grabbing handlebars of bike- from a car!

[wiseowl]

Hate for this to be my first post, but I recalled this area on the forum and wanted to vent. My DH took my mountain bike out for a rural dirt road spin today. He noticed a woman reaching very far out of the passenger side of a vehicle coming towards him, then the car veered towards him and she grabbed his handlebars. She yanked, and he yanked back. She was so far out of the window that he almost pulled her out of the car. Somehow he stayed on the bike and upright. We are in an area where people normally go way out of their way to be kind to cyclists (I know many of you deal with asinine behavior on a daily basis) so it was particularly shocking. Didn't they think how it could have gone? If he was pulled into the side of a moving car? If she was pulled out of the window of a moving car? He couldn't get the plate, unfortunately. I don't know what makes people like this...anyone else heard of this charming "game"? I have a friend who did a cross-country charity ride and encountered just about every other kind of meanness, but not this one. Sigh.

[Starfish]

I'm so sorry. All I can say is U-N-B-E-L-I-E-V-A-B-L-E

[Eden]

Holy Cow! if someone did that to me they would probably yank me under the car and kill me!

[Trek420]

Yikes glad that your DH is safe. And while I'm an extremely kind, loving, non-violent, turn all 4 of both cheeks, soft spoken, peaceloving person .... I'm kinda sorry he did not yank her all the way out

Good on him to see her lean and I imagine anticipate the possibility. This takes the slogan "ride deffensively because if they can do something dumb, they will" to new heights.

And welcome to TE

[mimitabby]

just curious, where do you live?
I'm glad your DH won that tug of war, she'll think twice before she does it again!
(I hope!)

[abvnx]

wow, thats scary. glad your DH is ok. i have no idea what i would have done in that situation

[Kimmyt]

its a shame he didn't pull her out of the car

[wiseowl]

We live in Vermont, near the NH border. The car was from NH, but I don't expect that out of them, either, having lived in NH previously. I guess there are yahoos everywhere! But like I said, mostly people go out of their way to be courteous- this was just so incredibly dangerous and mean natured. DH said he would have felt bad if he had pulled her out of the car- I told him emphatically that I wouldn't have felt one bit bad! But it would have made a bad situation worse.

[mekira]

OMG that's scary I wonder what would make someone do something like that???

[Zen]

Highly likely the perp was in her teens/early 20's and possibly under the influence of something, most likely alcohol.

Other than that useless observation, I'm stunned and speechless.
If she had done that to one of us lacking in upper body strength the outcome would have been much worse.

People. oomph!

[doc]

Holy Cow. I am dumbstruck. Thank god your husband wasn't pulled under her car.
Some people. Sheeesh.

[Aggie_Ama]

I am baffled!! Why would anyone do that? Why would a woman in a car try to attack a man while still driving? I know it is sexist but women are generally the weaker upper body, this just doesn't seem like a rational idea.

Could you have at least filed a complaint with the police giving a description of the car in case she gets bold again? That is just scary, it would frighten me and I would probably end up und the car.

[Zen]

... this just doesn't seem like a rational idea.

This is what makes me think she was drunk.

[onimity]

Wow.

That's really terrible and it amazes me that people do such stupid, dangerous things.

I'd encourage your husband to file a police report even though he didn't get the plate. The police can still take down his description of the vehicle and the woman, and the location of the incident. It sounds like the woman had no reason to learn a lesson from this and she may well do something like this again. You never know when reporting something like this and giving police the information you have will help someone like this get caught.

Anne

[RoadRaven]

Highly likely the perp was in her teens/early 20's and possibly under the influence...

LOL - you sound like a cop!

But seriously, WiseOwl describes quite stunning behaviour... stuff or words thrown at a cyclist are "common" (never had the privilege yet) but this yanking of bars is in another lead - the same one where you make a bee-line to knock the cyclist off the road or bike!

Like Zen says, the perp must have been under the influence of something to decide to do this (and prob the driver - lets nort forget the driver who sanctioned this harrassment by driving too close!)

So pleased all you and DH got were frights.