Passing car threw a stone at me

FlamingTberto

Hi All,

New on here and felt compelled to post tonight as I was having a great ride at dusk when a passing car threw a stone at me the size of a golf ball. It caught me completely off guard, I saw something white coming at me and thought it might have been ice but having looked back after it hit it was a hard stone.

Luckily it hit me in the chest/shoulder area where it is muscle and not close to the bone. It bloody hurt at the time. I looked at the car but it had gone too far to see the reg. I thought about chasing but didnt think that would be the safest thing to do, I did't know how many were in the car.

Anyway, it got me pretty angry that some idiot would throw stones at people from a car. I was pretty wary for the rest of the ride as I was on a circular loop and was about to cross back to the area after a few more minutes round in order to get home.

I've heard that the local BCCC canoe club gets stone throwers down on the canal sometimes when they are paddling but I have never heard of stones thrown from cars before.

Sure, I don't live in a great area but its not shocking either. I just don't get why someone would get their kicks from driving about throwing stones from their car.

I wanted to share the story with you all, I don't know what it will do but hopefully no one else has to experience this. Or maybe you might see the car and behaviour if you are from this area. If you do, please report the reg. I was fortunate the stone did not hit me in the face. The road was fairly flat and was motoring along, with the car coming from the opposite direction at a fair speed the stone hit with a lot of force and I have a bruide right now that is being iced.

It was an old silver citroen or renault, 4 door saloon or 5 dorr hatch.

Approx 9.10pm tongiht on:
Prospect Rd, Ash, Surrey GU12 5, UK
Link: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&sourc ... 16&iwloc=A

Makes me want to cycle with full faced helmet and goggles for protection

I hope karma catches up with the mofo.

Takis61

Sorry to hear it, assholes.
Right not to chase, you are way vulnerable if it escalates.
makes you mad though.

rally200

Hope you reported it to the police - thats a serious assault

geoff_ss

Just wondered, is it possible the stone was flicked up accidentally by the car's wheels? Or did you actually see someone throw it? If the latter then it's not good. For some reason idiots seem to think harming cyclists is a harmless pursuit.

Geoff

flasher

rally200 wrote:

Hope you reported it to the police - thats a serious assault

+1

kafkathedog

thats bad, could have done some serious damage.

I had an egg thrown at me once from a builders lorry, pretty sure that wasn't thrown up from the wheels

paulieb2006

Sorry to hear about that. Dont let the assh0les put you off. It does make you think how exposed we are when we are out on our own for a spin. Wouldnt be suprised if there was someone here who has been asaulted or had their bike nicked while out on quite country roads.

Grazy81

Funny thing is you know there were a few of them in the car doing it because there is no way they would try it if they were on there own.

I got some abuse from a car a while back and when i called it on they just put there foot down n sped off

skyd0g

I'd report it to the police (and take a photo of the bruise for reference). The police will probably give it the old "without a reg. no. or without a witness we can't do anything" - but make sure they're aware of it & have it logged.

It's probably the same twonker who's throwing stones at the canoeists you mention. It may be worth riding over to the canoeists to chat about it?

There's a good chance that the culprit is fairly local, so keep a look out on your rides (and poss a pen & paper to note down the reg). It was bad enough as it was, but could have been worse - and unchecked may even escalate.

Anonymous

Needs to be reported to the police, this is a nasty assault that could have had repurcussions past your injuries, e.g. you swerve, car following swerves to avoid you and crashes etc etc.

Glad you are ok.

Just a note though, you spelt through wrong, this is the internet!

will3

That's nothing, I had a log thrown at me once.

So I stopped and took it to a friend's house where he used it on his fire.


[/topper]

FlamingTberto

Thanks for the support guys, I will pop down to the local part/time Police station tonight and hope it is open, else will go to the nearest bigger station that is always open.

I can still see the trajectory of the stone now clearly in my head, it was dropping as it hit me as opposed to rising. It was a large stone, slightly bigger then a golf ball in width but shaped more like a pyramid.

The bruise has come up nicely now so should be fine for a photo later.

I think I will give chase to get the reg if there is another time.

The only positive thing I can say about it is that the incident gave me a boost of adrenaline and I powered home with a kick. Much like Lance did when he fell of the bike up a mountain a few years ago and then looked into the German's eyes before speeding off.

Anonymous

Geoff_SS wrote:

Just wondered, is it possible the stone was flicked up accidentally by the car's wheels?

That was my first thought

NoNotAgain

M.Cole wrote:

Geoff_SS wrote:

Just wondered, is it possible the stone was flicked up accidentally by the car's wheels?

That was my first thought

Mine too, especially since you were hit on the chest.

softlad

FlamingTberto wrote:

I can still see the trajectory of the stone now clearly in my head, it was dropping as it hit me as opposed to rising.

TBH, this is no indication that it was thrown, rather than kicked up by a tyre. Did you actually see it being thrown?

I ask because I have been hit by stones a few times (though nothing quite as hard as that, fortunately) but always accidental...

Anyway, the guy's aim must have been pretty good, in order to be able to hit a moving target at distance from a moving car.

Not trying to take anything away from your injury - I just think that given the circumstances, unless you actually saw someone throw the stone at you - it probably didn't happen like that...

bobtbuilder

I had a half full bottle of Lucozade chucked at me by a Chav last year. I'm pretty certain it wasn't because he could see I was tired.

Capo

softlad wrote:

Anyway, the guy's aim must have been pretty good, in order to be able to hit a moving target at distance from a moving car.

If the bike and car are both going in the same direction, speed of the target becomes much less of an issue than if, say, it were someone standing at the roadside chucking the stone. As for distance, even when a car leaves you a lot of space when overtaking, that's what, six feet or so from the passenger side?

Glad OP is okay, we had a spate of incidents in Oxfordshire a couple of years back when passenger in a white van (what else?) would push cyclists off their bikes as the van overtook them :shock:

That's attempted murder, in my book...

AidanR

I've had a stone catapulted at me from a passing van. No kidding - Dennis the Menace style, with the passenger leaning out of the window. It hit my thigh and hurt like hell, but could have been a lot worse.

I also had a full coke can thrown at me, which hit me in the head (no helmet :oops:) which was pretty unpleasant. There are some real c*nts out there.

amnezia

bobtbuilder wrote:

I had a half full bottle of Lucozade chucked at me by a Chav last year. I'm pretty certain it wasn't because he could see I was tired.

Are you sure that wasn't just your support car?

timb64

amnezia wrote:

bobtbuilder wrote:

I had a half full bottle of Lucozade chucked at me by a Chav last year. I'm pretty certain it wasn't because he could see I was tired.

Are you sure that wasn't just your support car?

Are you sure it was Lucozade!!

zoglug

bobtbuilder wrote:

I had a half full bottle of Lucozade chucked at me by a Chav last year. I'm pretty certain it wasn't because he could see I was tired.

Similar to this, monday i ended up covered in McDonalds strawberry milkshake after some little scrotes decided to launch it at me! These sort of clowns are the future of our country!

Capo

zoglug wrote:

Similar to this, monday i ended up covered in McDonalds strawberry milkshake after some little scrotes decided to launch it at me! These sort of clowns are the future of our country!

I'd have been so totally prepared for that yesterday. Had the pink Rapha Italy jersey on

softlad

Capo wrote:

If the bike and car are both going in the same direction, speed of the target becomes much less of an issue than if, say, it were someone standing at the roadside chucking the stone.

seriously, if you can achieve a direct hit in those circumstances, first time, and without the rider even noticing you are there - then I think a career as a special forces sniper awaits you..

Capo wrote:

As for distance, even when a car leaves you a lot of space when overtaking, that's what, six feet or so from the passenger side?

if the guy was 6ft away - surely he would have noticed as the guy leant out the window and took aim...??

zoglug

Capo wrote:

zoglug wrote:

Similar to this, monday i ended up covered in McDonalds strawberry milkshake after some little scrotes decided to launch it at me! These sort of clowns are the future of our country!

I'd have been so totally prepared for that yesterday. Had the pink Rapha Italy jersey on

Unfortunately i was all in black! Looked a lovely sight as i toddled home! Thankfully it was only a couple of miles!

daveclow

we've had this whilst rowing before. the trick is to run at them looking very angry whilst sporting an all in one lycra suit.

no one wants to mess with a man in lycra.

GeorgeShaw

A car "pinged" a one foot piece of scaffolding plank at me once - one of the short pieces they use to level the base. I saw it clearly, the edge of it's tyre ran over the edge of the plank and next thing it was 12 foot in the air and coming straight for me. I was lucky I saw it coming.
:shock:

BikeNewby

Given that it was a stone that kind of makes it less likely he threw it? Unless he carries stones around waiting for the opportunity. I had a stone the size of my wife's fist ping up at my car on the motorway once. Smack in the middle of my windscreen.

That said it does sound exceptionally unlucky if it was thrown up.

Geordie Mick in Wigan

TWICE I've had cans of pop lobbed at me from shithead chav's in cars, neither of them took up my offer to stop and discuss it like men

The fist time it hit my leg and hurt but the second time it got me right in the kidneys and brought me to my knees, I often wonder if a nasty debilitating disease would catch up with them in later life........

Seanos

I started riding about 3 months ago and had been doing training rides round a local circuit quite happily until a couple of weeks ago. In a secluded lane a car was driving slowly behind me and the driver shouted 'f***** cyclist' then overtook me slowly. I didn't give it too much thought as there was just him and a girl in the passenger seat but then he pulled over and blocked the road in front. Then I realised there was another car following him with four chavs in and they tried to hem me in. I was pretty sure I was in for a kicking and luckily managed to do a sharp u-turn and ride off back to civilisation.

I have to say it's put me off a bit and I'm sticking to the main roads now, which is a shame. Anyone in Kent riding around Rochester/Wouldham/Burham/Eccles/Ayleford might want to keep an eye out. Or carry a tazer.

:shock:

snig

i was once pulled off my bike by 2 men that stopped in a car just in front of me,they started grabbing my bike saying i had nicked it,one of them said to the other one to look on the bottom to see if it had the "mark" he had put there,he said it did so was sure that it was his bike,it was a new bike so I knew it didnt have any marks so knew they were trying to steal it,all the time we are playing tug of war with my bike in the middle of the road,what amazed me was how many cars that went out of their way to drive around us and not stiop tp help as by then I was shouting for help,at last a car did stop and he was a star! he threatened us "all" not to move and he called the police,thats when the 2 men suddenly decided that after all it might not be their bike! anyway to make this story a bit shorter we gave the police the reg of the car,the next day when I went to see what had been said by the men that tried to mug me,I could not beleive what the "policeman" said to me,he said that as the car was from the next town over to us,all of 10miles that it was toofar for him to go incase he was needed here! and that as the car was old it was most likely not registered to the correct owner anyway!!! ever since riding that bike has losted any enjoyment,and police wonder why they have a bad name.

synchronicity

In South Sydney I had a lit firecracker thrown at my wheels. He was a right tit! :evil:

Have also had a sandwich thrown in my face. Reported those cuntz to the cops as it was just a plain and disgraceful act of humiliation - cops at least got the guy to leave a voicemail & he seemed generally sorry.

One more reason to get a track bike methinks...
Oh and after 15 years or so riding on the roads solo, I WILL be joining a club when I get back to OZ later this year...

Have any of you had any trouble on a club training run?