jerrycan42

Please add:

X ) women doing their makeup in the visor mirror while driving.

Rootman

Dogs ON a leash whose owners allow them to cross the path making a nice trip wire for cyclist and walkers both

AND

Dog owners who cannot keep their dogs from lunging at bikes or people or other animals and who can barely control their animals while on the leash. Either train them or stop walking them. Allowing them to lunge and pull repeatedly and constantly is not good for you OR them. I'm a dog lover and would NOT allow any animal of mine to extend their leash or lunge at bikers or pedestrians. If I could not control the animal I would not walk in in public.

STORY: I passed a woman walking a miniature something-or-other, it was probably no more than 3 pounds tops, it WAS on a leash, the leash was fully extended to what, fifteen feet? Whatever those thin retractable leashes extend out to. She was walking WITH traffic (first strike), allowed the dog to extend the leash (second strike) and then allowing the animal to walk in the MIDDLE of the street (strike three!). I damn near ran over the leash before I spotted it, then the dog, had to swerve way into the wrong lane, NO traffic thankfully. So that's: The leash was practically invisible, they were on the wrong side of the street (walkers should always FACE traffic) and the dog was minuscule and dark haired - looked like the pavement. Then she started to yell at ME when I slammed on the brakes and swerved and cried out (OMYGOAWD!).

KJL

For me it is dogs. Specifically farm/country dogs. I ride rural highways and listen to music (yes I wear a mirror). I have bad nerves as it is - some of these dogs never see cyclist so they chase me down like a wounded gazelle. The problem isn't necessarily the chase but the "surprise there is a Rottweiler on my ass" moment of shock and terror. I have never been bit but have had some close disastrous crashes - I keep a keen eye out now whenever going by a farmhouse. It is great training though for those unexpected sprints!

Lebriz

This! All the damn time. They're so stupid. Why!?

floridamtb

You know what I call a day warmer than 80? January!! I've learned to love the heat, humidity, headwinds and occasional gator along the side of the trail.

floridamtb

16.) Gators along the trail

jerseyJim

My rule in these situations is to swerve directly at the dog walker.

AnthonyMcEwen

Nothing wrong with dogs not being on leads, in fact leads are dealt as they often block whole mup and u could ride over the line and crash, its not the dogs fualt the pwnerds can't train / control there dogs, my family's dog was never on a lead other than in areas were it was signs posted they must be, he never chased / scared / attacked anything and always got out of the way of people, he was well trained and obeyed all my command because out of choice , what's wring with a dog of the lead I personly hate leads acting as invosble walls across the mup.

cerealkilla

Country lanes covered in sheep and cow poo.

Dudelsack 

Boa constrictors laying in wait by the side of the road: https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/08...n_3708899.html

caloso

The first good rain after a long dry spell. It 1) causes all the accumulated oil and other motor fluids to rise to the surface and 2) it causes drivers to lose their minds and totally forget everything they knew about driving in the rain since last winter.

busygizmo

Going on 20 years of regular to semi-regular riding.
Things have changed a bit. Used to be you only had certain groups you had to worry about; youngmales, men in muscle cars or big trucks, men in expensive cars and what onewriter called the most dangerous driver on the road, women driving Volvo wagonswith a “Baby on Board” sticker (this was the pre-cursor of the high-end SUV’smenacing the roads today). I can’t countthe times I’ve been buzzed by Lexus’s with baby seats and a woman on the phone.
Mind you I live in the city so I don’t often deal with RV’sbut when I do get out in the country they can scare the crap out of you. Also people pulling trailers. I used to bike along Lake Washington dailyand every few years there would be a Sockeye Salmon season on the lake bringinghundreds of fisherman from all over the region. Having a truck pass you with two or three feet only to realize thetrailer was going to be closer is frightening.
The big truck thing is scary too and you get more of thatoutside the city.
Motorcyclists used to be almost universally friendly tocyclists; you’d even get the occasional nod or wave. Maybe there was more of an anti-establishmentalternative travel thing going on. Nowmotorcyclists buzz me as often as cars and they can move over without eventouching the center line.
IMO it comes down to people and their behavior. It seems like there are more people who areangry, in a hurry or self-absorbed (talking on the phone, texting, payingattention to everything but driving). Behavior that is rude or annoying becomes dangerous when it takes placebehind the wheel.
Seattle is experiencing a backlash against what is perceivedas bad and entitled behavior by a lot of cyclists. I have a hard time defending it to friendsand coworkers anymore. I see cyclistsblow stop signs, jump on and off the sidewalk as it suits them and buzzpedestrians all the time. I don’t knowif it makes that much difference because I think most drivers just wanteveryone out of their way and cyclists can be intimidated more easily thanother motorists. The upshot is a lot ofexasperated and angry drivers taking out cyclist with a scary frequency.
Used to ride the MUP’s but the proliferation of extendableleashes, double-wide strollers and generally oblivious people have chased meaway.
Dogs can be a pain but again it is the people that fail to controltheir dogs that lead to the problem.
Sorry for the rambling rant.

Velo Vol 

Vehicles (all drivers)
Cold weather
Dogs
Insects
Nuts on the road
Bears

busygizmo

We just experienced this in Seattle, first dry July in 50 years. Of course there were a lot of collisions. We passed one driving to the airport, an SUV had just spun into the jersey barrier and smashed both front and rear end. Fortunately no one else was involved and no one badly hurt.

It didn't slow down the traffic though, people continued to drive as aggressively as before.

rebel1916

69) Cool stories
70) Bros

aaronmcd

- Drivers that pass cyclists going uphill on winding roads, oblivious to the fact that they are driving on the left side and another cyclist could easily be riding 35 mph around that bend head on.
- Drivers that pass right before the winding descent and then drive really slowly the whole way down.
- Drivers that stop extra long at stop signs and try to wave me through when I haven't even stopped yet.
- Drivers who look right through me and then start to turn out in front of me.
- Drivers who speed past and try to make a right turn directly in front of me.
- Cyclists who pass before a stop sign and proceed to blow through, out of turn, without even slowing
- I saw this 2 nights ago: a cyclist riding in the left lane at night without a light. Suicidal much?

aaronmcd

Oh, and also people dressed as bigfoot standing in the middle of a winding, forested road.

Velo Vol 

Stop lights

shoota 

I almost got hit by #1 and #10 today.

shoota 

Seriously? yikes

thinktubes 

Definitely a threat on many levels....

jsharr

Poorly maintained roads are my biggest worry.

fried bake

without question, the trucks pulling the trailers (especially the boats) are the worst.

Kai Winters

eleventeen: People who spend more time complaining about riding aggravations than actually riding.

pdedes

I blame society