Am I bloody invisible????

Rich158

You all saw me at the weekend right? Legolas (Mad one) doesn't have an invisibility cloak, no :?

So why have I had getting on for five very near misses over the last 2 1/2 days, and I'm talking misses of the why aren't I dead variety :shock:

No.1 Some idiot decides to turn left on me at the lights on Avery Hill Tuesday evening, Which brought back a Pink Floyd Lyric - 'as you slide towards the big truck, you stretch the frozen moments with your fear!' and believe me I did. I was doing about 30 at the time and still don't know how he missed me, I think I actually passed through his bonnet :shock:

No.2 Tuesday evening again, some old dear coming in the opoosite direction decides to turn right by moving onto my side of the road about 4 car lengths before the junction and the turning accross the front of me. She saw me because she held her hand up in apology, but the silly cow didn't stop, which was a nasty moment as i was doing about 30 at the time and had nowhere to go.

No.3 Wednesday morning, same set of lights going the other way. A cock in an Audi decides the road is obviously clear and tries to boot it onto the main road, just as I am passing through the junction. Cue much screeching, and his ABS going nuts and much swearing from me, how the feck he stopped god only knows, and the twunt then has the cheak to give me abuse as he disapears off up the road.

No.4 Wednesday evening, a mini roundabout in a village I pass through, car on the left slows down and almost stops, so stupidly thinking that as I'm approaching on his right, pretty much on the roundabout, I have right of way. Oh no he starts to pull onto the roundabout only to screech top a halt inches from me as I pass in front of him. Twunt :evil:

No.5 Wednesday evening again, another left hook, but this time even closer. I'm aproaching the junction and am maybe two car lengths from it when a car pulls out as if to go round me - now this is important as they've clearly seen me - and then proceeds to try and turn left :shock: I'm looking in the passenger window gesticulating and they looked shocked to see me, even though seconds earlier they'd pulled out to go round me. Dozy prats :evil: :evil:

I'm begining to wonder if I actually exist, or whether I should actually get on the bike at all. If this is Kharma, what the hell have I done wrong :roll:

CiB

Speed is the common factor here old man. You need to ease up a bit.

lost_in_thought

I think CinB might have a point - although it is of course not illegal or even remotely naughty to cycle at speed on roads, I think a lot of drivers don't expect you to be going much faster than 15mph, and once they've passed you they certainly don't expect you to catch them back up again. EDIT: unless you're in really bad traffic.

The only advice I can offer is this: when I'm travelling at about the same speed as moving traffic, I pretend I'm a car and position myself in their rear-view mirrors, and in the middle of the lane going across junctions. Theory is this - that's where they're checking for cars etc, so they ought to be looking there. If you are there, they can't help but see you.

Sorry to hear about all the near misses though, and glad you're ok.

sarajoy

Who said that?

Aidy

Who said what?

CiB

I had my tongue planted firmly in cheek tbh, but it's a fact that other road users can have a habit of seeing cyclists a semi-stationary and to be mentally discarded from the thought process, and most of them certainly don't expect a bike to be doing ~30mph. Like the dozy cow in the Audi TT this morning who passed me on the approach to a roundabout, then squeezed right up to the kerb causing me to discover that my brakes do still work when called upon, and then she carried straight on anyway instead of the expected left turn across my path. Why? She'd managed to pass without hitting me so knew I was there, but as soon as she was past me I'd gone from her thought process. Until I politely tapped on her rear wing, when she nearly jumped out of her comfort zone. Mad bint.

always_tyred

Spidey sense. That's what you need.

Dudu

You are not alone. In the space of one month (a November, four or five years ago) THREE drivers drove into the back of my bike while I was stationary at red lights or in the queue, at between 0815 and 0845. Never before or since.

No idea why. Same bike, same clothes, same riding habits.

cee

Rich158 wrote:

No.4 Wednesday evening, a mini roundabout in a village I pass through, car on the left slows down and almost stops, so stupidly thinking that as I'm approaching on his right, pretty much on the roundabout, I have right of way. Oh no he starts to pull onto the roundabout only to screech top a halt inches from me as I pass in front of him. Twunt :evil:

Got to be careful of those mini roundabout things....sometimes they do not behave like normal roundabouts.....

There is one in particular that I am thinking of (Near the Braid Hills Hotel in Edinburgh) where two of the entrances have a single dashed line while the other two have a double dashed line.....single dash gets right of way, but it is certainly confusing....

Rich158

Always Tyred wrote:

Spidey sense. That's what you need.

Thats's what's kept me alive

Tbh in the first two speed was a factor, in the rest I was pootling, well about 15'ish anyway. It's just one of those weeks I guess. Kicked no.1 son out on Monday (maybe that's Kharma ) made it up on Tuesday, only to be broken into and have both laptops stolen on Wednesday :evil: :evil:

But I'm still smiling

Cafewanda

Keep smiling mate and have a bloody great stiff drink tomorrow night to welcome the weekend.

pottssteve

It's not unusual - you're not invisible, you're on a bike, so many people don't have a clue how to react correctly. I've now lost count of the number of times people have pulled onto a roundabout which I'm already on, causing me to brake. They underestimate your speed, and they know you're likely to come off worst. They are tw@ts.

Ride safely.

agv457

sarajoy wrote:

Who said that?

I got it

Im glad you are ok.

These last couple of days ive felt vulnerable riding. Cars getting close etc ... and then one idiot riding up almost touching my rear wheel then proceeding to cut in front of me and try to provoke me into a fight.... but i was not intimidated. Its a sad world when he tries to save 10 seconds rushing me and then wasting 1-2 mins trying to provoke me into a fight... twunt! A new word! Im always looking to increase my vocabulary, thanks!

ps. never a police cyclist when you want one!

Aidy

It is strange, today I've had a lot of people doing the "move out to go around, then into the side of me" move.

Most terrifying one being the HGV squeezing me at a traffic island this morning, I had to shift over quick to not be hit (I was in primary position, before you all start), and I swear there was no more than 5mm between my bars and the side of it as it passed.

downfader

Frankly I get the feeling that when drivers do this stuff they do know better but just dont give a damn. Some of the aggressive driving just makes me think "well you wouldnt do that to my face, toe to toe"

I've had a couple this week, and even today, where I am approaching 30 and they still have to get past. I know my speed, I hold my line, but no, its get out of my way. Couple of funny ones nearly went into a bus and a HGV earlier this week. Oh the mess they would have created on that blind bend. :shock:

teulk

Today i had two idiots nearly knock me off. As i was aproaching a traffic island (mi sick of drivers queezing past) i move to the middle of the road (after looking behind) and then the driver of the car that was behind me started beeping his horn and yelling at me - of course i gestured and yelled back. Then after crossing a juction after being stopped at traffic lights a driver deliberatley got as close to me as they could before flooring it and flying past me giving me the finger - i chased him as fast as i could but obviously he got away, if id caught him i would have dragged him through his window and beat the living daylights out of him and his mate i ws just so angry at the stupidity of their actions. I am sick and tired of risking my life everytime i venture on the roads. These idiots just dont seem to have any comprehension of the consequences of their actions by driving as they do. The driver of the car and his passenger at the lights actually found what they did very funny. Ok granted beating them up would exactly be the best course of action but hey atleast it would have made me feel better

Feltup

By my reckoning I have been very close to you Rich and yet have never seen you. Going on this logic you are in fact invisible

Kieran_Burns

Sam?

Sam?

I hear voices Sam.... give me a name Sam.....

Headhuunter

I biked from Chancery Lane out to the Docklands yesterday at about 7pm or so and as I passed along Commercial Lane I had the usual prats pulling out from side roads in front of me without a care in the world. One tw@t didn't even attempt to check right before pulling out, he simply blindly followed the car in front, as far as he was concerned I could've been an HGV! I yelled and swore at him and he suddenly noticed me, grinned and stopped - yeah, f*ckin' hilarious mate....

My advice is to watch drivers' eyes as they pull out from side roads, you can tell if they've seen you or are dreaming in a world of their own. Also take primary position on the road if you're going at any speed, definitely don't hug the curb or pass close to parked vehicles, you're much more visible in primary position and it has the advantage that twunts can't easily vertake and then cut you up as you're blocking the road ahead of them.

Rich158

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Sam?

Sam?

I hear voices Sam.... give me a name Sam.....

I'm sure when it rained earlier this week I could hear a faintly discernable 'it burns master, it burns' coming from the direction of the Mad one (aka Legolas)

Ahhh, I think I've cracked it, obviously I do have an invisiblity cloak, now if I could find some bib shorts and a top made frm Mythril I'll be safe

Kieran_Burns

Wrong Sam..


Think Scouse arsewipe who pretends to be a Medium

Rich158

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Wrong Sam..


Think Scouse arsewipe who pretends to be a Medium

Oooohhhhh

I think I've become a LoTR geek :shock: :oops: :oops: I guess it goes hand in hand with being an internet geek I guess. Next stop World of Warcraft and I'll only have virtual friends :shock: :roll: