yeah it's always hard to come up with something in the moment. damn pedestrians!

i had an encounter with a one on the way home tonight too.. dude walking with his friends lurched at me (to get me to flinch) as i passed them on the MUP. luckily i saw it coming, and just said "BOO!" and laughed.

wish i could have some up with something better, or sprayed the guy with water... then again, maybe they'll be out there tomorrow? sometimes it's better to hold back.

maybe he was a hitman hired by your wife and just wanted to warn you.....

I got assaulted by a dude with a white cane once. Now that I look back though, I think it was just a blind man trying to cross the street.

If you weren't such a friggin Wussy, you would have been packing heat (there are a few threads about this on BF, Search for them) and you would have shot him in the head for that remark.

Maybe the guy had a very dry sarcastic sense of humor and was saying it as a joke. Being as rush hour traffic (which I assume it was it it was your homeward commute) can be pretty nutty

But then again I wasn't there so I couldn't say but that's what it seems like to me..... in a perfect world anyways

If it was in a mean tone though I probably would have smiled nicely as I threw up the bird

What bike were you riding?
What were you wearing?
Bibs or short knicks?
Jersey match knicks match gloves?
Shaved, hairy?
9, 10 or 11spd - don't say less?
Frame material?
Made in china or Italy or someplace else?
Clincher or Tubular?
Stem to short, does it have rise?
Saddle to bar drop at least 4 inches?
# spacers?
Double, triple, compact?
Mixed Record with Dura Ace or OMG - you have a lowly component mixed in say 105?
Groupset all the same year?
What sunglasses?
Socks to high - white right?
Saddle bag?
Italian saddle - carbon or Ti rails right?
Bar tape color - white right?
Frame size right - enough layback post showing, too much?
Bars match stem match post?
Tire color?
Ipod?
Mix and match team gear?
Polka dot jersey?
Colored helmet - white right - must be a pro level as well?
Any warning stickers on parts?
Chain dirty?
Bike dirty?
Bike old?

Crap - there are a million valid reasons he could have to tell you to get off the road. I'd do it myself if you fail any of these...

life is too short. ride on. later.

You sure told him.

Come on, you know people just don't get it. They think we're ALL in imminent danger riding on the road.

You've seen the look from friends/co-workers who don't ride. "You ride HOW many miles? On the ROAD?"

Ride on and assume the best.

Beth

I'm amazed.

Look at the responses to this thread! I can't believe you guys take personal offense to some off-hand remark. The guy was probably just trying to be friendly -- say something rather than say nothing. From the non-cyclists' perspective, any hostile reaction to that would have seemed psychotic -- not psychologically normal -- wound WAAAAAAAAAAY too tight.

Little wonder cyclists get such a bad reputation. And little wonder the road raged feel entitled to take it out on us.

At least the OP didn't flip him the finger. (You didn't . . . right?)

Why would anyone care about what some random person says to you on the street?

If you drive, do you care what the ragers in the other cars are saying?

The case at hand seems particularly tame. Anyone who would take offense at such a harmless comment needs to lighten up.

I don't think it's so much that the OP really cared, rather it's more that the act of being addressed in such a manner can be very disturbing especially if you're like me when I ride and in a certain kind of mindset.

I have been riding with the local bike club here for the last 6 months and have had some interesting encounters with the "general public" while on my bike.

Had a fat woman yell "Show offs" at my group while riding by. Had a motorcyclist berate me for impeding him and the van behind him from making a right hand turn while I was waiting at a red light. And just yesterday morning had jerk in a car slow down to 10mph to impede our ride just because he felt like doing so.

Ah, but I still love being on the road on my bike...

The gentleman was correct. It can be rough out there. People have been killed while riding their bikes. It is best to always be aware of your environment. While it is where we cyclists belong we never win in a car v bike altercation.
My racing career was ended by a car crash 6 years ago...2 broken arms, crushed L1, nerve damage, concussion, etc. Took one year just to heal up and get back on the bike. The injury that did not show was the psychological damage of terror when riding and having cars around me. It manifested itself in extreme anger causing me to nearly pull several people out of their cars for doing the stop sign creep while I was crossing the intersection. Figured after the third time of trying to pull a guy out of his car and wanting to kill him I better seek help. I did and while it took 6 months it worked and I can ride anger free thank God. However I lost my desire to race and never raced again after 18 years of racing.

The gentleman's comment was very good advice and should be heeded.

Last week I was coming back home through my neighborhood from a nighttime ride on the lakefront path, I got my first rude comment. I passed one of those dirty hipster type bikers....he does a u-turn and I hear:

NICE TIGHTS...
*I dont respond and turn down my street*
Hey! NICE TIGHTS!!! *in a more angry tone*

F that. I am not going to engage in conversation with someone being agressive and angry at 11pm. My response would have been:

me: hey, are you a fagot?
dude: no....
me: then why are you looking at other men?

hardly a rude comment.

Most rational people, when they see a bicycle and a semi on the same road, tend to think that the bike is way outgunned. Hence their concern for our safety.

The trick is to dump the mindset -- it doesn't contribute to how you ride, your safety, or your enjoyment.

People yell things at me from time to time. I truly have no idea of what they're saying, but I imagine it's "Good riding to you!" Or words to that effect anyway....

If someone is trying to engage you in confrontation, the last thing you want to do is fall into their trap by getting ruffled. A friendly wave (or word in extreme cases) confuses the hell out of most people and they leave you alone after that

So what's up with the hating on gays?

vote YES on prop 8

He was no pedestrian, he was...

Smile and wave, boys. Smile and wave.

I hath lolleth.

Fixed.