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no one has tried to justify the drivers actions.
No, but the way you are wording it is very much excusing the driver's actions.
However why then escalate it?
Not everyone is as chilled. Or can let things go as easily. Or can easily accept their loved ones and friends being put in a dangerous situation. Or is trained in de-escalation.
Could they have reacted differently? Yes. Were they in the wrong to react the way they did? No.
I still cannot believe this bit:
"she suffered cuts and bruises but wasn’t considered part of the case as the police couldn’t actually see her"
Surely there must be more to it than that. It makes no sense to me at all.
Please point out where I or anyone else has said its the cyclists fault?
the driver was criminal in his actions. the cyclists were just stupid and made the situation worse. they could have deesclated it and the situation would not have been so bad and the cyclist would not have been punched. thats not to say they are to blame - but simply saying dealing with a road rager in a different way would have been better
Please point out where I or anyone else has said its the cyclists fault?
Not 10 posts ago you said riding in a group was inherently dangerous and therefore wrong...
Sorry, but if you’re riding in a group and you get brake checked, you’d be very lucky to avoid a coliision amongst the group, which is obviously what the driver was trying to achieve…
There's absolutely nothing to say that he brake checked them - he may well have simply stopped in a normal way.
personally I see all chaingangs as dangerous riding. too close together for safety.
I find groups of roadies very intimidating on the country roads around me.
It’s amazing how much anti-cycling there is on cycling forums.
Riding a bike doesn't automatically make your actions right.
Although some people here may think it does.
but simply saying dealing with a road rager in a different way would have been better
I agree whilst sat here typing this but not the same when someone has just put me in danger and the adrenalin is flowing although ultimately any altercations I have had with drivers never ended positively so would be better just to avoid however hard that is.
I find groups of roadies very intimidating on the country roads around me.
Bizarre, what do you think they're going to do? Knock you off your mountain bike? Push your car into a ditch?
I find groups of cars far more intimidating when I cycle on the road, they kill and injure lots of cyclists you know, whereas groups of cyclist don't kill anyone..........
but simply saying dealing with a road rager in a different way would have been better
I'm interested in the alternative suggestions you have
I don't condone confronting drivers aggressively, but I suspect said drivers will approach a group differently next time in order to avoid a confrontation. I accept this will not always be positive but if nothing at all is done then the driver behaviour remains as it was. It seems as if you are saying that groups who are harassed (which is what he did with his beep)
should just let it go? If so, he will continue to do it. Nothing changes.
And if the answer is "give footage to police". Forget that one. I now don't bother with my camera as numerous reports have ended in tumbleweed.
Not 10 posts ago you said riding in a group was inherently dangerous and therefore wrong…
Not what I said - try reading and also thats a IMO
And even if I said that its still not blaming the cyclists for this situation.
I find groups of roadies very intimidating on the country roads around me.
crikey, really? You must be absolutely terrified when you see a few motorbikes then!
I’m interested in the alternative suggestions you have
I posted earlier how I now tend to deal with this sort of thing
In that situation ( hard to be sure - I wasn't there) I would have stayed behind the car and had a good laugh at the inadequacies of the car driver with my pals
car driver is angry, we have a laugh, no assault occurs. his day is spoiled worse than mine.
Another tactic i have used is rather than an angry confrontation tell the driver that they really scared me and I thought I might die. Non confrontational and still gives them cause to think
3rd option - call him something ridiculous " thrombus" being my favourite and then cycle away
50 years of near daily urban cycling and I used to get into a lot of confrontations like that. Now I no longer do because I changed the way I react. the key thing is to make sure it spoils their day more than yours and to not get into an aggressive confrontation/ standoff
I can't see how your options 2 and 3 are any different from what they did bar the hand on mirror
Option 2 is confrontational. I know because I did it in Devon. Drive got out of car and pulled a Big Daddy move on me with his belly.
Option 3 is confrontational.
option 3 I have got out of the way - just the insult and I am out of there. Option two sometimes works
all of those options i would not have put myself into a position to be attacked because I would not be in a face to face confrontation. I would be somewhere else
Its also about body language and so on
You asked - thats my answer that works for me. I have gone from regular angry confrontations to none in years
I can’t see how your options 2 and 3 are any different from what they did bar the hand on mirror
and then cycle away
We need to share the roads, yes, but we don’t have to be passive in that sharing.
Round here I do get the occasional close pass, but rarely something that scares me too much.
Far more common are good passes. Wait for a decent opportunity, pass wide, neither dawdling alongside me, nor reving the engine to the limit and setting off like the safety car just pulled in. HGV drivers are probably the best.
I make a point of acknowledging the good passes - they may not notice, but perhaps the next guy in the queue will. And for HGV drivers I am also acknowledging that they are by me, and the pass is complete.
We need to acknowledge and encourage good drivers, as well as call out the bad ones.
I also tend to pedal like Cavendish in the last hundred metres* if I can see a good passing opportunity ahead then sit up as I get to it - amazing how that encourages the driver to pass where I’d like them to.
*in my mind anyway
Let's face it - no one in the video comes out well. Easy to understand but still not good. I am sure the motorist's opinion of cyclists hasn't gone up, so highly likely that he'll still slag "bloody cyclists" off at any opportunity.
I am still amazed how some apparently intelligent people (maybe not this driver) considers cyclists as a separate group or type of person (actually not people at all - more objects of annoyance). And feel the need to make their views known at any opportunity (whether it be social media or shouting out of car windows), without realising that most cyclists are also motorists, pedestrians, parents, children etc etc etc. Constantly amuses and disappoints me......
Aidy
Free Member
It’s amazing how much anti-cycling there is on cycling forums.
Ah; that old classic, so can I assume neither you or any of your mates have ever ridden a bike in a way contrary to rule one?
No-one comes out of that video with much credit too be honest once the car stopped but I find it laughable that anyone should suggest that the cyclists escalated that situation.
Surely the car driver had plenty of time to deescalate things once he had overtaken? That was the time for him to drive off safely and securely now that he had got what he wanted i.e ahead of the slow moving cyclists who were delaying his journey.
But no he made a decision to slow his own journey even further. And that decision caused all the escalation that followed.
He then compounded it by getting violent for which he quite rightly deserved to be punished. He was probably very lucky to get a Caution (I am guessing no prior violent convictions etc) which although seemingly a mere slap on the wrists can lead to real hassle later on in life for years after (dont ask me how I know)
It’s amazing how much anti-cycling there is on cycling forums.
I'm not anti-cycling, I'm anti-dick behaviour. Sometimes, cyclists do act like dicks, even if they like the same hobby as we do.
But no he made a decision to slow his own journey even further.
Which is why I suggested that just maybe an unseen cyclist did something (after he beeped his horn) that made him stop.
This is actually far more logical than just overtaking and then 5 seconds later, when he was well past, deciding to slam his brakes on.
Sharkbait - no the overtake and brake check is quite common. One of the riders does throw his hand up in disgust that you can see but I would not think it necessary for the cyclists to have done anything in particular for the loony in the car to brake test them
I quite often do the ****er sign but guessing most of the time the driver doesn't see me but when then do and it is a ragey driver they stop and we have a shouting match.
I explain why I think they were driving like a ****er, they get further enraged and off we go. Nobody ever gains from it but they may give it some thought after they have cooled down as to why someone would call them a ****er for how they were driving.
Most of my altercations are drivers passing me on blind bends (quite a few of them where I live). My solution to that is now to indicate right and go to centre of road until around the corner but even then I have been overtaken when signalling right AND on a blind corner so not much you can do at that stage!
Is the filmer the front rider or is there a video from the forward direction. Not really getting the whole picture from that rear camera.
Maybe some of you should actually read this and reconsider the conclusions you jumped to
Especially those who banged on about "escalation"
https://road.cc/content/news/cyclist-punched-repeatedly-head-furious-driver-286281
It appears they were trying to do exactly what you all said they should
Not in the video. The rider who leaned on the car escalated it. What good would he think would come out of that?
The video makes it quite clear that the man who leaned on the car was very aggressive in body language and escalated the situation. Its all there in the video.
Edit - if their behaviour is deescalating I am Boris Johnson! Lean on the car, get in the drivers personal space? Two things guaranteed to escalate
If you want to descalate you do not touch their car, you give them plenty of space, you do not have aggressive body language?
I don't get how leaning out of your window and hitting someone repeatedly whilst being in charge of a moving vehicle doesn't count as dangerous driving.
I don’t get how leaning out of your window and hitting someone repeatedly whilst being in charge of a moving vehicle doesn’t count as dangerous driving.
...and indeed then losing control of said moving vehicle to the extent that you drive into a stationary cyclist in front of you. A caution doesn't really seem all that fitting.
the man who leaned on the car was very aggressive in body language
This is a real lesson in perception.
I'd interpret that body language as leaning slightly on a car for stability while trying to control a slowing bike, he's not exactly squaring up to him.
But then I'm not trying to demonstrate how I'd have handled the situation so much better than they did.
I’d interpret that body language as leaning slightly on a car for stability while trying to control a slowing bike, he’s not exactly squaring up to him.
Yeah. I saw it as stabilising himself to maintain a fixed distance from the driver to facilitate conversation. Not advisable, but not aggressive, either.
This is a real lesson in perception.
I’d interpret that body language as leaning slightly on a car for stability while trying to control a slowing bike, he’s not exactly squaring up to him.But then I’m not trying to demonstrate how I’d have handled the situation so much better than they did.
Applause! This is absolutely on the nail.
Well the cyclists acted calmer than I normally do in these situations. Although I’m smart enough to always get off my bike and also have flat pedals. Both of which make altercations much easier to deal with. I know my behaviour is stupid but anger makes one do silly things at times.
I would’ve snapped the ****s wing mirror off instead of leaning on it. I’m a dickhead when it comes to dealing with stupid drivers though. A Daily Mail readers dream!
Bloody cyclists hogging the road. Bet they didn't pay their road tax.
Not in the video. The rider who leaned on the car escalated it.
I have not had time to read all the posts but I watched the vid and I think 'escalated' is the wrong word, I think he engaged with it but it was already there....
The driver of the car slowed up deliberately, with the intention of deliberate engagement, it doesn't matter that they were cyclists, it's straight confrontation and response.
The cyclist touching the mirror could have been any other that responded physically or verbally, from what I could tell the threat(finger pointing out of car) came from the driver, and from what I could tell also the violence.
I'd say this guy has issues with cyclists and only got a lenient sentence because one of the cyclists engaged, but he is now on record and should this happen again he will not be so lucky.
I use the word 'engage' rather than 'escalate' because it was already escalated, the driver took control of the confrontation by slowing and opening his window, in doing that he took on the responsibility and risk for whatever happened next depending on what he said....I don't think he said the right thing.
Tend to agree with what TJ has said on this.
We all have to share the roads. The cyclists happily escalated the situation and ultimately there is no "winner".
Moral of the story? Peace and Love. ❤
The moment the driver (Who was already largely invulnerable - and could make himself more so buy the use of his window button…) decided that violence was the answer - that’s when almost any prior non-violent action by anyone else becomes irrelevant.
The driver escalated this from a verbal altercation to a physical one. He solely made the choice to punch someone else, when he could have made good his escape and removed any danger to himself. Therefor, I think the use of a caution in this situation is incredibly wrong.
Caution is perfectly correct under the law as it stands. You and I may think this is wrong but thats the law
From the road CC link
Mr Short continued: "As club secretary and a trained Ride Lead we’re meant to de-escalate any situation
In that case they really need to learn what descalating is. He obviously has no clue. If he is trained the training he ignored or was utter shite
Within a few seconds he makes a series of fundamental errors if he is trying to deescalate
1) leans over the driver from a greater height
2) gets in the drivers personal space
3) gets within arms length of the driver
4) touches the drivers property
%) aggressive body language
All of those things are fundamental errors if yo are trying to descalate. all are 180 degrees from the correct action. If you intended to escalate the situation he could not have done more
What i am trying to do here is reflective practice. via the technique of reflecting on incidents I changed my behaviour and lo and behold its now very rare I have incidents like this
there is learning for us all in every incident like this.
What happened
Where were the triggers
What could I have done differently
How could the incident have been avoided
None of this is about proportioning blame or victim blaming on any other hysteria on this thread. Its about learning and keeping safe
In this case I think there's a difference between actively escalating the situation and actively seeking to deescalate.
While I don't agree with tj's interpretation of the cyclist escalating the situation - those are great points of advice to try and retain when in that situation and wanting to deescalate first rather than engaging.
I have to say when I watched this on road.cc I didn't think the cyclist came out looking that great, having said that, I might well have kicked the mirror off!!!
I try to act calm but don't always manage it. The rider that put his hands on the car should realise carists don't like it. I do it to provoke people...but then I'm an idiot..
Be more TJ will be my new mantra.
(Unless it involves rugby of course!)
Be more TJ will be my new mantra
I think my keyboard would run out of ink
One day a car driver is going to get a proper shoeing from a cyclist they have harassed.
There is this belief that you a weedy nerd if you cycle on the uk highways, and are therefore fair game for bullying behaviour. Whether that is using the vehicle as a weapon to intimidate, or as a protective shell from which to dispatch vitriolic abuse
Unfortunately most cyclists are well balanced, reasonably educated people so the morons who like to pick on people rarely get what they deserve, which is a shame
I once saw something hilarious at the side of the road - standing next to a car was a huge guy in cycling gear and a little squirt, with a pot belly in normal clothes. (I wonder which was the driver). The driver was clearly frustrated, waving his arms about and the cyclist was stood calmly staring down at him. That was all I saw, but it put a nice little story in my mind 😀
I do it to provoke people…but then I’m an idiot..
Internet high five for a fellow idiot!
These are my observations:
-Nothing wrong with riding in a group
-The overtake didn't look dangerous from that angle (whether it was necessary is a different matter)
-The honk was unnecessary and only riles people up
-The brake check was dangerous and unacceptable
-Blocking a moving car is stupid
-Not keeping an eye on what's in front of your when driving is dangerous
-Touching someone's car is not a good idea
-Confronting an angry person is never going to end well
The driver was was clearly at fault for causing this incident, was the bigger arsehole, and was the only one to commit an offence.
Some of the riders didn't help themselves, and whilst not responsible for the drivers actions, could have conducted themselves differently to avoid escalating things (self admittedly, this is easier said than done once the adrenaline get going).
I see both sides every day on roads around here, but that incident is 100% driver fault, he is impatient, when he overtakes he beeps the horn, then stops when he's clear to argue, causing the end result. I can't fault the riders in that clip at all, when i see a road that has centre markings then i am happy if they are two abreast, because i have an entire side of the road to overtake, and reality is, if it's a 30 i just have to suck it and wait unfortunately, unless there's a good passing gap.
Honestly, i see enough roadies going full tilt down the middle of country lanes in their strava attempts, holding up traffic and making oncoming cars have to stop as well, that can be annoying, but again, doesn't exactly make me angry, just do the usual under the breath whinge about bloody strava roadies ;o)
Mostly agreeing with TJ on this, but then I ride pretty rarely on the road, and never more than 2 of us.
Sure the cyclists couid have behaved differently but at the end of the day the only violence was from the driver, and even if the cyclists painted a cock and balls on the bonnet of his car it doesn't justify assaulting someone.
No one said it did.
the cyclists tho also behaved like idiots and the claim of attempting to de escalate are utter nonsense
The car driver behaved criminally
1) leans over the driver from a greater height
2) gets in the drivers personal space
3) gets within arms length of the driver
4) touches the drivers property
%) aggressive body language
Proper lols at this. Especially 1) 3) and %)
All things that you should not do if you want to de escalate a situation and all things that he did do.
He appeared to try to make a claim he was trained to de escalate - if he had then the training would have told him not to do these things.
I am fairly highly trained in "management of aggression" to the point I can train others. thats stuff you learn in the very basic initial training in the first half hour
2) gets in the drivers personal space
Yeah. But from a drivers point of view, that's called "the road".
Driving without due care and attention @Tjagain. Clear cut.
Ignoring *all* of the rest of the stuff - you're culpable as a car driver if you crash into something. He can stop faster than the bird on the bike. He didn't - he ran into her. If she was close in front of him then he should have stopped the car. That's 100% his responsibility.
He was too busy punching someone who was trying to talk to him. Regardless of whether it's "not the correct way to de-escalate" - the situation is entirely of his own making and shouldn't have happened to require de-escalating in the first place.
Once the driver acted like a twonk, it's unreasonable to expect everyone else to act *perfectly*. I see that the cyclists acted *reasonably* - and the driver not.
He's in charge of a two ton lethal vehicle. He's committed assault. He's not taking due care and attention and failed to stop his car before smashing into a cyclist - because he was too busy committing assault.
100% driver created situation. 100% liability.
The police have also failed - they can see on the video that the woman has been knocked off her bike - she's in the video just about to disappear under the bumper of the car that has knocked her off.
I would be persuing a civil case if I were them. Screw him for everything you can get from him. It's a no-brainer.
100% driver created situation. 100% liability.
Of course. However the actions of the cyclists escalated it very clearly and made it worse. the guy claimed to be trained to de escalate - he did everything 100% wrong if that was his aim
Every incident should be an opportunity for learning and learning how to avoid getting thumped by road raging nutters seems reasonable to me. Reflective practice
As for the woman in front of the car - yes again driver legally in the wrong but what a stupid place to put yourself.
So yes of course the driver is in the wrong 100% morally and legally. However the incident could have been much less serious if the cyclists had not acted like they did
Zero chance of a prosecution for hitting the woman - because of the actions of the cyclists surrounding the car agressivly he has an easy defense " I was surrounded by angry cyclists and I panicked"
Don't see that defence holding water @Tjagain.
He was panicking so much he pulled a cyclist into his window so he could repeatedly punch him. Not a lot of time left for him to panic.
If CPS attempted a prosecution, no jury would buy that...
As for the woman in front of the car – yes again driver legally in the wrong but what a stupid place to put yourself.
"She was asking for it"
Honestly, when people start accusing TJ of being anti-cyclist it shows just how far down the rabbit hole this place has gone.
In terms of risk assessments I'd say this was a safer outcome than other potentialities, the driver stopped the traffic, had the cyclists ignored him and carried on they would be in a more dangerous place in front of the car, had they ignored him and stopped behind the car they are again in danger and it is very obvious that the driver was perfectly able to escalate on his own, and did to the point of stopping to give them a piece of his mind..for nothing other than hold him up I could add.
When someone is flaring there are times when you have to act to stop it, I'd agree with tj so far as the cyclists claim to being expert at de-escalation..this was not an expert bit of de-escalation, but had it been many others this would have led to the driver being dragged out of the car and given a serious kicking...and that was the position he put himself in.
I don't think it is fair that the cyclists should be blamed for not de-escalating the situation, good if the do and admirable but actually held responsible for de-escalating threatening behaviour when challenged aggressively?
Who is blaming the cyclists? I merely pointed out that they made the situation worse with their behavior and their claims of de escalating do not add up, indeed the cyclists action made a violent reaction more likely
Blame is 100% with the driver but that does not mean there is nothing to learn from this and there was nothing the cyclists could have done
Safest place for them is either behind the car or on the other side of the road riding away
Safest place for them is either behind the car or on the other side of the road riding away
I agree with what you are saying in general terms, when I looked at it I thought "stay behind the idiot", I try but don't always do this. But and it's a big but, in a group ride situation had I been at the front I would have gone past as a sudden stop would have caused problems for those behind so I think being critical of that is harsh. Leaning on his car was daft though.
Safest place for them is either behind the car or on the other side of the road riding away
I agree with what you are saying in general terms, when I looked at it I thought "stay behind the idiot", I try but don't always do this. But and it's a big but, in a group ride situation had I been at the front I would have gone past as a sudden stop would have caused problems for those behind so I think being critical of that is harsh. Leaning on his care was daft though.
And I’m with TJ…. The woman stopped in front of a slowly moving car – she wasn’t “run over”.
Shock horror, some drivers are dicks as are some entitled cyclists.
+1
in a group ride situation had I been at the front I would have gone past as a sudden stop would have caused problems for those behind
this is the bit I have real difficulty with. Not being able to do an emergency stop as the riders behind will crash into you. To me that is unsafe and why i will never ride in a close group like that. thats just my opinion tho
I wonder what happened from then on? Amazed it didnt escalate further tbh.
I merely pointed out that they made the situation worse with their behavior
You've no way of knowing what the driver would've done had they behaved differently. Frankly, they were pretty restrained given the circumstances.
Not being able to do an emergency stop as the riders behind will crash into you.
On the roads you're expected to (safely) stop in the distance you can see. You can ride in a group and do that, but if someone overtakes and immediately brakes hard that puts you at risk. I've discussed bike stopping times in another thread - even in ideal braking circumstances a hatchback can stop a lot more quickly than a road bike.
See also: a sports car overtaking an HGV and immediately slamming on the anchors. HGV has no chance of stopping in time. They are not at fault.
TJ you're being a bit belligerent here.
apologies if I appear belligerent. Just frustrated that people cannot see how the actions of the cyclists escalated the situation and that the ride leader claimed to be trying to deescalate when he did everything 100% wrong if he wanted to deescalate
I just do not get this bit tho. A couple of people have said that the cyclists could not stop behind the car because if the front one stopped hard the rear ones would crash into them.
I just do not get riding so closely together that you cannot do a full emergency stop.
I have been hit by cyclists slipsteaming me / riding too close a couple of times. I did not know they were there, braked hard and they ran into me
1) leans over the driver from a greater height
*punch*
Can I just point something out here:
Cyclists are people
Sometimes people get angry or make mistakes
Therefore some cyclists will get angry and make mistakes.
Pointing this out doesn't make anyone 'anti-cyclist' any more than pointing out a person's mistakes makes you anti-person.
A person doesn't get protection from the consequences of their actions just because they happen to choose a mode of transport that you also like.
Every incident should be an opportunity for learning and learning how to avoid getting thumped by road raging nutters seems reasonable to me. Reflective practice
I've found TJ's observations on this thread (and others) to be instructive, and I get where he's coming from as regards practical de-escalation. I don't think it's victim blaming to look at the events from that perspective in this context.
I still wonder at the caution. It's not so much the punching (sadly) since as @Kato said on page 1:
I am in the business and that is the disposal available for a guilty plea common assault with no relevant offending history
...but for me losing control of the vehicle and hitting a stationary cyclist should surely count as "allowing the standard of driving to fall below that of a competent and careful driver" (i.e. driving without due care and attention).
You can say that the camera cyclist would ideally have not been in the path of the car. I would agree. Maybe the cyclist was trying to box the car in or similar, but I don't really read it like that watching the video. The cyclist overtakes the car, moves back left (as would be natural after overtaking), continues for a few seconds and then comes to a halt. The halt appears to be triggered by the shouting and punching going on behind the cyclist. Admittedly everything is a bit confused/fluid because of the weird situation.
Once the bike has stopped, the car rolls for 2-3 seconds, sounds the horn, hits the cyclist, and doesn't even really stop once the cyclists leg's are under the front of the car. The 2-3 second period is plenty of reaction/braking time given the speed of the vehicle, so there's really no excuse for hitting the stationary object, other than "sorry, yerhonour, I was distracted from driving by punching someone repeatedly in the head".
<sarcasm>The driver should have safely stopped the vehicle and *then* got on with the assault for which his caution was an entirely reasonable and proportionate response.</sarcasm>
I am generally with TJ on this.
Both driver and cyclists behaved badly and did not de-escalate things.
The driver however also behaved criminally in punching and lacked due care and attention by rolling over the person in front.
Pretty much agree with the majority/TJ on this, driver was in the wrong but the cyclists didn't help themselves - grabbing the car was a dick-move.
However, Roadies riding in big groups like this annoys me as a driver - would be more considerate if they broke into smaller groups with a space in between to allow cars to overtake.
I ride a couple of 1000 miles a year on the road (mostly on my own) and go out of my way to avoid confrontation, getting into a row is never going to end well.
However i've seen some truly appalling behaviour from Roadie clubs whilst i've been out - riders banging on car roofs, jumping lights, swearing at pedestrians, etc.
Doesn't exactly show cyclists in a good light..
However, Roadies riding in big groups like this annoys me as a driver – would be more considerate if they broke into smaller groups with a space in between to allow cars to overtake.
That can make it worse as you get drivers dashing between each group and needing to overtake many groups of cyclists instead of one. The fact it annoys you that you have to wait behind other roads users for a but is not good though, you should take a look at that.
I just do not get riding so closely together that you cannot do a full emergency stop.
You need an apprenticeship in a road club to understand this.
However i’ve seen some truly appalling behaviour from Roadie clubs whilst i’ve been out – riders banging on car roofs, jumping lights, swearing at pedestrians, etc.
I ride several thousand miles a year. For several years.
I've never seen the first.
I see the second, but not as much as people who like to talk about it like to make out, and almost never dangerously or in a way that impacts anybody.
I've very rarely seen the third. It's nearly always the other way around.
I have seen a group of riders banging on a car roof. Driver had overtaken them just before a road narrowing where oncoming cars had priority. As the road cleared the cyclists were alongside the car and all went by with each one giving the roof a tap.
Looked quite funny although they may not have thought it through as that same car would be passing them again very soon...
I have seen a group of riders banging on a car roof.
I'm not saying it doesn't happen - but stating it as if it happens all the time is... silly.
However, Roadies riding in big groups like this annoys me as a driver – would be more considerate if they broke into smaller groups with a space in between to allow cars to overtake.
*Sometimes* that might help you pass the group faster. Other times it'll just stretch out the time that it takes you to get past as the cyclists will be stretched over a longer distance, and you'll need accordingly more safe overtaking places.
For this kind of group size (looks like around 7 or 8), I think on the whole it would average out to be faster for you for them to stick together.
Its the follow through thats the real problem
If a group of 12 riders splits into 3 group of 4 leaving 1 car space plus safety margin. I can absolutely guarantee a second car will also overtake eithet the rear or middle group
With no room to pull back onto the correct side of the road the following car squeezes in and forces a space, so the cyclists knock bars
This is where it gets really dangerous
Also, if its a smelly deisel vehicle you get to sit in the slipstream of fumes, mot what ypu want
However i’ve seen some truly appalling behaviour from Roadie clubs whilst i’ve been out – riders banging on car roofs
I banged on a car once but the driver was squeezing me into the kerb at the time. I guess I should've just taken my punishment rather than upset the poor dear.
Bother like this (& worse) is why I don't go out on the road with my local club any more.
I've been knocked off twice: Once was 'sorry mate, didn't see you' and the other was when I was being over-taken on a blind bend and the driver decided to run me down rather than have a head on crash.
Every club ride had at least one episode of hassle/ brake checking/ being squeezed into the gutter etc
Cycling & cars are a bad mix in the UK (Haven't seen the same level of aggro in France)
None of my mates has been seriously injured mountain biking; we have a quadriplegic and two permanently disabled road riders in the club though.
Stick to mountain biking.
I punched the side of a van hard enough to leave a dent in it once. The driver pulled out right in front of me forcing me to practically broadside my bike to the floor to avoid crashing into it. He didn't even look left before pulling out because I was watching his face, expecting it to happen. He then stopped at the next set of lights, queue me punching the side of his van. I then went up to the window and he wouldn't even look at me, just sat there staring straight ahead. So I punched the window pretty hard and watched him shudder in the seat, hopefully he wet his pants.
Been knocked off three times by idiots not looking what they're doing, and nearly another one last night as some idiot decided to reverse their vehicle into the middle of road without checking if anything was coming first. I wish my bike was a bus sometimes, that'd give them a surprise.
Another time had a car (Jaguar) drive straight towards me on the wrong side of the road as it accelerated passed a load of parked car on his side. I moved close to the kerb and he just didn't stop, kept coming at me, so I put my right arm out a bit, my elbow still slightly tucked into my side. I knew there was just enough room for me to squeeze through but it was going to be close. Fortunately it was a cold December day and I had thick sealskinz gloves on. The next thing I knew his wing mirror hit my hand and it sailed about 20ft into the air and smashed into smitherines as it hit the ground. The next thing I heard was the unmistakable sound of a car reversing really really fast. But it was too late for him, I was long gone out the end of the road and on to the canal tow path.