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  1. #16
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    somewhere between the Red & Rio Grande
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    5,297

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    Well dealing with jerks is part of life, sadly. But MD you are right, it shouldn't be and that is why I felt like I should file a report even with very little information.

    We went for a ride tonight. I found myself very apprehensive of every car that passed. I felt like a newbie all over again but at least I was back out there.
    Amanda

    2011 Specialized Epic Comp 29er | Specialized Phenom | "Marie Laveau"
    2007 Cannondale Synapse Carbon Road | Selle Italia Lady Gel Flow | "Miranda"


    You don't have to be great to get started, but you do have to get started to be great. -Lee J. Colan

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Riding my Luna & Rivendell in the Hudson Valley, NY
    Posts
    8,408
    Quote Originally Posted by Aggie_Ama View Post
    Well dealing with jerks is part of life, sadly. But MD you are right, it shouldn't be and that is why I felt like I should file a report even with very little information.

    We went for a ride tonight. I found myself very apprehensive of every car that passed. I felt like a newbie all over again but at least I was back out there.

    Good for you Amanda. And good that you filed a report. If 3 cyclists file reports then they might get a description and put out some patrols looking for those jerks. Also, if someone else does get their license #, then the police will see the other reports filed and it will add proof of their guilt. A third reason is that if they continue to get away with this kind of thing, they might eventually cause a cyclist to get seriously hurt or killed.

    The more you get out there now, the quicker you will feel stronger again.
    Hugs to you.
    Lisa
    My mountain dulcimer network...FOTMD.com...and my mountain dulcimer blog
    My personal blog:My blog
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Raleigh, North Carolina
    Posts
    287
    Amanda,

    I'm so sorry that you were treated that way by the teens. I'm also glad that you filed that report. Hope it never happens to you again. I would offer to ride with you this week so that you wouldn't have to go alone, but I moved and now live in North Carolina.

    On another note, glad to hear that you found some good weather to ride. I hear that it is still raining quite frequently. I just left in late August...what a wet summer.


    Liza- glad that you are ok. Stop beating yourself up. It sounds like you learned something from the experience that may help you if you ever find yourself in that same situation.

    Be safe...one and all!

  4. #19
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Colorado
    Posts
    326
    Amanda,

    So sorry that this happened to you but I am VERY glad that you reported the information that you had to the police. I have had a few similar situations and know what you mean about feeling vulnerable and angry; a guy ran me off the road (intentionally) a few weeks back and I totally lost it on the phone with the police outside of my office. I was embarrassed & felt I should have been stronger but I think it is natural to react that way.

    Teenagers especially can be so nasty to those they perceive as 'weaker'; they're probably the same sort that torture animals because they can't fight back. I hope that they get a taste of their own medicine someday and survive to learn from it.

    I hope that you quickly recover your confidence; don't let the jerks take away your freedom.

    Anne

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Location
    Mrs. KnottedYet
    Posts
    9,152

    Hope this does not come off as a lecture, sorry.

    Liza, I'm glad you're ok, I'm glad everyone is ok.....but this is precisely why I don't ride on the sidewalk. There are parts of my commute/errands that I know I'd feel safer there but I stay on the road or find an alternate route.

    Quote Originally Posted by liza View Post
    -- they should have looked, just as they should have looked for pedestrians in the sidewalk.
    But you're not a pedestrian, your traffic.....on the sidewalk.

    So maybe they did look. And seeing a sidewalk visually they are expecting pedestrians, walking at human speed. They are not expecting something traveling faster them so even if they see you you're just not timed the way they expect/assume.

    Sometimes we see what we expect to see; objects on the sidewalk are pedestrians and go ___ fast, objects in the road are traffic and go ____ fast. If I'm on the sidewalk with my bike I've just made a decision to be a pedestrian, I get off and walk or get on the road and ride.

    I can understand your not apologizing, must have been frightening, I would have been scared too.
    Last edited by Trek420; 09-13-2007 at 01:49 PM.
    Fancy Schmancy Custom Road bike ~ Mondonico Futura Legero
    Found on side of the road bike ~ Motobecane Mixte
    Gravel bike ~ Salsa Vaya
    Favorite bike ~ Soma Buena Vista mixte
    Folder ~ Brompton
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  6. #21
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Vermont
    Posts
    1,414
    Trek,
    I think you misread my post. I wasn't riding on the sidewalk, I was riding on the road, to the right of and moving somewhat faster than traffic. I was right beside the van when it turned, and probably at that moment I was in his blind spot, but if I were a car he cut off because I was in his blind spot, that would not be an excuse sufficient to justify it.

    By mentioning looking for pedestrians, I was trying, perhaps clumsily and at any rate probably unnecessarily, to draw an analogy between the driver's obligation to make sure there was no one on the sidewalk before turning to cross it, and their obligation to make sure there wasn't a bike on the road beside them before turning.
    Last edited by VeloVT; 09-13-2007 at 01:49 PM.

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Location
    Mrs. KnottedYet
    Posts
    9,152

    Red face Ooops, never mind, my bad

    I'm sorry, you're right, I miss read, you're right, you're always right, I'm wrong oh heck, do I go back and delete the whole thing...then your post doesn't make sense....

    Look TE, an example of an apology, there, now it's on topic ;-)
    Last edited by Trek420; 09-13-2007 at 01:55 PM.
    Fancy Schmancy Custom Road bike ~ Mondonico Futura Legero
    Found on side of the road bike ~ Motobecane Mixte
    Gravel bike ~ Salsa Vaya
    Favorite bike ~ Soma Buena Vista mixte
    Folder ~ Brompton
    N+1 ~ My seat on the Rover recumbent tandem
    https://www.instagram.com/pugsley_adventuredog/

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Vermont
    Posts
    1,414
    Quote Originally Posted by Trek420 View Post
    you're always right
    eek: I hope not!! I don't want to be that person.

    On the other hand...
    Can you tell my bf that ???

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Location
    Mrs. KnottedYet
    Posts
    9,152
    Quote Originally Posted by liza View Post
    Can you tell my bf that ???
    Sure, be right over. All part of the service we provide on TE.

    Do you want that as a phone call, in writing, or just show up at the door wearing the armadillo costume and the propeller beanie and tell him?
    Last edited by Trek420; 09-13-2007 at 02:16 PM.
    Fancy Schmancy Custom Road bike ~ Mondonico Futura Legero
    Found on side of the road bike ~ Motobecane Mixte
    Gravel bike ~ Salsa Vaya
    Favorite bike ~ Soma Buena Vista mixte
    Folder ~ Brompton
    N+1 ~ My seat on the Rover recumbent tandem
    https://www.instagram.com/pugsley_adventuredog/

  10. #25
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Southern Indiana
    Posts
    176

    Scared and lost my cool

    I was enjoying a perfect ride yesterday and then the van full of brats appeared. The van got close and I heard young men screaming at me. I looked to my left and saw that they had opened the sliding door and were leaning toward me so they could make sure I heard them scream. I hate to admit it but my anger flared and I did an "F and F" (gesture and one syllable curse word). Images of Jill Behrman flashed through my mind. (She was a cyclist from Bloomington IN who was thrown into a van during a bike ride several years ago.)
    Then one mile down the road THEY DID IT AGAIN! This time I got the license. I rode to the police station and talked to an officer who was polite but hardly seemed that concerned.
    I wasn't bothering anyone. I rarely have problems like this. I have had a can of beer thrown at me. (Good thing it was empty.)
    I am feeling disappointed with myself due to my response. I think that a police car could have been following me or that children may have seen and heard my performance.
    I do plan to control my reaction in the future, but how do you deal with the anger when you are used as a target for juvenile entertainment?
    Maybe these punks need to go for a ride with me sometime . . . I'll show them some real exercise and recreation.
    Barb

  11. #26
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Blessed to be all over the place!
    Posts
    3,433

    Be Resolved In Advance

    I've been involved in situations where:
    • I've let the "F" fly
    • I've let the "Finger" wave
    • I've gotten really mad


    I get mad at myself when I let someone push me to the brink

    But, following all that, I've decided in advance what I will do the next time something really stupid/unsafe happens.

    My goal: I'm trying to not be mad or surprised, but rather go into auto-pilot by immediately focusing on License # and Vehicle Description...THIS TAKES PRACTICE to get good at it - particularly in a stressful situation.

    THEN, I'm resolved that IF something bad happens, I am fully prepared to go straight to the police and FILE a complaint...no discussion...just file a complaint.

    I believe confidence comes from preparation.
    If you don't grow where you're planted, you'll never BLOOM - Will Rogers

  12. #27
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Riding my Luna & Rivendell in the Hudson Valley, NY
    Posts
    8,408
    I would go back to the police station and demand to talk to someone else if the same person seems unconcerned.
    What those teens did is DANGEROUS and under some circumstances it could cause the death of a cyclist. They will continue doing it if they are getting away with it.
    Demand action.
    Lisa
    My mountain dulcimer network...FOTMD.com...and my mountain dulcimer blog
    My personal blog:My blog
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

  13. #28
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Southern Indiana
    Posts
    176

    Trying to get an update

    Thanks for the encouragement. I just called the police dept. to request an update regarding the punks who screamed at me and leaned toward me from the van. I'm feeling blown off. The officer is supposed to call me, but I'm getting very strong vibes that I'm just supposed to shut up and start riding my bike in the safety of my back yard. Yes . . . this is the frustration of being a victim. I can just let this go if I have to, but I didn't do anything wrong, so why do I have to fight my way through this?
    I'm a nurse. Wonder if I would have stopped to help if one of the punks had fallen out of the van . . . ???
    Barb

  14. #29
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Colorado
    Posts
    326
    In Colorado cyclists are encouraged to use the standard road rage/dangerous driver hotline (*CSP). If an officer is available in the area, they will attempt to find the driver.

    At a minimum, the information is kept in a dangerous driver database and the driver is contacted after 3 reported offenses and faces penalties for any beyond that. Of course I wish that they'd just go lock the guys up but it does please me that cars and bicycles are treated with equality in the system. This is due to the advocacy work of Bicycle Colorado.

    I agree that making sure that the police take these things seriously is important. Equally important IMO is advocacy to ensure that cyclists are respected by the system beyond the individual officer/department.

    Mr. Silver is right that you have to train yourself to react by looking for the plate. I do this every time a car scares me or turns in front of me even if they have a safe distance, a game more than anything but a good habit to develop. More useful long-term than the finger anyhow. It's important to have a means of remembering/recording the plate # too.

    Anne

  15. #30
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Riding my Luna & Rivendell in the Hudson Valley, NY
    Posts
    8,408
    Quote Originally Posted by bacarver View Post
    Thanks for the encouragement. I just called the police dept. to request an update regarding the punks who screamed at me and leaned toward me from the van. I'm feeling blown off. The officer is supposed to call me, but I'm getting very strong vibes that I'm just supposed to shut up and start riding my bike in the safety of my back yard. Yes . . . this is the frustration of being a victim. I can just let this go if I have to, but I didn't do anything wrong, so why do I have to fight my way through this?
    I'm a nurse. Wonder if I would have stopped to help if one of the punks had fallen out of the van . . . ???
    Barb

    Maybe it'll help you get action if you tell the police that if nothing is done about this you will write a letter to the newspaper. That'll probably get some action going. These kids NEED to be contacted by the police and made to realize they will get into trouble if they do it again.
    Lisa
    My mountain dulcimer network...FOTMD.com...and my mountain dulcimer blog
    My personal blog:My blog
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

 

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