Hang on, you say in your original post it wasn’t wide enough for two cars + a bike so how would them going into single file have made it any better? It would have made it worse if anything as you’d have a longer line to pass – I’ve been in such a line where a driver has aborted an impatient overtake due to an oncoming car and believe me it’s no fun when a car forces it’s way into a line of cyclists…

I do agree a lot of roadie groups don’t do themselves any favours but not sure I see it in your example. The only other thing they could do would be to pull over and let you past, I’m all for doing that occasionally if a lot of cars are backing up or an HGV is stuck behind but it ruins a ride pulling over every 5 minutes and shouldn’t be expected from drivers.

169

Do not hold up a long queue of traffic, especially if you are driving a large or slow-moving vehicle. Check your mirrors frequently, and if necessary, pull in where it is safe and let traffic pass.

The bit that many people forget, especially those with horse boxes on around North Yorkshire this weekend 😉

I HATE RODIES. not all off them just the ones that think thay are better than plp on mtb’s. all i say to em tho is watch this pop it up on rear wheel and thay soon put there heads down.

I can wheelie my roadie just as badly as my MTB, so don’t think that argument works. 😀

OP, lets see a street view of the road.

I generally don’t mind following cyclists, I always treat it like a proper overtake.

4 miles is a long time though. Having said that is perfectly possible to get stuck behind other slow moving road users (Nissan Micra drivers) for longer with no expectation that they will move over.

I once spent three days stuck behind a caravan near Durness.

3 pages? No new personal problems in the chat forum today?
Like many drivers the OP needs to read the highway code, has little foresight and is too confruntational for someone who’s wrong! Pity one of the cyclists couldn’t have calmly explain how wrong he was then he could have come running to the forum to share his newly found knowledge and educate a few other bad drivers.

Looking back, Im so glad I never got irate and lost my rag as the whole point of me stopping was because I genuinly couldnt understand their actions. As I said they knew I was a cyclist when I stopped, I never wanted an oppology. Just couldnt understant their actions, still dont to be honest.
I dread to think what other non-cycling people would have done in the same situation. I could think of plenty of people I know that would have ended-up doing something silly and dangerous to get past.
Its left me with the atitude I really dont want to be ascociated with people like that… I suppose thats how the rift between Rodies and MTBrs started and continues. We are just not the same.!

I was out in a group of five on road bikes Sunday morning; None of us club riders, just a mixed bunch.

I have to say we generally pulled in to a line when cars were approaching, we did on occasion bunched into a a bit of a 2/2/1 formation on some quieter straight sections where Cars could still pass comfortably…
Where ever it got twisty we went back to single file…

We did choose a route that mostly avoided heavy traffic.

We got no negative shouts or beeps from car drivers, we did however have one incident with some dappy cow in a Rav 4 who pulled out on the head of our group (coming Downhill), four of the five of us heaved on the anchors and came to a shuddering halt right behind her bumper, the fith rider (a bit of a liability TBH*) shot past her on the RH side just as she started indicating to turn Right after 10 yards!…
It could have been a bad smash all because one driver didn’t consider her follow on actions, signal early or estimate closing speeds properly…

So dispite having not impeding any drivers we seem to have caught the negative side of the OPs group of ten’s bad kama…

TBH a group of five, you might comfortably pass on a straighter section of A or B road, but 10 strung out in single file, thats a ~20 meter pass your considering, similar to a reasonable length HGV, I doubt you’d normally chance that on a twisting single carriageway.
I reckon they did you a favour of sorts, sounds like you might have had a pop at a bit of a twatty pass had they been in single file, and wound up having to explain that decision to the plod when you potentially spangled a couple of them…

Its all swings and roundabouts of course, there are probably about the same proportion of cocks in any given group, Roadies, MTBists, Car drivers or HGV drivers.

(*I am the Liability of course…)

I can wheelie my roadie just as badly as my MTB, so don’t think that argument works

ill upload a vid on youtube next time i have someone to record. can wheelie at 10mph for easy 500m

I HATE RODIES. not all off them just the ones that think thay are better than plp on mtb’s

I have a road bike and do honestly think i’m better than most mtbrs. They are fat, slow, socially retarded, don’t know how to correctly ride bikes and evidently drive cars also.

Does anyone really care if a few roadies get run over though? Really? I mean, it’d just mean a few less overpaid, middle-aged marketing managers in the world, surely?

And how can that be a bad thing?

Be amusing if it didn’t actually happen with such regularity.

Matt

Does anyone really care if a few roadies get run over though? Really? I mean, it’d just mean a few less overpaid, middle-aged marketing managers in the world, surely?
And how can that be a bad thing?

a tad extreme for some tastes..

perhaps a more workable system would be that any cyclist exhibiting displays of the deliberately obtuse and self righteous antisocial militant opinions that are being discussed could be forced off the internet for an immediate below knee amputation..?

specialknees – Member
I suppose thats how the rift between Rodies and MTBrs started and continues. We are just not the same.!

Err…… I think you’ll find that a huge number of cyclists have both MTBS and bikes (and even cars). I don’t know where you’re getting this “us and them” thing from.

I suppose thats how the rift between Rodies and MTBrs started and continues. We are just not the same.!

Personally I just say I ride bikes. Cause that’s what I do.

I bit of reflected editing above ?

Charlie from yesterday

For me it’s about dead friends, their widows and fatherless children. Bumping into their kids and having to be cool, easy going and jolly… Totally ignoring the dreadful truth. I want to pick her up and hug her, cry out loud and just collapse to my knees and just cry.

For a moment I was sure I saw rob this week, walking out of his front door. But he is dead, cut down by a young driver who had picked up points for speeding on the exact same bit of road a few months earlier, thrown up the road, snapping his neck and totally killing him.

The argument of having them pull over to the side of the road is an interesting one.

Ideally, motorists should treat a group of cyclists as one – you treat it like a long vehicle basically. What one cyclist does affects what everyone else in the group does.

However unlike other long vehicles which have one driver who can decide “yes, I’m pulling over here”, a group of cyclists has 10 individual drivers. In order to pull over, someone needs to say “riders, we will pull over at the next layby”, that instruction needs to be communicated up and down the line and the next layby indicated clearly. You can’t just come round a corner, have Rider 1 see a small pull in and slam the brakes on as 9 riders behind him will crash into him/each other. On a climb or descent, where the riders are spread out more, that’s never going to happen and even on the flat it’s a difficult move to execute without causing an accident.

Either way, the group are on the road in front of you and they have right of way like it or not. There’s a fine line between common courtesy, safety (for all concerned) and blunt ignorance admittedly and your perception of that line is obviously different to theirs.

Im so glad I never got irate and lost my rag

And yet here you are still fuming.

Just a thought OP, were they rude because you called them “rodies” to their faces? Could have been mis-interpreted, especially if they were all in lycra. As for the rude lady (sic), perhaps that was a case of envy!?! 😉

I once spent three days stuck behind a caravan near Durness.

Its a good point though

Fast group of roadies doing 25mph: “OH MY GOD BLOODY CYCLISTS MUST GET PAST!!!!”

Little old lady in a Honda Jazz doing 35mph: “Oh well best wait patiently to get past would want to scare the old dear”

I think there should be more of this –

I still couldn’t over take – but the transition ‘moves’ from peloton to rolling pyramid would help fill the waiting. 🙂

Ideally, motorists should treat a group of cyclists as one – you treat it like a long vehicle basically. What one cyclist does affects what everyone else in the group does.

that is advanced group riding theory, and has nothing whatsoever to do with the highway code, proper road use or anything else..

could I legitimately make the same excuses for a large group of boy racers out for a spin in their hideously converted astras..!?

what utter bollueax
grow up

How many lay bys big enough for an HGV to pull into were on this 4mile stretch of road?

specialknees, I’m guessing by your them and us comment that you’ve never experienced riding in a big roadie group? Maybe you should get out on the road to experience this first hand. You might have a different view to this then.

Not saying we’re all perfect but from experience and as pointed out already, when riding on narrow country lanes with few overtaking places, riding two up is by far the safest way to ride. Sometimes you have to weigh up between common sense and safety.

super soaker full of piss would be the appropriate response I believe..

fair shout, but what you going to do if he has his windows closed?

winding road? so you’d do what 30mph along it? group of roadies averaging 20mph? it cost you what, 5 mins at most? sat in a chair, listening to the radio, pushing and pulling a couple of levers and turning a wheel.
boo. hoo.
they didn’t think it was safe. you don’t get to make that choice. suck it, up susan.

fair shout, but what you going to do if he has his windows closed?

wait til he gets out at the garage for a rant..

fair shout, but what you going to do if he has his windows closed?

wait til he gets out at the garage for a rant..

OP wrote

Looking back, Im so glad I never got irate and lost my rag as the whole point of me stopping was because I genuinly couldnt understand their actions. As I said they knew I was a cyclist when I stopped, I never wanted an apology. Just couldn’t understand their actions, still dont to be honest.

My initial comment re ‘overtaking lessons’ was tongue in cheek as I obviously don’t know the road or traffic situation.

I do still think the OP was being entirely reasonable and my worry would have been that drivers behind would have become increasingly frustrated until one of them did something stupid,

There is not much ‘win’ in riding like that, whether it be to prove a point or just plain ignorance or selfishness. At best you piss other people off or worst, you end up in a horrible accident.

A bit of give and take goes a long way and is sadly lacking in a lot of people.

Its a good point though

Fast group of roadies doing 25mph: “OH MY GOD BLOODY CYCLISTS MUST GET PAST!!!!”

Little old lady in a Honda Jazz doing 35mph: “Oh well best wait patiently to get past would want to scare the old dear”

Yep. Same for tractor/horse or any other slow load. For some reason cyclists just have to be passed straight away.

See this on the road out my village all the time. It’s a hill with a few blind bends. It’s really not long and finishes at a T-junction, but for some reason people prefer to do suicidal blind dives in the other lane than be held up by a cyclist for what is a matter of seconds.

Incidentally how fast were they going OP?
4 miles at 25mph is 9 minutes 36 seconds.

From the sounds of the road you’d normally be doing 40-50ish?
4 miles at 45mph is 5 minutes 20 seconds – so you’re talking about maybe a 4 minute delay? Is that really worth raging about? You must go mental when you get to traffic lights.

Good point Woody,
A bit of give and take.

that is advanced group riding theory, and has nothing whatsoever to do with the highway code, proper road use or anything else..

could I legitimately make the same excuses for a large group of boy racers out for a spin in their hideously converted astras..!?

It has everything to do with it.
Certainly on the continent there is some sort of driving law whereby a group of cyclists is treated as one. If the head of a peloton makes it through a green light which then changes, the rest of the group still have right of way even on red (like the tail end of a lorry going through). If a driver cannot overtake the whole group in one move, they can’t just overtake half, pull in then wait to overtake the other half.

Use the same analogy on ramblers if you want – you approach of group of ramblers walking along a trail and there will be carnage as they all mill aimlessly around, some going one way, some going another. Most roadies are like that when faced with a car – some will want to let it past, some won’t care but as a result, you’ll never get one decision (like “we will pull in here”) made instantly.

I’m not saying that the riders were right to continue on their merry way holding up all and sundry behind them but I’m not exactly saying it was wrong either…

Graham,
The time is totally unimoportant to me. As I said I was in no rush, if it were someone else though they may have been.
It was the F YOU JACK im alright attitude I didnt like.

As previously said they could have let me past safely. Im a cyclist and a motorist and I was there.

Im a careful driver and cyclist, I believe this sort of riding, three a breast dont forget leads to accidents and the car will always come of best.

Going by your description of the road, it would have made no difference if they were single file or 2/3 abreast, as long as they weren’t crossing the while line. In fact, as has been pointed out, it can be easier to pass a more compact group as you will need less length of road to do so.

I got knocked off by a lorry last year going up a hill on an A road in a 30mph village. I could hear him sat behind me for approx 500yards. I was due to turn off right or I might have considered stopping as he was making me feel uncomfortable.

Just before I was due to turn he started to overtake heading towards a blind bend. It being 6pm surprise surprise a car came the other way. It stopped – the lorry could have braked to a halt but instead decided to wipe me against a wall.

The statement he gave to the police was ‘he didn’t pull over to let me past….”

Im a careful passive aggressive driver and cyclist, I believe this sort of riding, three a breast dont forget leads to accidents and the car will always come of best.

FIFY

As previously said they could have let me past safely. Im a cyclist and a motorist and I was there.

I wasn’t but they were. Perhaps they decided that they couldn’t let you past safely?

(and no I don’t think moving into single file and letting you squeeze alongside is “passing safely” on the road you describe)

I agree that it would have been courteous to have pulled in somewhere safe (side road, bust stop, parking place) and let you past – but I don’t know what was available to them. They did pull into a garage, perhaps for that very reason?

Likewise it would have been courteous to give you an acknowledgement thumbs up for hanging back. I would have.

believe this sort of riding, three a breast dont forget leads to accidents

No idea why three abreast makes any difference TBH.

I’m not saying that the riders were right to continue on their merry way holding up all and sundry behind them but I’m not exactly saying it was wrong either…

fair enough.. sorry for being a bit caustic.. I’m getting my knickers in a twist..
most cyclists can’t understand the blinkered attitude of the roadie group to other road users, so to expect joe public motorist to understand it seems a bit rich..

these threads just get my goat when people (not you in this case) dumbly stand behind an interpretation of the highway code ordering other road users to simply get over it..

it’s not good for cycling

Sounds like you’ve decided that anyone on a roadbike is arrogant, and then used this attitude to create a problem.
What would you have said if they were children?
Or on a charity walk?
Or a group of singlespeeders?

Never mind, at least you’ve got a 4 page thread on STW…

Have taken the time to read the OP a couple of times, and bearing in mind that WE are ALL responable for road safety, i would say the following.

The Op was trying to pass the cyclists by giving them half the carrage way width or a cars width, if you are two up on a bike this can’t be done unless the road is quite wide.
So if you are two up drop to single file or be prepared for some close passing (because it will happen in the end)

If the road group is long (peloton – oh get her :D) and the road is narrow then as an individual you are responable for your own actions.
You need to ask yourself if you are contributing to a safe situation?

Seperating the group up in smaller batchs or riding together and stopping at regular intervals might be safer for everyone.
Also a little bit of road craft and good manners goes a long way.
having driven some slow vehicles on some tricky roads, regular stops the odd left hand indictor when the road is clearing tends to stop normal people acting like cocks.
(cocks will always be cocks thou)

As for the sole female with a bunch blokes to back her up telling you the FO. Blimey thats a real victory for wimens wrights.

Yunki: no probs and thanks for the apology.

these threads just get my goat when people (not you in this case) dumbly stand behind an interpretation of the highway code ordering other road users to simply get over it..

it’s not good for cycling

Agreed.
I mean we’re quite lucky here in that the OP has come to a cycling forum to vent, some people have kind of agreed with his POV, others have educated (?) him with regards to the whys and wherefores etc. Imagine what would have happened if he’d have gone to the Daily Mail website to vent…

😉

The statement he gave to the police was ‘he didn’t pull over to let me past….”

Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnng.. I hope the police explained the error of his ways and charged him with Dangerous Driving (yeah right).

I had a taxi driver do this to me last week. Fortunately with no consequences. It is literally 210 metres (I just measured it) between turning onto this road http://goo.gl/maps/Sxngu and the point where I turn right to go over the Millennium bridge. Plus it is a 20mph Zone.

Taxi driver took exception to me riding out from the kerb (taking the lane for my upcoming right turn) so he sat on the horn then went screaming past me just as I should have been turning right.

I must have “held him up” for less than 10 seconds tops. He wouldn’t have even thought about it if I was another car.