I've just hit a pedestrian…

You know how all cyclists are portrayed in the media as red light jumping lycra louts, mowing pedestrians down without a care in the world while feeling smug about not paying road tax?

Well riding through Manchester earlier, caught in a torrential downpour, I had my lights on, 2 front, 2 rear and suddenly from nowhere this rather large lady sprinted out into the road. She was holding a magazine over her head to shelter from the pouring rain, head bowed and she shot into the road without looking. I had nowhere to go, no time to brake, swerve or shout and I slammed straight into her, it took us both down. I was only doing about 15mph but the impact knocked one of my front lights off the bars. She got up, dusted herself down (her coating of blubber must have done it’s job at absorbing the impact quite well), I picked myself up from the road and collected the bike and light. Meanwhile she’d obviously worked out that I was probably alright so she said “sorry about that” and ran off quick. Presumably in case I presented her with a bill for damaged bike or something.

No concern, no care, seemingly no realisation just how much worse it could have been for both of us. 🙁

There’s no real point to this other than I’m still so annoyed at her attitude and my generally crap ride home in a torrential shower that I had to get it off my chest…

Chances are the fat bit was in shock. Anyway hope you and bike are okay.

If it’s any consolation I got caught in torrential rain too. On and a strong headwind yet again for 20 miles.

shock / embarrassment -> run away. I know it’s frustrated, I’ve hit two cycling in London, both suicide lemmings, but better they are hit by a bike than a car.

That’s Northern women for you, tough as owt, fat and fast.

You need spokey-dokeys

I’ve hit a couple in London as well, both were big girls also, wonder if that’s a ‘risk factor’? First one was OK and basically just ran off, second one complained of a twisted ankle and tried to blame me, despite the fact she stepped out from between two double decker buses straight into my path! Had a bit of an argument before deciding it wasn’t worth it and headed off…

I suppose if you’re going to hit a pedestrian, it’s best to hit a fat one.
A bit like those crash pad trucks they use on the motorway roadworks.

ban all pedestrians!

billysugger – Member

You need spokey-dokeys

ahhhh the hypnotic chant of the dokeys

Hit a pedestrian in London, stepping off a Routemaster mid traffic on a multi-lane one way street (i.e. I wasn’t undertaking!). They got up apologized and disappeared.

Then I looked down at my taco’d front wheel 😥

As a pedestrian I saw a woman on a crossing hit by a cyclist. Once the cyclist realised the lady was crossing and he hadn’t slowed enough to stop, he shouted a warning, she turned to face him and the front wheel went straight between her legs. Poor lady was doubled over in pain, straight on the pubic bone! Made worse (in my mind) by the fact it was an Indian or Pakistani lady wearing traditional clothing, so even more of a sensitive issue than had it been some western/westernised woman.

I hit a pedestrian in Glasgow around 3 weeks back. Lemmings the bloody lot of them.

going round the ring road in cheltenham a few years back i had a ped. step out when i was a couple of feet from her, i was only doing 15-20mph.

hit her full on, she was knocked unconscious and lost a few teeth, some facial scaring i suspect from the blood. Me i went down slid on the ground for a bit got up unscathed, the bike, new front wheel and shifters.

hit her full on, she was knocked unconscious and lost a few teeth, some facial scaring i suspect from the blood. Me i went down slid on the ground for a bit got up unscathed, the bike, new front wheel and shifters.

OMG! Has the bike recovered?

One day soon a coroner will give a verdict of death by ipod.

Blimey crazy-legs, glad you are o.k. What a shock.
Northern women are built for comfort and not speed.

Once a bus driver decided to let his passengers alight onto the road instead of going into the bus stop (busy A6 Hazel Grove). Nobody looked, they just casually stepped into my path. I managed a big endo and missed one dopey chap by a few centimetres, proper shaken up after though.

Teenagers are the worst, they are so busy texting or tuning into their i-pod things, that they just cross the road, thinking ah, there’s no noise, so therefore nothing is coming, then they always tell you to F-off when it’s there fault…. and breath.

I suppose if you’re going to hit a pedestrian, it’s best to hit a fat one.

I thin spindly one that folded like a crumple zone might be better.

im still recovering from hitting a 12yr old on a microscooter about 11 weeks ago
he stepped off the kerb right in front of me while i was a top speed, fortunately he was fineyt riding weather and put on nearly a stone

years back a guy in hyde park stepped infront of me while i was on a cycle lane fortunately very low speed, i clipped him we both went down, he made me call an ambo, he kept badmouthing me saying it was my fault being young and dumb i just took it, should of realised when the ambo turned up and he started groaning in pain, next thing you know hes trying to sue me, fortunately i used my parents home insurance to fight it and they told him where to stick it
next time ill just ride off

Been a while since I did any physics but seem to remember that the gravitation attraction between 2 objects is proportional to each of there masses. These fat birds are just drawing us in like and tracter beam. Maybe it is the excuse needed to get a lighter bike to reduce their draw on us.

I once hit an old bloke who suddenly just stepped out off the kerb in front of me. Was almost lynched by a bunch of people who’d only seen the aftermath (I was quite young, and they may well have thought I was a scrotey yute not riding with due care and attention or something). Fortunately the bloke in the car behind set them right.

Got back on’t bike, rode off; couple of streets away, turned a corner, front wheel collapsed and I went straight into an oncoming car. Fortunately it weren’t going very fast.

Not a Good Day.

Another time, following another cyclist up Oxford st; two Japanese girls step off the kerb simultaneously. Bosh! Synchronised crashing. As me and the other feller picked ourselves up off the deck, the Japanese girls ran off across the road (in front of a bus which just about stopped in time) and ran squealing into Selfridges.

Maybe they had a sale of Hello Kitty stuff on or something, I dunno.

my earlier post should have read…..
im still recovering from hitting a 12yr old on a microscooter about 11 weeks ago
he stepped off the kerb right in front of me while i was a top speed, fortunately he was fine
i broke my heel in 4 places in my ankle in 1, it really hurt- i missed 2 months of fine riding weather and put on nearly a stone pretty much housebound for the first 6 weeks

Shit happens! get on with it, why do we always have to blame & claim?

Who is blame and claim?

Blimey Climie….

They’re very good solicitors!