A few weeks ago the New forest sportive was sabotaged… Local news report

Today during the Dorset Jurassic beast a motorist passed a group of cyclists near Kingston , pulled over, got out and shoved someone off his bike. A local non cycling friend who was following saw it told me about it when I got back. Apparently reported to the police.

Also, Some **** beeping his horn came past shit fast less than 6 inches from my bars. No traffic on the other side of the road, so obviously intended and deliberate. And there was another similar incident on a narrow lane where a car forced its way against the cycling traffic at quite a speed, horn again, miracle we all got out of the way.

Otherwise a fun, social but tough day out. But asking myself WTF is going on.

Personally I am finding these events too confrontational. Gonna get a salsa ti warbird and eff off over the hills on the gravel by myself.

I am pleasantly surprised that a thread that includes the keywords wiggle and sportive has been ignored by the stw gents. I wouldn’t have read past the first word of the title either.

I used to write adverts for a living… Should know better… Should of gone with “orange 5 650b what tyre lidl bargain pembleton smut shocker”

😀
Seems lots of people these days are c*cks

Waves 😛

Oh, sorry, my pembleton (sic) smut alert has just gone off but I see it’s a false alarm

They should loan out a load of gopros to riders for the next few rides – good marketing too I imagine

I’m gobsmacked, utterly at a loss for words..

Hey, its down south! Expect it 🙂

That is unless you come to http://WWW.bigbikebash.co.uk !

Its held on private land 🙂

Someone had a go at the Etape Caledonia today.
Link
(second half of report)

Phil H – something wrong with your link ? (story dated 2011 – has it happened again ?)

Last time I did Fred Whitton (about 5 years), we had an incident where a motorist overtook a group of us very closely, then pulled his car across the road blocking it. Started having a go about being held up but he backed down when one guy (quite reasonably) pointed out that there were 30 cyclists and one of him.

But asking myself WTF is going on.

+1. 🙁

WTF is going on

Most drivers are OK.

A sizeable minority are incompetent and drive dangerously and a few have mental health issues that result in agression.

I hardly ever ride on the road now, too dangerous. That from someone who’s done white water kayaking, rock climbing, glacier skiing, you name it.

Crazy legs… Like the guy today, in so much of a hurry, that he had time to stop his car and get out, and pick a fight. So there was no rush at all.

PhilH – 2011

Ooops, scardypants is correct.
Story was linked form a report on this years event. 😳

Mattjg.. Generally in those other sports you are in control of your destiny. I surf, climb, skate vert… And if It goes wrong I am to blame 95% of the time. Road cycling… I don’t think I have ever crashed out, every single accident has been caused by other road users.

One exception. Most novel one was a couple f***ing on the prom in bournemouth in the middle of the night, this was before good lights. I went straight into them, they screamed a lot and ran away leaving half their clothes. In the interests of comedy and revenge I confiscated the trousers.

Yes for sure, that’s my point really. I can’t control the risk from drivers so just stay away more or less.

As well as teaching my little daughter ‘cross when you see the green man’ I’m also telling her ‘never trust a car’.

The irony is that all of those angry drivers would feel much better if they’d get out on a bike.

Long road ride today round Kent and Sussex with the club (12 riders). Lots of country lanes. Lots of drivers hanging back and giving us lots of space, which was refreshing.
But the one thing that happened repeatedly was people going for an overtake without checking the road was clear, without judging our speed and the distance they needed… and forcing oncoming traffic into slowing up or stopping, to avoid a head on collision.
The mind boggles… we badly need a change of attitude to driving. Maybe people just feel invulnerable in cars?

The mind boggles… we badly need a change of attitude to driving. Maybe people just feel invulnerable in cars?

Thing is, most drivers don’t ride bikes so they don’t see it from both sides, they just think “I MUST get past the cyclist – NOW!”
So they do stupid things like overtake into oncoming traffic or into width restricted areas (my pet hate), they have to slam the brakes on and suddenly they’ve got a boot full of angry cyclist and they genuinely can’t see what they’ve done wrong.

🙄

Not necessarily a change in attitude, just a nationwide driver education programme. Spain did a very good series of adverts and infomercials several years ago presented in a good non-confrontational way about how/where to overtake cyclists and how to deal with generally being around them. Will see if I can find the link.