it was nice and sunny yesterday evening here in munich and the GF wanted an ice cream. so we hopped on our bikes and pootled off down the road.
we hadn’t ridden more than 200 yards when a lady comes up very close to the GF rear wheel. i turn around and give her “the glare” as if to say back off a little – there was a junction coming up and then 20 yards further on a set of traffic lights where the side road joins the main road.
as we entered the small road the woman revved it and buzzed past me leaving about 4″ between me and her wing mirror. so i accelerated and got in front of her in the middle of the main junction, where i skidded to a stop, thinkng that i’d tell her that her last action just wasn’t on. she stopped, too. and then she gunned it and rear ended me.
as you can imagine i was pretty shocked. my first reaction was to throw my bike onto/through her windscreen, but surprisingly i remained calm(ish). there were four or five pedestrians who saw the whole thing and instantly came over and gave the GF their details.
the driver (we’ll call her Petra, as that is her name) said that i had provoked her by riding too far from the curb and too slowly, which is why she cut past me. i countered that there is a reason that i don’t ride 5″ from the curb and was going slowly as we were approaching a junction. she then said that she ran into me as i had stopped in front of her. i explained, very calmly, that i had stopped in front of her to tell her that her last action was incredibly stupid, explaining that had she hit my bar i would most likely have lost control and hit the deck, perhaps ending up in hospital as she sped away.
luckily i saw her accerlerate and was able to get half way off the bike before she made contact. i’ve got some bruising on my hand and a grazed knee.
the rear wheel on my Alpine is fubared. totally tachoed.
i told her that she could either pay for a new wheel or that i would call the police and make sure that she lands in front of a judge.
i got 500€ out of her, saying that i now need a new rear wheel and rear mech. i made her drive me to the bank to draw the money out.
i have her details, but didn’t give her my name or address. when she asked for my name i said “jay”, which it is… sort of.
but i’m now wondering if i should go to the doctors and the police and really screw her over. my only concern is having taken 500€ from her there and then. i don’t really want to sit for hours with plod giving statements and i’m not sure what their interpretation of events would be given that i stopped in front of her (had i not she would have disappeared into the distance, never to be seen again).
the thing that really pisses me off is that the GF and i are going away with the bikes next week to Zell am See and i now need a new rear wheel.