Objects thrown at you

[Blueberry]

Beer bootle here. Just remember, as they say on the open seas, "tonnage rules" that, and anyone that is rude or dangerous driving by you could be totally impaired on drugs or alcohol, insane, or very angry and looking to take it out on someone.Try to avoid getting any more of their attention....nothing good will come of it. Tokie

And get a picture of their plate if you can - and send it to someone immediately.

CA

[Aggie_Ama]

For the yellers my husband and I wave a very eager wave and smile. We like to think it confuses or annoys them. For the throwers get a plate (partial works in TX if you are pretty sure the type of car) and call the police. I have reported a couple but never had a partial plate, just description. I now practice memorizing all or part of a plate.

[SouthernBelle]

As to someone coming up behind you and honking for the purpose of startling you; in Tennessee it's illegal to do that to someone on horseback or to a cyclist. (And a couple of others I can't remember right now).

Check your state.

[Norse]

Back when I lived in So. Cal, a water balloon thrown by a car of juvenile males. It hit my back with such force that I was almost knocked off the bike - I thought it was a rock. Here in MN, only yellers so far.

[badgercat]

For the yellers my husband and I wave a very eager wave and smile. We like to think it confuses or annoys them.

I also like this strategy. One of my favorite teachers in high school (incidentally, a religious Sister) said she always did this when she was driving and encountered road rage-y drivers (a pretty common thing around Chicago!). She encouraged us to use the same "turn the other cheek" strategy.

I've had a full, unopened can of pop chucked at me from a moving vehicle while I was walking, once, but fortunately, I haven't had anything thrown at me while cycling *knocks on wood*. If that did happen, I'm pretty sure the next thing to be thrown would be me off my bike, because I startle pretty easily.

[wildhawk]

I have been lucky so far - only a carload of rude teens shouting as they drove through our neighborhood. I remember having trouble when I used to ride my horse - jerks like to try and startle horses. I am sure however, the day will come when I get harassed on my bike - and I will be more than happy to take down their plate no. and turn them in. The best response is to ignore the driver - responding with flipping them off, cursing, etc. can result in you getting seriously harmed. A bike is no match for a car. I am lucky in that we have a lot of cyclists here in Pinellas County and cars are used to seeing them constantly. I imagine it would be worse on a lonely stretch of road and that would be a scary situation. I only ride alone on well-lit and well-known routes - and I keep my mace and cell phone within easy reach “just in case”. Sorry that happened to you and hugs.

[sundial]

.....from the combine.

[Flur]

Reading this thread makes me want to ride my bike with a flare gun in my pocket.

[Irulan]

firecrackers, waterballoons, slurpees.

This is why I stick to dirt trails now.

[ttaylor508]

Never anything thrown at me (yet), but I have been squirted with windshield wiper fluid....a bunch of kids in a car cleverly turned the mechanism so it would squirt sideways rather than on the window and they had a great time driving down the road squirting cyclist on a large group ride last summer. I got hit in the eye under my sunglasses. The little sh#@!s...wish I could have gotten the lic plate number, not for the police, but for their parents.

[PamNY]

Reading this thread makes me want to ride my bike with a flare gun in my pocket.

Ha. Wouldn't that be fun?

Pam

[Ana]

As a relative newbie who tends to ride alone, this thread terrifies me!

If someone threw a beer bottle at me, I'm not sure I'd go riding again for a while, and might get PTSD from it...

Those people need therapy so they don't manifest their unhappiness on happy cyclists