Just back from a ride having being forced into a hedge by some f**king idiot in a 4×4!

I have always ridden off road, but over the last 12 months its mostly become road/gravel. Whilst out riding today around the country lanes, a 4×4 clearly made his presence known to me.

I will always slow down or pull into a space if possible to let them past, but today it was a pretty narrow road and I couldn’t, so he decided to squeeze past and I mean squeeze, until he realised that the grass verge on his right was ditch, so he cut right in front of me forcing me into the hedge, it all happened so quickly that I didn’t get his reg.

A part of me thinks it was partly my fault, should I have been a bit more in from the edge of the road, clearly stopping him from attempting over taking?

I am fuming!

Imo from the little you’ve written – Not your fault.

In no way shape or form your fault.

Riding further into the road may have stopped him though.

Ha, I was going to type exactly the same! Yeah, claim your space. Make it impossible to overtake until you decide it’s appropriate.

Chilli tech bullet helmet cameras (or other cheap recommendations)

£39 for one or £66 for two, £6 per extra spare battery that’s claimed to last 4 hours.

I logged a similar incident with plod including video from my Fly12. They said “the car moved over as far as it could” so no further action.

Country lanes are a funny one depending on the width. I sometimes feel like a dick doing it, but it can be far better to take the centre of the road and pull in whenever you can, rather than let someone past when there’s not really a lot of room to do so. I’ve had a few really bad passes well out into the wilds where there’s virtually zero traffic.

That said, I’ve also seen people drive right up on the grass verge at speed just because they’re angry that cyclists dare be in the roads.

Yeah, claim your space. Make it impossible to overtake until you decide it’s appropriate.

This ^^^ otherwise you are encouraging the car to try to pass you.

Thanks for the responses, I have been thinking about a camera on and off, if I had a camera today I would have reported him to the police, just reckless driving.

I am one of the most laid back and non aggressive people, but I have to say drivers that are putting me at risk just make me so angry!!

I will be more assertive from now on and take the centre of the roads, it seems to be happening more regularly since lifting the lockdown, they just cant wait a few minutes until there is room to overtake!

My confidence was doing ok, as last year I got t-boned by a car at a small roundabout, she was taken to court and prosecuted.

I guess its just part of riding on the roads, if its not near misses, its verbal abuse.

I logged a similar incident with plod including video from my Fly12. They said “the car moved over as far as it could” so no further action.

n0b0dy0ftheg0at
Member – Chilli tech bullet helmet cameras (or other cheap recommendations)

Do you use one of these cams?

Hope you feel better soon and find the confidence to carry on enjoying your rides

This is not directly relevant to the OP here as he says the car moved aside and then suddenly swerved back, but generally, remember if there is not enough space, it’s just as much the cyclists responsibility to stop as it is the driver.

If you don’t it would be probably be 50:50 at best but the driver has a few scratches and you have a banana’s bike and broken arm!

I stop but don’t move over if I don’t think there is space for the car to pass without slowing down more.

remember if there is not enough space, it’s just as much the cyclists responsibility to stop as it is the driver.

I read it that the driver is overtaking from behind, not passing coming from the opposite direction. In which case the driver is 100% ****. Unless someone has a gun to his head forcing him to overtake. 😂

As above, I will always “take the lane” tho in that situation, but I will pull in as soon as there’s a passing spot

A part of me thinks it was partly my fault,

Only in the same way that a rape victim was “asking for it.”

should I have been a bit more in from the edge of the road, clearly stopping him from attempting over taking?

Yes. It’s called taking the primary position and it’s a useful tool to prevent this sort of asshattery. They might hit the Internet frotting on about the bloody cyclist taking up all the road, but you wouldn’t have been in a hedge. Or worse.

In the strange dystopian world of driver-cyclist interactions it seems to me that the more assertive you are, the more drivers respect you. If you ride far enough out to make them cross the centre line to overtake you, most seem to behave themselves.

Narrow country lanes are a weird one. I would favour riding in the middle until you get to a safe place to pull over. Take away the option of them being a nob.

One celebrated occasion there were about six of us on a Long Mynd ride. This pillock pushes past on the horrid road climb on the SW side, close enough to one of the group to clip a handlebar end. Much fuming ensued, but we thought there was nothing we could do about it. We were riding along the road northwards just past the glider club when guess who comes roaring up behind. He must have been to the glider club for something. Without a word we formed a solid line riding up the road from verge to verge. He was there for a good half mile, revving his engine and getting all sweaty. Eventually we let him go but he wound his window down to say something, but before he got the chance I managed to deploy most of the best Anglo Saxon words. Much chuckling.

We descended to the campsite and were riding along the main road back to Church Stretton. There were temporary traffic lights and they were on red southbound as we passed through. Guess who was in the queue with his window down. This time he wound it up very quickly as six cyclists simultaneously did the Nescafe bean shake at him.

I read it that the driver is overtaking from behind, not passing coming from the opposite direction. In which case the driver is 100% ****. Unless someone has a gun to his head forcing him to overtake. 😂

Yes, the 4×4 was passing from behind.*

*Squeezing past, not passing or over taking 😉

I frequently have to negotiate single track roads where there really isn’t room to pass so I just take primary until I reach a passing place and let them past – if it’s half a mile they have to wait and maybe consider their route choice next time. There’s also a high chance there could be a car coming the other way so I’ll be able to get by whilst they try and out-bully each other

https://surlybikes.com/bikes/big_fat_dummy

I sometimes think I would like one of these with a rear facing 50. Cal mounted.

If you give them an inch they will take a mile. Noticed this happening again since lockdown has been eased, some twunt nearly did this to Mini Sims last week.

As stated don’t give them the space to go past until you are ready.