I'm not cut out for road riding.

I stopped, lady behind us in a car decided not too and squeezed passed us to blow through the lights,

Yes. Do you know why? Do you need to ask?

Seriously.

She was worried that it was her only chance to get passed you. That she’d be trapped. That she would be held up for 20seconds beyond the lights.

This way she was free, she escaped.

They do feel trapped you know. My boss kept on asking me why I wasn’t overtaking a cyclist, she started PANICKING and saying ‘squeeze past’. I said no and waited.

Move somewhere where the roads are quieter and safer. I’m always so grateful that I live where I do, where it’s incredibly rare that I feel unsafe, threatened or intimidated on a road ride. I often see more rabbits on the country lanes than cars.

Move somewhere where the roads are quieter and safer.

🙂

The OP was cycling in Applecross !

She was worried that it was her only chance to get passed you.

Nah, not even that much of a reason, she’s just a ****, we were going straight on she was going left (she undertook us) here

Two schools of thought…

Yep. I’m largely in Camp Two and when I overtake a cyclist when I’m driving I make sure I go completely into the other lane and stay out till I’m well past them.

That’s partly because I think that’s right and partly because I want to set an example to drivers behind me. If they only come out half as much as me then the cyclist(s) will still be safe.

I agree it’s not always practical though.

Conversely I overtake cars with much less room than I’d give a cyclist – because they’re not “vulnerable road users”. If the worst happened then they’d just get some scratched paint.

Nah, not even that much of a reason, she’s just a ****, we were going straight on she was going left (she undertook us)

Wow. They really are scary. If you stripped out the stats where young blokes have the most crashes/insurance claims. I wonder what the stats would say. Most of my near misses (I’m not sexist) have been with females, most angry drivers have been males but then when another driver makes a mistake – I’ve never seen a female driver raise her hand as if to say sorry..

As I say, I’m not sexist. Just my experiences.

Yep. I’m largely in Camp Two and when I overtake a cyclist when I’m driving I make sure I go completely into the other lane and stay out till I’m well past them.

That’s partly because I think that’s right and partly because I want to set an example to drivers behind me. If they only come out half as much as me then the cyclist(s) will still be safe.

I agree it’s not always practical though.

Conversely I overtake cars with much less room than I’d give a cyclist – because they’re not “vulnerable road users”. If the worst happened then they’d just get some scratched paint.

Weird isn’t it – you are right, when in a car I always try to be in camp two but when on a bike a camp one overtake is fine by me – as long as I couldn’t put my arm out and touch them as they went past, I’m perfectly happy.

It’s still however, not what that photo shows.

One rare bloke experience: On Snake pass- on the twisty bits with the twin-solid white lines I came up behind a cyclist and WAITED. A bloke behind me didn’t want to wait and tried to overtake me and the cyclist from a slow speed into a sharp blind bend. I moved slightly to the right as an indication that I wanted him behind. He stayed behind but did the monkey-thing with his arms.

When it was safe to overtake he followed my move but disapeared off behind in my rear view mirror. A few miles on I’d managed to stop, buy a coffee and comeback out to my car before he passed.

THAT impatient yet slow? Whats the point in rushing for that?

Where do you live
The incidents that prompted my post were in Applecross!

They don’t bother with things like lessons, tests and licences up there. Some of them still marvel at the magic horseless carriages.

I hit some diesel in Surrey and hit the deck, now nursing some raod rash. I dont like road riding!

I hit some diesel in Surrey

This is the ONE thing I fear in road riding. In my car weekend before last I hit a diesel patch on a moist roundabout- I was sideways on opposite lock with the power still on. No problem with four wheels. On a bike you’ll be off and..worrying about some dozy git texting driving behind you.

Not sure I’d enjoy road riding in Surrey as there is loads of traffic and no proper hills.

That’s rubbish. I went for a ride last week in Surrey and had lots of lovely hills and the roads were almost completely deserted!

Away from the major roads, of course. But who’d ride on those?

The most amusing (scary) part was that i was flat laid out on tarmac, 5 (FIVE) cars drove around me without a care in the world!

If im honest, im almost done with road riding on my own, its flippin scary!

40 trouble-free off road miles in the Dales on Saturday. During the last mile through the middle of Skipton, I nearly get taken out by a bus overtaking into oncoming traffic then pulling in too soon. Another dozy one decides to overtake when I’m keeping up with the car in front. I shouldn’t need to be in primary for that to be an obviously bad manoeuvre.

I just couldn’t cope with spending five or six hours always anticipating the next close pass.

for the last 30 odd years I have tried to stay safe road riding by assuming that I am invisible to other road users, and that at least one person (or wild animal) will try to kill me.

I’ve given it up, I miss it, I loved it but it’s not worth the risk for me. Maybe when I’m over 60 and MTB is too hard on my old bones and my kids are grown up. Until then, I’ll carry on trying to get as close as possible to killing myself on my own in the woods

To be fair, as a car driver I’ve nearly been killed by other drivers.

As a roadie, I’ve never had that much room (picture above) when a driver has passed me.

It’s still however, not what that photo shows. [/QUOTE]

Agreed. It would be much more helpful if the text was definitive and actually gave a minimum legal passing distance (as they have in other countries).

Or at the very least said something like “Cyclists may occasionally need to swerve unexpectedly to avoid the massive potholes in our roads. When you overtake please try to bear this in mind and give them at least enough room that they could fall over sideways without ripping your wing mirror off. Not that you use it anyway.”

They don’t bother with things like lessons, tests and licences up there. Some of them still marvel at the magic horseless carriages.

So the 2 incidents that prompted my OP were…

Angry local (Reg ending in APX gave it away) hoofing up behind me on the Bealach na Ba, battering on the anchors then holding his hand on the horn until I stopped to let him by.

and

Tourist driving large camper (perhaps hired – he certainly had no idea how big it was). Saw me coming down a hill, courteously stopped at a passing place then decided against it and pulled off. I skidded to a halt with my face about a foot from his wing mirror.

I guess you can run into eedjits anywhere. Literally.

Other than that it was a magic day. 🙂

I sometimes get the impression from forums that people have more near-death experiences in a couple of weeks than I get in years. Sure I come across idiots but nothing like on a scale to make me think about giving up road riding.

Don’t get me started.

His friends ran up a huge list of vitriolic posts abusing cyclists, all ending with, “Of course, you’re the exception”

Simple answer to that is post the real stats for RLJ accidents, deaths & pedestrian injuries, caused overwhelmingly by motorists, and say ” of course you’re the exception”

MrSalmon – Member

I sometimes get the impression from forums that people have more near-death experiences in a couple of weeks than I get in years. Sure I come across idiots but nothing like on a scale to make me think about giving up road riding.

I agree

In 35 years of road riding I’ve been knocked off once! and that was 34 years ago by a lad in a stolen Mk3 Cortina 😮
Sure I’ve had the odd numpty driver pass a bit close then hang a left just after passing but I would say I have more “OFFS” moments in the car every month.

I honestly believe after riding with some people that they firstly have no situational awareness and secondly need to learn how to ride in a straight line!

In 35 years of road riding I’ve been knocked off once!

And you think it’s down to your ability to cycle in a straight line ?

ernie_lynch – Member

And you think it’s down to your ability to cycle in a straight line ?

Well if I’m honest yes, flicking all over the road into the path of a car coming past does tend to lead to the odd incident.
I’m not sure what your trying to prove here?

I’m not sure what your trying to prove here?

I could say exactly the same to you.

flicking all over the road into the path of a car coming past does tend to lead to the odd incident.

And you think most collisions involving a car and a bicycle are due to this ?

I’m not trying to prove anything, my observation was purely that some people in any given situation have little idea of what is going on around them. The mode of transport is probably irrelevant.

I also can’t see where my comment about the odd incident has now been twisted to “most collisions”

Perhaps you could also tell me why I don’t have a history of accidents or near misses? As you seem to know everything without actually contributing anything.

As you seem to know everything without actually contributing anything.

🙄

I rode my first hills last night on my road bike.

I was surprised really. I thought I’d be off and pushing up the hills like I do on my mountain bike after a certain point, I didn’t just kept a lower tempo. The descents were savage- shocked me. Shitted me up abit. How FAST they feel on the unstable bloody things.

Loved it. Really did. TBH with just spinning round the flat Cheshire Lanes I was getting very bored. A track bike would be better round there.

So I say its where you ride that counts. All drivers were courteous- a few (on the steep/top of road climbs) – the drivers waved me out and this happened a few times too.

hora – Member
The descents were savage- shocked me. Shitted me up abit. How FAST they feel on the unstable bloody things.

Unstable? My Carrera doesn’t feel unstable on descents at 40mph on less than smooth roads, you hanging off the back or something?

He’s put a 35mm stem on it.

Lifer its coming from a wide-bar big-disc mountain bike where I’d overtake cars on the small roads dropping down to Hebden bridge without blinking going to rim brakes…….. it takes some getting used to. First descent and ‘all.

Unstable? My Carrera doesn’t feel unstable on descents at 40mph on less than smooth roads, you hanging off the back or something?

for the second time today I’m agreeing with hora 😕 road bikes are bloody nervous descenders compared to your average wide barred, sticky tyred, dropper posted, slack angled gnarpoon.

Mind you I do have trust issues with my aging cracknfail ali frame and carbon forks, most times I hit >30mph I envisage how much pain would be involved if the fork/headtube sheared. But even when I’m not having vivid crashfest daydreams it’s still a nervy experience in comparison.

In the drops?

Possibly my low budget number has more relaxed geometry, or the hi-ten steel fork/anchor gives it a bit of stability…

In the drops?

of course

reckon I could shift a fair bit quicker if I fitted a reverb 😉

In the drops? Not yet… On the hoods but OFF the brakes and hunkered down.

In the drops? Not yet…

That’s your issue I reckon – the drops feel a lot more stable heading downhill at speed.

On the hoods but OFF the brakes and hunkered down.

I have occasionally stood up on the pedals with my hands on the tops: idiot status confirmed 🙁