I ride home from Bolton to Darwen along the A666, pretty much every day. About a fortnight ago I was riding home and a passing vehicle sprayed something at me. I felt it on my face and it went on my glasses. I’m guessing it was some sort of drink as I think it smelt like orange or something. From memory it came from a passing van. I wasn’t too bothered and thought no more about it.
Last night I was on my way home again and stood up on the pedals hammering up a climb and suddenly felt a pain across my ass. Instinctively I looked round I suppose thinking I’d see someone behind me or something. Obviously there was nobody there. I then realised I’d been hit by something from a passing vehicle and looked forward. There was a white van and then a blue hatchback. It’s a 50 limit so they were both moving a lot faster than me and I had no chance of getting a number. I was really bloody furious and so got a move on hoping that the traffic might back up further on. Needless to say it didn’t and they got away. I couldn’t actually say which one it was but I think it may have been the van. Thinking about it later I think I got whipped with something as I could still feel it this morning, like a line across the top of my arse.
If I’d fallen off because of it I could well have ended up in the road under the wheels of fast moving traffic. The more I think about it the more angry I become mainly because there’s not a lot I can do about it.
I’m now thinking I should report it to the Police as there could well have been other incidents to other people. I’m guessing it’s just two jokers in a van who think it’s funny to mess about with cyclists on their way home from work.

You go riding with your donkey 😕

Cheers,
Jamie

some lad at work said him and mates used to go out with a carbon rod, can’t remember if it was a bit of fishing pole or golf club shaft, and whip cyclists as they went passed. Idiots. I can actually thin of much worse names.

D0NK – Member

some lad at work said him and mates used to go out with a carbon rod, can’t remember if it was a bit of fishing pole or golf club shaft, and whip cyclists as they went passed. Idiots. I can actually thin of much worse names.

I hope you picolaxed his coffee!

A666 you say?

It’s the devil’s work!

A666 is a shocking road

fortunatley I’ve only had a couple of duck and pheasant interface issues on my trip down the lea valley

Last year I saw a massive mink but fortunately he was on the other side of the river or i’d have HAD HIM 😀

Plum

oh yeah

forgot that last night someone on one of those new fangled electrikery bike sped past me without so much as a bell tinkle

Bastard!

Maybe you need to get one of those bar cams? Get the number plate/evidence off that. Don’t use mine much anymore as my new route doesn’t have many incidents, but if that sort of thing was going on, I’d definitely use one to catch the scum bags.

[edit]cheap one here – just needs a bar mount.

Dez – I’ve considered that. Cheers.

Is it the stretch from Ciao Baby past the gayby, it’s a horrid stretch of road that is.

Yep, first incident on the flat bit further up. Last night’s was on the rise just after Entwistle.

I had a lad try and spook me by screaming out the window as they passed me by the gayby as I was on my way to bolton to do some shopping. felt fantastic when I caught them at the junction by Astley Bridge Asda. And by Riley’s snooker.

I was raving like a madman and offering them out (not sensible as there were 4 of them and I’m not hard in the first place). They were actually bricking it, threatened to call police (“no need, there’s a cop car about ten cars back in the queue – just pull over!”) and kept zooming off when they could.

they ‘got away’ ( or did I..,) but still most cathartic. and it’s surprising how quick you can cover ground with proper motivation and a good idea how to pace yourself.

btw mrsparkle, we might pass each other. I used to ride a bright green GT road bike. Currently on an old blue claud butler mtb converted to drops and slicks. often with one pannier…

You put drops on a MTB! burn the heretic!

Had one this morning.

Not ridden in on the road for ages – broken collarbone but then the weather has been nice enough for me to ride in off-road while recovering.

First day commuting on the road today. I’m approaching a mini-roundabout, the approach road is narrow, has speed cushions and width restrictions so I took primary on the run in. Next thing I know, there’s a sodding massive 4×4 on my INSIDE, forcing me out into the middle of the road. He comes up to the roundabout and has to brake, I’ve got nowhere to go cos of the width restrictions. The driver wasn’t shouting but he was effing and blinding:
get out of the middle of the road, **** cyclists, **** off etc. He just had this air of total superiority – I’m in my massive 4×4, you’re just scum. Then he drove off.

Ten seconds later, I saw an approaching police car, flagged it down and told the officer what had happened, gave her a description of the car. She said “oh, I’ve just seen that”, yep, incident was moments ago, he’s just up there [pointing]. (and it was a very distinctive car, bloody huge 4×4 with a personalised plate).

She spun the car round, put on the lights and siren and shot off after him where he was stuck in traffic. Got up alongside him, I arrived moments later and he looked out and sneered “oh, not big enough to take me on yourself, **** off…” I once again pointed out that his driving and behaviour was unacceptable, he waved a “whatever” and drove off.

This didn’t go down well with the police officer who seconds later had him pinned up in traffic and was dealing with it as a fail to stop.

🙂

She said I could go, she’d take it from there so I left them to it. As I rode off, there was a police Landy screaming up the road as back-up so the officer had obviously radioed it in. Fortunate that I was about 500yds from police HQ really!
Followed it up later in the day with a phone call to 101 to say thanks – they’d done the driver for failing to stop but couldn’t do him for road rage as there were no witnesses. 🙁

Normally I’m OK on the roads, it’s very rare I have any sort of incident and I do my utmost to avoid any kind of confrontation. Had I not seen that police car I’d just have left it but this guy deserved everything he got.

That’s ace! Well done.

Superb. The other night me and a work mate shared the work on the way home. Got honked at on the approach to Ipswich by some mother in her hatchback as we had primary on the road. She got past eventually, a safe overtake just! We went past her as she joined the queue at the lights and we hurtled up the cycle path. I waved as we went by!

nice one crazy legs, good to see that sometimes these idiots get what they deserve, unfortunately its a rare occurance these days, ive been knocked off my bike 6 times, on various stretches of road, luckily no real damage, more or less it was me being pushed into the kerbs, lucky for me these days i dont need to travel on roads much to get to the cycle trails.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFmiSF5v_Qk[/video]

Wide straight road with slight bend,good visibility, 30 mph max speed, and idiot in a transit.

can you not get his number from that clip
What a Nobber

NL 60 UMB

Christ! That was a bit close.

as they passed me by the gayby

By the er, what…? 😆

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZy_Pub985A&feature=c4-overview&playnext=1&list=TLgG3dmGu9-z8[/video]

at 1 minute 15 seconds, car fils to give way at roundabout and nearly pizzas me on roundabout.

What a mare! I’ve had a few issues along there but not of physical bullying, just the verbal type! Get their number plates and report.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7VTkJ72yzo&feature=player_embedded[/video]

and this one in Wales, thankfully he just got a fine and 9 points and no cyclists where injured.

as they passed me by the gayby

well know local spot for gay people to hang out and get to know each other better

I get that same problem after a shoulder check and arm held out to indicate turning right just as I get back to the house. It happens so often. I seem to cause them bother by being at the traffic lights 10-15 seconds before the junction and this holds them up a litle as they cannot overtake due to a small island. The other week I indicated and was positioned to turn right approx 50ft ahead and some woman put the foot down to get past me. It ended up 3 abreast (with her nearly clipping the oncoming car) and I gave that typical arm jesture (without giving fingers!) and the guy behind honks his horn as I’m turning into the road. I slowed down to get his number but didn’t take it any further. This happens even after looking over my shoulder for about 20-30ft before indicating,sometimes with my hand on my thigh.. and really obvious that I’m about to take a slow turn into the next junction. Really thinking about taking a basket full of ripe tomatoes in the future.

I’ve been off the bike for 9 weeks, dislocated finger, broken bones in hand, full depth skin loss to my knee and whiplash to my neck and upper back.

Commuting home on the road bike, on a cycle path which is on the pavement next to a dual carriageway in Southampton, car turns across me over the pavement causing me to be thrown over his bonnet and onto my head!
Car driver, to his credit didn’t rant was upset to hurt someone, said “I thought you’d stop”!

Police now prosecuting but looks like I’m off the bike for at least 8 more weeks as the neck injury is considered ‘high risk’ even though no broken bones in my neck or back.

Missing riding and despite accident missing the commuting.

I found myself chuckling at a cyclist yesterday (and I use the term cyclist loosly). I was driving across Mapperley in Nottingham (I know quite a few of you on here are Notts based) and there was a bloke in full lycra on his road bike riding along the pavement clearly commuting or out for a ride… I properly had to do a double take. Makes you wonder if he’s had one too many of these type of incidents.

Not that I’m condoning his actions, but what must have happened to get him to ride like that amongst pedestrians?

Cripes – all this makes me feel glad I live with a residential street commute now. Even that doesn’t seem to stop the odd twonk, though 🙁

That one in Wales is just insane. Amazing that no-one was hurt. Good he got done for it though. They call that last look a life saver for a good reason.

These threads are always so sobering/depressing. I’m glad my commute is traffic free.

And to MrSparkle, maybe it’s a Bolton thing. I’ve had a bottle/carton of orange emptied over me when going round the roundabout at the top of Chorley Old Road. I think they’d just come out of Macdonalds. You know that long hill down to the town centre,… That was a good chase. Approaching 50mph at times with the lads in the back of the car hurling abuse all the way down the hill.

I thought I was going to catch them at the lights at the very bottom but he floored it through a changing light and shot off towards the town centre.

as they passed me by the gayby

By the er, what…?

It’s just round the corner from blowjob alley….

A bit of reading on the matter!