[Closed] Dealing with a neanderthal who's ready to punch you?

Sorry to hear that OP. Hope you’re okay and try not to dwell on it. Some people are just dicks. Younger me would’ve hit him repeatedly before he had chance to hit me. Nowadays I would just laugh and walk off unless he hit me first. Don’t know which way it would go then. I’d like to think I’d walk away, but doubt I would if I’m being honest with myself.

I had a bloke pretend to swing at me, who stopped when I didn’t move an inch. He seemed a bit puzzled by my lack of being bothered. He ranted at me, even told me that he’d broken all his knuckles punching. That was the point I started laughing at him and told him I’d put him in touch with someone who could teach him to fight properly. Didn’t help! No violence occurred though. 😁

I'd have been up that bridleway in a flash. If he'd swung I'd be in no position to give it anything.

I can't fight my way out of a paper bag but I'm a stubborn sod when I feel I'm in the right... and probably not going to get the absolute crap kicked out of me.

This has meant being hit a few times in earlier life, so more fool me tbh. These days I prefer the long game or just forgetting about the incident.

He's local and known?.... Stealthier vengeance is my preferred option. I'm not condoning it though.

Best option is to have a camera fitted to be honest. Can have amazing effects on a guy that needs his licence to make a living.

Stealthier vengeance is my preferred option. I’m not condoning it though.

My mind has been in overdrive on that one!

No patio needed I assure you.

My mind has been in overdrive on that one!

Try and forget about it. He’s not worth your time or energy.

That being said you should hammer frozen sausages in to his lawn, wee in his shoes or own him with a pair of bombers.

Sign up loads of email accounts and get his Trust Pilot score down to zero...

I'd have decked him then thrown him in his own skip. Or legged it. Actually yeah, I'd have legged it

Walk away, it's not worth it.

I'd only resort to violence now if I had no other choice by being backed in a corner, or if I felt my family were being compromised.

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Fight or flight. Be clear in your own mind which is your plan and stick to it.

If you choose flight, don't be there. If you choose fight, unless you're really good, don't go for the gallant let them throw the first punch BS. If you're certain it's going physical and you're out of options, go in first, hard and fast and accept that you're going to get hurt.

Also, don't use fists, fingers and knuckles are easily broken.

Y’ mean you don’t carry a taser?

🛸💁

I'd definitely have knocked him out.

Knocked him out with the shock wave from my speed-of-sound retreat, that is.

Point to his feet and tell him is shoe lace is undone when he looks down hit him as hard as you can grab the bike and bolt 🤣

I'd have left, the kind of person who behaves like that probably has more experience fighting than me.

The last two people to do it to me have had a call from the police shortly after. Call 101 (or 999 if in progress). I know one lost his licence and got a hefty fine - probably hurt more than a few bruises.

toomba
Member
Point to his feet and tell him is shoe lace is undone when he looks down hit him as hard as you can grab the bike and bolt

And the chain drops.😄

You did the right thing op.
Your life’s worth more than rolling around fighting some pillock.
He’s probably boring his mates with it right now, in whatever flat roofed pub he frequents.

I have learnt a lesson today that I'm going to stop shouting at drivers when I take issue with their driving. Unless you are prepared to actually go down the fisty cuff route (which isn't me) then I've concluded don't put yourself in that situation.

Still, it would be nice to know how to handle yourself and feel confident should a situation arise where you don't have a choice but to tackle an aggressive driver.

If you are wearing road shoes then you could be Floyd mayweather and you'd still have found yourself on your arse.

Depends who it was..someone I know who is reasonably handy..off I trot.

Some random angry middle aged bloke who may think he's hard but 99% chance isn't.. I'd probably stick around and see what happens. In fact I have on a number of occasion out of sheer stubbornness ..and it's either turned out they are all bluster and never actually intend to throw a punch, or the only time someone actually took a swing at me they missed by a long way..because basically most folk aren't remotely useful in a fight (myself included).

You can however tell someone that is proper handy I reckon..they have a certain look about them. And i wouldn't be sticking around if that was the case. Same goes for angry yoofs ready to give you a kick in.

Is he self employed or does he work for a company? If it’s the latter then why not ring up his boss and complain that one of his employees tried to violently assault someone.

It can be a soul destroying realisation that you were scared. But think of it as a natural and instinctive self preservation response.
You recognised this person as being the type who can use his hands, so already you would have most likely come off worse because you were intimidated as soon as you recognised him.
If you were mentally and physically ready to fight then you would have felt that heat between your ears and been aware of the dense thuds of your hands, elbows and feet impacting on his head and upper torso ... they seem to have a life of their own when you are truly ready to fight, and it takes greater effort/control to not fight than to actually fight. Don't be angry after you've been afraid.

Just curious how many people would have held their ground and actually waited until he swung and then given it their best?

Posted 1 hour ago

Internet answers will be very different to real life answers . As has been said if you are in road SPD shoes you have zero chance . Don't start a war if you have to ask the price of a tank .

Nah, the next day he'll be in his skip lorry looking for people on bikes and it may be you or someone else he decides to drive at. Phone the police and get it registered

If you choose to engage in that sort of situation there is no good outcome.

When I find myself getting worked up at stuff like that I try to meditate on the fact that I've allowed some random act by an itinerant arsehole to negatively influence my state of mind.

Everyone has a plan til they get punched in the mouth

M Tyson.

Best advice I can give is to make a mental note of their registration and which company the vehicle is from then get away from the situation. When you can do safely, phone the company and tell them what happened, they have a duty under the Operator's License conditions to investigate. It's all you can do really.

Reminds me of something that happened to me a while ago now. Got cut up by a delivery van while cycling into work one morning, not one of the big boys but a small company with just their name on the side. Did what I said above and just tried to find a phone number but no joy so just tried to forget about it. Around 11 am I got a call from the front office to go down to the delivery yard and meet a delivery to accept it and escort the van off the premises (secure compound with vehicle trap, this is important). Lo and behold it was the same van that had cut me up earlier! Took the delivery off him without any mention of the morning incident and told him to wait at the gate while I got the front office to open it for him to leave. What I did was go to my boss's office and tell him the story from the ride into work. He rides motorbikes so doesn't like bad drivers, he phoned down to the front office and told them to let the van into the vehicle trap but not out. It took him 10 minutes before he phoned the front office asking why he wasn't being let out so he was told why. He started ranting and yelling so we left him there a little longer. Then we had a phone call from the guy's dispatcher asking what the hold-up was. My boss passed the phone to me and I explained everything to the dispatcher. Cue a few apologies and then the driver having to phone in and apologise to me! We then let him out, he'd been stuck there for nearly 40 minutes. He actually still delivers to us occasionally and every time he's really quiet and avoids me if he can.

Sometimes karma can be lovely.

Sadly he owns said skip company so not point ringing up and complaining. I am now rather concerned as to what might happen if I see him again whilst out riding. He obviously only works Mon - Fri and Sat am so most likely won't see him out on the road for a while. I've told my wife and decided that if I do have him jumping out of his truck at me then, I need to man up and just wrap my bike around his head!

Know good to switch mobile to video sharpish, ensure cloud back up is on (on 4g too) and video him losing it.

Cloud back up in case he snatches the phone. It he breaks it...Well.

To be honest though, get a cheap bar/head cam. Not just for this incident to be honest. It's becoming fairly necessary on the roads these days.

Oh,I personally wouldn't do the man up option. You are probably playing a game he knows well and on his terms.

Report it to the police: that is affray, an offence in itself.

The driving deserves reporting too.

This is unlikely to lead to anything, but that doesn’t stop it being the correct thing to do.

Enough reports might eventually get him a taking too, if not actually prosecution.

Sadly he owns said skip company so not point ringing up and complaining. I am now rather concerned as to what might happen if I see him again whilst out riding. He obviously only works Mon – Fri and Sat am so most likely won’t see him out on the road for a while. I’ve told my wife and decided that if I do have him jumping out of his truck at me then, I need to man up and just wrap my bike around his head!

I think humans beings are quite good at assessing 1v1 threat - so if you've had an initial exchange with this specimen and he is getting out of his truck to wallop you, safe to say he is 100% convinced he has the upper hand, no grey areas. He's not looking for a 50:50.

The good news for you (and us cyclists in general) is that sitting on a bike presents quite an emasculating picture to this sort of person, so if you are actually hard it's a great (and easy) opportunity to re-calibrate this person, forcibly.

If you're not especially hard, though, I'd be inclined to go with their assessment of the situation and give it toes down the bridleway.

Sadly he owns said skip company so not point ringing up and complaining

Do you think you might need a skip at any point in the near future?
Might be worth booking one just in case. Make sure you get your address correct though.

I have learnt a lesson today that I’m going to stop shouting at drivers when I take issue with their driving.

I think this is the best thing said in all the posts and it's the OP saying it. I am certain that most of these situations things only escalate because one reaction feeds the next reaction and before you know where you are its kicked off physically or your being rammed off the road. Being the bigger person in these type of situations and not reacting at all to some other idiot's actions is the best thing to do, it raises you above Neanderthal skip drivers and the like. Report it when you get home if you want to and send any camera footage and just leave it there....

To be honest, i avoid confrontation as much as possible, as others say there's no real good outcome, say you get lucky, put the person down, what happens if they press charges, same with getting confrontational with someone who turns out to be a good amateur boxer or similar, you end up getting a hiding, i think those folk in life who are like this guy have little to lose if they go to court, it's normal folk like us who end up on a shaky peg with work and so on.

I'm studying criminal law at the minute and the one thing that really hits home is the amount of people who's lives have been utterly turned upside down by minor disputes of one kind or another that have escalated out of all proportion to what the participants expected.

Even the weakest punch thrown by a weedy cyclist like me can cause someone to trip, fall, hit their head and die and this sort of stuff happens on a surprisingly regular basis.

Look at it this way: You're annoyed and probably your pride is hurt but it's not so far fetched that the alternative could be one or the other of you could now be either on a manslaughter charge, or in a coma. And you'd definitely then be wishing you'd walked away so you did the right thing.

Report him to the police and Vosa.

Say he cut you up. Mention the truck looked unroadworthy. Rule one of haulage dont **** with Vosa.

Oh name n Shame him on here and his google results will show hes a right dick

I'd love to name and shame, but I'd rather not be living in fear. I've subsequently discovered through a friend that the chap in question is violent and best avoided.

I've been reflecting on this and if I'm honest every encounter I've had and there have been a few over the last few years has resulted in nothing more than my ride being tarnished and me stewing at home afterwards.

Like @argee @Duggan mentioned above you can see how an initial exchange of words can have dire consequences. I have a professional job and will lose far more if I was ever to receive a criminal conviction. A skip driver on the other hand, probably requires one before he can drive a skip truck.

Going to get a camera for the bike and keep my trap shut. It will be tricky as I am a man who likes to try and educate bad drivers and get them to see it from a cyclist's view point.

He owns a skip company you say? As mentioned above skips are in high demand right now, make sure that he is aware of all the myriad requirements that exist out there. Being a skip type I'm willing to bet that he has a penchant for pizza. Save him some time by ensuring regular deliveries, from all the different providers so he can compare and contrast. He probably likes curries too. Probably a while since his portakabin office has seen some TLC. He'll want someone to come out and quote on curtains, carpets, copiers and coffee machines. Not to mention getting the windows cleaned etc etc. You get the message, more than one way to skin a cat!

Well worth keeping a schraeder valve remover in your pocket for the next time you happen to spot the truck unnattended.
Also, VOSA.

I let him assault me, then reported his memorable personalised number plate. He was interviewed and got a Police caution within a week.

0/10. Would not do again

Message a few of us privately with his company name..

Then, with no link to this thread we can make sure to sully his reputation with poor reviews, order skips to addresses at will, and generally annoy him!

It won't make him a better driver, or less of a xxxx, but at least it'll an not the shit out of him.

I’ve told my wife and decided that if I do have him jumping out of his truck at me then, I need to man up and just wrap my bike around his head

Put it behind you as nothing more than the funny shouty incident it was (bystanders would have seen it as funny); nobody got hurt except your ego.

Be confident that this person will again get out of his truck and expect to intimidate and embarrass some cyclist, but next time it may just be the cyclist is fully prepared and very keen to swap punches with him. I have had to calm situations down numerous times when a shouty driver gets out of their car and realised the feminine looking cyclist is actually a very big, strong fella frothing at mouth angry .. yes the driver visibly melts back into their car .. of course they will drive off and at safe distance beep horn or shout an obscenity out of window. But that just demonstrates they will be stewing over their lack of masculinity for next few days.

I personally subscribe to the not reacting to bad drivers; they are often 200 yds down the road within seconds anyways .. out of sight out of mind.

Don't let one incident spoil your cycling

I have learnt a lesson today that I’m going to stop shouting at drivers when I take issue with their driving. Unless you are prepared to actually go down the fisty cuff route (which isn’t me) then I’ve concluded don’t put yourself in that situation.

I came to the same conclusion a couple of years ago, I know I'm not handy enough for fisticuffs with strangers and shouting at them isn't going to change their behaviour either.

It will be tricky as I am a man who likes to try and educate bad drivers and get them to see it from a cyclist’s view point.

Honestly I wouldn't waste your time, trying to "educate" people who pretty much get a reinforcing message from so many other sources every day...

If you have to helmet-cam every ride fair enough, just don't go wasting your time putting every bad pass on YouTube, there's enough of that crap on there already...

I came to the same conclusion a couple of years ago, I know I’m not handy enough for fisticuffs with strangers and shouting at them isn’t going to change their behaviour either.

Same here. There's no way that a driver is going to listen to anything, take it on board and go "you know what, I've learnt something today, terribly sorry for my previous bad behaviour". You're just going to get a mouthful of abuse.

You could always pop round and let his tires down every night.

Message a few of us privately with his company name..

Then, with no link to this thread we can make sure to sully his reputation with poor reviews, order skips to addresses at will, and generally annoy him!

I’m sat here bored and could compose a scathing review for his services.

just don’t go wasting your time putting every bad pass on YouTube, there’s enough of that crap on there already…

You can use the National Dash Cam Safety Portal if your local police force supports it.

for commuting i swapped shouting and gesticulating for over the top laughter, really laughing so hard you nearly fall off the bike, laughing at just how poor and stupid a driver they are.

as for someone getting out of a vehicle for a fight, you gotta dismount pretty quickly and cleanly if you are gonna stand a chance, so probably flight and remember no matter how fast you think you can ride, the first 10yds is what will count, so dont hang about

Mate, best to walk away, whichever way it goes it's not pleasant. Few years back I had a similar interaction with a guy who took himself for a wideboy; he took a swing and I subsequently punched him very hard three times, it put him on his arse and stopped anything progressing, unfortunately said blows split his eyebrow and cheek. He cried like a lemon and I end up with a conviction for assault occasioning actual bodily harm. I hit him too many times apparently, but as I pled guilty they downgraded it from grievous.

I regret it insofar as I have a conviction, not cracking some belter who takes it upon himself to pick fights with people. Just mark and avoid the muppet or have a camera running when you're commuting I think is the way forward in today's world.

A while ago I had a bloke threaten to deck me after I mentioned it probably wasn't a good idea to walk (him, young family, dogs) up a mountain bike trail.

I laughed, told him to grow up, and that he was embarrassing himself and his family, and rode off.

You did the right thing. Hitting someone like that only further justifies their own violence to them. Plus, if he really is a well known meat head, you'd probably get pulped, or worse, he'd take it out on the bike.

O licences need renewing. Sounds like he might not be fit operator. Letter to traffic commissioner in your area to inform them of this unfit type.

I have learnt a lesson today that I’m going to stop shouting at drivers when I take issue with their driving. Unless you are prepared to actually go down the fisty cuff route (which isn’t me) then I’ve concluded don’t put yourself in that situation.

Sad to say it but It’s really not worth the hassle attempting to have a discussion with someone in 2tons+ of invulnerability armour whilst your balancing something that’s as stabile as a jelly on a stick.

I prefer the subtle cyclic rear camera and forwarding it to the rozzers or employers.

just don’t go wasting your time putting every bad pass on YouTube, there’s enough of that crap on there already…

Yeah this is why I’m a bit anti camera strapped to head sorta guy, there does seem to be a ‘type’ who get all excited about this stuff and go looking for incidents.

I’ve ran rear camera for years and it’s only a very few times I’ve forwarded stuff or used it to give reg no for cars I’ve seen hitting other cars and driving away.

It’s a useful tool if stuff goes wrong not a crime fighting new hobby.

He needs to maintain his "O" Licence to trade. Dob him to DVSA (nee VOSA). That'll likely get him and "Amber" status (DVSA & Rossers can just pull him in for fun) and a depot tour from the inspectors, deep-dive into maintenance records, etc. Police report as well - get it on record.

A bigger world of hurt than I expected smiffy. I shall remember that for future use.

Know good to switch mobile to video sharpish, ensure cloud back up is on (on 4g too) and video him losing it.

I had something similar recently - i'm definitely not the most pugilistic but the other guy looked like 3lbs of shit in a 5lb bag, I could have quite comfortably slapped him down the road but nevertheless I decided to film the exchange instead & let his employers (happened at my place of work) and the old bill sort it out. And i'm glad I did - it's far better to avoid any sort of fisticuffs if you can possibly do it, even if you're perfectly capable of handing out a sound thrashing.

Point of note on the above - a recording device appearing can have a negative impact on an already angry person's state of mind, mr angry in my case started immediately flinging fresh air haymakers - one managed to actually knock my phone out of my hand which he then had a few stomps upon - before having another few swings at me while I backed away laughing at the whole debacle. Luckily my phone had landed camera side up & recorded the whole thing so he's currently going through disciplinary procedures & waiting for a chap at the door from the local constabulary. I ultimately had to buy a new phone which was a pain, don't know if i'll ever get that money back but the new one has an angry bastard-proof case on it.

Now looking to invest in a gopro as some arse who lives close to me almost wiped me out this morning which would have been slightly difficult to film with a mobile phone.

I don't really want to film every mile I ride but it's looking like a matter of time before I end up bouncing down the road so it's looking more necessary.

the other guy looked like 3lbs of shit in a 5lb bag,

Noted for future use.

I've just started wearing a helmet cam and noticed one of the first effects is that I suppress my urge to gesticulate and shout. Instead I think, "I've got you on video, numbnuts," and smile at the thought of dobbing them in to the police later.
Then, when I look at the footage later, it rarely looks worth the bother of reporting.
Having said that, today I passed over footage of a driver punishment-passing me in Gateshead yesterday. When I checked his reg with DVLA he had no tax or MoT.
Revenge is a dish, and all that...

Best form of self defence is to keep your distance/flee

Second best is a leg sweep and then to leave the situation quickly (from experience I now choose plan A)

When in a threatening situation a preemptive strike is acceptable in the eyes of the law.

Overall, you are best walking away from these things. But that takes a clear head and these situations fill your body full of adrenaline.

If it does get physical, you need to be careful as per Greenskin up there ^
You can hit them first, but you should really only do it once - so make sure it counts. A hit to the throat (though danger of causing serious injury) or genitals will stop any argument dead in its tracks and allow you to leave the situation.

It's worth taking a few self-defense classes so you have some confidence in these situations. You will find that confidence allows you to be calm and not have to hit anyone which is the best outcome!

neil the wheel
Subscriber

I’ve just started wearing a helmet cam

What camera are people using?

but on reflection I wish I was confident enough to have really done the violent sack of **** the beating he deserved.

That's the neanderthal part* of your brain talking. It's almost always better to walk away but if you can't it's worth heeding the words of Charlie Mortdecai: "almost anyone can win a fight if he is prepared to put his thumb into the other fellow’s eye.”

*There is of course no such thing but you know what I mean.

Noted for future use.

It works the opposite way too describing someone of rather more "robust stature" - 10lbs of shit in a 5lb bag, can't remember where I heard it

On the camera front - i've looked at a few & read loads of reviews where the lower resolution / sensitivity ones sometimes have trouble picking up reg plates, gopro session models seem to get good reviews for helmet mounting, or the hero "black" models seem to have the best spec - second hand can be had for ~£100

Cameras - better with the Cycliq ones IME. I started using a helmet-mounted GoPro after a few close passes, but like mentioned above I found it could have a negative effect if folk spotted it. Bought front and rear Cycliq cameras/lights a couple of years ago. Useful after an incident and already proved invaluable after I was deliberately rammed from behind then had my bike driven over when I confronted the a-hole behind the wheel. No witnesses stopped but cameras recorded it all. New bike please.

One guy last year got so irate at me, I'd used the road rather than a crappy cycle path he thought I HAD to use. He got caught in traffic after beeping and swearing at me, I asked if he'd like to discuss it, rationally. He was so wound up I cycled away as I was worried his heart would give out. I think he felt that he personally had spent £500k on a cycle path that I really should have liked more. As for punching I've come close when a guy in a parked car opened his door on me and sent me flying, while I was still on the floor in the middle of the road his first statement was "Look at what you've done to my car" ... I wanted to show him the dent again and again and again really close up. I had to walk away as I was so angry, cost me bike that fit of rage.

I bear in mind that a guy in our locale attacked some motorcyclists with an iron bar, tends to temper my reaction...

Ring child helpline and make an accusation against his work premises. No one likes as suspected child abuser round at their house.
I sat in traffic a few weeks ago and watched a cyclist rant and scream at a car over a minor incident. Blocked a crossing for a light change at rush hour. No one won and everyone hated cyclists that day for holding them up. Some riders and drivers would do us all a favour if they got the bus.
You did the right thing.

I had this at the bottom of my road. Local building supplies company, delivering materials to a house for an extension. Driver comes flying round a blind bend on wrong side of road, forcing my to hop onto the pavement. I shouted, carried on round corner, but thought, no way. Turned round.

Driver saw me turn round, so stopped and reversed his truck at me. I jumped on pavement again. I said be more careful - he was ready to jump out, and I just said, I know where you work 'Offerton Sand and Gravel' - he just kept threatening me, so I repeated, I know where you work. A neighbour heard the commotion and told him to quit it.

I left it at this point, but phoned the company asking to speak to the plant manager. The MD phoned me back quite apologetic and said what did I want to do. I said I was considering reporting him to the police. The MD said that was OK, and he'd had words with the driver, and the driver had admitted he had over reacted.

I said well I'll leave it at that, but watch your driver's attitude as I won't be using your company again. Social media is pretty powerful these days.

Difficult, isn't it. The "woulda-coulda-shoulda" game is the sort of thing that nags at my brain at 2am when I'm trying to sleep. For instance, I'll regret to my dying day not kicking some fat gammon over the block 209 railing in the Manchester Arena for using my head as a stomach-rest and then getting up in the face of both me and my disabled partner when I had the sheer audacity to shove him off me.

But really, what can you do. You resort to force and lose (which I almost certainly would), you're going to get a hiding; resort to force and win you'll probably end up with a conviction. A mate of mine once lamped a truck driver in an altercation on a motorway hard shoulder after said driver had literally tried to kill him by driving him off the road. The driver's reaction was to clap his hands together and go "thank you!"

Being a skip type I’m willing to bet that he has a penchant for pizza. Save him some time by ensuring regular deliveries, from all the different providers so he can compare and contrast. He probably likes curries too

Definitely don't do that. Just ****s up other people's day. Pizza and curry isn't free.

Rather book his skips to out of the way industrial estates or to a location near you and go and cut the valve stems with a pair of snips. Much quicker and more difficult to remedy than removing the valve core.

A few years back I got driven at during rush hour in the middle of a large crossing because I complained to the woman that she passed my GF way too close.

Luckily I jumped off the bike just in time. Completely taco'the rear wheel.

Ended up blackmailing her for 750€ otherwise I would call my state prosecutor friend.