Sorry for the whine, and I'm well aware that I'll end up getting the blame for this, but I really did think I was a gonner last night.
I live in a relatively quiet we corner of semi-rural Stirlingshire (Dunipace / Denny), where a 10 minute cycle from the door gets you to this...
Yesterday evening was glorious, 20 degrees and nary a breath of wind. So, I took my road bike out for a spin as I'm still feeling slightly anaemic from the number of ticks that tried to drain me on Monday night's ride on the MTB around North Third. Near the end of what was a really nice ride I took a wee detour to have a look at a Drumbowie reservoir that's been recently drained for repairs.
 
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As I was quietly pedalling along the tree lined narrow country road, musing about what a lovely time I was having the first boy racer appeared in front of me hurtling around a blind corner. I assume he got such a fright at the sight of me in front of him that he either jabbed the brakes or twitched the wheel, but either way, he lost control of his car and side skidded onto my side of the road doing what I reckon was 70-80mph. He obviously regained control and missed me, then about a second later the exact same thing happened again with the kid he was racing.
There could have been anyone, or anything on that blind corner. If I'd been another 10 metres closer it would have been me. It's very close to the town and a popular road to walk and cycle on, but there's no pavement. Those boys are going to die, wrapped round a tree or a tractor, but hopefully not taking out someone else's loved one in the process.
I thought about posting this on the local Face book page, but quickly realised that I would end up getting pelters for being a cyclist and a fun sponge, but if any of you on here have teenage / early 20s sons driving white sporty hatch backs in the Stirlingshire area, have a quiet word with them. They probably thought the look of horrified terror on my face was hilarious, but the look on the faces of the emergency crews who are inevitably going to be picking those lads brains out of a tree will be worse.
Again, I apologise for moaning. I'm still filled with pointless rage at how vulnerable they made me fell and how futile it is to complain.Â
Sorry. I should go do some work now. 😔Â
Terrifying, truly. Its one of my worst fears because there will always be boy racers taking their chances on quiet country roads. I once witnessed the aftermath of this going wrong in Rivelin Valley, arriving on scene (on bikes) what must have been a minute afterwards to see a fella trapped in his car, unconscious. The car was alight. He came round and climbed out the window - fortuntaely - but I believe he subsequently died of injuries. The bit that keeps me awake though, is that I'd delayed our departure on that ride by about a minute after needing to go back into the house to get my pump. I gave up road riding in the Peak District after that.
Post it on the local FB page but don't mention you're a cyclist - just "out enjoying the evening" ?
Really frightening - I would have shit my keks.
but if any of you on here have teenage / early 20s sons driving white sporty hatch backs in the Stirlingshire area, have a quiet word with them
I do, and they are moaned at regularly about driving carefully...I do know last night that the Civic was sat outside his work place, and the Swift belonging to the other one was being driven my me on the Carse of Stirling.
Awful, but sadly not out that uncommon (I seem to remember meeting 2 racers coming side by side at me once on a county lane).
Was reading this yesterday which is pretty grim and shows just what sort of morons there are on the roads.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8x2xxpywdvo
I was a young and stupid driver in my youth, until I worked in (ironically Scottish) motor injury claims.
Both my kids are sensible, both have told me which of their friends they won't get in a car with.Â
I was a young and stupid driver in my youth
Yeah, me too, and I now live on one of the roads I used to drive stupidly on and get to see the pretty much once-a-month car through a wall or upside down in a ditch that results in modern youngsters doing the same. Given the state and position of some of the cars it's amazing there's only been one fatality.
I was also a stupid young driver and I was lucky the mistake that woke me up a little didn't cause any injuries.Â
Now I'm a stupid older mountain biker but that's another story.
@Beagleboy I would post something on the local facebook group. Best description of the cars and the section of road that you can and as jimmy says - out enjoying the evening. Maybe focus more on the lack of forward visibility on the corner they were speeding around (along with an absence of driving skill) meant they both nearly ended up in a hedge and would absolutely have had a head on if there were a car coming the other way... any such post is not likely to reach the people directly but it may reach family or friends who recognise them from the description.Â
I had a similar experience a couple of years back. A Lotus came round this corner far too quickly and either locked up the front axle or just understeered across the road, missed me by what felt like a meter or so. I first saw it where the Volvo is in this pic, and it went roughly where the green line is. The blue cross representing my clenched sphincter.
It's one of those weird corners that doesn't look that bad but catches a lot of people out.Â
I had an unsettling experience yesterday that early ended up with a crash, which could have involved a completely innocent cyclist
I was following a bike up the Walwyn road in Colwall near Malvern. I was hanging back as I knew that I couldn’t see round the right hand bend. Someone in an Astra was right up behind me and decided that I was going too slow and overtook just as I could see a Freelander coming down the hill. I braked , the Freelander braked very hard and he just scraped past missing the cyclist by enough but it could have been awful
Hopefully you have sent the above to the police - no point in having a dashcam if you're not going to report idiots on the road.Â
Hopefully you have sent the above to the police - no point in having a dashcam if you're not going to report idiots on the road.Â
Indeed, one of the reasons I got it
Some of the driving out there now is thoroughly depressing, less than 5 minutes from home today van overtook me on a blind bend then had to brake when there was a car just there waiting for oncoming traffic. Left with no choice but to just stop and avoid the inevitable, happens too often now 😔
Reminds me of last year driving past Halfpenny Green Airport to have a boy racer coming in the opposite direction and he was completely sideways fully on the flat 'verge' on the other side of the road and for the few seconds I thought 'if his wheels get traction here he's going to come straight at me' and I tried to move my car over as much as humanly possible in the hope it would mean I dodge him. Was actually quite terrifying.Â
I had a similar experience a couple of years back. A Lotus came round this corner far too quickly and either locked up the front axle or just understeered across the road, missed me by what felt like a meter or so. I first saw it where the Volvo is in this pic, and it went roughly where the green line is. The blue cross representing my clenched sphincter.
It's one of those weird corners that doesn't look that bad but catches a lot of people out.Â
This reminds me of one I had... many years ago now, I was still in my first car. The road wasn't wildly dissimilar to the photo here, it was a roundabout entry/exit. The oncoming car was sports motorbike who properly overcooked it on the wrong side of the road as I came round the bend. I'm not proud of this but I closed my eyes because I didn't want to witness someone die.
His route, and I mean, credit to him for quick thinking I suppose, was pretty much that green line. He straightened the bike up and shot down my nearside between the car and the kerb. What happened to the rider afterwards I don't know, but I had to park up for a bit of a wobble.
I was riding in southwest France down a remote(ish) road about a car and half wide or so wide. Coming towards a blind bend I slowed down a lot and kept well over to my side of the road.. Before I actually entered the bend a Ford Transit type dropside arrangement came at great speed all around the outside of it towards me... my side. I had nowhere to go only over the edge into the valley below. The driver slammed the wheel over and managed to miss me and bounced along the side of rockface his side of the road, bits of van getting flung up into the air.
Yes, I thought my time was up. I avoided that road never to go back. I was shaking like leaf.
 I will resist an anti driver rant.Â
You know the battle is lost when the same driving instructor close passes your child in school uniform twice in as many minutes. Â
If that's the unaccompanied standard of people teaching driving what the hell do we expect our learners to turn out like. Â
I've got a teen learning to drive. Thankfully he is also a roadie. It seems to have had an effect. Â
Quiet country roads are probably the most dangerous thing to ride TBH.
