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A 'local' went mental about the 20-30 that ride down his plot of land that he calls his own (just above the turning circle).
In over a decade of riding I've never come anyone as unstable, rude, aggressive or threatening as this lad. He looks like the train station ghost on the 80's flick Ghost is the best way of describing him.
Whereabouts exactly Hora?
Colden clough side or across the canal on the Stubbins Wharf side?
Don't ride with the Wednesday nighters myself (I lack the requisite Ggggnnnnarrrrr 😀 ), but would love to know which bit to avoid.
who is it? ill run him over
Fox and Goose Inn? There. I was off the bike, calm and considerate. He claimed all mountainbikers were lawbreakers, destroying the land, you name it. He was NOT a walker but a local nutter. Walkers aren't unhinged.
They've just had a beer festival on, with some [b]very[/b] strong ales on tap.
Beer victim?
Didn't even know you could ride behind the Fox & Goose, I'll have to give it a go!
To be fair, I think I'd be pretty hacked off if 20-30 bikes were bombing down my land. That's a BIG group!
Agree with mojo. Groups that big aren't the best idea in the world. Hardly surprising it p*sses folk off.
To be fair, I think I'd be pretty hacked off if 20-30 bikes were bombing down my land. That's a BIG group!
I'd open a cake stall....
Oh I agree. However who is it hurting if its a night ride? He's probably the same bloke who laid the trap that had Podge OTB.
What trap had been left? Does this kind of behaviour get reported, investigated etc or is it an unavoidable hazard to live with/look out for?
Hora mentions a "local" but doesn't put "20-30" in quotes. Big group for a Wednesday night ride that, not that I ride with either big groups, or night rides any more :-/
Not sure if you mean the bit that is right behind the F&G but if so that isn't "land" belonging someone but a track wide enough in places to drive a landy.
To be fair 30 people in Hebden is never a good idea, in fact 30 people riding any natural trail is a bit daft really!
Moral of the story is don't over populate the trails.
Brant I'd guess this isn't the Wed night group you're thinking of. For a start there was no mention of knitting;-)
on this post anyone done the stanbury route recently? if you go towards the top withins house on the top of the hill theres a sign before it on the path saying no mountainbikers must of been some complaints? i just carried on what they guna do lol
I can understand why people are pi$$ed off as most of the riding in Mytholm is done on FPs, I ride the same routes and regularly there are delicately placed boulders in the middle of routes etc.
In their infinate wisdom they have turned smooth boring FPs into boulder strewn rock gardens with drops offs 😆
[i]This the fella? [/i]
Aaah, he's from Todmorden then.
About 20 pensioners rode up past mine towards Norland Moor on wednesday eve. Bet it was these badasses.
Teadrinker YEP. Two medium-sized (lovely) black dogs. If you guys ever have the pleasure.
not the Onion thrower fp then? 🙂
Not guilty your honour! We were in Bingley on weds! Must have been the Beaujolais faction but there's only about six of them! Onion thrower footpath got ruined ages ago by someone putting stiles on it! Made me chuckle though cos I was the bloke who had the onions thrown at me.
ahh only did onion thrower once wi Lee,cant remeber where it is now.
This lad kept on blocking and throewing himself at me like a ragdoll. Shouting that he pays his taxes (I wound him up by asking if he was born/from the area). He flipped at me saying 'then its not your land/claim to it!
hmmm you could have done with some onions to hand Hora!
Onion thrower is on the other side of Hebden. We hardly ever ride behind the Fox and Goose so it won't be us anyway. Hora you should have said 'Get off my train' to him!
Yorkshire Pudding, we have one called Geoff on Harden Moor, your lucky you didn't meet him last Wed!
The 'get off my train' analogy is perfect for these saddo's..
As for riding with 30 people, surely with that many folks faffing and adjusting stuff you'd never get anywhere !!
He struck me as the type who is rarely right but runs rampant through the garden of righteousness regardless. He was revelling in having a go.
those type seem to be multiplying
[i]He struck me as the type who is rarely right but runs rampant through the garden of righteousness regardless[/i]
he's an stw regular then, that narrows the field.
Hora - Did he actually say it was on a wednesday night or is that your addition? As Yorkshire Pudd says above it can't be the usual HB group, cos they don't ride that particular area much and there ain't ever 20 or more riders out!!
Are we talking about XXX? Mint trail but the last few times I've ridden it, its been made loads more fun by the piles of rocks/branches laid over the trail.
Never ridden it on a Wednesday night or in a big group though.
Right, we've got to sort this out.
Tonight, I'm going to carry 30 T shirts up to the top of the relevant trail.
I'm then going to ride down and back up 30 times, changing my shirt when appropriate to give the impression of a large group of riders.
I may try a comedy moustache/beard combo on occasion as well, just to make sure I'm not rumbled.
Will report back with more info, if I survive.
He was firm on the 'Wednesday' bit. I think the 20-30 was an exaggeration for effect as he was screaming at that point about the damage being done. I pointed out that it was a ratty/almost overgrown (hard to spot) path after you turn hard right along the wire fencing. He wasn't interested in my opinion. I had no chance but to talk/engage him though as he was thoroughly blocking my way and pushing against me to make his point.
Never come across anyone like that at all. Never had an argument with anyone on foot. Any comment to a group I've been in I've stayed mute and carried on. A few weeks ago I was pulling a mediumish (what seemed to be) a tree that was completely blocking a footpath at Win Hill. A female walker mentioned that it was good I was doing a public service but should I be there? I stayed quite and went on my way. She had a right to tell me off even if it was 9.30am on a Sunday morning effectively in the middle of nowhere.
DBW I don't know the name of it but it comes out at the side of the pale/newish build houses/at the back garden and spits you out abruptly onto the road/pavement across the bus stop/shelter. If you don't turn hard right suddenly you end up popping out next to the pub.
My point is he was really pushing for a reaction- a physical reaction. I think he wants someone to lamp him so hes actually got something to act upon. It wouldn't surprise me if hes already written to or been in contact with the council or Police chewing their ears off.
Just a warning- if you see him be patient and don't rise to him. He really wants you to. Yes you have a reasonable argument about 'self defence' however it'd look bad if he said 'I was minding my own business walking up there, cyclist aggressively just missed my dogs and attacked me'.
When the reality could be different.
Just watch out and be patient. He wont let you passed no matter what. I had to say 'I am going to walk around you along the very end of this stoney/loose drop, you are not going to push me over it or push into me are you?'. (He didn't).
i know where you mean now, it comes out here:
I thought from your first post you'd bumped into this guy in the pub, didn't realise you had met him on the trail itself. We don't ride that much maybe twice a year tops, I can't see how he can own it and I've never met any dog walkers on it. He probably saw some lights coming down the hillside in winter and your the first cyclist he's managed to bump into on the trail that he can vent his anger on!
Bingo!
if your on a legal trail then it shouldnt matter if your in a small group or a large group, you have as much right to be there as the next person, I was out with the single track group in the peaks on sun and whilst it was a large group they were as far as I could see not riding stupid fast near walkers and when we did pass walkers every one that was near said hello etc, all very polite
the countryside is there for us all to use not just those that shout loudest,
rant over
Looks like that's also the exit from Midgets Pit.
Was it right at the botton (last 100yds) or further up, where he ambushed you?
Further up- before the sharp left turn onto the last path to the road.
I may be pointing out the obvious but it is a footpath. Whether or not he owns it is another thing...
but runs rampant through the garden of righteousness
Does he post on here?
Oh, so on Midgets Pit then 😯
This "trap" wasn't anything like a nice wheel trap hole dug on the off-camber section below the step, was it? Maybe another 200yds above the final sharp left turn. That's nearly had me before.
Hes that fella who lives opposite isn't he? I've heard of him.
when you run out of politenes and patiance, all you can say is get out of the way or I will knock your head of
its happened to me near the shooting cabin in hayfield, guy walking straight up the path which he is entilted to do, but there were 6 other bikes coming down guy was adament he wouldnt step to the side, i was second in the line and saw him being agro with the first guy,
it wasnt my best moment, but god he made me so angry, I almost turned green and spilt my shirt
You want to get Ton in on it. He'll duff them up for you.
Thats the last thing we want and the one thing this guy wants. **** giving him ammo.
pushing against me
I applaud your restraint. If someone was pushing against me the temptation to give them a punch in the nose would be hard to resist no matter if it's right or wrong.
EDIT - just read your post above. You're right of course but damn it would be hard to resist.
Even if he is the landowner, he can only ask you to leave by the most direct route... which would be ..erm exactly where you were going anyway 😆
pushing against me
Be sure to remind him that that's assault.
Thats what he wanted. FFS, he said he'd get the dogs onto me- alsorts. He was trying to bait me into physically reacting. He tried everything- shouting, pushing/blocking, waving his hands open/wide (a la Dudek the ex-Liverpool goalkeeper), I guess anything into me pushing him back or headbutting him. I had the strange feeling that if I had pushed him he'd have made a meal of it/gone down etc.
Heads-up.
If it's who you think it is you'd probably have gone straight through him anyway! 😉
This isn't my neck of the woods but....
Thats the last thing we want and the one thing this guy wants. **** giving him ammo
100% correct. Well done for keeping calm.
My point is he was really pushing for a reaction- a physical reaction. I think he wants someone to lamp him so hes actually got something to act upon. It wouldn't surprise me if hes already written to or been in contact with the council or Police chewing their ears off
What you need to do is go and report it, and make sure some record is kept. Becasue if he's storing up ammo with the council or Plod, and someone DOES clobber him if they feel threatened, there'll be some previous record of his behavior.
PP - and they'd say 'what the **** were you doing on there on a bike'?
Hang on, I was PUSHING my bike sir 😉
Safety in numbers 😉 make sure you ride in groups of at least 20 for safety's sake 😈
Law doesn;t say you can't ride bikes on a footpath, the law says that a footpath is a path where a legal right to access on foot has been shown to exist, *without prejudice as to higher rights*. Copper won't care if you're riding or pushing
Hora. Its just you. You must provoke that kind of reaction. The only time I've ever seen anyone get proper handbags about riding on footpaths I was with you. Remember the nutter who tried to actually drag us off our bikes at Arnside. He was extremely lucky not to have got a proper shoe-ing!
I think its because people think Benny Hill died years ago, then they see you riding towards them and they get confused, then slightly scared, ultimately reacting violantly
Report it to Calderdale Rights of Way team. The fact you were riding shouldn't be a problem.
I think its because people think Benny Hill died years ago, then they see you riding towards them and they get confused, then slightly scared, ultimately reacting violantly
post of the week?
I think its because people think Benny Hill died years ago, then they see you riding towards them and they get confused,
He's got a point, though.
[url= http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2779/4298693236_645edd16e9.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsnbt/4298693236/ ]STW Peaks pootle 23 jan 2010[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/mrsnbt/ ]Mrs NBT[/url], on Flickr
Back on topic, I can't see Hora actually contacting the calderdale ROW team or indeed doing anything other that post onSTW
Next time calmly ask for his name and his address. He probably won't give it and if he asks why, say you are going to report this matter to the police with a complaint that he was using threatening behaviour and trying to obstruct you.
looking at the pic by Yorkshire Pudding its the same trail and sounds like the same guy who collared my mate on that trail,he did same sort of thing to my mate was very aggresive and pushy,i was infront and shot by the guy so i got away with it 🙂
Blower in that case I will contact the ROW team. I'm quite a robust person, seen a fair bit however I can see that if I was shorter/slight it'd have been a scary experience.
I can only see this as a relevant page for contact? http://www.calderdale.gov.uk/transport/rights-of-way/forum.html
I saw that. Highways though? I assumed it'd get lost in the weight of road-issues. 😐
It's all dealt with by the same people. Give them a call and if you don't speak to the right person straight away they'll put you in touch with the right one
While you're at it Mark, tell them about all the obstructions that keep appearing on that trail. Logs and piles of rocks laid across it. Might add some weight to your report.
Done. Mentioned the pit dug as well.
Nice one.
As a side thought. If anyone comes across him and he obstructs get your phone out and bloody start dialling the local Police station. That should put the wind up him. Infact I'll give them a tinkle as well with a heads up so its on record incase someone does lamp him.
Cheers Mark,
Good piece of +ve action taken there.
Please let us know what the police say too.
Swift response and she also recommended I report to the Police so they can keep a log.
nbt, why is that dude head to toe in flecktarn?
Is he a re-enactor? 😀
That's [s]Benny Hill[/s] Hora
Tighter than a Ducks butt.
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsnbt/4120506592/ ]Captions, please![/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/mrsnbt/ ]Mrs NBT[/url], on Flickr
Bloody hell! Marks done something!
(good work old bean)
I am kinda hijacking the thread a bit but does anybody know of any trails around Triangle? I drive towards Sowerby Bridge a few times every month and it looks like there could be some fantastic trails to the right in the large forest area. Its before Norland. I am part of Manchester Mountain Bikers (Google us). We would love it if a few of you could be a guest ride leader and show us a few of your trails. We errr are known to ride the odd 'Cheekie trail' in the evening. I love riding the Dog Hill Descent..... <<<<awaits reaction>>>
