So, today I rode into Sacramento to go to a meeting about starting a local bike co-op thing. The ride into Sacramento from here in Davis is about 15 miles. Seven of those miles, starting at the eastern edge of Davis, and going to the western edge of West Sacramento, are totally empty. It's basically a bike path and a frontage road. There's literally nothing out there except the road, not a gas station, or a stoplight, or anything.

Anyway, I was coming home, and I was about half a mile from Davis, and it had jsut gotten dark. I came upon a guy who looked like a fairly serious cyclist, wearing lycra and all, walking his bike the opposite direction. That means the guy had at least 6.5 miles to go before he even got to a gas station in West Sacramento.

As I approached, I said "Got a flat tire or something?" I got no response. I thought maybe he didn't hear me, so I stopped and asked "You need any help?" Without even turning to look at me, he said "No." in the rudest, most jack-ass-ish voice ever, and just kept on walking.

jeez - I was only trying to help. Fine, walk the next 6 miles, *******.

I think he was just mad that he need help and that he is the type of person that would not take help if you paid him to help.

With all the riders around Davis and Winters on the weekends, there had to be one, and you found him. Maybe next time it will be me. I'll gratefully accept help.

Hey, I was no where near Sacramento!

Yeah, I don't know what's up with that. Even if they don't need your help, people will generally say thanks for asking. I'm pretty much prepared for any tire trouble, but if someone wants to pump my tires up, I'm not turning it down.

Maybe he was being sarcastic, and you took him seriously and left him without help.

I grew up in Sacramento, it sounds like everyone there is still an a-hole.

I'm not making an excuse for his rudeness but perhaps trying to provide an explanation for his behavior. I recently finished a long day of work and found that someone had tried to rip off my front wheel and left me with half a quick release skewer jammed into my axle. I had to walk/carry the bike quickly to a bike shop before closing and was admittedly in a foul temper the whole walk. I hope I would have responded more generously to an offer of assistance but I'm sure my response would have been colored by how ticked off I was. Knowing it would be rare event that someone would actually be travelling with a spare quick release I might have responded with a curt "Nope." Anyone hearing my response might easily have labeled me a jackass- and maybe they'd be right- I mean I'm lucky it wasn't the whole wheel or the whole bike and my dilemma certainly wouldn't have been the fault of the person asking if I needed help.

and then again, maybe a house fell on his sister.

I recently had two flats on my MTB, and no seatbag full of repair stuff. (sold it with my Trek, Doh!) Anyway, I would have gladly taken help. Two roadies passed me and didn't even say anything! Oh well, I also had to walk six miles, so I know that at about mile three the guy you passed will be wishing he was nicer to you! BTW, the next day I bought a new seatbag and restocked my supplies.

I had a similar experience here in Baltimore. I offered a guy help who was walking his bike on the sidewalk. It was an impoverished neighborhood, and a rusty bike, but I had the patch kit and a pump.
He barked at me, "NO". Okay, fine, just thought I'd offer, maybe he didn't have far to go, (unlike your guy), but I think a polite no thanks I already called someone who's meeting me, or I only have a block to go would be better, but a lot of "serious" roadies are anal retentive anal pores, not all, but a lot.

The dude I tried to help was not a "serious" cyclist, he looked like he used his bike for transportation out of necessity, so maybe he's sensitive about others touching it. But if your dude was really a "serious" cyclist and riding that far, he should have been prepaired to fix it himself, or accept help politely.

"it sounds like everyone there is still an a-hole."
+1
moved away a year ago

In spite of the negative responses one sometimes receives, I still make it a point to ask every stranded cyclist I see if they need help.

We gotta stick together.

I have had to deal with a lot of emotionally and mentally "challenged" people in my life. As long as the guy just said, "No" even if he was loud, I would just slough it off. If he had hysterically screamed "NO" or had said more angry words or had further escalated things by approaching me in an angry fashion I would have notified the police jurisdiction at the far end of the path. The person may have needed Detox or therapy.
h?

Hey, at least he didn't do what the English guy I helped out a few years ago did. I saw this guy walking his bike down a road, so I did a U-turn and stopped to see if I could help him. It seems that he had hit a cut in the road and had destroyed his front wheel.

I offered him and his bike a ride home, which he readily accepted. A few miles down the road, after some discussion of bike riding in the area, he looked me up and down and said, "You look too fat to be much of a bike rider." I guess that no good deed goes unpunished.

Oh well. You did your part. Could be he was walking for a reason other than bike problems. You never know.

He was trying to slink away unnoticed with a stolen bike.

I think I'd have to reply with, "You're to skinny to ride in my car"! Then let him out.

I second that emotion. It comes back to you eventually; it always has for me.

My wife and I pedal around the neighborhood quite a bit: she has a loud, two-tone bell which she rings whenever she sees anyone. Maybe half of them respond and wave back, but the other half tend to be real sour-pusses. I try to be optimistic and think that it's worth ALL the effort to be friendly and helpful even if it only pays off once. (Or is that just my holier-than-thou righteousness chattering away??)

That's when you taco the rear wheel with a good kick as you ride by. "NOW do you need help? Huh??"

I wouldn't respond particularly well to a bell, either. A bell on a bike is equivelent to a horn in a car. I don't like getting honked at, and I'd only expect to get the bell from a bike if I was in the way or something.

If you want me to be friendly, give me a nod or a wave, don't just make loud noises at me.

Speaking of bells, I have one on my bikes to avoid a fine, I NEVER use the silly thing. It is useless with cars, and most people have no idea what the metalic noise is, and when you say hi, they jump out of their skin. So, I just say hi as I approach, and people usually move over (if for some reason I am on a bike path). Get some great conversations started that way.

damn...that has got to be annoying

was it a hot day? that ride is bare and dry.. maybe he was just in a bad mood, or someth ing broke on his bike... who knows.... or he got fired from his job and he had to ride home...

and people are rude in every location. not just sac.

Or... maybe he wasn't being rude and you read it the wrong way and now you've managed to convince 10+ other people to take your side. Jackass? He didn't even give you the finger or spit at you or anything. Come to NYC, we'll give you the treatment.

maybe the guy just bonked and got embarrased.

Maybe he just murdered a jogger and he's pissed cause someone stole his saddle pack when he went to bury the body.