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I think you always have to take a look at these things from the alternate viewpoint. It's no different from when you get an unnecessary and dangerous close pass on the road, because you shouldn't be there and you run red lights, and yada, yada, yada. It doesn't really matter who is right or wrong, it's the same beliefs and justification processes that steer the actions. It's very probable they weren't aware they were on a dedicated mountain bike trail and were just enjoying the outdoors. Everyone will have a better day and the world will be a little better off if you slow down and treat people with respect.
Bad call on your part although at least you seem to know it. Ultimately the faster person should slow down or stop. Should be in full control. Even in a middle of a race if on normally public land as it will never be fully sign posted. If they had walked under the marking tape I would see things differently of course. I don't know any FC track with a no walkers sign and most don't even have directional impositions. May be stacks else where.
Several years ago hubby and I were riding down a section of trail at Penmachno. Even though all the exits have 'No entry to Walkers' signs', there were a couple of people hiking up. We stopped, explained that they must have 'accidentally' come off the fire road and 'accidentally', not seen the sign. All was well in the end, but had I not been riding that day (I'm much slower than hubby) it wouldn't have ended well.
OP luckily you've learnt a lesson and this won't happen again
Over the summer whilst out with my son we came across people walking along K-line at Hamsterley on a couple of occasions. One couple had missed the no entry sign and were grateful for the info. More worrying was a group of kids walking up the trail towards some of the fastest bits with blind drops - they didn’t seem that bothered when told that people come really fast along that section and might not see them. I think for the FC sites there’s always going to be a few who wander on to dedicated trails and the best approach where possible is to slow down and politely warn them of the dangers.
This reminds me of the time I knocked an old guy off his bike at FoD on the Verderers. Was waiting at the start of the descent for some gap between the rider Infront and an older guy came past and straight on to the trail Infront of us. We waited about 30 seconds and set off. I quickly caught the guy up and as the trail opened up to a straight line I shouted 'rider on your right' and overtook, just as he moved directly Infront of me. Nowhere to go and we both end up on the floor with him in worse condition and he lost his £2K hearing aid. Bit of back and forth between us and I spent 30 mins searching the mud for a brown hearing aid. Never found and when his younger riding partner appeared I was told that he probably lost it earlier in the ride and that's why he didn't hear me. He was already covered with a cut face from an earlier off.
Yeah, there were things I should have done differently, but shit happens and that old man should have moved out the way faster.
I think if there are walkers on the trail, then you have every right to knock them down and they should be grateful for it.
I'm all seriousness tho, you should have shouted out and slowed down, but sometimes these things just happen quickly. Big difference if it's on sanctioned and signed trails tho. If it's unsanctioned trails then walkers can be anywhere and you need to be able to stop before ploughing into anyone.
I like
"Excuse me, can I come past on your right hand side, thank you very much"
If they don't twitch at excuse me- headphones are in, slow right down.
The length of it gives time for people to place me, am I behind them, how fast am I moving.it gives people time to move out the way.
If they don't respond after two of those, they are not listening and will jump unexpectedly when they see my wheel come past.
I tried a bell, people jumped out the way, for scared, got cross and were everyone was annoyed.
This has two bits of politeness in, or four if I have to repeat myself.
I have had no trouble on the trails with this. A few scowls and a bunch of you should have a bell. But, critically, after people are out of my way.
that old man should have moved out the way faster.<br />
The rider in front should always have priority. You can see them, they can’t see you.
To be honest I don't do trail centres etc any more due to people like peter1979.
that old man should have moved out the way faster.
Bit douchey, you need to accept people of all skill levels will be on free public trails and your Strava times aren't more important than their safety.
My partner is very new to MTB and if you'd done that to her I'd have put you in the hospital frankly.
I think some people overestimate how clear and understandable their “onyarite” is to civilians wandering along a path. And as for bloody roadies doing their stupid little hand signals on the morning commute… grr
I sometimes do some duathlons and multi-sports events that have participants from lots of different formats of events on the course overlapping at the same time...i.e guys on 6k TT rigs aiming to qualify for some championship or another on the same course as people doing a 5k taster triathlon on their mates mountain bike or whatever.
One thing I've come to realise is that saying "on your right" in this scenario is probably more dangerous than not saying anything and just picking a spot as so many people go kind of rigid and then clunkily/instinctively move to *their* right.
Can't really blame them as I'm fairly sure when I did my first XC race years ago I think I did the same thing first time I heard it, so yeah extra caution needed really whenever random public people are involved.
but shit happens and that old man should have moved out the way faster.
what a idiot you are. You would be culbable for any injuries caused and damage to the bike. You are at fault for hitting him - simple as
Sense of humour seriously lacking in the STW community as always.
Absolutely pleased you avoid trail centres because of people like me, Bruce. I would hate to bump into you too.
Great thanks! nice to avoid you.
The troll wants fed more!
?
Thanks airvent, myname's not Frankly, and I seriously doubt you would put me in hospital even on your best day. But more importantly, It was an absolute accident, I helped the guy look for his hearing aid and we left on good terms, I overtook as he was going very slowly and the guy happened to wobble at the wrong time.
You lot must be an absolute pain to live with. Jesus! 😫
Slow Down, let them pass. Even if they are in the wrong.
I follow the Green, Amber and Red rules. Ask yourself:
Green: Move on in a happy state 🙂
Amber: Inner bitch and grump....Move on.
Red: Do something about it. Quite rare when you start thinking about it.
Nearly always Amber for me, life is to short.
PS: Get an ebike and do the trail again :-))))
But more importantly, It was an absolute accident
No it wasn't, you shouted at him, didn't give him a chance to act then rode into the back of him?
Or are you explaining it wrong because all I'm seeing here is an impatient knobber bashing someone off the trail because he couldnt be arsed to wait.
You said he should have gotten out the way faster, looking at your past posts don't you ride an eeb? Not surprised he couldn't get out the way quick enough if you were chasing him down on a motorised bike.
It was an absolute accident,
NO it wasn't. It was negligence on your behalf. Your actions led to YOU crashing into him. An accident is where is was unavoidable. this was perfectly avoidable if you have not behaved like Richard Cranium
If I were you I would invoke Hattersleys rule " when in a hole stop digging"
Damn I was hoping this was going to be the new version of punch a nazi. I was going to suggest a name change to Batter a Boomer.
It's ok, if things start going badly we can just distract you with werther's originals and make a run for it.
It’s ok, if things start going badly we can just distract you with werther’s originals and make a run for it.
Or throw them off the side of the trail in front of him, and overtake whilst he goes looking for them?
Incredible, not slowing down, or for that matter shouting a warning in plenty of time. But mainly the slowing down bit as many people potter along minding their own with earphones in.
.
Though the old dear will spend a number of weeks recuperating from that. A knee injury to the elderly isnt something they'll shrug off in a day or two.
And broken ribs have a nasty habit of becoming pneumonia and worse in the elderly population. I know of an old guy who took a tumble from his Honda C90, broke a few ribs and was His waiting room for a while, he did recover
dyna-tiFull Member
Incredible, not slowing down, or for that matter shouting a warning in plenty of time. But mainly the slowing down bit as many people potter along minding their own with earphones in..
Though the old dear will spend a number of weeks recuperating from that. A knee injury to the elderly isnt something they’ll shrug off in a day or two.
Just to be clear, I was not going fast enough to knock the woman off her feet. I did not mow her down, or run her over. When she unexpectedly jumped into my path I braked hard and bailed. She was certainly well enough to carry on with her walk, and once I’d dusted myself down and straightened my bars I passed them with a wave about 300m up the track.
You lot must be an absolute pain to live with.
That's what my wife tells me.
As for riding around walkers (even worse with dogs) it is just something that is a pain to be endured really. I ride on the road, get pissed off as the poorly treated vulnerable user so I can not really then go on gravel to avoid than and piss of the vulnerable users on the gravel roads.
I find a bell does actually work most of the time and don't get any aggression from using it. Some people pretend not to hear it though and they are probably the same dicks who will get back to their cars and then treat me badly on the road but nobody's know.
Hierarchy of users innit. It's our responsibility to avoid them, not the other way around. I've seen this image with Horses and cyclists swapped, and I think that's probs a better prespective
To be honest I don’t do trail centres etc any more due to people like peter1979.
Yeah. Poor attitude and poor riding skills.
I think that’s probs a better prespective
Yes, bicycles tend to do what you tell them and not go into a meltdown when they see a horse as if they’d never seen one before.
her friend said that I should have shouted to them from further up the trail to say I was coming
She's 100% correct.
Hierarchy of users innit. It’s our responsibility to avoid them, not the other way around. I’ve seen this image with Horses and cyclists swapped, and I think that’s probs a better prespective
It's also our responsibility to be aware of the limitations and dangers of each mode of transport - horses spook easily, for example, so surprising them from behind is likely to get you hoofed. Here's a classic example of an idiot on a bike completely ignoring how limited the visibility from HGVs is, I have no idea how he walked away from that.
Edit: Strange, that should be an animated gif but doesn't seem to have the animation.
That's a spectacular number of people driving/riding like absolute tools for such a short clip.
Yeah. They should use it as part of the driving hazard perception test 😂
sometimes stealth works and sometimes it doesnt, that said, sometimes calling makes it worse.
"shit happens and that old man should have moved out the way faster. "
Oh dear, what an attitude :-(((((
her friend said that I should have shouted to them from further up the trail to say I was coming
She’s 100% correct.
Disagree.
Shouting from way back without slowing is Mr Toad behaviour, like someone in a car honking their horn to let someone on a bike know they’re there and they should make way. (Anyway, what if they’re deaf? Just shout again and keep piling in at full tilt?)
Slow down to jogging pace and say something cheery when you’re ten yards away. It’s safe, it’s courteous, and it allows time to actually hear what anyone says—which can be valuable on the rare occasion that someone is disgruntled.
If it’s a shared path then it’s the decent thing to do, mostly out of respect for other people but also because sometimes there’s a dog or a child about to appear from somewhere. If it’s not a shared path and you somehow feel that negates any need to do the decent thing (presumably because, what, these people are some sort of trail terrorists rather than having made an honest mistake in not spotting a sign or having emerged onto the trail midway along its length?), well, surely it can’t be happening all that often so maybe just take it on the chin on the occasions that it does, and slow down anyway.
It seems pretty simple to me. At least the OP knows this deep down, even if it somehow needed the chorus of the forum to confirm it.
Letting people know you are there and wanting past eases the way for everyone. It does not have to be done in a toadish way. Yes slowing is good but alerting them from 10 m away just startles folk. Much better to do it from further back.