Missed connection

[consularrider]

@btj 64754 wrote:

Me: Riding eastbound on PA Ave NW coming out of Georgetown just before the red light at 26th St. I had recently gotten in the left hand lane to prepare for a left hand turn.
You: Patriot Cab (#35) driver who decided to completely cross the double yellow lines to drive on the wrong side of the road to pass me even though you were driving directly into oncoming traffic that was turning left from 26th onto PA Ave heading towards Georgetown.

Look, I get that you might not realize the left hand lane was the legal and proper place for me to be at the time, but maybe honk*, yell*, or use one of the other multiple legal lanes next time instead of going all salmon-crazy. And the light was red, I caught up to you about 3 seconds later.

*I am not advocating drivers honking and yelling, but would have preferred it in this situation.

There’s a recent thread on bikeforums.net about just this topic.

[fuzzy]

@jrenaut 64671 wrote:

1) You: Two guys standing in the middle of the bike lane at 13th and PA NW, taking pictures down PA Ave
I never said I own the country, but you’re right, you own it just like I do. That doesn’t give you the right to block the lane and be an a****le to the cyclist legally using the lane and not being rude when he tells you that you’re standing in the road.

I just couldn’t say anything to him. His response to “You’re standing in the middle of the road” was “Yeah, so?”. I just can’t deal with that lack of logic.

Lastnight I was stopped on Penn and 7 N at the red light next to One of those guys. He was sitting in the middle of the lanes with his camera pointed at the Capital building.

I was testing my new toy, boombotix boombox, had the volume turned all the way up. That thing is super loud and can be heard like almost two blocks away. I was blasting bloody well right by super tramp in his ear. We was giving me a look so I ignored him and stayed until I had the green even though I could have went as there was no traffic at all….

Felt good… Does that make me a sadist?

[jrenaut]

A friend posted to Facebook that he, as a pedestrian legally in the crosswalk, was buzzed by two cyclists. One actually yelled “Watch where you’re going!”. I can’t imagine that was any of you all, but it still sucks.

[bobco85]

Interesting stuff on the W&OD this afternoon

Missed connection #1:
To the guy riding near Mount Vernon Ave with a whistle in his mouth, blowing his whistle in short bursts to a simple tempo:
I at first thought you were using your whistle to call your passes, but you weren’t near anyone when I saw you. Perhaps you were keeping yourself motivated? In rhythm? Practicing to become a lifeguard? I am confused.

Missed connection #2:
To the couple on CaBis riding with their kid on a trail-a-bike:
Cool idea! I’ve never seen a trail-a-bike attached to a CaBi before!

[hozn]

@ShawnoftheDread 64632 wrote:

What levers did you use? Was it hard to get them to work with the standard v-brakes?

I am guessing they might be these “long-pull” guys: http://www.treefortbikes.com/product/333222344273/107/Tektro-RL520-Ergo-Brake.html

[cyclingfool]

@hozn 64877 wrote:

I am guessing they might be these “long-pull” guys: http://www.treefortbikes.com/product/333222344273/107/Tektro-RL520-Ergo-Brake.html

Those are the ones. FWIW, I already answered.

[Terpfan]

Somehow I encountered nearly every idiot on the trail yesterday (handful of no calls, crazy passes, angry joggers, etc), but I think the one that takes top billings was the guy who passed me in OT on Union St. Forget about failing to call the pass or straddling the middle of the road as a car approached, but then, refusing to break stride to even one hundredth of a pedal stroke, you decided to pass a cab on the left who had just stopped for the stop sign, blow the sign and force a car coming in the opposite direction to move right to accomodate you. I really hope you were respnding to some sort of emergency that dictated the reckless riding because I really don’t want to waste an evening waiting for emergency services for the time you get hit, and you will if you keep riding like that.

[Dickie]

Is it a “missed connection” if you know the offender?

No names to protect the guilty, but my wife and I were left gobsmacked by a totally crappy and dangerous maneuver by someone we recognized….it really sucked!

We were heading west to Best Buns (shocker) on 4MR in Shirlington and stopped at the South Shirlington Rd. pedestrian cross walk behind a gentleman walking two large golden retrievers. I leaned forward to push the button for the flashing light when from behind a cyclist forced his way between my wife and I and nearly hit the dogs, no stop, no warning, straight into traffic and through the light. We all looked at each other with absolute disbelief at the rudeness and complete selfishness of this act, never mind the risk! It was then that I recognized the rider…. I just didn’t know what to say, luckily they didn’t realize it was me that they schoaled since it would have been a very uncomfortable confrontation.

Totally ruined my day!

[MattAune]

@Dickie 64948 wrote:

Is it a “missed connection” if you know the offender?

No names to protect the guilty, but my wife and I were left gobsmacked by a totally crappy and dangerous maneuver by someone we recognized….it really sucked!

We were heading west to Best Buns (shocker) on 4MR in Shirlington and stopped at the South Shirlington Rd. pedestrian cross walk behind a gentleman walking two large golden retrievers. I leaned forward to push the button for the flashing light when from behind a cyclist forced his way between my wife and I and nearly hit the dogs, no stop, no warning, straight into traffic and through the light. We all looked at each other with absolute disbelief at the rudeness and complete selfishness of this act, never mind the risk! It was then that I recognized the rider…. I just didn’t know what to say, luckily they didn’t realize it was me that they schoaled since it would have been a very uncomfortable confrontation.

Totally ruined my day!

Time of day? Is the offender on Strava? Let the witch hunt begin.

[rcannon100]

ME: Almost qualifying for AARP-membership cyclist struggling up the !@#$ Arlington Hill, struggling with the unbearable lightness of Fall glare, working my way up through Cherrydale past the old Hardware, past the Yoga joint, and working my way past the salon – bobbing my visor up and down, oscillating between blocking the sun’s glare but not being able to see anything – and a greater field of vision but not being able to see anything because of the glare.

YOU: The A$$CLOWN tall-guy on a black Cannondale, that came out of absolutely no where – scared the @#$%$ out of me – flying straight at me almost causing a collision…..

Oh, ha…. um…. the a$$clown was…. um…. ME

With the wicked fall light causing all but perfect reflections in windows (causing birds to crash into our back windows with regularity because it looks like a perfect reflection of the trees in the back yard)…. what I saw was a reflection of myself in the open door of the salon I was passing by. Struggling with the glare, I saw a reflection of myself coming straight at me. Yow! did I jump!

[consularrider]

Well, at least the little girl at the bus shelter is still only making the rude hand gestures instead of riding downhill at you.

[rcannon100]

@consularrider 64980 wrote:

Well, at least the little girl at the bus shelter is still only making the rude hand gestures instead of riding downhill at you.

It’s a very bad block for me. People just hate me in Cherrydale!

[consularrider]

@rcannon100 64981 wrote:

It’s a very bad block for me. People just hate me in Cherrydale!

….. “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood …..”

[jrenaut]

You: Jerk making a u-turn on PA Ave between 14th and 15th
Me: The cyclist who yelled “No turns!” then watched the police officer flip on his lights and chase you down.

You: Runner who passed me and another cyclist going up the hill on 15th at Meridian Hill Park.
Me: Um, yeah.

[kkentium]

You: Young-ish girl, maybe a student, parked in your car along McCormack Dr NE next to Catholic U. You decided to pull out right in front of me heading southbound toward MBT.

Me: Decided to do you a freaking favor and swerved to avoid hitting your Lexus and thus ate pavement and added another road rash scar to my right elbow/knee.

Thanks for not stopping to see if I was OK!

[Author]

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