Louis

I seldom talk much about my rides, but today I had a rather strange incident. It kind of reminded me of the "Bizarro Jerry" episode from the "Seinfeld" TV series.

I was on the last leg of a 55 mile ride, just passing through Doylestown, Oh. about 10 miles from home. Some guy in a huge pickup truck backed out from a driveway, crossing the oncoming lane, right into my lane almost hitting me. I saw this situation rapidly developing and was able to swerve to the right missing him by about a foot. As I passed I instinctivly yelled "IDIOT" through his open passenger window. Well, he followed me for a while until I came to a traffic light at a four lane highway (Rt 585), which naturally was red. I stopped in the center of the left/straight lane, as I was going to continue straight. I noticed in my mirror he was squeezing up on my left with the passenger window open. Aw ***** I figured, here we go...there's going to be a fight. Just as I looked to the left expecting to be looking down a gun barrel, his truck was now practically touching my leg, he said in a very polite and humble voice " dude, I'm really sorry...I didn't see you, (I was wearing a neon yellow jersey) I would never have backed out like that if I'd seen you, I hope you can forgive me"!

I was almost embarrassed for him, he seemed so upset with himself. I told him we all make mistakes and to please be more careful in the future, and was on my way.

If I pinch myself will I wake up? Was I dreaming? Should I have bought a lottery ticket? Was I riding in the "Bizarro Zone"?

spry

Different mind set when you go through small rural towns in Ohio.

cranky old dude

I think you have stumbled into the norm. Most folks using the road are not enraged
morons trying to kill us all. Most are sincere, considerate drivers just trying to stay alive
and not hurt anyone. For every Jerk I come across I find several considerate drivers.
Unfortunately the jerks seem much more noticeable than the nice folks.

I'm glad for both of you that you were able to avoid an accident.

Happy Trails

Wildwood 

+1
Road rage is not always prevalent. I see caution & courtesy on most rides.

snavebob

+1

Big Paulie

I almost hit a guy riding his bike on the wrong side of the road last week. He came around a blind curve(for both of us) and wasn't even looking where he was going. I locked up my brakes, yelled at him to ride on the right side of the road. He called me an a-hole, and sped off.

Compared to that jerk, 99.99% of the drivers out there are saints.

Really, this whole thing about drivers being so dangerous is ridiculous. Literally hundreds or even thousands of cars have to interact with you before there's a close call. This doesn't make it OK when it does happen, but to characterize "most drivers" as homcidal maniacs really pisses me off. That's why I stopped reading the A and S forum.

Also, OT, check this article out, Louis...

https://www.thenation.com/docprint.mh...70730&s=raskin

BSLeVan

If, in fact, road rage were the norm, we'd all be dead by now. Glad your situation resolved itself so nicely. BTW, I too struggle with the "instinctive" verbal response to some situations. However, there is medication and meditation that helps me control those outbursts.

Retro Grouch 

While I agree, you have viloated the truth in screen name section of the 50+ bylaws. If you want to continue writing stuff like this you're going to have to change your screen name.

Terrierman

That was very nice of the fellow to speak with you. I'm sure he will be even more careful in the future.

Jet Travis

Testing the bizarro world theory: "Did he say good bye. Or was it bad bye?"

stonecrd

Very nice, unexpected for sure. My experience is more like this, I have a traffic circle coming into my neighborhood with three streets off it each with a stop sign. Coming home the other night I ride into the circle going about 18mph as a SUV is coming down one of the side streets toward the circle. I'm watching and sure enough he blows the stop sign and swings right into the circle, if I was not watching and slowing he might have creamed me. I yell 'Stop Sign AH" he yells back "Tough Sh** AH" That is how it usually goes.

maddmaxx 

Unfortunately, numbers of nice vs not nice don't count. As with the business motto, one aw "!@#$$" cancels all previous "attaboys".

will dehne

I must agree with this.
Unfortunately I have also made my mistakes driving and biking. I cringe thinking of some of them.
Last one last week. I back out my driveway looking intensely in direction of busy oncoming traffic. A biker came on the wrong side (left) of the road and I nearly hit him. No harsh words, just frustration.
He of course sees nothing wrong with going on the left side of the road (no sidewalk).

We all must control our emotions to avoid escalating a bad situation.

Beverly

I think it's about the same in most rural areas. Life generally moves at a slower pace and people are more tolerant of bikes....after all we do have to contend with the slow moving farm machinery

BLIZZ

Man I hate it when you have your anger deflated like that.......the nerve of that guy anyway.....what gives him the right to be all nice and everything.......when that happens it makes me feel like I'm the bad guy..........sheesh, some people.

Louis

As he drove away he waved hello.

Louis

I guess I was not expecting him to be a good guy. Perhaps I've been jaded by years of unfriendly encounters.

Big Paulie--Thanks for the link. I read "The Nation" sometimes but must have missed that piece. Very interesting.

oilman_15106

Just like the auto surveys that claim all the customers are satisfied, usually the only ones that respond are the ones that are completly satisfied with their car or totally upset with the car. Most drivers are pretty good with cyclists but the ones that are jerks stand out in our minds.

A recent one comes to mind, the guy in a blue Ford PU was trying to see if the paint on his truck matched the bule on my Jamis. 2 inches is too close for comfort.

Off topic but, here in PA the brilliant Pendot has put "drunk saver rumble strips" on the berm of many roads making it impossible to ride anywhere but on the road. Drivers think your just riding the highway to be a jerk but there is no other place to go. Is this stupidity(berm rumble strips) going on elsewhere?

SaiKaiTai

I have to admit, here on the slow moving coast, most drives are exCEEDingly courteous.
Most cross over the center line to go around me, even when the road is way more than wide enough.
I hear them coming up behind me, "kadunkadunkadunk". Most have even given up their right of way to let me through when we come to intersections. A lot of times I go ahead and wave them on with a smile.
They actually wave to thank me.

We ain't rural here but we're close

stonecrd

I agree, and if it is a case of a inadvertent mistake I am just glad I don't get hurt, and life goes on. But in the example I gave the guy saw me and purposely ran through the stop sign because, I assume, he wanted to get into the circle before I came around. He would never had done that if I had been a car and he has no idea that I can take that circle faster than a car can so he put my life in danger. I expect people to stop at stop signs and give me the right of way when I have it. For that he gets a bit of cursing.

Tom Bombadil

So it has been mentioned that rural Ohioans are friendly people and wouldn't tend to hassle a bicycle rider.

I've heard stories that such is not as true in the South. Stories that imply that certain rural "rednecks" from Alabama and Mississippi enjoy hassling cyclists. Any truth to this?

For example, the person I met in Savannah, GA who had just finished his Southern Tier ride, said he was hassled more in Alabama than all of the other states he had ridden in combined & doubled.

Note that I'm not trying to negatively label rural Southerners. Just using words that many people associate with certain character types. Since I'm a 100% multi-generational West Virginia Hillbilly, I'm about as low as one can go on the "joke meter" anyway. The "hollers" that I grew up in were teaming with rednecks, however they were about as friendly as anyone could possibly be.

George

[QUOTE=Louis;4870885]I guess I was not expecting him to be a good guy. Perhaps I've been jaded by years of unfriendly encounters.

+1

cranky old dude

Awwww. Give an old guy a break!!!!
I figue that since I'm old(ish), and a dude.....I've got 66.6% of my screen name covered
even if I ain't Cranky.

Yen

My husband read something about that, that people with a certain bumper sticker on their vehicle holler unfriendly words at cyclists. He thinks the sticker probably says "NASCAR".


Wherever we ride (so far) we've encountered nothing but very friendly, courteous drivers. I always try to wave to say "thanks" when they wait for us, to boost the image of cyclists if I can.

Big Paulie

Since this is Louis' thread, here's another OT link for him...

https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/15/bo...in&oref=slogin