Just been gobbed on

You've got my sympathy Flatty.

A similar thing happened to me near Stanley in Co. Durham. I lost my rag and ended up chasing a bunch of kids who'd spat on me and also thrown a bottle. I suddenly realised that I could end up in hospital or in court on a charge of assault so I backed off. Every time I read something similar it makes me angry and I wish I'd kicked their arses for them.

Yesterday, a car went past me in the opposite direction and I got sprayed with something - too much for gob, think it was probably a swig of water from a bottle. Didn't see the driver and the car was round the bend before i got close to getting a license number.

Feckin' annoying.

I wouldn't be chasing down groups of teenagers - could easily be carrying knives.

J

What I posted online a couple of months ago, on WhatMTB and STW:

Been out on my 'new to me' road bike. Done about 15miles and on the last bit before home, a nice long downhill. I'm got it upto about 30mph and theres a car coming in the opposite direction at about 40+.

All of a sudden theres an impact low on my left shoulder. I figure somethings been thrown from the car so I stop and get off the bike. Its an egg. 30mph + 40mph means a 70mph impact, and considering the fact that I'm leant forwards with my hands down on the lower parts of the bars, this has snuck just under my chin prior to impact.

So within a few seconds of stopping the phones out and its a 999 call. Yeah its only an egg. But its conceivable that with a slightly different shot I could now be in hospital or worse. Scarier when you consider I'm the sole income for a wife and 2 kids under 6.

In a way its lucky that within a minute of being connected to an operator the car passes again to gloat. Beige/dull gold, R956...., prat with a blue trackie top with stripes hanging out of the passenger window.

So if they're daft enough to get stopped theres a record of an assault. Theres a photo of a red swollen area of skin and a shot of the cycle top still with albumen and shell attached.

Right now I'm happy that I've done everything I can to record and report it.

I just have to contemplate the fact that not only do we have to ensure our skills on the road, worry about the lack of concentration and skills by other road users. We also have to deal with idiots trying to deliberately injure us

Not posted anything else about this since, but this thread reminded me. I got a phone call about 2 weeks ago. Coppers have got someone, caught him doing a similar driveby egging and he’s confessed to several more. Got told he was going to court and they were using the egging as evidence for driving convictions, cant remember if it was ‘due care’ or something similar.

Whichever, it was more of a result than I expected.

I got spat on just near there too. For ages I was contemplating going back, but what HONESTLY am I going to do against a couple of lads, as I would have to demount to fight, leaving the bike (with belongings) open to theft by his mates.
It still REALLY grates me thinking about him though. I want to get him back.

I know what you mean, I had one teenager from a small group aim a chest-high kick at me as I rode past on my way home, last year.

They laughed until I pulled up and walked toward them to question them on their actions. I was not openly aggressive but very firm and knew that if I started I'd be the one either stabbed or nicked, and I got the impression they were waiting for me to wade in first for the latter reason. I kept very calm and just asked why they did it, what was going though their heads.

I really wanted them to start but, as the above poster said, they are usually cowardly little sh1ts who lose the bravado once they realise their 'easy prey' might be capable of beating the crap out of them.

In a way, I really wished the main one would start as he was unbelievably gobby and threatening and I wanted to be able to legally flatten him. He did let slip that the reason he did it was because he "thought you were a geeky cyclist who'd just run away" until he realised that made him sound like the coward he was, when he quickly added "but I'd'a done it, anyway!".

By the time I gave up and left he looked a tiny bit embarrassed as his mates had all started pleading with me to leave him alone.

I can see why people want to leave the country. It's not 'just kids', it's violent, selfish, destructive and aggressive behaviour that just happens to be being carried out by young people. You just don't get the same type and level of behaviour in other countries with absolutely no respect for any rules, people or property.

And, as it's a result of similarly-minded, non-caring, pass-the-buck parents not giving a sh1t what their 'little darlings' get up to, it's not going to get any better.

In fact these same wasters are going to spawn the next generation so what hope do we have?

Answer: castrate them or leave the country! :twisted:

Rant over.
.
.
.

I've just started riding again recently and on my second time out I rode past a group of local chavs and caught one of them in the corner of my eye lifting up a rock on one foot, who then kickied it towards me, narrowly missing my head.

Perhaps it's an evolutionary instinct handed down through the ages; that a person mounted on a moving object should be subject to abuse/violence? A lot of wars in ancient times were fought on horseback after all...

mazcp wrote:

One simple way to get your own back (as I've done before) is if you catch up with them in a queue of traffic for example, open the boot of their car or maybe a rear door if there's no-one sitting in the back. Then speed off. They'll have the inconvenience of having to get out of their car to close the boot/door.

Make sure conditions are favourable before pulling ths stunt.

That's a good one - I like it! I've knocked off a few wing mirrors in my time motorbike riding but not done it yet on the pushbike - I did punch the side of a taxi that passed within a few inches of my elbow last week though. He stared at me in his mirror and sped off. Really wanted him to stop too

Opening a door as you filter past is a new one to try the inevitable next time!

porgy,

you absolute hero - well done! Certainly better behaviour than having the balls to actually speak to your neighbours to ask them to be more considerate.

How old were you at the time?

J

flattythehurdler wrote:

I realised that, but seriously what would you do? Be gobbed on and do nothing? As I say if it was a brick I probably wouldn't have bothered.

Try the old 'open the boot and leg it' trick...works a treat...

Porgy wrote:

jedster wrote:

porgy,

you absolute hero - well done! Certainly better behaviour than having the balls to actually speak to your neighbours to ask them to be more considerate.

How old were you at the time?

J

This was after I'd tried talking to the igorant f****** and I'd tried walking in the road as well - they didn;t like that very much either. WTF is a pedestrian supposed to do when the pavement is blocked?

Er...report it, perhaps?

I did the report to police/council bit.

Althpough our councils taken responsibility for enforcing yellow lines, the police are still empowered to enforce obstructions. They reckon they turn a blind eye to 2wheels on the pavement, so long as a kids double buggy can still be negotiated past.

Plenty of £30 tickets handed out by the coppers. Took a kid getting knocked down to get the council to attend, but when they did the tickets were £60 a time.

Its sexual assault, report it to the police.

Probably they won't be able to do anything, but if anything like it happens again the police have history of a pattern.