I tend to figure mups are not the place for fast paced riding anyway... too many other folks out there enjoying their walk or jog, or exercising their dogs...
You were very patient and kind... I am not...I would have let the first time go.. but the second time, I simply would have stopped and got off the bike and allowed him to have all the time he felt he needed to iron out the issue...with my assistance.

Neither. Half of the time you never know what the respondent is going to do with that information. If it's a tight pass I'll say something, otherwise I just move as far over as is safe for me and continue on my way.



Yep, that's him. Fun fact, scrod discovered he had a 40-inch butthole.

My SOP is actually if the person is holding a steady line (whether a biker or runner or walker) and I know I have plenty of room, I don't do anything. Anything else, or if there are multiple people side by side (a very common new trend here is someone riding a bike next to their jogging significant other), I don't feel comfortable not getting their attention.

Dunno what they are like everywhere, but by me they're not bad for faster paced riding. Once you get past a mile or so from a parking lot or downtown, they are rather empty. One is very common for group rides on Saturday morning, they take it easy to get out of town, but then they have fifteen miles of farm fields.

As a fellow MPLS riders, I'm trying to figure out where you were riding. I'd be interested to know where this happened.

It sounds like the typical 'pathalete' that everybody hates. Like you said, MUPs are not the place for 'fast' riders. But we see it all the time.

My 'favorite' pathalete-rage was on the Midtown Greenway at Freewheel. We had stopped for drinks and food, as we walked out of the store a family was trying to cross the Greenway. The family looked both ways and it was clear, however, somebody's time-trailing (at twice the speed of most riders) on a busy trail, at a busy storefront ... and he isn't willing to slow, so he yells at the family "MOVE! GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

For those that don't live in the area, here's a picture of the store front and Midtown Greenway:

No, but in winter, you have the @$$hat skate-skiers who ruin the XC trails an p!$$ off those who just want to do some skiing, rather than train for the Olympics.

MUP implies "multi-use" and what you see is what you get. Keep in mind that those folks you find so objectionable probably feel the same way about you, whether you get in their way, or blow them off with close high speed passing.

One thing that makes bicycling different from other forms of travel is the unusually broad speed spectrum. Most cars tend to drive at roughly the same speed on any given road, with a few being faster or slower. Pedestrians are the same way, walking a similar speeds. But cyclists ride at various speeds encompassing a wide range, so we're always passing and being passed. All that increases the amount of interactions, and thereby the potential for annoying each other.

That's life, and either get used to it, or live with frustration, because the world isn't going to change to suit your needs.

Pepper spray costs money, and a blind rider is a hazard to everyone. Sticks are free and stop the threat within a few feet.

I've had a similar experience on one of our MUPs when some absolute idiot was chasing a KOM or something during a very busy time in the afternoon, lots of families on the MUP, cyclists of varying abilities and so on. I had slowed down to make a safe pass around one group, checked behind me to make sure it was clear (it was) and moved to the left to pass.

This particular dumb*ss is probably going over 25 mph and rather than slow down or wait for a safe opportunity decides to pass me on the left as I'm passing this group and there really isn't room for it. He almost rides right into me, but barely squeezes by, then sprints off as fast as he can, darting around kids and dogs like he's the Lucas Brunelle of the MUP. I was terrified he was going to kill someone, though I admit I would have relished the sight of seeing him crash as long as no one else was involved.

Ya think? I sometimes post that cycling isn't for everyone. You obviously scared the guy! It's [always] fight or flight. He apparently went into full head-on fight mode. But make no bone about it... the problem was fear.

He might have just been out getting some exercise and blowing off some steam.... while he awaits for his court date. Anger (fear) management is real for many people. Our drug-use, and positive self-image society doesn't help people with fear/anger problems either.

Don't let yourself be sucked into the modern day world of fearing everything. Forget about this guy! Seriously... realize that someday you may have to dismount and kick his butt. Then actively forget about it. Worrying about what accidents/mishaps/injuries may happen while cycling, at some point, in some future time... is what ruined cycling for the guy you posted about. Discard any feelings you may have about this event.

Don't let that happen to you.

You know, I'd bet that there's a market for a frame pump made out of heavy piping for just that usage.....

This evening's ride on the MUP involved a couple of incidents that, to me anyway, seem to break even.

En route to a grocery store that stocks the last of my favorite local seasonal ale, I passed a woman who let her hot dog roam freely around the trail, despite the many cyclists, joggers, walkers and every other dog walker with their dogs appropriately leashed. I slowed. The dog bumbled toward me. I moved and slowed. The dog bumbled back toward me. Lather, rinse, repeat. This went on and on for what seemed like forever, although I'm sure the entire incident lasted only a few seconds. The woman offered a jolly "Hi!" but did nothing to corral her wayward mutt.

I just shrugged it off and moved along, figuring my track stand practice was paying off.

Then, my grocery shopping completed, while pulling out of the parking lot driveway, I somehow managed to completely misjudge an approaching car as it prepared to turn. In retrospect, I should have waited for the car to pass and finish its turn. Just one of those split second snap judgments that went awry.

The driver nearly skid to a stop and swerved toward the curb, just missing his intended turn. I noticed his turn signals flashing. I was completely prepared to offer my most sincere apologies, and to listen to his righteous rants about reckless cyclists. I was just going to say "Yup, you're right, I was wrong, sorry."

None of which happened. He carefully pulled back into the lane, proceeded another 100 yards, and made a U-turn to go back to his original turnoff. He didn't honk, cuss, drive aggressively or anything. Who knows, maybe he was also a cyclist and realized we occasionally do dumb stuff.

I felt like a dope. But I figured it was too late to offer an apology, and being after dark any hand gestures I might offer could be misinterpreted as a middle finger salute. So I just moved along, determined not to make that particular bone headed mistake again. There are plenty other boneheaded mistakes yet to be made.

Speaking about MUT's: Around here, most of the curb-cuts leading into the MUT's have this awful plastic-dot square things on them, I assume for wheelchairs, scooters, et. al. to get traction and keep them from sliding into the traffic on rainy days. Problem is, you do NOT want to hit this hazard at any speed on a road bike, and it especially makes turning left against traffic onto the MUT a hazard, since you need to slow down to a crawl to get over these d@mn things!

I usually ride so early, or so late, that the only people on MUP are frequent runners and cyclists, so runners stay on the sidewalk. There's a bike path and usually during the day people run right in the middle. With headphones.

If something good came with the switch from DST was that we encounter less and less careless people. One day in early Autumn (it's currently Winter) we were trying to pass by a lady in a cruiser bike. I rang my bell, no dice (headphones). We tried to pass on her left, but she kept zigzagging along the way. Ugh.

Without any signage at what you are calling the merge, the rider who first gets there has the right of way. Angry cyclist should have been pissed at himself for not beating you to it. There was a time when I would have engaged someone like that right off the bat. I am getting older now though, so I let stuff slide. As persistent as that jackwipe was, I may not have been able to abstain. I may have just turned and gone in the opposite direction for a while. Good on you for not escalating.

Around here it's pretty much MUPs or nothing. I have seen some remarkably stupid stuff on the part of walkers, runners and cyclists. I slow way down when I pass people on foot from behind. If they are well off to the side, I ease around without saying anything. If they are tending toward my side, I announce "I am coming around YOUR left" I don't yell it as I don't want to startle anyone. If they are wearing buds and don't hear me (which most are) I slip quietly by. If they acknowledge me "I say thank you enjoy your walk." as a slip by. Our MUTs extend into some remote areas where you can spin up a good pace. You simply must be prepared to slow, stop and yield to oblivious users when you encounter them though.

It started in Eden Prairie. His following me to yell at me continued through Minnetonka and Hopkins and into St. Louis Park.

It really is funny sometimes, that cyclists think that riding a bike makes everyone a docile, nice person to know. But, cycling is just another subset of humanity that contains as broad a cross-section of personality types as the car drivers out there. Toss in a few crazy pedestrians on MUPs and you have a fairly volatile mix.

In a way, fietsbob is right... winter is a great time to be out riding a bike. Albeit, our winters are fairly mild, we did a long Southern Hemisphere ride last weekend and had no problems on MUPs, major highways or country roads.

OP, admirable behaviour on your part. I would have just stopped after the second or third encounter and gone in the opposite direction, or taken another turn off. I ride my bike for fun, not aggravation... I get enough of that at work!

I think those dotted plastic overlays are, wait for it, for blind people with canes to identify that they have a road crossing. Lest you think I jest, they were installed in my city ages ago when disability issues came to the fore. So they are a legitimate part of traffic engineering.

As far as which had the right-of-way, determination is the same as driving a car; First to arrive has it, when both arrive, the one going straight has r.o.w. over the one turning, and in absence of other deciding factors, the person on your right gets the r.o.w.

Where was this?

I've been in a similar situation. In this day and age, one never knows how far things can go. I said I was sorry when he screamed at me. The second time the nut-job approached me I told him, "I understand your point, I'm very sorry. You are making me feel uncomfortable. Please leave me alone, now." I then stopped my bike on the side of the MUP and watched him ride away as I pulled out my cell phone. If I didn't have cell phone coverage I was prepared to go to plan B....

Agree 100%, for every hobby actually.

And not so much in Michigan. Many of our MUP trails are snowmobile trails in the winter, and if you think people in cars are crazed maniacs...

They are for blind people with a cane.

Sounds like he has some psychological/mental "issues."