[bikerfactor]

@dkel 93713 wrote:

Pretty sure I saw this guy on my way home tonight. Traveling east through Falls Church I saw an orange version of the bike coming towards me just before I got to Citizens’ Bridge, which caught my eye because of this thread. Then I saw another bike like it just after I crossed the bridge, which seemed a pretty rare occurrence, and that one was definitely a maroon-purple-looking color. It was a double-take kind of situation, though, and going in opposite directions didn’t help. Was the collision guy bearded? I’m pretty sure this guy had a beard, though again, it was a quick pass.

As an aside, if recumbents hold all kinds of speed records for human-powered vehicles, why is it that they’re always so slow on the trail??

He didn’t have a beard (as far as I remember). I’m seeing lots of pictures of orange versions of this bike online, but I’m pretty positive his was maroon/purple. I don’t remember seeing any patriotic bling either. Next time I see him I’ll post and update….. with a photo….

[bikerfactor]

@RideTheWomble 93724 wrote:

I understand this was a huge deal to you, and that you were upset. 911 is for emergencies where a serious crime is in progress, or there is an immediate threat to human life, though. In other words, someone is having a heart attack, or an armed robber is threatening a cashier, or there’s been an accident, and someone needs an ambulance NOW. By calling 911 with an issue that’s not as serious as those types of things, you may be contributing to those 5 minute holds.

I keep the Arlington Police non-emergency number in my phone for stuff like this – (703) 558-2222. This happened pretty close to the jurisdictional line, but they’d still have been able to help. Most importantly, you would have given the dispatcher the discretion to prioritize the call. I suggest putting the police non-emergency numbers for the jurisdictions where you ride in your contacts. If you have a fender-bender, see some new graffiti, notice a stranded vehicle that needs help, have a kitten up a tree, or any number of scenarios where someone isn’t bleeding out, you’ll have the number.

Having said all that, the recumbulator driver does sound like a cowardly douche, and it’s disheartening that he brought needless conflict to the trail and messed up your bike.

Yes, understood, it is probably guys like me who are clogging up the 911 line and I realized as I was doing it that calling them was not a very cool thing to do. That said, I didn’t have the arlington number, the guy was standing right in front of me and telling me he was going to commit a hit and run, and I figured if the cops actually responded immediately they might nab him since he was so obvious and obviously heading into town on the trail. Plus I had just told the guy I was going to call the cops on him… But seriously, the dispatcher could have just said “hey buddy, call the arlington cops – here’s their number, and it would have taken about 10 seconds. I truly find it frightening to learn that if I call 911 in Arlington for a real emergency I will have to wait for 5 minutes before a human actually picks up the phone. Couldn’t they at least pick up and do a quick triage? (e.g., “hello, 911, is this a life-threatening emergency? Are you in physical danger? No – OK, we have to put you on hold for a few minutes).

BTW, I waited about 20 minutes for the cops, who never showed. Then I pedaled home, another 20 minutes, and maybe 10 minutes later got a call from an officer (I had given the dispatcher my number). He told me he wouldn’t have been able to do anything even if he had been on the scene – since it was “not like there were cars involved,” that this was “a risk of riding on the bike path,” and that if they responded to every incident on the path they would be “inundated.” At least the guy was honest, but still I was under the impression that since I was crossing a city street at the time of impact, that traffic rules applied to us both. I’d bet this same cop would give me a ticket for going through that stop sign on my bike without stopping if he happened to be in the mood (I’ve heard of cops doing this on the W&OD but haven’t witnessed it).

Anyway, thanks for the Arlington number. I’ll put it in my phone right now.

[bikerfactor]

@Dickie 93684 wrote:

First off, are you injured? If so I hope it isn’t too bad and you can continue riding. I’m also sorry this happened and was the reason that brought you to our forum. On a good note… “Welcome to our forum”. Could you provide a few details for us such as which direction he was heading, time of day, circumstances, crossing with or without signal, etc? I ride that everyday and I am almost certain I have seen him, although before I stick my neck out on your behalf I could use more info. Cheers.

Thanks for the warm welcome to the forum! OK, the long version – thanks for asking.

I was not hurt. We were riding eastbound and the unfortunate event occurred at almost exactly 8am. I was on the W&OD just about to cross Little Falls Street – the last crossing before you go over the wooden bridge (over Four Mile Run) leading up to the Lee Hwy crossing. Yes, there is a stop sign.

This is one of those intersections that I never just blow through without slowing down – the cars coming up from the left don’t have enough time to see you and react if you happen to get unlucky. So I was standing up, slowing way down but steadily – and in fact there was a car approaching from the left and the driver seemed oblivious. When it was finally clear that the car was going to stop and let me pass, I cranked maybe once on the pedals and BAM – someone ran into the back of my bike before I even really got into the road.

So I pulled over and the guy on the recumbent who hit me pulled over behind me. He was in his 50s, pasty and a little dumpy looking. His bike was more noteworthy – the maroon “Gold Rush” recumbent with the big windshield and an oversized rectangular light in the back. The thing looks like it belongs on the back of a 40 foot RV driving through Texas.

I check my bike and realize that the wheel isn’t spinning freely – maybe a spoke or something else wrong with the wheel. I was able to get it ride-able by loosing the brakes way up, and then I ask the guy if he has a card with his number on it. He says no. I keep inspecting the bike for other damage, and ask him for his phone number as I pull out my phone to copy it down. This is when things start getting crazy. The guy starts saying he thinks it was just as much my fault as his, or maybe nobody’s fault but definitely not just his. I was truly shocked, so I asked him how it could possibly have been my fault, and he says he was watching that car coming and saw it stop and never looked at me – but I should have been going because the car was stopping. At this point I asked him again if I can have his number, saying I think it’s just the wheel but just in case there’s damage to the frame (carbon) I’d like to contact him. He says “yeah, ah, well I guess,” but I could tell then that the chances of him giving me his real number were slim and he was already starting to argue again.

So I ask him to give me his insurance info. To this he replies all crazy-like and indignant: “I’m not gonna give it to you!” Then I started to get irritated. I asked him if he was serious, which he was, so I told him I was going to call the cops. “Go ahead and call them!” he says, and he starts to ride away. After getting over my disbelief I started yelling at the guy as he was riding away that I was going to follow him all the way to his f*ckin’ office – to which he replies “go ahead, do whatever you want!”

I caught up to him at the Lee Hwy intersection while I was already on hold with 911 (which lasted for about five minutes by the way). Trying to be calm and reasonable, seriously, I say to the guy “what would you do if you hit someone from behind in your car? You wouldn’t just say it wasn’t you fault and drive away, right?” Before I could even finish the sentence, though, he takes off through the intersection.

I started riding after him but really wasn’t sure if it my bike was safe to ride – especially in a chase, so I pulled over and waited to finally get connected to a dispatcher, who of course sent cops who never came.

My only regret is that I didn’t take the guy’s picture while I had my phone out. I figured he was unmistakeable on that bike.

I’d like to give this guy the benefit of the doubt and believe that he is actually crazy and really believes that somehow his ramming into the back of my bike when I was already accelerating away from a stop sign was really my fault. But in that case the guy is a complete menace and shouldn’t be allowed on a bike.

I took my bike in to my local Fresh Bikes after work, and after straightening a bent spoke and telling me to keep an eye on the the area where the quick-release clamps down – which had the paint chipped off – they gave my bike a clean bill of health and sent me on my way without any charge. So there’s a happy ending at least.

But I will be looking out for that Gold Rush with the big windshield and the dumb looking oversized rear light.

here’s a link to a picture of what I remember this guy’s bike looking like:
http://www.zzipper.com/testimonials/terry.php

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