Assaulted on MVT — looking for witnesses

[cdjewell]

The incident occurred around 6:30 PM yesterday, April 6 about 1/4 south of Memorial Bridge. Angry White Male first pushed me under bridge (despite my son sitting in a Topeak seat behind me). I turned around and caught up to him to have an angry word with him. First AWM tried to swerve and run me off the trail. Then he stopped and knocked my black Surly Cross-Check over from under me. Witnesses would have noticed two dudes shouting and swinging fists at each other and a bike lying on its side with a child still strapped in his bike seat. While my focus was on AWM, I know some cyclists and joggers passed by.

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[OneEighth]

FWIW, I think the trails have become much less pleasant than they were a few years ago. I really noticed it when I took a break from bicycling and pretty much motorcycled everywhere from October through mid-March. When I started commuting by bicycle again, I realized that I was exposed to more in-you-face stupidity/aggression on the path than when I was commuting on the motorcycle.
Not sure what is driving the behavior I see. Perhaps the fact that you are the engine makes the whole thing more personal and the competitiveness turns into aggression. Perhaps people don’t feel as bound by formal rules of the road when on a bicycle and that bleeds over into feeling that the usual rules and consequences don’t apply to their behavior. Dunno—I just know that it’s not cool when it’s more relaxing to play in traffic on a motorcycle than to ride on the path.
So, a big thank you to all of you who make the ride decent. Really appreciate it.

[KLizotte]

@OneEighth 138819 wrote:

FWIW, I think the trails have become much less pleasant than they were a few years ago. I really noticed it when I took a break from bicycling and pretty motorcycled everywhere from October through mid-March. When I started commuting by bicycle again, I realized that I was exposed to more in-you-face stupidity/aggression on the path than when I was commuting on the motorcycle.
Not sure what is driving the behavior I see. Perhaps the fact that you are the engine makes the whole thing more personal and the competitiveness turns into aggression. Perhaps people don’t feel as bound by formal rules of the road when on a bicycle and that bleeds over into feeling that the usual rules and consequences don’t apply to their behavior. Dunno—I just know that it’s not cool when it’s more relaxing to play in traffic on a motorcycle than to ride on the path.
So, a big thank you to all of you who make the ride decent. Really appreciate it.

Out of curiosity, is it both sexes that you see causing trouble or just men?

[OneEighth]

Both, but easily more men than wonen.

[viennabiker]

My impression is a bit different–spring (especially the first couple sunny weekends) are often the worst times every year, since it transforms what had been trails for the most regular riders and joggers into crowded multi-use trails. Some (a minority, but enough to be noticeable) of the former can get impatient or unwilling to share and some (again, a minority, but enough to be noticeable) of the latter can be oblivious (and clueless about how to share). As the spring wears on, a bit of learning takes place. Again, this is only an impression, but I think I’ve noticed it most in the areas that get the most mixed traffic on nice spring days (Capital Crescent in Bethesda; W&OD in Vienna; MVT near DCA). So it may be cyclical. I could be a frog in a boiling pot, but I haven’t noticed any year-to-year deterioration.

[Raymo853]

As someone who 10 years ago got into fisticuffs while riding here in DC, and before that, knocked people down in MTB races on purpose…. this thread makes me guilty, sad and ashamed. If I ever did anything like that, or this, today, I hope I would get arrested. And if I did it in front of my child, I hope the police or a citizen would call child protective services.

[DrP]

@Raymo853 138825 wrote:

As someone who 10 years ago got into fisticuffs while riding here in DC, and before that, knocked people down in MTB races on purpose…. this thread makes me guilty, sad and ashamed. If I ever did anything like that, or this, today, I hope I would get arrested. And if I did it in front of my child, I hope the police or a citizen would call child protective services.

So, what got you to stop fighting and knocking people down? Just getting older and more mature (which do not always go together)?

[huskerdont]

I think it really is a spring and crowds thing. Now that the freezing dark is done, I long for 98 degrees and 90% humidity to clear the rabble out. :>)

On the other hand, I was almost kinda sorta assaulted before xmas, which is what prompted me to finally sign up here instead of just reading, so yeah, maybe I’m a lobster in a pot and haven’t noticed the water temperature change yet.

[gibby]

@viennabiker 138823 wrote:

My impression is a bit different–spring (especially the first couple sunny weekends) are often the worst times every year, since it transforms what had been trails for the most regular riders and joggers into crowded multi-use trails. Some (a minority, but enough to be noticeable) of the former can get impatient or unwilling to share and some (again, a minority, but enough to be noticeable) of the latter can be oblivious (and clueless about how to share). As the spring wears on, a bit of learning takes place. Again, this is only an impression, but I think I’ve noticed it most in the areas that get the most mixed traffic on nice spring days (Capital Crescent in Bethesda; W&OD in Vienna; MVT near DCA). So it may be cyclical. I could be a frog in a boiling pot, but I haven’t noticed any year-to-year deterioration.

Well said.
And days like today when the temperature really starts to head up (or maybe its all the pollen) things get real jiggy. I’d have to say, moving back here after being away 4 years, that most cyclists are more aware and more friendly than a few years ago — which makes the TT wannabes and clueless meanderers, all the more noticeable.

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