muhlgirl868

So I’m coming home from a really nice ride out to the country. Saw some cows, stopped to pet a goat and road like a maniac. Great. Fantastic.

On my way back home through town I went around a bend as usual watching since the traffic gets a little thick. I cue up to a car, waiting for the green light. My side of the traffic light is stopped with the opposing traffic making their left turns. Then out of nowhere this preppy rider dressed up in full gear with all the bells and whistles comes flying like a bat out of hell (guess he was too cool to slow down when making the bend) from behind me. He tries to stop once he sees the red light but he was going so ridiculously fast for “city” riding and ended up fishtailing into the intersection.

Luckily the loser wasn’t hurt, but it just really sent me whirling off into a whole other dimension of pissed off. Once it was clear that no-one was hurt, I yelled “Hey! Cyclists need to obey the rules of the road too!” The guy just says “whatever” and rides off.

Cycling is a pretty big thing where I live. It’s a college town and a large percentage of the students commute as well as ride seriously. Following the rules of traffic is something that I take VERY seriously. As a cyclist I find myself constantly defending us road riders to people I meet who complain about cyclists who think the road belongs to them. How am I supposed to defend our kind when there are morons like that on the road???

Where do these little rich posers get off dressing up like some fancy Armstrong wanna-be and then making a complete fool out of us all while almost getting killed and endangering others (the driver he missed narrowly was in a minivan….potentially with kids). Drivers see morons like that dressed up with all the bells and whistles and think, “If that’s a serious cyclist…..why should I share the road with that”....and really who could blame them?

Arg…….sorry for the rant, but I just can’t take it anymore. This isn’t even the first time something like this has happened.

mirona

On the up side, you got to stop and pet a goat. Livestock rocks!

There are ***holes in all aspects of life. It sucks, but the only thing you can do is TRY to educate them (like you did). After that, it's up to them... or the car that hits them... to change their mind.

my58vw

Don't worry, we all see cyclists that are not obeying the rules. I can not count how many times I have been acused of not "following the rules" when I was within the law...

diddidit

Hey, I saw a goat on a ride last week, too! Goats are funny.

We don't seem to have all that many idjit riders around here - maybe the idjit drivers have offed them all; we sure have plenty of those.

did

SteveE

I disagree. I see more what I would call "casual" cyclist blowing through stop lights and stop signs than "experienced" cyclists. Pretty much all of the guys and gals I know who are members of local racing clubs understand that they are kitted out in jerseys with their sponsors names and if they flagrantly disregard the rules of the road, the sponsors will hear about it and may have second thoughts about continuing their sponsorship in the future.

puddin' legs

He screwed up. No big deal....too bad you let it spoil your otherwise very nice ride.

^^^ wat Steve said.

DXchulo

I want to pet a squirrel.

I hate it when cyclists ignore the rules of the road. I'll say it again like a broken record: if we want to enjoy the benefits of the road, we have to obey the rules of the road.

When a cyclist breaks the rules it just gives the people in cars more reason to believe that we shouldn't be on the road.

daytonian

I passed within 20 feet of a doe eating grass on someones lawn this morning. Couldn't pet her though.

my58vw

I SO wish this way true...

Around here we have what is called the "raincross ride", i.e. all out balls fest, everyone for themselves mashfest, representatives from a few local groups. Hmmm... lets see, 10 - 12 - 15 + ran stop signs... now reds are another story... we almost never run these.

On a local solo ride I about 90 percent of time follow the rules of the road... there are times that the rules become impractical... like a run turn light in the middle of the night with no traffic for miles, or something like Victoria Ave with 50,000 stop signs in a short distance, etc.


Not everyone is a turd...

SteveE

I'm not saying every racer type obeys the traffic laws all the time. For the local Saturday hammerfest, yeah there are some stop signs that are disregarded and the group also behaves as one multi-wheeled vehicle. But those same cyclists, when they are riding solo or in small groups, obey the traffic rules better than folks who ride infrequently, IMO.

I think cyclists who do a lot of riding or have been riding for a long time, whether they are racers or touring types, are more in compliance with traffic regulations than the "once in awhile" cyclist.

SDRider

As I was riding to work the other day I came up to a red light and waited until it changed for the left turn only lane going the opposite direction. I clipped in and started to move but my light didn't change from red...there were no cars going in any other direction so I kept pedaling through the intersection and as I reached the other side traffic started moving. I guess I should have waited but it just didn't make any sense. There was no other traffic so I went ahead. Yeah, I broke a traffic law...big deal.

formula4

There should be an anger forum. I was very mad myself today too, not because of another rider, but because of idiot drivers.

I have the option to bike in city or country where I am, and I will not be going into the city anymore on a bike. (even for small errands) I'd rather waste the gas than deal with idiots, if they are in cars or riding.

desmobob

I feel like petting a beaver....


It is such a struggle to get any kind of respect in traffic on a bike. One person like you mentioned can really make a bad impression on a lot of people in one quick incident.

How to counter it? Maybe make sure he knows he screwed up AND go out of your way to do things that will help make motorists more respectful and careful of 'cyclists.... you know, nice/friendly stuff?

Good riding,
desmobob

chilly

Same rules apply to both cars and bikes, but the one I'm thinking of, is if you don't wanna abide by the rules, get the heck off the road and onto a track !

Ineedhelp

OK, so what I would like to know is how is it that bicycle messenger courriers can ride fearlessly through traffic and on sidewalks, on the crappiest single gear bikes on the planet, breaking every traffic law ever known to man, and somehow never get in accidents, or get tickets, or take crap from anyone?

There has to be a secret the rest of us don't know.

puddin' legs

I saw lots of drivers do not very good things today including a guy in a farm truck that almost backed into me waiting for a stop light. I said, "hey!" He stopped and apologized, and I let him know that his reverse lights were out. No blood, no foul, no hard feelings and smiles all around. He was working, I was riding. Shortly after I saw many cows, several horses, and a pasture full of sheep. Didn't smell so nice, but it was great! People do stupid things regardless of what mode of transport they use. Self-righteous indignation rarely solves anything. You can only take care of yourself. Set your own example and live by it.

SDRider

Yeah, you're just not around when he gets mowed down/killed by a motorist, and you're not around when a cop sees him blow through a red light and gives him a ticket. Trust me, it does happen...makes me believe in karma...almost.

ovoleg

leave the policing up to the police.

If people want to be wreckless, let them.

As a comedian said on Comedy Central, "There are too many stupid people in the world and no one to eat them".(In reference to animals in the wild that get eaten for being stupid)

DannoXYZ 

Goats are tasty...

red house

yes, the male billy-goats taste musty some times..-but the females? -oouwee!

cs1

Really got any proof?
You aren't from Ohio.

Tim

SteveE

Just my personal observation.Fortunately, no.

puddin' legs

If there were and anger forum, not many people would post here anymore.

kokodeselavy

Somehow the livestock appreciation angle of this thread makes the rule-breaking cyclists/dangerous drivers rant less repetitive. Hybrid threads must be the way to go, especially when they include adorable animals. Now students, go and work on your OCP/Squirrel-Army-of-Darkness threads....

RabidCyclist

I see stupid people. There are stupid people walking all around me and they don't even know they're stupid.

>Faster than the Speed of Dark<