Pillock on Holloway Rd last night

toontra

5.45 yesterday evening. The lights went green at the junction with Hornsey Rd (going north) and I overtook a few wobblers waiting at the ASL and headed off up the bus lane, checking behind and moving over to the left. As I was going under the rail bridge I was bumped on my left shoulder and was amazed to see some tw@t trying to overtake me on the inside. I was about 2-3 feet away from the kerb - primary position, just enough room to avoid drains, etc - and there was plenty of room to overtake on the outside of me in the bus lane, probably 7-8 feet.

When he bumped into me I thought he'd pull back, but no, he carried on trying to overtake! I couldn't steer right because my bars were literally banging up against his, so I couldn't in fact steer anywhere, but just try and keep going straight. We carried on banging against each other for about 30 - 40 yards until I managed to slow down a bit & let him carry on.

At that stage I shouted some abuse! When we pulled up at the next lights I pointed out to him that it's usual to overtake on the outside. He said there was a gap on the inside so what he'd done was OK. I didn't bother explaining to him about primary position riding, just told him what he'd done was bloody dangerous, not to mention rude.

We carried on up Holloway Road and then Archway Rd, swapping the lead. We were both about the same speed, doing 20 - 25 on the flat. As I was nearing the top of Archway Hill (again in the bus lane) he overtook, on the outside this time but again bumping my shoulder, this time the right one (there was TONS of room to the right of me in the bus lane).

That was it. I shouted that I was going to hit him! That seemed to make him go faster. He pulled out a 30-yard lead and then tried to turn off to the right, but there was heavy oncoming traffic so he was stuck in the middle of the road. As I passed on the left I shouted further abuse and threatened to assault him if if he ever bumped me again. I decided against physical action in the middle of the A1.

I've been commuting for 30 years in London and I've never had someone bump into me before, and this guy managed it twice in 2 miles. What a pillock.

cougie

Thats freaky ! Just shows that there are bad cyclists just like motorists. Unusual for him to bump you though - maybe he'll change tactics when his bumping brings him down.

Gussio

Shocking behaviour. I had somebody clip me on the Putney Bridge when they were trying to undertake. I wasn't best impressed, particularly because he had nowhere to go (bus blocking the way).

We have enough to worry about with buses, HGVs, cars, motorbikes, etc. on the warpath, without having to endure idiot cyclists :x

Littigator

That's a shocker, I'm not surprised you lost your temper, I'd have barged him back and had him off his bike!

lost_in_thought

Unbelieveable.

I hate it when people undertake, particularly in heavy traffic. Being sh!t cyclists they're generally slower, and only serve to hold me up.

I don't like shouting at people though, I'm a peaceable soul...

knight2k

What a tool! No-one needs that sort of behaviour on the way home.

You did well to restrain yourself - I don't think I could have. I'm usually very mild mannered, however a cheeky rabbit punch to the back of the kidneys on my way past wouldn't have gone a miss.

always_tyred

He wasn't riding a brown Specialized was he? If so, he made good time from Edinburgh after pithing me off.

cougie

We had a lad on a MTB pass us in heavy traffic on a Sunday ride the other day. He was nipping in between cars in a desperate attempt to pass us. It was only about 30 seconds or so and he almost had himself pinned between a car and stationary wagon, and clipped the mirror on another parked car. And then, when he was past us - he u-turned and went back to his mates.

Not a way to grow old.

cougie

We had a lad on a MTB pass us in heavy traffic on a Sunday ride the other day. He was nipping in between cars in a desperate attempt to pass us. It was only about 30 seconds or so and he almost had himself pinned between a car and stationary wagon, and clipped the mirror on another parked car. And then, when he was past us - he u-turned and went back to his mates.

Not a way to grow old.

The Greg

Was undertaken by a London Dynamo rider (wearing a LD jersey and, get this, white World Championship bib-shorts with rainbow trim) near Old Street roundabout at about 6:45am this morning.

He then proceeded to RLJ into the roundabout, weave through 3 lanes of traffic causing much tooting of horns (to which a middle digit was raised) before RLJ-ing out of the roundabout on the other side and down City Rd.

With his obvious championship pedigree he must have been practising his 'spot the gap on the inside' sprint for the line.

Clever Pun

wow the first bump might have been an accident and shitty riding but the second was deliberate no mistaking

what a prize a co<k

cougie

Would be cool if someone like Abdou was working as a courier in London. The kn*b cyclist wouldnt last long bumping him around. He'd have been hooked clean through the next set of railings.

Kieran_Burns

I have to say that my first thought was:

hand, handlebar, push. :twisted:

Clever Pun

Right turn Clyde.... whack

minus

A bloke cycling in very small (obscene) running shorts was honking as hard as he could to overtake me on Friday night heading North towards the roundabout by Highbury/Islington tube.

I got bored of his erratic moves and let him go ahead. I was right behind him as he honked across the roundabout, undertaking another cyclist and then actually bumped shoulders with the cyclist. If they'd gone down some vehicle would probably have hit them. Truly nuts.

I wonder if it was the same person that was on Holloway Road?

toontra

minus wrote:

I wonder if it was the same person that was on Holloway Road?

Very possibly. I'll be going up that way on Monday and Tuesday at the same time (5.45) and if I see him again I'm going to do something - not sure what yet.

sc999cs

Maybe he was just practising for a sprint finish. Have you tried asking in the Road Race forum if it was one of them? On the other hand it might has just been a tw*t!.

toontra

sc999cs wrote:

Maybe he was just practising for a sprint finish.

That's what it seemed like. Mind you, we were in a bus lane about 10' wide so no need for bunching - or bumping.

jedster

Damn, I try to avoid confrontation but I would have seriously lost it when he nudged me the second time. The complete and utter fookwit.

I was nudged into the side of a black cab last year by a rider who pulled out without shoulder checking (it was an accident, and I was partly at fault for being too close) I bounced of the cab and bounced down the road.... painfully.

I'd have zero sense of humour for someone who did it deliberately or at best recklessly.

J

cee

just as he is passing you on the inside, pull his brakes....