Cycling harassment (Read 756 times)

While I was going down a hill on my ride today, a car coming up the hill on the opposite lane thought it would be funny to veer halfway into my lane and start beeping the horn at me almost scaring me into the ditch. Luckily I didn't go ditch digging with my face, but I was pretty terrified for a moment none the less. Last week a van of teenagers was passing me and thought it would be funny to scream in my ear right as they passed me, again giving me quite a jolt. I ride my bike on rural roads with low speed limits and not much traffic. I took a cycling road safety course, wear bright colors, have a mirror and bike lights, and follow all the rules of the road. In spite of all of the safety precautions, one of these goons could get me hurt one day. Now that I got that off my chest, anyone else have any harassment tales from the road they would like to share?

At least with running I don't get harassed aside from the occasional "Run Forest, Run!", but I don't mind those. Plus, I can run safely on a park path if I want.

I was on a Sunday long ride once on our local 2-lane highway, riding along at a good clip on the wide shoulder outside of the white line, when a small group of weekend motorcyclists went past, at 70, 80, maybe 90 mph. Whatever. But the last motorcycle in the group thought it would be funny to buzz me from behind, so he veered on to or over the white line with me and passed me and my bicycle at about 12 inches, going  70, 80, maybe 90 mph. Not funny.

I live in a small college town, and another time an SUV loaded with college-age guys headed out of town to the local river beach for a Saturday afternoon of partying decided that it would be funny to cross completely over the centerline of the road and hang out the window of their vehicle and yell at me, and their hands were extended - either to "high-5"  or bitch-slap me, I had no way of knowing which. I had just recently upgraded my life at that time with a cell-phone (late adopter), so I stopped right there in the roadway and called 911 and reported them. The sheriff called me back a bit later for more details and he was enroute to the only possible location where they were headed to have a chat with them for me. 

Bit of trivia - that cell phone nearly killed me at a later date in a bike crash. I had it in my rear jersey pocket when a nice doggy sprinted out from behind a bush into my front wheel, body-slamming me onto my back on the asphalt and driving the cell phone through my back, cracking two ribs and snapping the pointy part off of one vertebrae, and creating a hematoma the size of a baby's head on my back.  The good news was that I had the presence of mind as this happened to "tuck and roll"  so no part of my head or helmet hit the pavement. 

I've had bottles, batteries, rocks, etc. thrown at me.  I have had motorists stop and curse me.  I've had motorists stop and want to fight.  I've had people hang out the window and try to grab me.  I have been buzzed countless times.  I have had people pull over in front of me and slam on the brakes and try to make me run into the back of them.  I could go on and on...

Running?  Had many close calls there with people swerving at me trying to scare me...throwing stuff at me.  It never ends!

Get used to it.  As long as you're riding (and running), you'll be disrespected.

I've had stuff thrown at me, I've been sworn at/yelled at, yada yada and then there's the strange stuff like one time a truck pulled over in front of me and then floored it so that I was left in a plume of exhaust and drove off laughing.

What's odd is that drivers are fairly courteous to me when I'm running - but put me on a bike and apparently I am a target.  I don't get it.

I've had bottles, batteries, rocks, etc. thrown at me.  I have had motorists stop and curse me.  I've had motorists stop and want to fight.  I've had people hang out the window and try to grab me.  I have been buzzed countless times.  I have had people pull over in front of me and slam on the brakes and try to make me run into the back of them.  I could go on and on...

Running?  Had many close calls there with people swerving at me trying to scare me...throwing stuff at me.  It never ends!

Get used to it.  As long as you're riding (and running), you'll be disrespected.

Honestly, I haven't really had that much of any of this done to me.  At most a 'run forest run' or a horn beep at the right time to scare me.  Maybe Californians are more accepting of sharing the roads with those of us that try to get out under our own power?

Bit of trivia - that cell phone nearly killed me at a later date in a bike crash. I had it in my rear jersey pocket when a nice doggy sprinted out from behind a bush into my front wheel, body-slamming me onto my back on the asphalt and driving the cell phone through my back, cracking two ribs and snapping the pointy part off of one vertebrae, and creating a hematoma the size of a baby's head on my back.  The good news was that I had the presence of mind as this happened to "tuck and roll"  so no part of my head or helmet hit the pavement. 

I had a similar situation, except I hit a rabbit and I didn't have a cell phone, but... It still hurt like hell. I never wore a helmet before that incident, now I do. I'm glad to hear you are alright now.

I've been riding bikes for a few years now, and I've never felt harassed by another motorist.
I ride from the outer suburbs of DFW and quickly head into ranch country (cattle, horses, etc).  As such, there aren't many motorists, and my rides are very pleasant.

I was harassed by a deer 1 time, and that thing was running with me at 20mph on the shoulder of the road about 5 foot to my right before the idiot dashed forward and crossed from right to left in front of me without proper arm signals.  I quickly yelled back "NO PASSING ON THE RIGHT, IDIOT!!!"

That whole harassing sequence took about 10 seconds of my life, but it was like watching the scene from Kangaroo Jack.

I smiled afterward, and realized why I love cycling.

Same here. Nobody gives me shit when I'm running but put me on a bike (still same guy) and it brings out the worst in some people.

What about when you're riding your elliptigo?