Commuting - cars yelling to 'surprise' me

I regularly commute on a VERY short section of a 40 mph road. Twice this spring/summer now I've been 'shouted' at by passing drivers on this stretch of road. The shouts are more like loud guttural grunts or screams, clearly intended to surprise me (into falling)? I suspect both these 'shouters' we're contractors or sorts (one van, one pick-up with business names on the side -- no, I couldn't see the name as they went past too fast), as I know these characters think practical jokes are fun -- and that's fine.

Still, better judgement should be made on a road, no doubt.

Both times this has happened I find myself so mad I can hardly express it. Base-less, dangerous, 'fun' at whoever's expense and danger. Not good.

I'm just saying...

Please everyone,
Pass in peace.

Venting I know, but also wondering if this happens to anyone else, and what (if anything) can be done about it.

usually see that with teenagers, not adults. It does make me angry, I just wave.

I just turn the music up...

I'll never understand what it is that compels people to act out towards cyclists, especially in my neck of the woods where it is relatively cyclist-friendly. The usual culprits are kids in some beater car talking about me to one another before yelling something I can actually hear as they pull away. Sometimes people just honk, others rev their engines or stomp on the gas as they near me. I would imagine most of these are lame attempts at trying to scare or make me wobble. I expect it. So try as they might, the only way I'm going down is if one of these cowardly ******** actually runs into me.

I used to flip 'em off occasionally way back when. Now I'm more accustomed to it and either ignore, just wave or respond with a "WooooHoooo!"

I had a German Shepard bark at me out of an open passenger window. That was far worse than any idiot yelling at me.

had dogs bark a couple of times. It's really annoying, but it doesn't hurt anything. They often have really good timing.

Only ever kids trying to act tough.

It's really funny when you catch up to them at the next light. Those windows sure do roll up fast.

had dogs bark a couple of times. It's really annoying, but it doesn't hurt anything. They often have really good timing.

My last one was a German Shepard. That was mildly disturbing even when blaring my iPod.

Heard barking riding once and thought I was being chased. Lo and behold, a truck passes me with six German Shepards in the bed. Six full grown German Shepards.

It was a white knuckle moment as the truck pulls away with the dogs eyeballing me, barking and begging to "play."

It's really funny when you catch up to them at the next light. Those windows sure do roll up fast.

It's even funnier when you're a girl and you catch up to them :D The windows don't always roll up but boy, is the floor of the car ever interesting all of a sudden. And all of them have a burning need to check all of the settings on their cell phones very, very carefully.

It's even funnier when you're a girl and you catch up to them :D The windows don't always roll up but boy, is the floor of the car ever interesting all of a sudden. And all of them have a burning need to check all of the settings on their cell phones very, very carefully.

lol

The last thing I'd want is trouble on a daily basis, and I'm in no mood to change my route because I had it out with some teenager who is looking for payback. Annoying as it may seem, I just pretend they aren't there.

It startles me but I'll take a yell or a honk any day over objects being thrown at me.

Someone threw a lit cigarette at me today. I chased the guy down in a grocery parking lot and confronted him. I asked him what he would expect to happen if he flicked a lit cigarette into another car. I answered for him that he could probably expect to get his ass kicked and cyclists were no different. He was trying to act all cool and dismissive "whatever...you should ride on the sidewalk."

Don't know about you all but the above statement is the one comment from motorists that sets me off like thermonuclear TNT. His girlfriend/passenger was clearly very uncomfortable and would not make eye contact with me. Hopefully she now has some insight into what an ignorant hillbilly her boyfriend is. In the end, I rode away. I really wish he would have started a fight because I was ready to make the best poetic justice video ever shown on YouTube.

I just turn the music up... +1

It's even funnier when you're a girl and you catch up to them :D The windows don't always roll up but boy, is the floor of the car ever interesting all of a sudden. And all of them have a burning need to check all of the settings on their cell phones very, very carefully.

Because you're a cutie doll on a bike and they're taking pics? :love::innocent::love::lol::thumb:

Hehe... that's why most likely :D;)


Anyways to the OP I don't run into such people often anymore since I upgraded my bike lighting to high power lighting. I used to get the grunting car driver yelling once a day. Now it's only about once a week or two weeks if at all. Once a month for sure. Most of the time when a driver does comment it is about the brightness of the tail light thinking you're an emergency vehicle thus why they slow down. I find with high power lighting IMHO that is it helps greatly as you get more cars giving more yield and comment about seeing you farther allowing them to slow down and avoid sooner.

Hey when the thin blue line asks thinking that the tail light is awesome that gets a thumbs up from me. Then again any light is better then no light any time of the day as I find daylight running lights down help break up the haze traffic, buildings, enviroment, etc while riding so the driver sees the blinking light as a bike during the day. This is coming from a driver and rider here. I know I appreciate riders with tail lights during the day when you're in busy traffic zones. You notice the bike sooner if distracted by other cars and people running around the cross walks.

Punks with nothing better to do. A few years in military school might fix 'em, or at least get them off the streets for a while.

I've become pretty immune to kids yelling out the window, angry commuters telling me to get out of the way, etc. The only one that still pisses me off is being cut off by someone pulling out of a parking lot or side street.

I was stopped at a light next to a car the other day. And this kid yells out the window in the car next to me... "YOU WILL NEVER BE LIKE LANCE!!!" I fired back... "Yeah... but I still got both of my testicles!" And we all just laughed. It helps to have a sense of humor.

It's the people who throw stuff at me that I want to knock unconscious and feed them through a wood chipper.

Because you're a cutie doll on a bike and they're taking pics? :love::innocent::love::lol::thumb:

Hehe... that's why most likely :D;)



Even more funny when it's the other way around where I am taking their pictures. :D

One time I had my hair tuck inside my bike jacket and my helmet was a loose fit where it covered most of my hair on my forehead and side. This one car buzz me and gave me some stuff about staying right when the lane was too narrow for sharing. At the light, I let out my hair and pulled up my helmet with my Flip video recorder in my hand. I got to the car and started taping at the driver while waiving a motion with my other hand for him to roll down his window.

Me: "Was it you talking to me back there?"
Him: "Sorry, I didn't know that was you.". (with a surprise look)
Me: "That's alright, but I am taping this for my boyfriend at the police station. Don't worry, he's cool and probably let it go."
Him. "Please tell him I'm also sorry."

:lol:
Too bad they all can't be like him, so Gullible. I had this guy posing with his middle finger at me Hollywood style at my camera one time! LOL

I was stopped at a light next to a car the other day. And this kid yells out the window in the car next to me... "YOU WILL NEVER BE LIKE LANCE!!!" I fired back... "Yeah... but I still got both of my testicles!" And we all just laughed. It helps to have a sense of humor.


I was riding on a local MUP and a woman (ped) waited until I passed her and she yelled "LANCE!" as loud as she could right into my ear. I'm like, wtf? I wasn't even wearing lycra. Or even on a road bike.

Yesterday I was on main street of a small town (about half a mile long) and for the 5 minutes I was on it, one car passed by and yelled woooooo, then about a minute later a car coming in the same direction as the other did the same thing.

I thought to myself if the guy in the first car called the other person to make sure they yelled too :D was pretty amusing and gave me something to think about :)

I was riding on a local MUP and a woman (ped) waited until I passed her and she yelled "LANCE!" as loud as she could right into my ear. I'm like, wtf? I wasn't even wearing lycra. Or even on a road bike.

I didn't even have to think about at one. I think I would have been able to come up wit it on the spot.

Proper response, "its in my pants!" Admittedly vulgar; but at times like that, so what.

I was riding on a local MUP and a woman (ped) waited until I passed her and she yelled "LANCE!" as loud as she could right into my ear. I'm like, wtf? I wasn't even wearing lycra. Or even on a road bike.

A few kids from a local HS cross-country team were pulling this kind of crap on the MUP last year, along with playing "chicken" with cyclists. A 20mph shoulder check solves that problem.

It's really funny when you catch up to them at the next light. Those windows sure do roll up fast.

My favorite. They're brave as long as the car is moving.

I've had this a few times, but was wide awake enough each time to be cool with it. Once I was filtering in traffic and a big guy leaned out of a ford transit van and screamed in my ear close enough to feel the spit. I just carried on but turned to look back about five seconds later to do a delayed impression of Munch's The Scream. Perhaps a better reaction would have been to follow my instincts and send a fist in the direction of the noise.

It's for situations like that where some kind of armored gauntlet would seem like a good idea.

In Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_Crash) the skater couriers carry reverse sided stickers which they slap on car windows, generally carrying messages commenting on the manner of their driving. It's an appealing premise.

I'm often a "jumpy" person, and I get startled easily, but when I'm on a bike and around people/cars I take on a more vigilant mindset and the occasional yell hardly "gets through" my concentration on staying alive (one of my mottos is "Stay Alive, Enjoy the Ride).

I yell back,"GET IT."

Kerouac reference. :)