Beyond rude

That kind of behavior is beyond rude. I’m sorry that you went through that. There are horrible examples of people riding dangerously and selfishly out there. I work my butt off every day to give examples of the exact opposite of that… as do virtually everyone on this forum. I hope that we can work together to change the tide and make occurrences like this fewer and further between.

Rock on!

*Sigh* I’m also very sorry you had to experience this. The great thing about being on a bike is getting to meet people you wouldn’t meet riding in a car. The bad thing about being on a bike is you get to meet people you wouldn’t meet riding in a car. Please don’t let this discourage you from either riding your bike or being less than friendly to other cyclists. Honestly, there are many more kind and helpful folks out there than what you encountered.

Dickie – this may be a cultural thing, but I recommend consulting Google before throwing around “BBW”.

@Boomer Biker Woman 65419 wrote:

I’m not offended b/c I consider myself a BBW (Big Beautiful Woman), but NOT in the Google definition sense. I think that definition is wrong, BTW. Originally back in the 80’s when this term was coined it was a way for women who wore sizes greater than those displayed in fashion magazines (e.g. 0-2) feel good about themselves.

Honestly, I was just giving Dickie a hard time and didn’t expect you to ever come back. Most people who join the forum in anger don’t stick around, but I’m glad to see that you seem to be an exception. If you do stick around you’ll see that, while there are plenty of people who should be locked in their homes until they learn how to behave in public, most of them do not hang out on this forum. And those who do hang out on this forum tend to try and help with education.

So, welcome to the forum!

Road rage comes to biketopia ? I suppose in a way we could be almost pleased that bike riding has become normalized to the point that the everyday frictions of life assert themselves. Even jerks ride bikes now, what a milestone. At 62 I can commiserate but not be surprised that people are rude. I can be surprised that a woman, even a young woman would hit a stranger. That falls outside my preconceived notions of the natural order of the universe. It says to me that there could be a cultural component to this that is disturbing. The whole chapter as regrettable as it was does at least have the merit of being so odd as to be remarkable. Being on a bike rather than in a car means we are not isolated from the rest of the world. 99.9% of the time thats a joy and a wonder. That other tenth of a percent, well ya just gotta be careful out there.

Ten days ago I was driving an elderly relative to a medical appointment thru Rock Creek Park and was being tailgated by an apparently Very Important Person with NY tags. Upon approaching a cyclist I slowed down to give the rider ample room and the VIP behind laid on the horn. I rather foolishly stopped my car at a stop sign, got out and went to talk to Mr VIP about how his time really wasn’t so valuable that he got to run the rest of us off the road. He opened his door and waved a can of Mace in my face. Clearly a bad idea on my part. Luckily I was able to point at the Park Police station 50 yards away and ask if perhaps we should take the discussion there. Note to self – road rage does not lend itself to calm intervention but rather to increasing the distance between the parties involved.

It sounds like a weapon was brandished. You were assaulted. If the mace had been used, that would be battery. Would be a good time to call 911, and take pictures.