Until it doesn't and you either get your ass kicked, shot, or stabbed.
Responding to ragers just produces more rage, combine that with an adrenalin surged cyclist is just a recipe for arrest or disaster or both.
Once , while living in Akron OH, I was riding to the valley for a workout. A driver who was having a bad day was irritated that I moved left of a deep pothole and pulled in front of me, honking and yelling forcing me to stop. This guy just went ballistic, spewing profanity and looking literally like he would explode. I patiently listened, when he was done I politely apologized for inconveniencing him and promised I would do a better job of staying right next time. He looked at me, silently, like I was an alien, turned around , got in his car and drove off without a word.
I can not think of a better outcome to a potentially dangerous situation.

Do not let this thread discourage you from the beauty and speed of road riding but do learn to pick good routes and exercise common sense and consideration for others. I have been cycling 40 intense years with fewer than 5 incidents, all defused without incident.

I can. A punch to the throat, kick to the nards, hop on the bike and finish my ride. Much better outcome, I feel better, he learns something, win win.

Right, you ride on and then he catches up and rides over you. Nice outcome.

But that's not how it happens in my scenario. I was simply pointing out that I can think of a better outcome. Not necessarily a likely outcome or a legal outcome, just better. fwiw, I don't do this. I tend to give the finger & keep riding. Still stupid I acknowledge, but I'm human. It happens rarely in my life.

What happens rarely, being human? :)

Ha. I gave you that. Probably true too.

Quite right, I see your point. I can "think" of much better outcomes that I will not consider doing, they can be fun to think of.

+1. These are mostly outlier events and the odds of finding yourself in them are small (not zero). Handled right, its a win, a teachable moment and everyone lives to write about it in the 41. Just go for it and get on the road and exercise common sense and restraint. you'll see that it isn't half as dangerous as you might think.

Right, he repents, introduces you to his gorgeous independently wealthy daughter and everyone lives happily ever after.

Too bad I am married, that can be remedied though for a gorgeous.......daughter. Good thing my wife hates BF.

The worst I have had is we were on a training ride last year reconning the course of that weekends race. A guy in a black Jeep GC threw a handfull of pennies out the window and into my helmet (head was down because as anyone knows the Winfield courses, fat guys suffer, and riding with my head down was the only way to prevent crying). I looked like a slot machine with coins pouring out of my helmet. It didn't hurt and was quite funny honestly. The guy came through a couple of times and the last time I approached his vehicle and he was like "what do you want?" I told him nothing more than his license plate numbers. Reported it to the police and this guy hasn't been a problem ever since.

That was the only positive thing the police have ever done for me when reporting something related to me riding. I did have a Cook County Sheriff's car run me off the road at 167th & Central in Tinley Park a few years back. Reported it and nothing happened. Go figure! They told me I needed to get the number from the car, but I told them I was to busy laying in a ditch 10 feet down from the road.

Did the lawyer make him read one of long-winded documents? Did the spokesman throw his microphone at him?

You missed my post way back there.
And in the interest of full disclosure, I happen to own a black pickup and grew up in Anderson County in Tennessee, proud to be referred to as a redneck. By my redneck friends.

In a nation of 300 million, there are bound to be some strange folks with issues. From today's rag in San Francisco:

Somewhere there is a gray-haired little old lady who has to live with this angry old man.

http://blog.sfgate.com/crime/2012/08...own-bicyclist/

I can't imagine anyone would still be cycling is these things happened very often.

I've been cycling for 30 years. I've had fewer than ten incidents, and only a couple that were more than somebody yelling.

The worst was when I was still in college, commuting to campus one day. A car pulled next to me with the window down. The passenger stuck his head out the window and yelled loudly, startling me pretty badly. I ended up swerving into the curb and falling over. Fortunately, I wasn't hurt, just embarrassed. I caught up to him at the next light, and upon discovering his window was still down, I dumped my nearly-full water bottle in the passenger's lap. I made a quick right turn and sped away, while the driver laughed at his cursing passenger's misfortune. Were that to happen tomorrow, I probably wouldn't do it again. Not because I've matured, but because water bottles have screw-on lids now, so I can't open them with my teeth while riding.

I have found that college campuses are the worst places for motorist road rage. Second is any busy, urban area. I avoid these as much as possible, and have much happier rides. And seriously, I usually ignore road rage nowadays.

Riding home today. This woman is in front of her house with her dog. She sees coming (3 cyclists). Instead holding the dog by the collar, she just watches us come, and the dog (a big one) starts chasing us.
It is not the dog's fault. It is the owners. I was so mad. Almost got bit.

I sometimes wonder whether they should license dog owners instead of the dogs.