I was heading home from a short ride today when I had a very unpleasant experience. I was heading through a nice neighborhood that is fortunately populated with restaurants and shops less than a block away. Three men on bikes crossed the grass median and headed to my lane. They were yelling and heading towards me. I crossed to the left lane and they continued to head toward me. I had no choice but to slow down. I spotted an opening big enough for me to escape and headed through it. I knew there was no catching me as they were on mountain bikes or something similar. I had never considered anything like this happening before. Had they been organized and intended to hurt me, I didn't have much of a defense. Fortunately, they were punks just trying to scare me. I thought it was worth sharing.
I"m mostly angry that they have introduced this threat to my peacefulness of riding. I ride alone ALOT and am often in an isolated place. I've never been afraid. Now this "what if" is in my head.