General Cycling Discussion - a situation - need opinions

A friend and I were riding today on the local multi-use biking path. There are usually a lot of people on it, but we were at a spot where we didn't see anyone else. So I rode beside her so we could chat. Riding that way, I did take up most of the other lane.

A guy came up behind us. He didn't say anything so we didn't know he was there until my friend happened to glance back. As soon as we saw him, I moved behind her so he could pass. As he went by he said, "On your left" almost right in my ear. My friend shouted to him that if he had said something sooner we would have moved over earlier. In response, he gave her the finger.

We caught up to him a little later and I stopped and tried to explain to him that we weren't trying to be rude and, in fact, would have tried to let him by if I had known he was there. He called me a rode hogging jerk and rode off.

I try very hard to be polite and let people know that we're coming in plenty of time for them to move, or not as they choose, so I was a little taken aback by his response.

Were we in the wrong, or was he being the jerk?

Some people say that men think with their balls and not with their brain

This guy's saddle was probably pinching them a little too hard, preventing him from thinking in a normal capacity. :p

Sounds like he was just being a jerk. On the path here, if you want to pass someone, you let them know, but not so abrasively

He was being a jerk. He should have said "on your left" a good ways before he got to you.

I do not think you were wrong. Every now and then I will ride on the path at the beach during the week when it is relativaly empty. I always encounter a**holes who do not let you know they are coming. If I am down there training it's usualy not a prob 'cause I don't get passed all that often but if I am riding with friends and out for a cruse it seems that some riders just loose their voice and do not know how to speak up. We do look back to see if some one is coming but if they are riding fast they tend to catch up quick and by the time we notice them they are already riding our back tires. If some one is usung a multi use path then they should not be moving so fast that they do not have time to let you know when they are going to pass. Again this boils down to every one sharing the trail or path and some feel they have more rights then others.
Slainte :beer:

In no way were you being rude. Paths are meant to be enjoyed. That guy just does not get the point. If he is in that much of a hurry then he should have been riding the road. On top of that, why react that way when someone is apologizing to you? Unbelievable! :(

In this day and age I usually tend to ignore rudeness rather than risk a modern "rage" incident. Maybe it would have been fun to see if you could have dropped him:p

It is unfortunate to have an otherwise fun, innocent and healthy occasion marred by rudeness. Thankfully, I find these incidents to be rather rare among "real" cyclists.

Carl

I'd a gave him an a** whipin'

or at least push him over if he was wearing clip ins( or clipless, if thats what they call 'em now)

:)

some people are just A$$holes.....
it wouldn't matter what you say, in their minds, your wrong.

some people think they own the road in their cars and some people think they own the bike path.


it just goes to show you that you can't put people into catogorieys('cept fer the ones that can't spell...)

jerks are everywhere.
some are lawers, some are school teachers, some are cops, some are bus drivers, some drive cars, some stand behind you at the bank and some ride bikes.

To be honest I live in a town with two lane bike paths everywhere. I think the rules of the road should be applied. Stay to the left except when passing. While I think he was a jerk and could have handled the situation differently but I think he does have a small gripe at the same time.

I don't know what the rules are where you are but here in Perth it's illegal to ride side by side on multi-use paths.

Never the less, even some police I've spoken to say that they won't bother anyone who does, as long as they make way for others to pass. It's all a matter of common sense.

It makes sense to ride beside a friend. It makes sense to let someone know you're behind them. You did the sensible thing - he didn't.

Don't let a rude, ignorant jerk ruin your day.

Originally posted by MediaCreations
It's all a matter of common sense.



Alas, not a trait which is universally shared.

Carl

Yes. I fear that common sense isn't all that common any more. (And maybe never was.)

Thanks everyone. I try very hard to be polite on that path (the road nearest to it has a very narrow shoulder and lots of large trucks) and I felt bad that he thought I was out of line.

I am guessing he is single, and will probably stay that way for many years to come. I always thought men were usually a bit more lenient with women than when dealing with men, obviously not this time. I bet he wouldn't have had a go if it were two men in his way.

He sounds like an A$$. Why don't I ever come across people like this? It would be great to let him get away for half a mile then turn it on and time trial onto his back wheel, then tell him to get out of my way.:D

CHEERS.

Mark

This topic reminds me of a time when I was snowboarding.

a friend was a bit of a ways infront of me and a small child fell infront of him. it was in a steeper area of the hill and there was kind of a blind spot.

my friend had no choice but to fall in order to prevent hitting the kid. as my friend was getting up a skier came over the hill and had to lay it down in order to keep from hitting my friend.

when the skier got up he cursed my friend out for "stoping" in such a bad place.

it's not exactly the same but it's the same kind of personality.

Roadie Gal;
I think you did well. Things like that can escalate!

You never know what causes that kind of behavior. He might have been having problems and was out trying to clear his mind. His girl friend might have just dumped him, or he may have just lost his job or his dog died. I am not condoning his actions but I am applauding yours.

ps: We're not related are we?

Since you were riding 2 abreast, it was your responsibility to move over for traffic coming either direction. If you didn't have a mirror, then you should at least turn your head frequently.

the other cyclist, while rude, was correct, and you were, in fact, being a "road-hogging jerk". Get a mirror, and give way when being passed. The next guy may be more than just rude-he could be reckless. CYA.

You were in the wrong and he was a jerk-----the trail isn't there for 2-abreast chit chat-----but the guy didn't have to be rude about it.

When you're on the trail--think about how it would be on the road in your car---would you drive side by side in the other lane to jaw with your friend??? If you don't it on the road---don't do it on the trail.

I could not disagree with the last two posts more. There is nothing wrong with riding two abreast on a recreational trail. Recreational trails are not designed for single lane riding. The Prairie Path here in the Chicago area has plenty of room to pass, even if people are riding three abreast! You cannot compare riding a trail to riding the road. It's not the same. And wearing a mirror is no substitute for calling a pass. You're only wrong or rude if you refuse to move over.

I think I agree completely with Tree Trunk. I can't imagine a pleasant ride, even on the road, when safely pulling up next to a riding partner for conversation would be inappropriate.

Sure I am responsible for knowing what's going on behind me and making certain my riding is safe for me and not inconvenient to another user of the road or path. Even when not paying attention a horn toot or a passing yell should cause a cyclist to make certain they are riding so people can safely pass, etc.

How often do we see motorcycles two abreast occupying a single lane of a road? I'm not sure, but have never heard that this practice is illegal.

I don't think I would suggest that two pedestrians walking side by side on a path, trail or shoulder should be illegal. Nor do I think them rude. I expect them to be aware that I am coming (from either direction) and would hope that they would make sure I could maneuver around them.

This post is discussing another all to typical instance of a lack of civility on one person's part. I expect that person is generally uncivil in other walks of life, not simply while on the bicycle.

Carl

Originally posted by MediaCreations
It makes sense to ride beside a friend. It makes sense to let someone know you're behind them. You did the sensible thing - he didn't.

Don't let a rude, ignorant jerk ruin your day.

Agreed.

Roadie Gal as far as I can see you were just having a good time, which is what riding is all about, it wouldn't have harmed him to call out before he got to you.

Another thing Congratulations you met an arsehole on a bike.

A pretty rare event !

Yup; bung-hole alert. This guy is a motorist on a bike.

Theres a path by me called the I&M canal and i ALWAYS come across people riding side by side. It doesnt bother me one bit, ussually it is an older couple out for a slow ride and they are talking and once i say on your left or something similar they pullover. If theres ever a time when im behind a group of people for longer than a few seconds it is completely my fault because i did not make my presence known. I think it was completely his fault and you had every right to do what you did. You were atleast considerate enough to do it at a time when there were few people around and once he made his comment your moved and offered apologies. Most riders, probably including that guy as well, will chat with a friend or companion when riding it just makes it more enjoyable. Just shrug it off as some arse with a bad self image that was having a bad day.

DITTO!

Originally posted by mike
Yup; bung-hole alert. This guy is a motorist on a bike.

:D

Don't let people like this ruin your day.

He's probably in a hurry to get home to torture small animals.

You were wrong! When you caught up to him rather than apologize you should have broken his finger. Explaning politly that if he ever gave a girl you were with the finger again you'd cut them all off.

Ok so that's a little extreme, but by that point you didn't owe him anything.

Joe
:beer: :beer:

Don't worry about it. Maybe it will make you glance behind you more often now, but don't feel guilty because that guy was a big jerk. There was no need to shoot the finger and call names. Cyclists are not usually so crass.

:(

My house is directly accross the street from a very large and long bike/jogging/wqlking/standing/etc path. I use it to go almost anywhere I am planning to ride to.

I walk with my wife and/or dog on the path often. You can't hear a bike coming up behind you! I have had bikes come up behind me and not even that tightwound dog knows their there.

I have tried to politely say "on your left" and had people turn left to see what was there. I have had people go into a total panic when they hear a deep mans voice come outa nowhere (we are in the buckle of the bible belt here).

I bought a childs bike bell ("ding, ding"). It's the only thing that I have been able to use and not confront someone......they hear the kiddy bell and casually move over.

I do not belive that it is the two abreast people enjoying their walk or ride that is at fault...I have the responsibility to warn them I am there.

I believe, when two people are riding abreast on the trail, that it is their responsibility to be sure that there is enough room for someone to pass - however, being a cyclist I have not done this 100% of the time, but I try to be aware of it the best I can. The guy that passed you was more in the wrong; at most he should have asked you (POLITLY) to stay to one side of the trail. Obviously he has issues that go beyond cycling, and this should be looked at as a 1/100,000 occurrence. And I think you should have broken his finger too.

I concur, he was being a jerk... he ought to just get a little bell and ring-a-ding when he's coming up to pass... now, i get frustrated when I ring my bell three or four times and get no response, then yell... and get no response until I'm brought down to the slower speed (and I don't ride very fast) and keep yelling and ringing until finally... I'm rambling and i digress... he should just get a bell...

He sounds more like a car driver than a cyclist :(

--dave

Here's another one for you (this time I was a little bit of a jerk) --

I just finished a seven day road tour (RAGBRAI) where there we an unbelievable amount of cyclists on the road. Most of the time people left a lane on the left side of the road for faster riders and/or pacelines to pass. If someone was in the passing lane a simple "on your left" or a ring of a bell was enough. One day I came up on two guys passing in the left lane. But in this case they were not fast enough to pass. I followed them for close to a mile, occasionally calling "on your left" but they would not allow me to pass. This is where I became the jerk. I took the six inches they left me and passed them! Then they tried to suck my wheel after I passed. Realizing that I jumped the pace up over 30 mph and kept it there (the guy I was riding with said it jumped over 35 mph at one point). They tried to stick with me but could not. After a mile or so I brought it back down, then waited for them. No words were exchanged but I think they got the message!