Northeast - The Battle of the QBB (aka David vs. Goliath)

Twas bound to happen eventually:

I was riding down the QBB to work this AM, starting my descent into Manhattan, when I was passed by a slightly built young dude on a track bike (no brakes).

I see this guy on the bridge often, he seems to have good riding skills, and is certainly not the most hazardous rider I've seen there, but today he was taking the ramp pretty darn fast ... he skipped enough to slow for the switchback but then inexplicably began to pedal into it.:eek:

Just as I was thinking how that was taking a bad situation and making it worse, I heard a yell and a slight clatter of metal on metal. I rounded the turn carefully, only to see said track boy tangled up with a burly mtb ridden by a big burly rider, who was yelling cursing, shoving and eventually punching.

I was running late (as usual) so I had no time to stop and witness the end of this melee, tho track boy passed me on 59th street a few minutes later so I guess his slingshot did the trick:D

I'm glad my commute is spared the reckless fixie kids. I have no issue with gunning it on the bridges but you have to do it responsibly, and riding fast during hours in areas your visibility isn't good just doesn't make sense. I like to ride fast but find that hard to do in NYC since there's so much foot and vehicular traffic, then there's the slower cyclists as well who sometimes don't stay to their right.

Agreed

There is another fixie guy I see once a week or so on the Bridge - total moran. :notamused:

He rides between gaps he can barely clear, nearly runs down peds cause he's too busy looking at his shiny clean track frame instead of where he's going, etc etc.