Sometimes bikers do really stink

[moose8]

I try not to post negative stuff here if I can help it, but sometimes you just need to vent. Some idiot on a bike just ran into my pregnant wife who was in a cross walk while he was cycling the wrong way down the street. Fortunately she appears to be ok and wasn't knocked to the ground, but she's three days from her due date and doesn't need to be run over. The guy didn't say a thing and left a shaken up pregnant lady there and took off. I would have lost my mind if I had been there so probably a good thing I wasn't. At least my wife said the guy looked like he hurt himself.

I just don't understand some people. And I also hate that people probably view me the same way as jerks like this guy when I commute by bike.

[AJosiahK]

Ida flipped if I was there too, even if it was someone else's lady...


Glad your wife and babe came out alright

[sandyrs]

If anything warrants a venting thread, I would say someone nearly injuring your very pregnant wife does. Glad she's okay.

[Schmed]

I would have grabbed that guy by the neck if he did that to my pregnant wife. What a jerk.

I guess jerks ride bikes, drive cars, walk, etc. etc. etc., but you are right, a few bad apples makes all of us the target.

Glad your wife is OK!

[Aaron O]

I would have grabbed that guy by the neck if he did that to my pregnant wife. What a jerk.

I guess jerks ride bikes, drive cars, walk, etc. etc. etc., but you are right, a few bad apples makes all of us the target.

Glad your wife is OK!

And some of those jerks lose their license to drive a car and end up being jerks on bikes. What a complete schmendrick! I'm glad your wife is ok.

Hopefully karma is a real thing and there's a car door for him.

[jmeloy]

Hey moose, where did it happen? No witnesses? Be nice to track him down.

[CMiller]

So glad she is okay, that is seriously scary.

[unterhausen]

I have this theory that people see all the anti-bike propaganda and internalize that they are supposed to act that way on a bike. My bike was almost broadsided on my morning commute by a guy that looked old enough to know he should stop for stop signs. And a month ago, my sister in law was decked by a cyclist on a walking path next to a road that has bike lanes. If'n you want to go fast, I can't see a reason not to ride on the road.

[Louis]

Strava !!!!

[Geeheeb]

I also would have flipped out on the guy. Glad there is no placental abruption.

[moose8]

Hey moose, where did it happen? No witnesses? Be nice to track him down.

It was on Washington and Worcester Street in the bus lane - so the guy was in the bus lane going the wrong way. Fortunately a nice woman riding her bike in the correct direction stopped to help my wife and she was fine. The guy's long gone, but I do take some solace in the fact that after I posted my wife got home and said the guy acted like he really hurt his elbow. So hopefully that's karma in action.

Thank you to everyone else for the kind words. It's obviously a person thing and not a biker thing in that there are jerks across all parts of life, but it does remind you why some people get mad at us sometimes I guess.

[chiasticon]

see...and here i thought this thread was gonna be about how you get into some guys draft, get a whiff of massive BO, and think "dude! do you EVER wash your kit!?!" because that sucks too. but not as much as this. glad your wife's OK. hang out on the same corner at the same time for a few days with your bike and track the guy down, give him a piece of your mind. or...just let it go. unfortunately, the world is filled with a-holes. :(

[redir]

Yeah I would have completely flipped too. It can't hurt to get the police involved especially if your wife has a good memory of what the guy looked like. If he had a handle bar mustache too boot that would be the icing on the cake (joke from another thread)

Glad to hear she wasn't knocked down and is ok.

[bcroslin]

Not a cyclist. Just a bad human being who happens to be riding a bike.

[makoti]

Glad she's ok, but yeah - he deserves much pain. Hitting her was bad enough, but just leaving her? Lame.

[rugbysecondrow]

Can you post something on Craigslist asking for witnesses?

I, and most other husband/fathers, would have gone Chuck Norris on that guy, even if it wasn't my wife. Total dick move.

[Louis]

This brings up an interesting issue - would we expect there to be something inherent in cycling that would cause folks who do ride to have a fundamentally different psychological profile than the rest of society?

I think in many cases (e.g. super-competitive types who race seriously) the answer is likely to be "Yes." But as far as there being fewer d!cks and @ssholes in our ranks, unfortunately the answer is probably "No."

[rugbysecondrow]

This brings up an interesting issue - would we expect there to be something inherent in cycling that would cause folks who do ride to have a fundamentally different psychological profile than the rest of society?

I think in many cases (e.g. super-competitive types who race seriously) the answer is likely to be "Yes." But as far as there being fewer d!cks and @ssholes in our ranks, unfortunately the answer is probably "No."

As has been discussed before, it seems many people who ride bikes are jerks. From a sports/activity perspective, cyclists have been the least friendly of any activity I have ever done, period. I suspect there is a type of person who enjoys riding, a loner, a person who might be anti-social, somebody who rebels against convention. Maybe these people have lower emotional intelligence and it comes off as @ssholish.

[in_version]

Yikes! Very glad your wife is okay. This reminds me of a few years ago when I used to bike through NYC without the intention to stop until I reached my destination. Had a red light with lots of pedestrians crossing in front of me, but no cars were there and I saw a hole so I kept speeding through. Immediately to my right was a pregnant women who yelled as I passed by. Didn't think much of it at the moment but in hindsight, I shake my head at my foolish actions. Not too much more f*d than running into a pregnant woman. I am more careful now, but there will always be young (or old) inconsiderate bikers out there.

Good luck with your new child.

[merlinmurph]

May be a good thing you weren't there, or we'd be hearing a different story. ;-)

Glad everybody is OK. Good luck with the new baby!

[AngryScientist]

Get some sleep; you're going to need it.

[Seramount]

From a sports/activity perspective, cyclists have been the least friendly of any activity I have ever done, period.

bah, cycling is a gigantic, endless group hug compared to technical diving.

[George Ab]

Congratulations on the soon to be birth. Glad to hear your wife is OK.

[rugbysecondrow]

bah, cycling is a gigantic, endless group hug compared to technical diving.


I scuba dive but have never done technical diving. Scuba divers are awesome and totally welcoming to new people.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[unterhausen]

cyclists are welcoming to new people, but they are too socially stunted to know how to show it.

Really, I think that there is noting about cycling that would attract or repel jerks, so we get our share. And cycling attracts a lot more people than more specialized sports. It's easy to generalize from a small sample because it's a huge community of folks.

[pdmtong]

In the end a scary situation without repercussion.

But scary. Very scary. Glad she is ok.

If I was there I would have gone complete charles bronson or Jules (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAmwnD-Sv3c):

"Well, I'm a mushroom-cloud-layin' mf, mf! Every time my fingers touch brain, I'm Superfly T.N.T., I'm the Guns of the Navarone! ..."

Congratulations on fatherhood. And start that kid riding early. Nothing better than riding with your kid.

[William]

Can you post something on Craigslist asking for witnesses?

I, and most other husband/fathers, would have gone Chuck Norris on that guy, even if it wasn't my wife. Total dick move.

Swift and silent.


Get some sleep; you're going to need it.

Indeed. :)







William