Bike Forums - Got yelled at today and deserved it (sort of, at least)

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- - Got yelled at today and deserved it (sort of, at least) (https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycling/890564-got-yelled-today-deserved-sort-least.html)

I just say loudly "back on your left" and people tend to understand it 100% of the time.

I want them to know where I am so we both don't get leveled.

Or, you could have slowed down until it ws safe to pass - just sayin'

Quote:

Originally Posted by tanguy frame (Post 15655000)

Or, you could have slowed down until it ws safe to pass - just sayin'

Yup, that's a perfectly good solution as well and in this instance probably should have done just that since passing on the left was a no-go.

Still, you can understand how you'd be tempted to not stop like I did. Just imagine if you were on a segment of road that you specifically target for a good hard effort, and when you get into full swing and are feeling the rhythm, you suddenly have to slow to a near-stop and stay there because the rider in front is going at walking pace.

On my bike commutes, I ALWAYS just slow and wait, even if it's for a quite long time before the left lane goes clear. I'm admittedly more aggressive about keeping my speed up on my training rides, but in this case, I should have let it slide on that short segment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by banerjek (Post 15647259)

Actually, I probably would.

With drivers, my motto has always been to ride like everyone is actively trying to kill you, but not take it personally.

With dogs, peds, other cyclists, the motto is to ride like they're all trying to kill themselves and to not be a part of it.

The one thing you can really count on is for people to occasionally do the craziest thing possible.

I would as well. Just because we understand what to do when someone yells "ON YOUR LEFT!" doesn't automatically mean that everyone else (pedestrians and other cyclists) does.

Did you guys not see the link I provided earlier? A cyclist killed someone when his instructions "ON YOUR LEFT!" was misunderstood. I wish we could be as adamant and even judging of others who do not use bells, lights, reflectors, and mirrors as we are with riders who ride without helmets. But if some of use are unable, for whatever reason, to follow a required law (i.e. using a bell) then at least slow down around pedestrians even if it mean it breaks your rhythm and momentum because at the end of the day, it is just an inconvenience that you had to slow down and even stop around a pedestrian. Nothing else suffers because of this important safety rule.

Came up behind a couple of riders yesterday evening on the local forest preserve path... one going steady on the right, one weaving back and forth on the left.

I slowed and said "on your left". The one on the left heard me, looked back, turned the wheel while doing it, and crashed. I was able to stop before running her bike over. First time that's happened in years of riding that path.

I will still say "on your left" even though sometimes people are stupid.