Advocacy & Safety - Hot dog out the window

Well I was recently riding my bike and had my first encouter with something being thrown at me from the window of a car. It really makes me mad and I just wanted to share the story if anyone really cares to listen.

So I'm riding along and some stupid kid passes me and out of the back window flies a hot dog bun with ketchp all over it. Now mind you when I say stupid kid I am also 18 so I am not generalizing about kids. But anyways I stand up and start to sprint after them since I figure I am probably about their size.

They must have seen me sprinting and make a quick left into a praking lot. Well since there was no traffic I also make this left. I follow them through the near empty parking lot and at this point they must have been scared. They go to make a left out of the lot but a car is in front of them and I'm cathcing up quickly. So they make a right go into another lot. Then turn out onto another road going well above the speed limit. Unfortunately I couldn't catch them but it made me laugh that these kids who thought they were so big and bad would be scared from inside their car when I came after them.

I hope the hotdog missed you!

It's worth noting the number plate, general car description if at all possible and passing the details onto your local police station. They're usually very helpful and a surprising number of police here seem to ride. Nothing may come of it, but if they pull a similar stunt another time and someone else reports it they've got a bit of history.

On a related matter - I was driving towards a T-intersection. A car (SUV by coincidence) attempts to overtake and then cut in front. There was no way they were going to be able to do that. Rather than stopping and letting them go I continued on - they then had to stop and pull behind (with associated wheel squeels). Then the honking started. I was with a riding partner, whom I had remain directly in front of the car while I went with my bike around to the drivers window to thank them for risking my life. It was a mother in her mid-thirties with a couple of school kids. I gestured for her to wind down her window. She didn't and looked scared for her life. I shook my head and rode off in my own pace.

People aren't so tough when the playing field is levelled.

I've had eggs, waterbombs, fists etc thrown at me in the last few years. One particular situation happened in 2001 that I do remember. I took an egg to the back of the helmet one night and as usual, a group of 'kids' laughing about it in the back seat. Unfortunately for them, I was carrying about three deciduous forests worth of paper and about six pens at the time. I just wrote down their number and paid a visit to the cops on the way home.

Well, the copper phoned up the owner of the car while I was waiting, and it turned out the car was, at that moment, being driven by the daughter's boyfriend. Turns out the owner of the car wasn't too happy about the incident either. Turned out, it would be the last time that punk kid would be driving that particular car for a while!

Look on the bright side - it's free food.

Several years ago I was walking on the sidewalk in the university area (I am not a student) and a vehicle drove by at high speed (I heard it) and the passengers pelted me with oranges. I didn't see it coming and it knocked me hard to the ground. I had huge, I mean gigantic, baseball sized welts on my back and side and shoulder/neck that turned into even larger bruises. Because I hit the ground so hard and it took a bit to regain my awareness I didn't even know what kind of vehicle it was.

It was actually kind of scary, I had a fear of car sounds approaching for few weeks following. The bruising was also quite embarassing/hard to explain at pool parties.

I am quite sure it was a random attack. Witnesses if any were to far away to make contact with.

Al

Free food huh, no way, 'cause it had ketchup on it......for me, it's only MUSTARD, ONIONS and RELISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I'm riding along and some stupid kid passes me and out of the back window flies a hot dog bun with ketchp all over it.

Good god, what is the frickin' deal with stupid kids today? Ketchup on a hot dog?!? WTF?

You did report this as an assault, right? Remember, when someone throws something, it's no longer a "traffic" incident. Doing it from a car just makes it easier to track down the perp.

I wish I could have in the amount of time I was chasing them. I couldnt get a chance to look at the plate. believe me I would have loved to reported this to the cops.

Either one of two things will happen:

1) The hot dog pitcher will take up bicycling and a similiar thing will happen to him and he'll remember what he did and learn a lesson

2) He won't take up cycling and he'll learn that hot dogs cause health problems.

:D

I've had eggs, waterbombs, fists etc thrown at me in the last few years. One particular situation happened in 2001 that I do remember...

When I was on my world tour in Iran, I took a side trip up along the Caspian sea shore, which is a series of small towns and a big one every so often. I was riding along a town square enjoying myself when, in my rear view mirror I see a small motorbike with two kids--maybe 18 and 19, actually-- riding on it. Damn if one doesn't hold his fist out and BONG!!!! got me on theback of the head/helmet! Fortunately they were not going very fast so no one was hurt. In fact, i could tell by their body gestures as they continued on that they were surprised that the 'impact' was as annoying as it was. They stopped up at the intersection ahead and pulled around to come back. They had silly, but apologetic smiles on their faces. Quite few people who were in the cafes on the side of the streets were watching now, too.

I had stopped riding and was straddling my bike. I made 'boxing gestures' at them as they came back, and i could tell from everyones body language that this incident was gonna be nothing more than a humorous one, fortunately. They came back and talked with me some (as if I understand Farsi, right???) but we all got off our bikes and went and had something to drink in the coffee shop we were in front of. By the time we were done there must have been 150 people standing there in a semicircle, and you could tell the story was being told and growing in the telling.

roughstuff

They were debating the pros and cons of beheading you. :D

They were debating the pros and cons of beheading you. :D


No great loss though, don't forget...I am a republican! :)

I have many stories from Iran. One time I stopped in front of a place that looked, to me anyway, like a nice coffee shop/pastry shop. (As you might have realized by now, I have a weakness for coffee shops). So I stopped, went in and sat down. I sure got weird looks on my way in! But again at first glance I figured there would be no problem. In fact a guy was bringing me a 'menu' as i finally sat down. Then it gradually dawned on me...there isn't any coffee being served here! There aren't any pastries or anything!

In the middle of each table was a huge water pipe/bong/hookah or whatever you choose to call it. At many of the tables men (no women) were sitting around sucking on the pipes that come out of them. At first I thought they were doing bong hits of dope..but sheesh it wasn't even that!! I had slipped into an opium den!!!. At least thats what it appeared to be. It sure had a weird smell. I think the 'menu' the guy brought me was some kind of selection of drugs. In any case: by now every one was staring and somewhat amused by my presence. I figured it would be best if i just got up and left with a big smile--which i did.

What a country!! Love it..I would go back to Iran in a flash.

roughstuff

No great loss though, don't forget...I am a republican! :)

I have many stories from Iran. One time I stopped in front of a place that looked, to me anyway, like a nice coffee shop/pastry shop. (As you might have realized by now, I have a weakness for coffee shops). So I stopped, went in and sat down. I sure got weird looks on my way in! But again at first glance I figured there would be no problem. In fact a guy was bringing me a 'menu' as i finally sat down. Then it gradually dawned on me...there isn't any coffee being served here! There aren't any pastries or anything!

In the middle of each table was a huge water pipe/bong/hookah or whatever you choose to call it. At many of the tables men (no women) were sitting around sucking on the pipes that come out of them. At first I thought they were doing bong hits of dope..but sheesh it wasn't even that!! I had slipped into an opium den!!!. At least thats what it appeared to be. It sure had a weird smell. I think the 'menu' the guy brought me was some kind of selection of drugs. In any case: by now every one was staring and somewhat amused by my presence. I figured it would be best if i just got up and left with a big smile--which i did.

What a country!! Love it..I would go back to Iran in a flash.

roughstuff

I know a whole lot of classmates who would have been enchanted with that story when I was in high school back in the day. There would have been a rush to buy tickets to Iran, for sure!

:roflmao: