aoeuhtnsi

People can be SO weird. Some crazy woman tried to run me off the road once, but only succeeded in driving onto the sidewalk before she got out of her car and started running after me. We all know how that ended.

lil brown bat

Well, this is a little bit disingenuous, isn't it? We all understand that the anger isn't rational, but I think we're lying if we say that it's out of the blue. A lot of people, when in a frustrating situation, will target something other than the direct cause of their frustration...and guess what? Some of us holier-than-thou cycling saints are among them. So, say that the driver shouldn't have done what he did, and I'll agree with you...scratch your head and pretend amazement at his behavior, and I'll ask you what color the sky is on your planet.

Praxis

I think I would actually enjoy this; it would spice up the commute. Don't know if that makes me weird.

I totally understand about the gaps/spaces thing. The pro and con (for me) of bicycle riding: you *can't* think about anything else, even if you wanted to. So I can't plan out my day, remember things I should be doing, etc. It's all action/reaction. I'm engaged in a way I rarely am in a car. It's same feeling I get in the middle of playing a sport; completely immersed in the moment and anticipating the opponent.

Commuting really is its own sport, eh?

lambo_vt

Just poking fun... I'd be lying if I said I haven't behaved similarly before.

Glad you're ok.

labelcd6

Joey has a different style from most of us, and that's fine. He's not making any excuses or whining about the repercussions. If you don't like his stories and videos, don't read or watch them.

As I've said before, Joey, you're my hero!

yaztromo

Hey because it's Joey it's all okay!

EDIT.

This is a tired old argument. You don't have the right to expect anyone with a criticism not to post.

hillikus

I don't feel it was disingenuous at all and I didn't pretend amazement at his behavior either. I simply said that I didn't understand his mentality and saw no logical reason that the driver should have gotten mad at JB. I know why the driver acted like he did, it is just not something that I would ever do. Regardless of what planet I am on, I will always question this type of mentality.

High Roller

History would suggest that Joey is not about to change his game plan just because some of us castigate him for his unlawful cycling practices.

The majority of harrassment incidents I have experienced have been with people in pickup trucks. I'm not a psychologist, so I'll refrain from advancing any Freudian theories to explain this.

10 Wheels

Ride Joey Ride.

ItsJustMe

Like everything, it depends on the situation.

My commute is 95% rural. Almost all of the time, I'm riding down a road and can see a mile in either direction, there are no stop lights or signs for miles, and usually it's totally empty or I can see one or two cars, and drivers around here are exceptionally courteous, almost always moving entirely into the other lane to go around me, so I can easily plan my day, listen to audiobooks, etc.

Jude

Off topic, but did you used to have a Fear of a Blank Planet avatar or are you the second PT fan I've encountered on bike forums?

lil brown bat

Right, but I mean...dog bites man, film at 11.

vtjim

I did. But now someone else is using the FoaBP cover, so there are two of us. Or maybe 3, including you?

thenomad

Whenever I'm locked securely in my steel cage driving to work texting, eating, and applying deoderant I get furious at those pesky pedestrians walking all over the place on their feet. I mean, get a car you bozos! I can feel their eyes on me when I'm waiting at lights and they smugly walk past me, gloating because I have to wait. One of these days I'll teach one of them a lesson!




But bikes are cool.

coffeecake

Enjoyable story, glad it didn't have a different ending. You could do what my boss does and kick the side of the vehicle. When they look back then wobble your bars like you're about to fall over. Cagers panic, thinking they've finally gone too far and hit someone.

JoeyBike

Yeah, I am surprised the guy tackled TWO of us from the start. Witnesses can be pesky.

Like I wrote above. The road surface along that stretch was hateful AND wet AND dark. The action sounds hectic written as a story, but I was taking every precaution (other than just stopping or turning off), I was calm, sticking with my game plan and trying to ignore a really peeved person while avoiding his front bumper zone. No way was I banging on his vehicle or even speaking to him in light traffic and cause some huge chase scene or risk a crash. I just wanted to get home in one piece as usual. I was not expecting such persistence on his part.

I would have been a lot more worried had I been alone and most likely would have turned off of that street when he got in front of me for the second time. But the side streets are not parallel to the main street. The blocks are triangular, so I would end up way off my route and in the hood after dark.

coffeecake

Ah sorry, should have been more clear. I wouldn't have touched him either, for all you know he's got a 12 gauge underneath the seat Just a move to use in the future, if you can get away with it. Probably not on aggressive truck drivers, as they are just itching to prove that size does matter.

freefallkev

Joey, sounds like you and I have a very similar commuting style. Your story is typical of trying to commute in a military town, where every buck sergeant has to go buy a mustang and thinks he owns the road. What made me want to chime in was all the flak you're getting about running lights etc. When I started commuting here, I played the "vehicular cycling" game - stopping for lights, stop signs, and signalling, yielding right of way. Still, I was being buzzed and hassled on a daily basis, often more than once a trip. So I decided that if drivers weren't going to play nice, I wouldn't play by their rules. It certainly isn't safer, but it hasn't increased my number of close calls either, and it gives me the added benefit of getting where I'm going quicker.

I guess the point I want to get across is that riding style is pretty dependant on where you ride. I'd love to live somewhere that welcomes commuters and everyone can play nicely, but until the people of Fayetteville can get their act together, I'll keep riding the way I do.

Anyway, glad to be a member of the forum and look forward to hearing everyone's stories!

starla

That would be me.

elvez

Victim? I saw one of your videos once. Looks like you ran into another ****** bag who shares your exact same attitude on road safety and manners.

NuVinciBoy

I dont believe you.

dwightonabike

I have a friend, a Captain in the army, who was stationed at Bragg for a while. He often got harassed riding his bike to the base by Joes in trucks and muscle cars. The gratifying part was when he would catch up to them at the line to enter the base. They were the model of contrition! A rare instance when the cyclist has acknowledged power over the car driver.

freefallkev

lol, even discounting rank, it is a great feeling to blow past the line of cars at the checkpoints and slide into the front of the line. if I ride with the right blend of audacity and caution it only takes me 10 more minutes to make the 15 mile ride in.

(sorry joeybike, for hijacking the thread)

JoeyBike

I don't care. It's all good.

nelson249

Yeah, I would be irritated too but likewise I wouldn't set about trying to kill someone as a result. Joey likes to run reds and makes an interesting case for doing so but I am afraid I don't buy it. Part of the reason I don't run them is that I don't want an encounter with someone using their vehicle to correct my 'misbehaviour'.