Road Cycling - What do you do when people jeer at you?

Being a newbie, I'd be interested. Earlier this year I had a guy (passenger) & gal driver pass me and holler something. I couldn't make it out. As he got down the road, I saw the cars turn signal flicker and I must admit I was PO'ed so into the driveway I went. Pulled up behind him- he was getting out- I said "Excuse me Sir, I didn't make out what you said - would you kindly repeat that!" He stammered and I repeated the above. He then said "I said <get some color>- your hard to see". Gal said "Honest- thats what he said". I had on a gray jersey and black shorts, black helmet. So I looked at him (230 lbs, 5' 8 or so, about 45, I'm 10 yrs older, 5'11, 195) - I thought he was going to have a heart attack. I said, "Hmmm,.. ok- I see you got a point, I understand and will take it as being positive. But let me return the favor, I wouldn't holler at unknown folks, they may not be as understanding as me" I did take his message to heart and bought some bright colors.
Kids (teens and early 20's) in groups hollering at me I try to ignore, but its hard. How do you handle this?

I just ignore it. I don't get it that often, but every once in a while someone feels like being a jerk. I don't really worry myself with the opinion of someone who has nothing better to do with their life than yell things at people using the road, though I do admit it gets a little annoying sometimes.

-Moab

Ignore them. Sometimes I do wave just to irk them.

But I'd like to just whip out a .44 and blow the @$$ end out from under their cars ;)

It amazes me that there are people who are actually pissed that they have to share the road with others.

I get about two or three derisive comments a week. I ride in a town that has a low teeth to tattoo ratio. On the bright side I also get about three smiles from attractive women pedestrians a week. That is three more smile a week than when I was 30 lbs heavier. Back then I used to get the "hope he doesn't make eye contact" smiles. It all balances out. :)

i cuss at them just like when someone cuts me off while i'm driving... obviously they won't be able to hear me but it has a good psychological effect for me... you have to be assertive about your rights to use the road... i won't let them treat me like a second class citizen without letting out what i feel... it's bad for your mind in the long run... and might turn you off cycling out on the roads...

Ignore them. Think of the next cyclist the ig'nat will encounter.

If they look back at me, I usually give them a big grin and a big friendly wave. I think it is pretty funny cause this really confuses them. :confused:

I used to respond to it once upon a time. However I came to a few realisations. Firstly, shouting abuse back isn't going to change anything. Even if they can hear you (most of the time they probably can't), they're not going to care. In fact, they've probably just got the reaction they were looking for. Additionally, on the times when I'd shout at them, I'd just end up being angry about it for the next 40km or so. That can ruin a ride if it's a short one. I've found that if I just ignore them, it's all forgotten within five minutes anyway.

Finally, and most importantly, I regard myself as being superior to people like this (yes, I am arrogant, but I believe arrogance is a trait to be admired in people). I am not going to lower myself to their standards under any circumstances.

I ignore people that shout things. It's interesting that the guy would say something like that. I've noticed myself looking left and right in my car, and almost missing seeing cars that were the color of the pavement. Can't understand why people would buy something that is camouflaged by the road. Thinking of the colors you were wearing, it sounds like the guy was concerned others wouldn't see you. Maybe he didn't, and his shouting that was his reaction to being scared about hitting you.

Usually, a big thumbs up. I will confront someone at a stop light however.

If they're stopped and can hear me, I will sometimes hiss at them. Most people have no idea what to do about that.

I've not had that happen. I've had only one person yell at me, a fellow behind me at a red light who was impatient once it turned green. For anyone yelling anything from a moving vehicle or from the roadside, I would probably do what I did in that instance: blow them a big kiss and loudly declare my love.

Seems a bit silly, but a), it gets my point across -- "I don't take you seriously", and b), it's a relatively benign response when compared to swearing and rude gestures.

-Rob

We usually get cowards who like to accelerate quickly past us while the passenger yells obscenities. Obviously, these type of people never have the audacity or courage to actually tells us straight up what they feel so they have to make sure they can make a quick get away before they do it.

Pisses me off...but I ignore it. I actually find people who do this to be extremely pathetic and not worth my attention.

Either Ignore them or wave back. Must admit, I can get really hot when they throw something at me. Last time a plastic cup filled with some kind of liquid. they missed. That time I lost my temper. My cyclist friend ahead of me, they hit with a baseball. He would have killed them. Seems they get more hostile when you ride alone or in small groups.

I haven't had anything negative shouted at me -- well, not what they think is negative. LOL I do get lots of hooting and hollering from men -- usually in trucks. :D I don't really pay them any attention. It is a little scary when they slow down and give me those long seedy stares. I suppose they do that for themselves, because surely they don't pick women up doing that? LOL

Anyway, I hope I'm never put in a position to have to fight one of them off but I know I would be a fighter. I need some pepper spray. :D

Originally posted by Rev.Chuck
Usually, a big thumbs up. I will confront someone at a stop light however.

Good advice. It's interesting that on each occasion I have caught someone up, their bravado somehow disappears.

I have never had someone be aggressive to me when I have confronted them (except a taxi driver but then in Edinburgh they are the scum of the earth)

I've been yelled at but nothing more. I always smile real big and wave. I just know that they said something like "looking strong" or "man, you are fast!" :roflmao:

I've been yelled at by a couple SUV's full of punks but never picked up what they were saying. The other day I got a thumbs up from a couple kids for hitting 40mph on a hill:D

Them: Me:

honk once -- wave them around
honk twice -- the finger
"get off the road!" -- "I'm just a vehicle!"
"crazy bicyclists!" -- wave
"f___ you!" -- "f___ you too!"
"you're not a car!" -- accelerate, pass them

I did that last one once, the guy was shocked... "You're going 35 MPH!"

Originally posted by The Van
If they look back at me, I usually give them a big grin and a big friendly wave. I think it is pretty funny cause this really confuses them. :confused:

Likewise. I just know that they'll drive away thinking, "I wanted him to know I hate cyclists. Grrrr"

That way I get them feeling unhappy about it and I'm left in a good mood.

I refuse to let some halfwit control the way I'm feeling.

if they run a stop sign and almost hit me, they get the finger and several choice words, usually something to do with the fact that they cant drive

if they pass me and honk, yell things that i can never hear, or point at the sidewalk/parking lots, just a wave or a thumbs up

We normally just give a friendly wave.

The two most common things yelled, that I've made out, have to do with using a bike path and f#cking ourselves.

It seems to have gotten worse in the last few years but it doesn't surprise me much as I've always viewed the general population as somewhat dimwitted.

So this happens to other people too! Just today I was out for an early morning ride and some jerk in a pickup truck yells at me "Get a job a$$hole". WTF? It took me a second to realize he was talking to me. And yeah, I do have job and probably make a lot more than this idiot! Jesuz!

I thought you handled that really well. That guy seemed to get the message loud and clear, you got a zinger in and it ended peacefully.

I think it's sometimes good to stand up for yourself but as a reasonable human being you have to ask yourself, "Is it really worth it?"


I used to be married to a woman who believed that rude people should be confronted. That you should not let people bully you because you are too afraid of starting a scene. So that's what she did routinely. When i was with her she got in plenty of arguments and actually got punched, twice, one from a man the other from a woman and she got tossed out of a movie theatre once (that was a lovely evening). All altercations stemming from little slights (e.g. getting shoved on a crowded subway, lousy customer service, etc...) Was it worth it? I didn't think so.

I almost always just give them a big grin, or do nothing at all.

The sort of person who would yell at a cyclist is probably the sort who is always looking to start a fight. Not giving them a fight is the only way to 'get back at them', so to speak...

Originally posted by JoeTown244GL
I ride in a town that has a low teeth to tattoo ratio.

This is brilliant!

As for me, I aspire to the zenlike calm that'd allow me to give them a friendly wave or even to ignore them. I'm working on it. But a lot of times it just gets my blood up.

Most times I just ignore the simpletons. However, a few weeks ago I was riding in the right lane of a four lane road, trying to avoid broken class, rocks, and assorted debris. There is not another vehicle in sight, except way back in my mirror, I see a convertible approaching.

This moron pulls up right behind me and starts honking his horn. He has another entire lane to use, but he wants mine. I just kept pedaling. When he went around me he said something and I said, "Thanks, you *&^%() jerk." He jumped on his brakes and shouted "What did you say?" I stopped beside his car, noticing that he was about half my size and age, so I said "I'm sorry, sir. I was in error. I should have said 'Thanks, you scrawny, midget &$&%^#( jerk!'"

He looked me over, turned around and stared straight ahead. It was then the thought passed through my head "What if this jerk has a gun?"

So, I usually just ignore them!

I had one car behind me on a residential BIKE ROUTE road start honking, and reving their engine behind me. When they had room to pass, I was lucky enough to see a sign that said "Bike Route". I pointed to it and smiled.

Originally posted by JoeTown244GL
I get about two or three derisive comments a week. I ride in a town that has a low teeth to tattoo ratio. On the bright side I also get about three smiles from attractive women pedestrians a week. That is three more smile a week than when I was 30 lbs heavier. Back then I used to get the "hope he doesn't make eye contact" smiles. It all balances out. :)

So do the women who smile at you have a low tooth to tatoo ratio? :D

As a fellow Missourian I'm curious what part of the state you refer to, as the "teeth to tatoo" reference doesn't narrow it down much.

I ride nearly every day and I have only heard one comment yelled my way. It's either because I'm 40% deaf and can't hear them yelling at me or that I'm a 225 lb. pretty muscular guy and they figure there are better targets. Either way, even the smallest car is going to hurt me alot more than me and my 18lb. bike are going to hurt them, so I would probably just ignore them. They could always turn around and come back to run me off the road. Not worth it.

I have what is probably the typical "farmer's" suntan. So, while waiting for my sleeveless jersey to arrive, I was pulling up my sleeves to expose more arm to the sun.

One of the women joggers I normally see on my rides whistled at me and said "Let's see them, guns, sailor!" (I have a USN tattoo on my left bicep.)

This lady has a very long pony tail which swings back and forth as she jogs. About six months ago I was stopped picking bits of glass out of my front tire as she started to jog by. She stopped to see what I sas doing and we started talking.

I was curious so I asked her if her pony tail swinging back and forth didn't cause her any loss of balance. She said no, "When my pony tail swings one way, my boobs swing the other." I was struck mute until she smiled at me and we both started laughing.

It depends. Sometimes I just ignore them, sometimes I wave and nod. Sometimes I flip them the bird. Last week a guy yelled at me, something like "There's somewhere else you can ride your bike!" and I said, "Fu** you!" He'd rolled down his window so I knew he heard, but he just went on ahead.

The funny thing is a lot of this happens on a route frequented by cyclists and designated as a shared road!

A week ago, I was crawling up a hill and someone honked at me. I looked up and as he went by, I smiled and gave him a big wave (with a full hand, not a 1-finger salute) and what doe he do? He waves back.

I don't know if he knew me, thought he knew me or was just being friendly. . .

was out training on the weekend and was riding over the horseshoe Pass outside Llangollen in north wales when i hear a car following me slowly up the climb. Thought it was freak looking for **** si I ignored them as they drew alongside i discover it's a Citroen 2CV with 3 very very lovely young ladies in it. the one in the passenger seat was so enthusiastic she threw her panties to me.:thumbup:

Nice frilly black ones.
on the label was name and phone number.


Who the hell writes their name and phone number on their panties????? :(

Originally posted by SamDaBikinMan
Ignore them. Sometimes I do wave just to irk them.

But I'd like to just whip out a .44 and blow the @$$ end out from under their cars ;)

you'd be justified in a fair world, you would if they nearly clipped ya anyway. The odds of you killing them with one shot on a movng bike firing at them as they speed away has to be lower than the odds of them kiling you by taping you with a 4000lb machine moving 45MPH while you ride 20mph on a 170lb machine

About a year ago I was riding through downtown wichita at twilight and some kids shouted somthing then shot me with a paint ball gun. I rode hard to catch them on my crappy comfort bike cause there were lots of traffic signals in the area and I stod a chance of thumpin their heads. they ran a light to avoid me and got pulled over by the cops. I reported what they did and they were arrested.

People like that always get what is coming to them

Originally posted by Red Baron
I said, "Hmmm,.. ok- I see you got a point, I understand and will take it as being positive. But let me return the favor, I wouldn't holler at unknown folks, they may not be as understanding as me" I did take his message to heart and bought some bright colors.


that was awfully civilized of you!

a couple of rides ago i was at a stop sign, and a truck - with a family inside! - was next to me. as we both started to pull into the intersection, they started yelling something from inside the cab. now i tend to be a bit 'reflexive' about such things, so i gave them the finger when they were far enough ahead to see me in their rear view mirror. the pickup truck slammed on its brakes, and down goes the window and the driver yells "a$$hole!". i respond "get a bike!".

not exactly the most witty thing to say, i know. but i really should learn to do something more benign. i like the waving/blowing kisses/yelling "i love you" suggestions...confusion is better than increased anger.

on a lighter note, my last ride another pickup truck (why is it always the pickups?) pulled up alongside at a light, passenger window down, radio playing Rob Zombie or something like that, and i can see the guy looking at me out of the corner of my eye. "uh oh" i think, and turn to look. "how ya doin'?" he says. that really surprised me!

so not all drivers suck. just most of them.

Originally posted by gonesh9
I had one car behind me on a residential BIKE ROUTE road start honking, and reving their engine behind me. When they had room to pass, I was lucky enough to see a sign that said "Bike Route". I pointed to it and smiled.

Priceless. :p

The worst comment I have ever recieved was from 3 juveniles in a pick up truck that passed me while I was riding my recumbant. They slowed down and one of them yelled "get a road bike, ****!" The next few miles I imagined different ways to dispose of them. I usually try to smile and wave at people in cars because for the most part I am really enjoying myself on my bike and a lot of people in cars look unhappy. Oddly enough, I ended up getting a Trek 5200 later that summer. I believe I am still a heterosexual, although I have a hard time riding my recumbant around here now. (If you want to attract attention, ride a recumbant).

Well I used to chase people down, inside city limits it is a easy thing to do. Anyway if they threw objects, spit or yelled obsenities I usually invited them, to step out and say it to me while we are both standing here. Then typically followed up by, "I thought so." Sometimes I would get desciptive and use colorful adjectives to describe their future physical situation if they continued their presence around me.
Now I just get left alone for most people around here in this rural area know me. I did get one comment "Cars and trucks own the road aound here bud," I said "well if you can document that right now by going to the S.O. and having them produce that series of highway laws I will stay off BUD." I got back "what did you say?" It was said in a way to be confrontational. So I git off the bike walked over and said "look man is it realy worth it for you to try and continue this. As soon as that door opens and your leg steps out I am going to crush it by kicking that door. So think about it BUD!"
I am still at a loss as to why people have to be so confrontational, it may be some kind of fascination with degrading others to make themselves feel good. If so this says little about our society. Given that this is obvioulsy a world wide happening, it may be that people see cyclists as weak and inferior. Therefore I see no other alternative but to let these people know thier future if I am so provoked. Seeing as how we are in alot better shape then 60% of this overweight planet, maybe we should carry Jenny Craig cards around and distribute them into the windows of our perp's.
Maybe then it would stop.

I tend to ignore these people, but the other day something happened that changed that for me, at least for one day.

I recently sliced a large chunk out of the pad of my index finger in an accident with a razor blade. On my first ride out after that happened, i was sitting at a red light in line with traffic waiting for my turn. The light turned and we had a green arrow. I stood up and started to pedal behind the car in front of me but popped out of my cleat, when i looked down to see what was happening, the car in front of me stopped, because she thought the oncoming traffic had a green light as well, when I looked up I was about 6 inches from her bumper and she was completely stopped. Yikes!! I swerved and missed her, somehow, but I had to use my body to lean and keep from scraping my bike up the side of her car and I ripped the bandage off of my finger!!

I stopped, as the light had turned red again and apologized to the lady and she was fine with it and apologized as well.

Well, the light turned green (a green arrow remember.) and I took off in front of her this time. Well, a car coming from the other direction must have been in a hurry and took exception to my being on the road. He chased me down (it's a smooth gradual downhill so I was doing 35 in no time, it took a bit for him to catch up.) He slowed down rolled down his electric window and yelled across his wife that I needed to get off the f!#$ing road before i got killed, and then he sped away. Well, i guess the bloody finger got to me and the pain had shut down my usual restraint, but I stood up in the pedals and chased this man down. He got a red light and I pulled up beside him and lit into him like i've never done before. I informed him that the better idea would be for him to get off the f!#!$ing road so I wouldn't get killed and that I had every right to be on the road and that he was the one who was breaking the law by not yielding the right of way. Well, he wouldn't have any of it and just kept calling me an idiot, so I asked him how he would like me to pull him out of his car and beat the living @#$% out of him. he didn't seem to like that idea and sped off.

The moral of this story is that what I did, didn't help anybody. It urked him more, got my blood boiling and may lead to more violent outbursts from this guy the next time he sees a biker. I was not a good ambassador for the sport and I apologize.

the one thing i wish i'd keep in mind when i give someone the finger is that it's a lot easier to hide a weapon in a car than it is in a wedge. you never know what someone's going to do. heck, a car is itself a weapon. i've got to remind myself that, on a bike, i'm more vulnerable than in a car and so i can't use my 'driver etiquette' on a bike.

An old friend of mine named Alex Gong, who was a world champion kickboxer and owned a gym in California, was killed a little over a week ago after chasing down a guy that had hit his parked car. Alex chased him down the street on foot for two blocks and confronted him at a red light. The light turned green, the guy shot Alex in the chest, and drove away. Alex died right there in the street.

The guy who shot him later killed himself, which is bittersweet revenge, but that doesn't bring Alex back.

I hadn't seen Alex in about 15 years since he left NH, but when I found out about this it really made me think twice about how I handle these types of situations. You just never know what's going to happen when you confront someone these days...

Originally posted by Mike_XR650L
You just never know what's going to happen when you confront someone these days...

Exactly. Traffic cops grapple with these same concerns on a daily basis and they're already armed, trained and alert.

Originally posted by TimB
Who the hell writes their name and phone number on their panties????? :(


that sounds like a good case of 'road rash' just waiting to happen. keep your bike shorts on!

I ignore those making comments. It seems at least they pull over and give you some room.

I get a lot more angry with those who crowd you or cut you off. Surprisingly (or maybe not) the group of drivers most doing this are older (60+).

In my area you need to be careful on who you confront on the lonely roads. Manufacturing of meth in our rural area is resulting in 2-3 arrests a week in a county of only 20,000 people. These individuals are very protective of their "property" and sometimes are not thinking clearly.

Originally posted by Jeffbeerman2
About a year ago I was riding through downtown wichita at twilight and some kids shouted somthing then shot me with a paint ball gun. I rode hard to catch them on my crappy comfort bike cause there were lots of traffic signals in the area and I stod a chance of thumpin their heads. they ran a light to avoid me and got pulled over by the cops. I reported what they did and they were arrested.

People like that always get what is coming to them


YES!

Man you guys need to move to New Zealand... I very rarely have any problems with drivers being abusive... The once or twice it has happened (usually when riding my recumbent) I just look as happy as I can and wave if I get a chance, I figure that cycling is one of the greatest pleasures on this earth and I wouldn't want to let anyone mess it up for me.

To paraphrase* John Forrester "If they are honking or shouting, at least you know they have seen you!"

*Paraphrased because I can't remember worth a sh*t.

Originally posted by Waxbytes
To paraphrase* John Forrester "If they are honking or shouting, at least you know they have seen you!"

Around here being seen isn't always a good thing.