route in mind. Sorry thats cowardly. I'd expect the same of a cyclist if I was a driver- someone hit or spat at me and rode off quickly in traffic I'd call them yellow. However if someone stood upto me I'd probably shit myself and think this guys got balls.

let's hope it's not a route either of you travel regularly. It won't be difficult to spot you…

I did a similar thing to a car turning left across me.

As i cycled off, i heard him rev his engine and his wheels spin behind me. i honestly thought he was going to try and run me over!!! I sped up and nipped the wrong way down the first one way street i could.

If you happen to pick on a nutcase with nothing to lose it could end quite badly!

I wasn't riding in the gutter – I know to ride "wide", the road at this point was wide enough for 2 cars. Doofus in the van wanted to squeeze between the car stopped (turning right) and myself.

It was just a spur of the moment thing, I couldn't think of anything else to do to get the fella away from me (although in hindsight I know this could have backfired).

cheers all.

Said this a thousand times on here. I'd never hit anyones car, it'd end badly as you've escallated matters. Ive been roadraged before when in my car and the other drivers have been smaller than me- rage is just that.

It makes people loose it. Thats murder/manslaughter territory.

I was once badly cut up and the other driver (looked like Richard Grant in Withnail and I) was very rude. Anyway, he was 4 cars along and I waited until we all got to a redlight, I jumped out and as I was walking past another car infront of me the woman driver was imploring me not to do anything, to leave it. I looked at her and agreed- as I was walking back to the car I heard a clanging- the guy was leaning out of his window and smacked the side of his own car with something that looked like something long and metallic or machette?!(it was dark but it sounded metallic). Gawd knows what would have happened.

You take a bike trailer out with your kid in ON THE ROADS 😯

Are you insane?

Truthfully, well done though.

You can't tow a trailer and share a lane. You have to stick yourself out into the middle of the lane and make traffic treat you like they would a tractor or a milkfloat. Get some flags for the trailer too, and flashing lights all the time. Shame you had to punch the van, and yes it was his fault for driving like a cock, putting you and your kid in danger, but it really does work when you ride unapologetically and assertively out of the gutter, trailer or not. Having said that there are some quite a lot of roads near me I just won't ride on, especially faster roads with those so called traffic calming central reservations.

Personally I cannot condone the use of bicycle drawn trailers to transport children,I see it done round Reading, where I live and I just wince, they are basically death traps, with all the protective value of a tent.
It’s all well and good to say your reducing your carbon footprint and other road users should be able to spot their neon fabric sides and reflective flags, but that all becomes academic when some dizzy cow in a range rover crushes your first born, still that’s your choice…

As much of a tool as this driver was, you did run the risk of escalating things with your actions, does your nipper really need to see Daddy beaten up in the road by some angry white van man?

You’re as much of a road rage sufferer as anyone in a motorized vehicle in my view.
The really grown up thing to do is rise above the whole angry fight/flight response and actually think about what’s wisest/safest for you and your child…
Odds are white van man knew he was in the wrong, and an angry scowl in his mirror would have made the point, without potentially causing a fight, people are too quick to get punchy these days it seems…

wasn't riding in the gutter – I know to ride "wide", the road at this point was wide enough for 2 cars. Doofus in the van wanted to squeeze between the car stopped (turning right) and myself.

When using my trailer i always try and ride in the middle of the lane so as to be as vissable as possible. This has work so far except on one occassion where some guy decied to over take not realising ( or not caring) that the cars in front were stopping and that i had been keeping up with them, He just tried to pull into us and force me out the way. I went to reminstrate with him but his wife in the passenger seat had beat me to it and gave him a blow around the head.