I hate cyclists mk1

So today we’re heading out for a family walk. Driving over the tops in the car, narrow country lane, come round a corner, 100 yds ahead two mountain bikers riding abreast chatting away. No probs I think, they’ll drop in line as I approach, nope, stay two abreast I go into the verge put my hand up In a wtf manner and receive a mouthful of abuse. Nice one fellas, let’s improve relations with the driving community.

It sounds like you could get past but you’re still complaining?

I’m not defending the cyclists. They may or may not have been in the wrong. But I live in a fairly rural area and spend a lot of time driving on country lanes. And to be honest, about 80% of the traffic I meet pisses me off. There seems to be an innate inability to slow down or give way to any traffic they meet. Even if there’s room, I find it pretty inconsiderate to buzz past with a couple of inches to spare at 60mph. There’s a nice country lane on my commute to work. I stopped driving it because it’s too stressful in rush hour. The amount of people that will happily do 50mph round a completely blind bend in the middle of the road is beyond a joke. And most of the rest will force you up on the verges without any hint of slowing down. I sit in traffic now. It’s nicer.

Yet one cyclist does it and it deserves a thread? Or are you one of those drivers that doesn’t slow down?

I feel this is going to turn into a multi-page behemoth, but surely it would have been reasonable for the guys on the bikes to just go into single file, for a brief moment, as the car passed?
People do realise you’re no less off a man/cyclist to occasionally give way to a motor vehicle?

^^This

Most of the time it’s best to let things go. Congratulate yourself that you didn’t kill or unnecessarily endanger anyone’s life and smile. Smiling confuses people.

Then ^^ this

I think you were in the right Wrightyson.

Wrightyson, it may have been courteous for the cyclists to pull into single file, but they are taking up no more space than you are in your car while they are riding two abreast. Why not just treat them like anything else you wish to overtake, take your foot off the gas, wait and pass when safe. No-one needs to hate anyone else and I’ll bet it makes no difference to your journey time.

He wasn’t overtaking them.

Car haters. Maybe take the time to read the thread fully and let it sink in that the cockwaffle cyclists were heading *TOWARDS* wrightyson and wrightyson had to stop and pull into the verge, on a very narrow road, because said cockwaffles wouldn’t move to single file to allow all parties to continue unhindered.

The situation doesn’t involve overtaking, excessive speed, or arsehole car drivers. Just a pair of entitled gits who don’t know how to behave on a bike.

You’re right, I didn’t read the original post very carefully. Same principle though: treat situation as you would with an oncoming vehicle.

Most of the time it’s best to let things go.

+1

This would never have irritated me enough to remember it and post it on the internet.

no idea of the road youre talking about but there’s narrow roads around our way that I’d keep two abreast (or just ride primary if on my own*), until oncoming traffic slowed down then single out to get around. Doesn’t matter if traffic is oncoming or overtaking some nobbers will drive past at the speed limit with inches to spare.

So the could have been doing it for safety reasons

or yes they could just have been nobbers.

Think if I’d been in the car I’d have gone with slowing right down and then stopping on the edge my side of the road if they weren’t going to single out.

*always ready of course to dive off the road if the driver turns out to be a psychopath – have had to do it once (the road in question was so narrow I wasn’t even in primary, driver just disliked cyclists)

Same principle though: treat situation as you would with an oncoming vehicle.

Not really though. An oncoming car/bus/tractor is as physically small as it ever will be. It’s not an exercise in roadcraft piety. It’s about not being a tool. I wouldn’t call expecting cyclists to form single file on a narrow road in the face of oncoming traffic being a tool. I would call needlessly maintaining an assertive road position in the face of oncoming traffic and then getting shirty when you’re called out being a tool.

Decency, manners, respect, self-preservation, call it what you will. Some people seem to be lacking.

Car haters. Maybe take the time to read the thread fully

I did. Again, perhaps they thought or have previous experience with cockwaffle car drivers flying past ’em so kept riding two abreast to slow him down. Or maybe they are just plebs. Why drive up the verge, sounds like OP didn’t slow down.

forgot to add, the abuse you got does suggest they were nobbers but if they were riding two abreast for safety and then you gave them a WTF? angry face that could well have put them on the defensive. I know if I’m trying to ride safely and someone beeps my first response is normally the finger – a response I try to stifle nowadays.

Not saying cyclists do no wrong just offering suggestions.

The Flying Ox – Member
The situation doesn’t involve overtaking,

as I said doesn’t matter if overtaking or oncoming passing in narrow spaces can be risky

excessive speed,

giving wrightyson the benefit of doubt, as a cyclist himself I’d expect his approach speed to be reasonable but there’s so many variables and context, even his reasonable speed may not have seemed so to the riders

or arsehole car drivers.

like I said I’ll give wrightyson the benefit

Just a pair of entitled gits

possibly
</JY offensive>

Why drive up the verge, sounds like OP didn’t slow down.

It does sound that way. Me thinks there is two sides to this one.

If you slowed down, there’d be no reason to move, they’d find their own way around you for certain.

It’s not an exercise in roadcraft piety. It’s about not being a tool.

‘Piety’ sounds rather derogative. If you don’t expect courtesy from other road users, then you won’t be disappointed/angry when you don’t receive it.
As far a ‘being a tool’, you are ascribing an attitude or reason for behaviour on the part of the other road user that may not be the case. Using this as the basis for anger towards that road user is just going to spoil everyone’s day.
If the OP was driving with regard to the available visibility, there needn’t be any danger to anyone.

Can someone set out the offence committed?

Ive read the thread but cant spot it.

I was possibly doing 10/15 mph at most when I first spotted them as prior to that straight bit of road is a very narrow blind bend. If they’d continued in their two abreast mode around that corner then they were seriously risking being run into. When I say verge I mean edge of road where the Tarmac disappears into what’s basically mud/stone etc.
Hopefully they won’t meet some nut job who would happily turn round and chase after them, and as we know there’s plenty out there.
Disappointed is probably the word that best describes how i felt about fellow riders.
However I’m sure ill get my princess sleep just about done tonight 😉

Plenty of narrow country roads where I won’t yield, the road surface could be covered in mud, potholes, ice, gravel, floodwaters, etc. Think of it like this, why should a cyclist give way to a car?

As to the comment about drivers coming round a blind bend, seen it plenty of times, and however far to the edge you get they are still coming towards you because they come out of the corner wide.

Finally, two horses riding down the road towards you and not two cyclists, your opinion?

Plenty of narrow country roads where I won’t yield, the road surface could be covered in mud, potholes, ice, gravel, floodwaters, etc.

They were mountain bikers. On mountain bikes. I’m pretty sure even the crappest BSO can cope with a bit of mud at the side of the road.

They were mountain bikers. On mountain bikes. I’m pretty sure even the crappest BSO can cope with a bit of mud at the side of the road.

True, but I shouldn’t have to get off the road to let a car past.

Tbh, If I was riding and a car made a gesture at me I might be inclined to give a short rebuttal, especially if I felt I hadn’t done anything wrong.

On mountain bikes. I’m pretty sure even the crappest BSO can cope with a bit of mud at the side of the road.

so on a narrow single road in my “normal” car I can play chicken with a 4×4 coz he can manage a bit of mud and gravel?
shite argument

Think of it like this, why should a cyclist give way to a car?

They would not be giving way or stopping, though. Just one slotting behind the other briefly. End result would be everyone passes, and no one is in the verge. Admittedly, it would mean we wouldn’t be having this discussion, but I reckon we would all be better off on that count.

Finally, two horses riding down the road towards you and not two cyclists, your opinion?

Are the horses on mountain bikes?

treat situation as you would with an oncoming vehicle.

Two points here

1) A cyclist can easily make themselves narrow enough to pass with ease. I would do this in my car if I could.

2) If anothe car kept trundling towards me forcing me off the road, I’d be just as cross.

True, but I shouldn’t have to get off the road to let a car past.

He’s not asking them to get off the road, he’s asking them to move to single file. As per the highway code.

Why I’m riding on lanes I do get off the road to let cars past. Same as I do when I’m driving.

Wouldn’t it be nice if people were nice to each other. :-\

just thinking, did the OP drive past a gateway or passing place before seeing the cyclists. Did they see him fail to use the opportunity to give way, and think F*** you c***.

Regardless of whether am on a bike or in a car, my experience of Devon lanes is whoever is nearest the passing place cedes.

I guess the issue here is that MTBers are quite often not “cyclists”, but car drivers doing some exercise so regard any cyclist on the road as second class. In exactly the same way as most drivers.

No bias at all there, mrmo. 🙄

I guess the issue here is that MTBers are quite often not “cyclists”, but car drivers doing some exercise so regard any cyclist on the road as second class. In exactly the same way as most drivers.

At the risk of making a broad generalisation, that seems like quite a broad generalisation.

On the plus point, it enables you to point the finger of blame at a motorist, regardless of which party is to blame.

So genuine kudos for that bit of mental gymnastics.

No bias at all there, mrmo.

no just a lot of c**** on the road, some on bikes more in cars, simply because there are more cars than bikes.

As for the MTBers comment, have a look on here at how often cyclists riding in primary are accused of holding up the traffic, of spoiling for a fight, etc etc. No thought that what they are doing is a) legal b) recommended best practice.

Maybe they didnt like the OP or couldnt be arsed because they were having a good natter or perhaps it was the same reason all those car drivers dont get out of my way every morning, prefering to sit blocking the road whilst updating their facebook status.

mrmo – Member
No bias at all there, mrmo.
no just a lot of c**** on the road, some on bikes more in cars, simply because there are more cars than bikes.

That’s how you justify your apparent desperation to blame the OP?

and just to mention, why did the OP actually start this thread, I am sure most people have driven along a country road and the oncoming car has refused to yield regardless.

Yesterday I was forced onto the muddy verge by someone in a shiny Range Rover Sport who drove past a gateway and refused to yield on a long straight section of single track road. I am not going to go on a RR forum and say that some idiot refused to yield. I just accept that he was an inconsiderate idiot and such is life.

Also meet some drivers who yielded and I yielded for some others. Does that warrant a forum topic?

Only thing I can figure is that the OP actually thinks he has more right to the road than cyclists so has to vent off about it, how two cyclists inconvenienced him.

Are the horses on mountain bikes?

they cant operate gears with their hooves so most likely they’re on singlespeeds!! 😆

Would a horse call a bike his steed?

so on a narrow single road in my “normal” car I can play chicken with a 4×4 coz he can manage a bit of mud and gravel?
shite argument

You’re right. It is a shite argument, because you’ve combined a bit about OP’s situation and me pointing out the daftness of the comment I was replying to, and managed to address neither sensibly.

Oh…. You were talking about my argument….

True, but I shouldn’t have to get off the road to let a car past.

You don’t feel even the slightest little bit of hypocrisy in making this statement? None at all? You have read wrightyson’s original post, haven’t you?