Run off the road

[Trekhawk]

I did what I would call a couple of harder rides over the weekend so today I decided to do a nice relaxing ride and take in the sights. I decided to cycle a route called The Greg Lemond Loop. Its a lovely ride along mainly country roads and very scenic. I had a lovely ride and was nearly home when some idiot ran me off the road. This is the first time I have had any problems with a driver around here most are courtious and give you plenty of room. This driver went past me so close and then cut back in before he was actually passed me forcing me off the road. There was no bike lane or even a shoulder so I was off in the bush. Lucky for me there were no trees near the edge and I managed to stop without any damage just a few scraps from some bushes. The driver never even slowed but a lady coming along behind stopped and asked if I was ok which was very nice. Anyway I finished my ride but it really did spoil a beautiful day.

[jobob]

Leslie, how awful !!!

I'm very very glad you're OK.

I imagine you or the lady behind you had no chance to get a description of the vehicle. People like that should rot in he!! , pure & simple.

[Aint Doody]

Oh, Trekhawk, that makes me sooooo mad! It happened to me once, too, in town and the car had plenty of room. We all need to start trying to get those tag numbers, (which is ridiculous-who is thinking about that when we're trying to save our booties.) Somebody needs to come up with a helmet-camera to take pictures of these people..............

[SadieKate]

I nearly had a large brown delivery truck that shall remain unidentified do that to me last week. Sorry your encounter was closer than mine.

[massbikebabe]

Trekhawk,

That's horrible!! Glad you were not hurt. People are just plain idiots!!






karen

[CorsairMac]

very glad to hear you're ok my friend. There is nothing scarier than having someone do that to you with no shoulder. Sounds like you have very fast reflexes and that you both made it thru ok! Angels were riding with you!!

[DeniseGoldberg]

Wow - what a bad nightmare you just lived through! I'm very glad to hear that you're OK, even though a bit shook up.

That driver's license should be yanked - too bad no one saw the license plate.

--- Denise

[Veronica]

Glad you're okay. Awfully nice of the lady behind to stop and check on you. Reminds you that there ARE good people in this world too.

V.

[Trek420]

Glad you're ok Trekhawk. Sounds like you have some awesome bike skills too to come out ok. That's vehicular assault in my book, attempted murder

Reminds me on my Sunday ride we were I think in Fremont crossing on an overpass and ... don't you just hate it you're straddleing the line as folks going to the right of you are going onto the fwy entrance and folks to the left of you are continuing on the road and this big black SUV sidles up next to you and yells in your ear "you should be in the bike lane!" and then continues on the fwy?

Hate when that happens.

Just had to hope "well, I hope he does not have murder in him" because I'm kinda stuck in traffic between lanes and if I fall or am pushed over now it's a bad thing and was not the time to lecture him on "you blithering illiterate moron you should know the CA vehicular code is that bikes are traffic and I pay hwy. taxes too and just where is this bike lane that you speak of of eloquently?? get your sedentary 711 slurpy big gulp drinking butt outa the SUV and show me...."

But it was so nice of that lady to stop and check on you! That gives me hope. There are nice drivers out there. Glad you're ok.

[Trekhawk]

Thanks ladies - I dont think I have speedy reflexes or great bike handling skills I think my saviour was that Im pretty slow. For once being a slow poke rider worked in my favour. I think if I was a speed demon I would have left the road with too much speed for it to have ended with the same outcome.

[bikerz]

Wow Leslie - that's so scary! I'll join the others in being grateful you managed to keep yourself in one piece, and also that someone stopped to check on you. You DO have good riding skills to get out of that situation without getting badly hurt. Take very good care out there!

[DirtDiva]

B@$t@rd! I hope you unleashed come choice Aussie vernacular in his direction! Very nice of that lady to stop and check on you though.

[luv'nAustin]

I like your spirit...you tell 'em Trek!

[Trek420]

thanks luv'nAustin, I dunno if it's spirit but where is the jersey that says:

"CA Vehicle code # __?____ bikes ARE traffic, same rights, same rules, same responsibility?"

or the vest that says:

"YES as a matter of fact I DO own the d*&^ road"

I've been hit twice (this is where Bikeless chimes in "you WHAT? ") back in the day when I was much younger and took better ukemi (Japanese for falls).

Now I'm old and brittle boned, don't think I could do it again. ;-)

Both times cut off by a right turning driver on College Ave in Oakland, it's a pretty street but you could not pay me to ride there. Twenty years later there are traffic calmed streets that paralel it. Anywho the first time I did emergency right turn and just turned with him, scraped my tire down to the tube on his fender but stayed upright.

Second time was knocked to the ground off the bike by a gal who just had to get to Wendy's right now, could not wait the nano-second for me to clear the driveway.

We've all have close calls every day. This stuff makes me so mad.

Be careful TE gals.

[yellow]

Ah, this brought back memories of my first run-off-the-road.

I too was living in a rural area very similar to where TrekHawk lives (only 1 county away!) that had a high number of big trucks per capita. I think I'd had my bike maybe a month and was riding with a friend (who is an experienced rider) on a road that I hadn't ridden on before. So I was already a little gripped since the roads there didn't have shoulders or white lines or anything (I eventually got over that...). Anyhoo, here comes Big Truck Man. My friend and I were a little spread out (he was in front of me) and Big Truck Man decides to give me a "scare" I guess and pulls off the road into the dirt between me & my buddy, thus throwing rocks and dirt in my face and forcing me to go down. Truck Man then speeds off but not before uttering some unintelligible obscenity at my buddy.

I was definitely shook up but interestingly most pissed about the scratch on my new bike. My friend never suggested riding on that road again! I look back on it now as a learning experience, but it was way scary at the time.