Beware the Cyclists

Sir Sidney Ruffdiamond

Sir Sidney Ruffdiamond

Hero member
Location
Cotwolds
New rules in UK not that anyone got anywhere near them in the first place means that it’s fine for cyclists to ride side by side on the road at any time and that you have to give 1.4m of clearance when you pass - this of course has led to much frustration as they can only go at a certain speed and some selfishness has meant that they do t move over at all - it’s dangerous on our roads with high hedges where you can come across them suddenly and may need to take avoiding action - some Police forces are encouraging people to send film in when they think they have been short changed !! This is an example of what you may receive in the post - from a biker IMG_2140.jpeg
 
I shouted something very similar just a week ago. I think I added a FUCKING, for good measure. As a lifelong cyclist (not a MAMIL I hasten to add :)) I really do get the whole pushbike safety thing, but the road-grabbing arrogance of modern cyclists can be too much and they need 'informing' of their stupidity. In this case there was absolutely no need to ride 2 abreast and doing so made the whole situation much worse. By grabbing too much road they put themselves at greater risk because of the frustration planted in people trying to get past - cars were skimming past them. I gave them space, but a mouthful.

I await my letter.
 
Haggis said:
I shouted something very similar just a week ago. I think I added a FUCKING, for good measure. As a lifelong cyclist (not a MAMIL I hasten to add :)) I really do get the whole pushbike safety thing, but the road-grabbing arrogance of modern cyclists can be too much and they need 'informing' of their stupidity. In this case there was absolutely no need to ride 2 abreast and doing so made the whole situation much worse. By grabbing too much road they put themselves at greater risk because of the frustration planted in people trying to get past - cars were skimming past them. I gave them space, but a mouthful.

I await my letter.
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I am also awaiting a letter - three guys decided to ride side by side up a hill locally reducing the traffic behind me to around 5 mph - they knew I was there as I took the Corsa down gear by gear with a blip at each one - I gesticulated for them to get over as I passed - just selfish
 
As a regular keen cyclist for the past 30 years I have to agree there are some real dickheads out there who insist on riding two abreast where it's clear that any vehicle following will be stuck behind them and if only the idiots would briefly single file it, the car/s could pass and everyone would get along just fine. My cycling friends and I always single file on a two way road when a vehicle comes up behind us. It's called 'share the road'.

I experienced the worst case of this arrogant bullshit attitude when travelling in the car with my family in rural NSW on a narrow road (barely wide enough for two cars to pass from opposite directions). These two guys just sat there ... for about 5 fukn kilometers until i finally reached a spot where I could pass. Unbelievable - really does a lot for the attitude of car drivers towards cyclists.
 
piranha-bro2 said:
As a regular keen cyclist for the past 30 years I have to agree there are some real dickheads out there who insist on riding two abreast where it's clear that any vehicle following will be stuck behind them and if only the idiots would briefly single file it, the car/s could pass and everyone would get along just fine. My cycling friends and I always single file on a two way road when a vehicle comes up behind us. It's called 'share the road'.

I experienced the worst case of this arrogant bullshit attitude when travelling in the car with my family in rural NSW on a narrow road (barely wide enough for two cars to pass from opposite directions). These two guys just sat there ... for about 5 fukn kilometers until i finally reached a spot where I could pass. Unbelievable - really does a lot for the attitude of car drivers towards cyclists.
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Agree! Another subject where common sense would do the trick. Today it seems more important to insist on one's rights than to share something. Even if it's just the street.
 
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.......... " please bare this in mind .............. " ...... Notts police may be proud to serve , but they should be ashamed of their spelling ....... Top marks to them for expletives ( not ) deleted though ........ I get the feeling someone has a grin on their face when typing these out .......

On a narrow twisty road leading into the town where I live , if there`s a tailback of cars it can mean only one thing ...... a cyclist at the front holding everyone up ..... ( ok , now and again it`s a tractor as well ) .....

To be fair , the road , although busy , is very narrow , so most car drivers accept that and wait patiently until they are able to get past ........ on the bike I can usually nip past with no bother to cyclist or myself .....

But these are always solo cyclists ........ riding side by side would almost certainly get the outer- most one wiped out , given the speed traffic hurtles around the blind bends when the road is clear .......
 
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I tend to creep up to them on my smokey 25:1 scooter and ride along side grinning “Morning girls!”
They just give me a sweaty grimace knowing that I have burst their Bradley Wiggins bubble.
Reference “Bunch of cunts” would only be appropriate if they were not moving- “Pack of Cunts” is a far better collective and suggests moving in a group ( see also “Gaggle of Cunts” old English)
 
Beware the PELATION. On an early morning Old Rd ride I arrived at the big tight windy downhill bit at the Pie in the Sky behind a tight bunch of maybe 20 serious pushbikes. This bit is maybe 5ks with one lane each way, and a bunch of long radius linked 35 kph bends, and a passing lane straight in the middle of this descent. So down I go into this 80kph bit waiting for the passing lane. I arrive and pull out to pass and am shocked at how fast and tight these pushes are going. I am getting past most but not all and the next 35k bend is rushing up with its single-lane blind approach and I have nowhere to go except to merge into the front 4 or 5 and nobody binks a millimetre. I thought I had plenty of space, it's easy to get through these 35-k bends at the 80-kph limit and maintain that all the way down, apparently pushbikes can and do in tight groups 3 wide as well.
 
They also obviously think that speed limits don't apply for them... downhill in a 30kmh zone in front of a kindergarten recently, overtaken by 2 cyclists crouched for V-max, doing at least 65-70. Fucking morons.

Things would be vastly different if they were to have compulsory insurance and registration, along with some sort of ID on their bikes so they could be held accountable for the shit they cause. Anonymity brings out the worst in humans.

piet
 
To be fair , I quite often think speed limits don`t apply to me either .......... cars only exist to be overtaken ........ :) ............. ( not past schools or junctions though ) .........


Entering town ( from the other direction this time ) , there is a steep , narrow ( again ) , downhill stretch with tight bends ( a couple in the region of 120 to 160 degrees ) , plus a road surface rippling up due to it clinging to the side of a valley .......

.... Went past a " racing " cyclist at the top ..... Halfway down he was closing on me ... ( quick glances in the mirrors , when really I should be concentrating on what I`m about to hit ) .... Grabbing heavily on the Sumitomos on the approach to the above mentioned hairy bends , and he`s on my back tyre .........

... I am old and slow mind you , especially on tight downhillers ........ ( he didn`t get past ..... ) .....



..... Heading into work back in the `eighties along the A4 Portway in Bristol on my Honda Express ......... ( I removed the shopping basket ..... I do have some self respect ... ) ......

On a long slight incline the Express was slowing to just over 20 mph , whilst Mr Lycra Clad in the mirrors was obviously making great efforts to close the gap and overtake ....

..... Thankfully 2 stroke power overcame tired limbs , and pride ( mine and Hondas ) was maintained ........
 
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Vince said:
Beware the PELATION. On an early morning Old Rd ride I arrived at the big tight windy downhill bit at the Pie in the Sky behind a tight bunch of maybe 20 serious pushbikes. This bit is maybe 5ks with one lane each way, and a bunch of long radius linked 35 kph bends, and a passing lane straight in the middle of this descent. So down I go into this 80kph bit waiting for the passing lane. I arrive and pull out to pass and am shocked at how fast and tight these pushes are going. I am getting past most but not all and the next 35k bend is rushing up with its single-lane blind approach and I have nowhere to go except to merge into the front 4 or 5 and nobody binks a millimetre. I thought I had plenty of space, it's easy to get through these 35-k bends at the 80-kph limit and maintain that all the way down, apparently pushbikes can and do in tight groups 3 wide as well.
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... I wasn`t sure what a PELATION was , so I looked it up , and the closest I could find was a PELATON , which is an exercise bike you sit on in your living room ......... I `m guessing they were`nt riding those ........

The cyclists you describe actually sound quite accomplished and in control of what they`re doing ..........

If they are travelling quickly within the 80 kph ( 50 mph ) limit ..... ( how many pushbikes do you see doing more than 50 mph ? ) ...... and can take the 35kph ( 22 mph ) bends at a higher speed ( as do others , by the sound of it ) , then good for them ....

I expect we`ve all been in a similar situation to the one you`ve described , where we`ve made the decision to pass another vehicle(s) , and found the whole overtaking senario has developed into an evolving / real life situation completely at odds with what was envisaged at the start ......

.........( aka a bit of a balls up ...... and not always of your own making ) .......

It doesn`t happen often , but now and again the vehicle you`re about to pass will start to speed up as soon as they realise your intentions , or move up on your inside to prevent you re-entering the traffic stream again ........ ( which has happened once or twice ) ........

They say always plan for an alternative / escape route for every manoeuvre you undertake , but sometimes things ( or other people ) just get in the way , intentionally or not ........
 
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Peloton is French for 'platoon'. Don't any of you mob watch Le Tour on the box??!! If nothing else it's a super guide to the best motorcycling roads in France! I'm catching the Spanish version at the moment - some incredible countryside and bucket list cycling and motorcycling roads. Top speeds reached in these Grand Tour cycling races is usually around 110-115kph. Not a pretty outcome when it goes pear-shaped.

As for cornering on a velo - on my favourite descents I either overtake cars or they see me come up behind them and allow me to go by. I've already told the story of the Hardley riders getting in my way during a race.
 
piranha-bro2 said:
Peloton is French for 'platoon'. Don't any of you mob watch Le Tour on the box??!! If nothing else it's a super guide to the best motorcycling roads in France! I'm catching the Spanish version at the moment - some incredible countryside and bucket list cycling and motorcycling roads. Top speeds reached in these Grand Tour cycling races is usually around 110-115kph. Not a pretty outcome when it goes pear-shaped.

As for cornering on a velo - on my favourite descents I either overtake cars or they see me come up behind them and allow me to go by. I've already told the story of the Hardley riders getting in my way during a race.
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... That`s peloton sorted then ........ it was pelation that had me confused ....... :unsure: ........
 
Sir Sidney Ruffdiamond said:
New rules in UK not that anyone got anywhere near them in the first place means that it’s fine for cyclists to ride side by side on the road at any time and that you have to give 1.4m of clearance when you pass - this of course has led to much frustration as they can only go at a certain speed and some selfishness has meant that they do t move over at all - it’s dangerous on our roads with high hedges where you can come across them suddenly and may need to take avoiding action - some Police forces are encouraging people to send film in when they think they have been short changed !! This is an example of what you may receive in the post - from a biker View attachment 92192
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Don't know about the rest of Oz but in Sth Oz similar rules/law applies.
In 60 k zones must give them 1 metre clearance, above 60 k's 1.5 metre clearance. default country speed limit is 100 ks.
Cyclists can ride 2 abreast, but I've seen more than 2. And motorists can cross the double white lines if safe to do.
Yes its annoying but we adjusted to this bull shit.
I have see some dick riding around with a stick with a high vis flag on the end poking out into the traffic.

Just saying, :whistle:
 
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