Already having confrontations, just got my new bike
 

I used to always have people yell at me when I'd ride flatland, as cool as everyone seemed to think flatland was. 99% of people that said anything to me were people who would throw something at me from a car and drive off, tell me they were calling the cops because I shouldn't be riding a bike in an empty parking lot, or that sort of thing.

But I've only been on less than half a dozen short rides on my new road bike and as I turned down a dead end street today some teenage girl was yelling at me from her yard. I ignored it and went to the end of the street and turned around. She saw me coming about 10 driveways away and started walking towards me, towards the tree lawn. She bent down to pick something up and as I passed her I heard a loud noise. I stopped and turned around and she had apparently thrown a tennis racket at me, which hit a parked car insted.

I'm pissed, but at the same time I'm glad it didn't hit me. Not because it would have hurt but becuase of the legal trouble I'd be in for the reaction she would have received.

Sometimes I forget how riding a bike brings tons of negative attention from everyone. I'll never understand why. But I'm getting back into riding the past 6 months and already people are acting crazy. What is wrong with people?

that's just nuts. what city do you live in?

I've only been cycling for 4 months, and have only had 1 person yell at me so far. With that said we have a very large cycling community and it's "normal" to see cyclists on the street.

report it to the police and knock on her door and inform her parents of her actions. There is no need for this type of behavior!

What makes you think it's the bike that makes people want to throw things at you?

smack a *****. did you ever figure out what she was yelling at you for?

otherwise, where do you live that has such a blind hatred of cyclists?

your options:
1) move to somewhere more cycling friendly.
2) let minor offenses slide, and chalk it up to folk being ig'nant, and for major, take down plates, call police, etc etc.

Maybe you look dodgy? Cycling in bad neighborhoods? Your situation sounds very abnormal.

Also, I haven't any idea what riding flatland means in this context. As cool as it is.

Ride with cell phone and call 911 when idiots attack.

Better yet, ride with your local club, idiots are less likely to pull stunts if there are several cyclists around to come to your defense.

I just got back from an hour ride and people either ignored me or smiled and waved. Did you do something else to warrant such negative attention? Throwing a tennis racket is pretty crazy. I would stay off that street and make a different route.

I'd never heard the term either, but according to Wikipedia, "Flatland is a freestyle BMX riding style performed on smooth flat surfaces that do not include any ramps, jumps, or grindrails. It is sometimes described as a form of artistic cycling with a blend of breakdancing. Flatland as a discipline also encompasses certain aspects Martial arts and Zen meditation."

If this is what the OP is referring to, well, maybe people don't like you doing that around them - but then I wouldn't really call that "road cycling" either.

Where do you live that cyclists are so hated?

In all seriousness, yelling and throwing a tennis racket at somebody riding a bike past your house sounds like a mental disability/chemical imbalance to me. Crazy is as Crazy does!

WTF? That's just ridiculous. And it would surely damage her racket. That's a really odd story.

Ex-girlfriend?

Its the first type of bike riding I ever got really into, and I stuck with it for many years. You'd have to watch a youtube video to understand it I guess. It's hard to explain.

First, you had an obligation to fix the problem with the girl and her flying tennis racket. Your obligation was to ride away to a safe distance and then call the police. Let them determine the reasons behind the attempted assault that occurred.

Second, considering all the problems you are having, I would hazard that your mere appearance and/or behaviors are pushing an unusual number of people's buttons. Either that, or, you just look like a tempting mark. On the other hand, maybe you really do live and ride in an extremely weird community.

So, either move to a new area or figure out what is it about your appearance or your behavior that brings about these reactions? You kinda need to figure that out and probably change a few things ... or move.

I never heard of this either but would like to see it done with a road bike :)

Wow what were you doing wearing a jersey with a big finger on it or something equally inflamatory? Seems like it wasn't just the girl with the tennis raquet but everybody who sees you riding.

The only reactions I've gotten since January 19 are a honk from a pickup (passenger was flashing the ASU pitchfork when I wore my ASU team jersey), couple of HS kids saying "You're cool (sarcastically)" and some unathletic church friends saying "wear pants dude" (which is always followed by me seducingly slapping my glute :P). Sounds like you're riding through the wrong neighborhood.

ive never been yelled at or anything like that, and i commute everywhere every day

do you live in a redneck city or something?

This bothers me, I used to be the guy that would be annoyed by riders in my lane while driving, but never did anything hostile. Guess I should prepare for that huh? You guys are better people than me, lol.

In my time riding ive had loads of abuse including:

People jumping out from bus stops right in front of me and yelling "Swerve!"
Drivers throwing glass bottles from windows over the roof of their car so they smash all over the road in front of me
Passengers leaning from windows and grabbing my jersey as they go by
People leaning out of windows and shouting random stuff as loud as possible to startle me
girls yelling "real men ride women" - a personal favourite of mine
people yelling i should save up and buy a car, normally P platers - my bike is $15k seriously if i wanted a car I would get one
Motorbikes passing within a foot of me and deliberately revving the hell out of the bike to startle me as they go by

I dont understand what is wrong with people. "A lot", would be my first guess. Of course I never have any evidence so what can I do, I'm not the sort to start a fight and even if I did these people are so incapable of understanding the world around them that I dont think they would learn anyway. Id love to see some TV coverage of this sort of thing and make people understand that this can kill people. Roads are not the place for idiots but unfortunatley the world is full of them.

Just out of curiosity, why are you cycling around in an empty parking lot?

Is ther a law against it? Thats just wierd.

I have had the following:

Several "shouts" in order to try and get me to fall (usually from a moving vehicle)
An Orange that missed my head by about an inch.
A full can of coke that also missed my head by about an inch
And several encounters with teenage boys thinking they were funny until I stopped and came back to talk with them. Amazing when I rode up at 6' 2" and 185 how they don't think their behavior is so funny.

As to the OP, Sounds fishy. Something has to be bringing this stuff to his doorstep. All of my incidents were over the last 5 years and usually happened on busy roads in fairly affluent areas.

kids today! I blame the parents.