Winding up boy racers

downfader

Not deliberately, it just happened by my being there.

I usually just ride in and out of work, but since I have a few days off I thought I'd just ride for an hour for fun. Get some exercise, I thought, after all I'd been on me backside since friday.

Halfway on the ride there is a long, long downhill part, not steep but I can do near 40mph if I'm not careful. Hill Lane is the road, it winds a little but its mostly all right of way for about a mile. So to get onto it safely I walked across the dreaded Hill Lane pedestrian crossing, where drivers rarely stop. Waited for traffic to clear and got on. For about a minute in I was doing about 30 behind a careful driver and heard this ROOAARR behind me.

Boy racer, ironically in his 30s, wanted to get past and over took at speed. I could see him checking back as if to say "I'm not waiting behind you mate!" only for him to realise he was right up the a*** of the driver infront of me. He panicked and overtook them at speed and shot down the road doing the same, only to get stuck behind a DHL lorry. I'm not sure but I think he nearly went into him.

Cue the lights changing red. Boy racer is stuck. I hung far behind because of the lorry, even if there was an ASL it was too small to be seen imo. I think boy racer has realised I was behind him, as the first oportunity he'd shot off at about 90 (I have no idea if it was, just throwing numbers out there - he was FAST!)

5-10 minutes later I approach the ASL nearer the end of the road. As I sit there who do I see? Boy racer in his BMW. He must have been so p***ed off, LOL, he just couldnt get away from me even at the next 2 junctions.

In my mind it goes to prove - you can flex your muscle in a car, but the law abiding cyclist is still going to catch up. We finally parted ways about 3 miles on from where we first met.

salsarider79

And he was still trying to be a 'real man' then I assume... poor boy

downfader

I caught some of his actions on me little camera, too. Quite funny, if a little dangerous at one point. I think he really thought he was in a race.

Littigator

I had a similar experience the other day, pulled away from some lights beside a car and as it was downhill I accelerated farily rapidly past her. As I was catching up with the car in front, cue the driver I had beat away from the lights tearing past me and pulling in front, only to have to put her brakes on pretty hard to avoid hitting the car in front of her.

Why is it some drivers get so wound up by the idea of a bike going not even quicker than them but the same speed even?!

downfader

Littigator wrote:

I had a similar experience the other day, pulled away from some lights beside a car and as it was downhill I accelerated farily rapidly past her. As I was catching up with the car in front, cue the driver I had beat away from the lights tearing past me and pulling in front, only to have to put her brakes on pretty hard to avoid hitting the car in front of her.

Why is it some drivers get so wound up by the idea of a bike going not even quicker than them but the same speed even?!

I felt like saying to one driver today "CHECK YOUR SPEEDOMETER!" as I was keeping up with the guy infront, but still they had to shoot past me. Would have loved to see a camera flash off.

meenaghman

Ah Hill lane Southampton !
if you really want some close driving you need to go down the avenue !
Its scary driving down there never mind cycling a bike.. These days i suppose you'll be effed out of it cycling up the avenue .. especially with cars turning right in RH lane between the mini roundabout and the m3 roundabout at the top, with other cars squeezing past you in LH lane.

geoffnelder

There's a 1 in 5 lane from Moel Famau carpark towards Ruthin. I usually chicken out and walk but even so my bike is eager and pulls away from my hand on the saddle. Last time I allowed my bike to persuade me to stay in the saddle I must have been nearing 40mph when I hit a wide streak of mud. Thanks Mr Farmer. I'd not cycled sideways before. I still don't know how the bike pointed in the right direction again after I'd wobbled more than Jordan on a trampoline.

Geoff

downfader

meenaghman wrote:

Ah Hill lane Southampton !
if you really want some close driving you need to go down the avenue !
Its scary driving down there never mind cycling a bike.. These days i suppose you'll be effed out of it cycling up the avenue .. especially with cars turning right in RH lane between the mini roundabout and the m3 roundabout at the top, with other cars squeezing past you in LH lane.

I know about the avenue. :roll: I wont tell you the stories I know where people have gone road-rage on the wrong people and come off worse. :?

And Geoff, great image there. I'd have chose Lucy Pinder on a spacehopper myself

graeme_s-2

I cycle home over a set of speed bumps in a 20mph zone every day. I can easily do 20-25mph over the speed bumps, and occasionally I'll get someone pull alongside me in an attempt to pass. The looks on their faces when they realise I'm not going to slow down for the rapidly approaching speed bump, which they're now about to take at in excess of 25mph is priceless. They generally brake very hard and drop in behind me. My favourite was the boy racer in a Corsa whose car made a rather large banging sound as he hit the speed bump at a considerable speed.

Jez mon

Similar happened to me the other day. Was going at about 19mph in a 20 zone. Driver overtook me, took ages to, I was just thinking, what the hell do you think you're doing. Road started to go downhill so I overtook him (the speed limit doesn't apply to cycles apparently). I do like to overtake cars....although it's very dangerous.

Littigator

Graeme_S wrote:

I cycle home over a set of speed bumps in a 20mph zone every day. I can easily do 20-25mph over the speed bumps, and occasionally I'll get someone pull alongside me in an attempt to pass. The looks on their faces when they realise I'm not going to slow down for the rapidly approaching speed bump, which they're now about to take at in excess of 25mph is priceless. They generally brake very hard and drop in behind me. My favourite was the boy racer in a Corsa whose car made a rather large banging sound as he hit the speed bump at a considerable speed.

You are a dark and evil soul.... I like your style! :twisted:

downfader

Graeme_S wrote:

I cycle home over a set of speed bumps in a 20mph zone every day. I can easily do 20-25mph over the speed bumps, and occasionally I'll get someone pull alongside me in an attempt to pass. The looks on their faces when they realise I'm not going to slow down for the rapidly approaching speed bump, which they're now about to take at in excess of 25mph is priceless. They generally brake very hard and drop in behind me. My favourite was the boy racer in a Corsa whose car made a rather large banging sound as he hit the speed bump at a considerable speed.

They're all cry babies when they break their corsas

Some of the speed bumps I encounter here are a right pain. They might as well have put in a small brick wall. For years I have been trying to master jumping them, but to no avail so far - they're just too far down the road (about 2 and a half feet deep, a 45 degree angle incline to a 20cm height - put in before the new regulations i wonder)

Hmm, heres a thought - does anyone know how I find out online if a road is oneway? Multimap and googlemap dont show that info as far as I can tell... Its PORCHESTER ROAD in this clip I made, 5.10 in to the video (which also shows the BMW driver I was telling you about)

nosmo-king

Just a thought, ( yes even I can have one now and again!) silly as it may sound, can a cyclist trigger a Gatso speed camera?

downfader

nosmo-king wrote:

Just a thought, ( yes even I can have one now and again!) silly as it may sound, can a cyclist trigger a Gatso speed camera?

Yes. I know a couple of guys who have set them off. Hand held radar is a lot harder to catch you with though, I'm told.

Jez mon

I had a policeman aim his radar gun at me, read out my speed and say Good Job

Mithras

Off to a shout today with a collegue, unfortunately had to jump the first set of Reds, que upset BMW x5 driver who puts his foot down to pass us, I give him a quick grin as we pass again shooting through another two sets of reds.....I love my job sometimes!

PS Red lights responsibly jumped going to an emergency shout and checked to make sure way was clear!

downfader

Mithras wrote:

Off to a shout today with a collegue, unfortunately had to jump the first set of Reds, que upset BMW x5 driver who puts his foot down to pass us, I give him a quick grin as we pass again shooting through another two sets of reds.....I love my job sometimes!

PS Red lights responsibly jumped going to an emergency shout and checked to make sure way was clear!

What job do you do then? :?

Mithras

Paper delivery Boy!

teagar

Don't piss them off too much guys.


I was cycling home late one night when before I knew it I was on the floor. A guy in a boyracer car had leant out of the window and pushed me off my bike. Fractured my pelvis. They seemed to think it was funny!

The less they notice cyclists the better.

ChrisLS

teagar, I'm really sorry to hear that...are you in hospital?...no good contacting the police?

teagar

ChrisLS wrote:

teagar, I'm really sorry to hear that...are you in hospital?...no good contacting the police?

No, happened last summer. Not much use contacting the police. My description reads "White male in car"

downfader

teagar wrote:

Don't wee-wee them off too much guys.


I was cycling home late one night when before I knew it I was on the floor. A guy in a boyracer car had leant out of the window and pushed me off my bike. Fractured my pelvis. They seemed to think it was funny!

The less they notice cyclists the better.

So did you actually report it, is the question? :? That in my book is assault. Another reason I carry a camera...

teagar

No I didn't report it. Not much to report to be honest. Not sure how a camera would have helped? :?: First time I saw the car I was heading for the floor.

It's definitely assault, but what can I do? I can't provide a description, it's a lit road but they don't have CCTV down there.

Mithras

teagar wrote:

No I didn't report it. Not much to report to be honest. Not sure how a camera would have helped? :?: First time I saw the car I was heading for the floor.

It's definitely assault, but what can I do? I can't provide a description, it's a lit road but they don't have CCTV down there.

Teagear, it is lways worth reporting, firstly you could be due compensation from the criminal injuries board, secondly you may not be the first in your area to have been assaulted in this way. All it takes is a couple of odd bits of information and you get the culprit.The White male may be enough to add to somone elses description of what happened. If for example some one got knocked off by a blue ford fiesta, sombody else reported a similar vehicle for dangerous driving on a "p" plate, sombody else said it had the number 234 on the plate. Or a white spoiler, or furry dice etc it could well lead to an arrest.

nolf

East on the A48 down through Eli is good for overtaking cars. It's got a 30 limit and speed cameras, with a bit of a tailwind it's really easy to do 35 down there.
I usually go in the outside lane just because you can go so much faster than all of the traffic.

It's great overtaking all the drivers in the inside lane and the looks of incredulity they give you as you pass them.

ride_whenever

I like overtaking the bus going down headington hill in oxford, one of the bmxers I know hangs onto the handle on the back and gets a tow up, apparently the bus driver stamped on the brakes to teach him a lesson and he just slingshotted past and overtook a bus going uphill on a bmx!!!!!!

downfader

ride_whenever wrote:

I like overtaking the bus going down headington hill in oxford, one of the bmxers I know hangs onto the handle on the back and gets a tow up, apparently the bus driver stamped on the brakes to teach him a lesson and he just slingshotted past and overtook a bus going uphill on a bmx!!!!!!

I would hope no one needs to explain why he shouldnt be doing that :shock:

redvee

Rode past 2+ miles of nose to tail traffic this afternoon but I was on the wrong side of the road, so tempted to join the traffic and sail past it all

downfader

redvee wrote:

Rode past 2+ miles of nose to tail traffic this afternoon but I was on the wrong side of the road, so tempted to join the traffic and sail past it all

Were you tempted to shout out:

"HI!! HOW ARE YA!! LOVERY AFTERNOON!!"

redvee

downfader wrote:

redvee wrote:

Rode past 2+ miles of nose to tail traffic this afternoon but I was on the wrong side of the road, so tempted to join the traffic and sail past it all

Were you tempted to shout out:

"HI!! HOW ARE YA!! LOVERY AFTERNOON!!"

Had two lanes of heavy moving traffic on my side of the road as I road along the A4 cyclepath back into bristol so they wouldn't have heard me. Guess it took those in the traffic the same amount of time to move the 2+ miles as it took me to do the whole journey The situation for the other traffic isn't helped by unused red tarmac aka bus lane.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

When I do commute by bike, I use Hill Lane for less than five seconds... Going between the Common and Bellemoor Road!

Some other fun hills to descend in the Bitterne area are Lances Hill (if not rush hour, otherwise its gridlocked traffic to cautiously squeeze between); Chessel Avenue (lucky if more than two cars pass you on a five minute ascent); Athelston Road (at the Peartree Avenue end, rediculously steep); Mouse Hole Lane (West End Road end); Witts Hill (another evil one close to an estate "rat run"; Meggesen Avenue... The list goes on, plenty of choice for hill training variation!!!