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Post by rockjunquie on Mar 8, 2023 12:37:32 GMT -5
My brother is an avid biker. He bikes hundreds of miles a week- barring bad weather.
I live in a big city, the most populated in Virginia. In 2020 the pop. was abt 460,000. It is not very bike friendly. But, my brother is a veteran biker and manages. UNTIL he meets the jerk that laughs as he tries to run him into a ditch- or worse.
Yesterday my brother called and said- Well, today you almost lost another brother. What?? He was at a 5 way crossroads right by our house. A guy in a big SUV motioned him to go, so he did. The guy then punches the gas and tries to T-bone him. It was only his skill, good bike and G-d's graces that he lived. He said the guy was grinning.
I used to bike with him. I have seen how people are. They will throw empty cans and trash at you, they deliberately act as if to hit you just to freak you out and they yell all manor of obscenities. One time my brother wiped out in an intersection and no one bothered to stop. They just sped around him causing more havoc.
I keep begging him to stop all the biking, but he refuses. I am very much afraid that something bad is going to happen to him. He obeys the traffic rules and is every bit professional. It just doesn't flippin' matter with some sadists.
Please be careful around bicyclist. That biker may be someone's brother or sister.
Now, I know that some bikers can get on your last nerve, but my bro isn't like that. He's very conscientious and courteous- mindful of traffic and not a hindrance to it.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,709
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Post by Fossilman on Mar 8, 2023 12:52:23 GMT -5
THAT'S CRAZY!!! I'm to the point that I trust very few people anymore, they are overrated on earth! It's the same out my way too, with bikes and traffic, they don't care and will do you damage! Glad your brother is safe!
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Post by rockjunquie on Mar 8, 2023 12:53:23 GMT -5
THAT'S CRAZY!!! I'm to the point that I trust very few people anymore, they are overrated on earth! It's the same out my way too, with bikes and traffic, they don't care and will do you damage! Glad your brother is safe! Me, too. He scared me.
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Post by chris1956 on Mar 8, 2023 13:06:10 GMT -5
Been there, done that. Glad your brother is ok. I gave up biking about the time everyone got cell phones. You just couldn't trust that people were paying attention. I also had my share of drivers being really obnoxious and dangerous around me while I was biking.
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Post by MsAli on Mar 8, 2023 13:10:21 GMT -5
Good thing he was ok and I hope he was able to get the license and report the driver.
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Post by mohs on Mar 8, 2023 13:32:26 GMT -5
Thereare real idiots on the road & malicious pedestrian running over is the newest sport in already mostly sick society Plus pedestrians need to quit being so damn oblivious!! I observer them and they are really stupid Another sick meme is suicidal drivers going the wrong way One of my fears is that I will inadvertently hit some one My reactions are slowing do lots of driving in increasingly busy streets I’m as careful as can be Especially at the zoo parking lot Lots of kids strolling an rolling Anyway I can rant on & on don’t trust walking in front of any car not sure what the answer is ? besides drastic drastic reduction time for the big guy to throw the ace card glad your bros was able to take evasive action Tela!!
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khara
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2022
Posts: 1,979
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Post by khara on Mar 8, 2023 13:38:52 GMT -5
I’m so sorry. I have gotten very jaded with society and people in general. I rarely go out anymore. And when I do it seems I can’t make a quick trip to the store without encountering some jerk or just bad/inconsiderate/oblivious driver. I too worry about biker friends and family. These people who are not giving bikers room have obviously never ridden a bike alongside traffic. You can’t have your wheel right on an awkward edge, some tires can’t be over on the gravel surface, so they have to be comfortably up on the pavement and some idiots just don’t have the common sense to realize that. Ya bikers can cause annoying traffic slow downs and back ups but that obviously doesn’t warrant behavior that could seriously injure or kill them. Life is a game of dodge ball and there’s always gonna be the big jerk that pummels the smallest weakest kid right in the head. Watch out for them.
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Post by Pat on Mar 8, 2023 13:43:20 GMT -5
Oh, my! Some people should not have been born.
Do you mean bicycle, or motorcycle?
Friend Bill was riding his bike to Colorado. He was president of local bicycle club. Didn’t make it. Hit by a careless car.
Friend Rolf riding to get his daily ice cream cone. In the bike lane. Was hit and died a week later. Careless car driver.
Scary. When my father was teaching me how to drive, he said to figure that all other drivers were idiots and/or just mean, and watch out for them.
I’m sorry your brother had that experience. Scary.
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Post by mohs on Mar 8, 2023 13:56:33 GMT -5
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Post by rockjunquie on Mar 8, 2023 14:38:34 GMT -5
Been there, done that. Glad your brother is ok. I gave up biking about the time everyone got cell phones. You just couldn't trust that people were paying attention. I also had my share of drivers being really obnoxious and dangerous around me while I was biking. I don't get it. Don't they know there are human beings on those bikes?? Good thing he was ok and I hope he was able to get the license and report the driver. No, he wasn't unfortunately. He was too busy saving his as*. There were other cars around. He was hoping someone else would call it in. Apparently, no one did. Thereare real idiots on the road & malicious pedestrian running over is the newest sport in already mostly sick society Plus pedestrians need to quit being so damn oblivious!! I observer them and they are really stupid Another sick meme is suicidal drivers going the wrong way One of my fears is that I will inadvertently hit some one My reactions are slowing do lots of driving in increasingly busy streets I’m as careful as can be Especially at the zoo parking lot Lots of kids strolling an rolling Anyway I can rant on & on don’t trust walking in front of any car not sure what the answer is ? besides drastic drastic reduction time for the big guy to throw the ace card glad your bros was able to take evasive action Tela!! I know, right? People are just getting uglier and uglier. Be safe out there! I’m so sorry. I have gotten very jaded with society and people in general. I rarely go out anymore. And when I do it seems I can’t make a quick trip to the store without encountering some jerk or just bad/inconsiderate/oblivious driver. I too worry about biker friends and family. These people who are not giving bikers room have obviously never ridden a bike alongside traffic. You can’t have your wheel right on an awkward edge, some tires can’t be over on the gravel surface, so they have to be comfortably up on the pavement and some idiots just don’t have the common sense to realize that. Ya bikers can cause annoying traffic slow downs and back ups but that obviously doesn’t warrant behavior that could seriously injure or kill them. Life is a game of dodge ball and there’s always gonna be the big jerk that pummels the smallest weakest kid right in the head. Watch out for them. You summed it up pretty well. People seem to be competing for who can be the nastiest. Ugh. Oh, my! Some people should not have been born. Do you mean bicycle, or motorcycle? Friend Bill was riding his bike to Colorado. He was president of local bicycle club. Didn’t make it. Hit by a careless car. Friend Rolf riding to get his daily ice cream cone. In the bike lane. Was hit and died a week later. Careless car driver. Scary. When my father was teaching me how to drive, he said to figure that all other drivers were idiots and/or just mean, and watch out for them. I’m sorry your brother had that experience. Scary. Bicycle. Sorry about your friends. That's awful. At least they are trying. Around here they've tried a few things and only made matters worse.
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Post by parfive on Mar 8, 2023 14:40:12 GMT -5
That bullseye in the middle, mohs . . .
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Post by mohs on Mar 8, 2023 15:13:36 GMT -5
Ha Your probably right Rich
The question becomes:
Are we overpopulated because were a intelligent species? Or Is it just the opposite?
anyway I have no answer I'm sure someone does
m ...
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Post by mohs on Mar 8, 2023 15:31:43 GMT -5
At 4:14 someone should pull that asshole Over and shove that muffler up his rectum
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pizzano
Cave Dweller
Member since February 2018
Posts: 1,390
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Post by pizzano on Mar 8, 2023 15:56:28 GMT -5
I’m so sorry. I have gotten very jaded with society and people in general. I rarely go out anymore. And when I do it seems I can’t make a quick trip to the store without encountering some jerk or just bad/inconsiderate/oblivious driver. I too worry about biker friends and family. These people who are not giving bikers room have obviously never ridden a bike alongside traffic. You can’t have your wheel right on an awkward edge, some tires can’t be over on the gravel surface, so they have to be comfortably up on the pavement and some idiots just don’t have the common sense to realize that. Ya bikers can cause annoying traffic slow downs and back ups but that obviously doesn’t warrant behavior that could seriously injure or kill them. Life is a game of dodge ball and there’s always gonna be the big jerk that pummels the smallest weakest kid right in the head. Watch out for them. Have spent many years cycling, both motor and peddle..........more years peddling since youth, it was my mode of transportation and later it became a competitive life style. Never spent much time off-road with cycles......until my son got me into trail riding several years ago, much safer (from a traffic aspect) than road riding.
Although, I owned an old pan-head sportster for about 10yrs, one of the first things I was taught by my mentors was to always "be seen and be heard".....the be seen aspect was a natural transition since loud colors are a must on peddles in traffic.......the be heard was taken care of by my exhaust system.....lol.......when I could no longer feel safe or hold my own weight (confidence) against traffic, I gave up motorcycling......It hasn't been just recently that respect for the road and cycles has been ignored, it's been on-going for years here in SoCal.........The "be seen & be heard" has just made us targets. You're better off on a quiet, extremely fast "rice" burner and staying aggressive, rather than just being a cruiser like I was........way to much stress and anxiety for my taste.
Up until 10yrs ago, I lived in peddle bike friendly communities.......Both cities, Redlands and Highland, CA, host road course cycling racing every year.......have since the 60's........many Pro's use those races as tune-ups for the major Euro Tours. Many of the streets have designated cycling pavement painted zones and the road width to accommodate such......it's the mountainous/hillside roads that one must pay extreme attention and have nerves of steel.
I now live in a community that is very old, some what country back hills.......roads are narrow, not well maintained......and to add to that, a whole lot of gray hairs who should not be driving, travel around all day doing their chores.........lol.......I've been pushed off onto the dirt shoulders by these geezers dozen of times. Finally, just had to revert to riding my trail bike on the pavement out here. The fatter tires provide more control, but make me work harder when just spinning or climbing.......
I won't give up my one and only true personal (solitude) leisure that keeps me in shape and the somewhat feeling of freedom and alone-ness I need to stay civil....among the crazies we all have to deal with outside of our comfort zones......I'm just lucky (blessed) to be experienced and physically capable enough to still enjoy that level of stress.......Yes, I've been laid out a couple of times.....thank God for helmets and strong bones, rather than tattoos, I've got road rash art to show-off......lol
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vance71975
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since September 2022
Posts: 760
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Post by vance71975 on Mar 8, 2023 16:19:01 GMT -5
My brother is an avid biker. He bikes hundreds of miles a week- barring bad weather.
I live in a big city, the most populated in Virginia. In 2020 the pop. was abt 460,000. It is not very bike friendly. But, my brother a veteran biker and manages. UNTIL he meets the jerk that laughs as he tries to run him into a ditch- or worse.
Yesterday my brother called and said- Well, today you almost lost another brother. What?? He was at a 5 way crossroads right by our house. A guy in a big SUV motioned him to go, so he did. The guy then punches the gas and tries to T-bone him. It was only his skill, good bike and G-d's graces that he lived. He said the guy was grinning.
I used to bike with him. I have seen how people are. They will throw empty cans and trash at you, they deliberately act as if to hit you just to freak you out and they yell all manor of obscenities. One time my brother wiped out in an intersection and no one bothered to stop. They just sped around him causing more havoc.
I keep begging him to stop all the biking, but he refuses. I am very much afraid that something bad is going to happen to him. He obeys the traffic rules and is every bit professional. It just doesn't flippin' matter with some sadists.
Please be careful around bicyclist. That biker may be someone's brother or sister.
Now, I know that some bikers can get on your last nerve, but my bro isn't like that. He's very conscientious and courteous- mindful of traffic and not a hindrance to it.
Im the type that On a bike I would not have tried to avoid it, I would have let him hit me, then sued him into the ground. On the chance that I didnt survive, he would be in jail for vehicuar homicide and off the roads, and my family could sue the shit outta his insurance. In My state, Ohio, if you are not in a car, and are walking or on a bike, you have the right of way by default.
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Post by parfive on Mar 8, 2023 16:35:46 GMT -5
Might wanna pull over in the middle of the road after this.
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Post by vegasjames on Mar 8, 2023 17:24:02 GMT -5
When I used to bicycle everywhere I had beer bottles thrown at me, people would swerve to try and run me off the road, they would go around and turn right in front of me to cut me off, etc. Hit one car that swerved in front of me, and only ended up with minor injuries and some damage to the bike. Got side swiped by a van once as well and got sent flying over 30 feet. That was an accident though. The lady was driving in to the sun and could not see me. I hardly got injured though as the bike took all the force when I got hit and when I landed again, so the bike was completely totaled. Luckily I had my racing cleats on and my feet were strapped tightly to the pedals so I stayed with the bike the entire time. Otherwise, I would have been seriously hurt.
When I was doing cross country bicycling though, I never had any problems even though I was told by some people when going through the Oklahoma panhandle to watch the truckers. They told me it was kind of a sport for the truckers to throw bottles at cyclists to try and hit them, especially on the narrow roads. Luckily never had any problems out on the open road.
On the other hand, I met a lot of wonderful people on the road. For instance, when I was riding down in Tijuana Beach. Mexico as part of one trip. My bike was fully loaded with about 80 pounds of gear and the roads were dirt. A loose German shepherd came at me and I did not see him in time to try an outrun him, so I thought he had me. Suddenly a car pulls up between the dog and I and slows down to my speed giving me the time to pick up speed and outrun the dog. Then the car just drove off. So there are some really good people out there as well.
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Post by rockjunquie on Mar 8, 2023 17:51:05 GMT -5
When I used to bicycle everywhere I had beer bottles thrown at me, people would swerve to try and run me off the road, they would go around and turn right in front of me to cut me off, etc. Hit one car that swerved in front of me, and only ended up with minor injuries and some damage to the bike. Got side swiped by a van once as well and got sent flying over 30 feet. That was an accident though. The lady was driving in to the sun and could not see me. I hardly got injured though as the bike took all the force when I got hit and when I landed again, so the bike was completely totaled. Luckily I had my racing cleats on and my feet were strapped tightly to the pedals so I stayed with the bike the entire time. Otherwise, I would have been seriously hurt.
When I was doing cross country bicycling though, I never had any problems even though I was told by some people when going through the Oklahoma panhandle to watch the truckers. They told me it was kind of a sport for the truckers to throw bottles at cyclists to try and hit them, especially on the narrow roads. Luckily never had any problems out on the open road.
On the other hand, I met a lot of wonderful people on the road. For instance, when I was riding down in Tijuana Beach. Mexico as part of one trip. My bike was fully loaded with about 80 pounds of gear and the roads were dirt. A loose German shepherd came at me and I did not see him in time to try an outrun him, so I thought he had me. Suddenly a car pulls up between the dog and I and slows down to my speed giving me the time to pick up speed and outrun the dog. Then the car just drove off. So there are some really good people out there as well.
Yeah, you've had some close calls!!! Thank you pointing out that not all people are jerks.
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Post by rockjunquie on Mar 8, 2023 17:52:19 GMT -5
My brother is an avid biker. He bikes hundreds of miles a week- barring bad weather.
I live in a big city, the most populated in Virginia. In 2020 the pop. was abt 460,000. It is not very bike friendly. But, my brother a veteran biker and manages. UNTIL he meets the jerk that laughs as he tries to run him into a ditch- or worse.
Yesterday my brother called and said- Well, today you almost lost another brother. What?? He was at a 5 way crossroads right by our house. A guy in a big SUV motioned him to go, so he did. The guy then punches the gas and tries to T-bone him. It was only his skill, good bike and G-d's graces that he lived. He said the guy was grinning.
I used to bike with him. I have seen how people are. They will throw empty cans and trash at you, they deliberately act as if to hit you just to freak you out and they yell all manor of obscenities. One time my brother wiped out in an intersection and no one bothered to stop. They just sped around him causing more havoc.
I keep begging him to stop all the biking, but he refuses. I am very much afraid that something bad is going to happen to him. He obeys the traffic rules and is every bit professional. It just doesn't flippin' matter with some sadists.
Please be careful around bicyclist. That biker may be someone's brother or sister.
Now, I know that some bikers can get on your last nerve, but my bro isn't like that. He's very conscientious and courteous- mindful of traffic and not a hindrance to it.
Im the type that On a bike I would not have tried to avoid it, I would have let him hit me, then sued him into the ground. On the chance that I didnt survive, he would be in jail for vehicuar homicide and off the roads, and my family could sue the shit outta his insurance. In My state, Ohio, if you are not in a car, and are walking or on a bike, you have the right of way by default. I'm no sure my brother wanted to get it for a lawsuit. But, I'm positive he was thinking about it.
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Post by jasoninsd on Mar 8, 2023 18:18:49 GMT -5
Tela, I'm glad to hear your brother made it out of that unscathed...this time! (Sad to say!)
I've never been big on peddle bikes...but I rode a Harley for many years. Was purposely run off the road one time...and two other times due to negligent drivers. I really do believe there are a TON of bikers (motorcycle) who are a huge problem...zipping in and out of traffic...cruising between lanes...not coming to full stops at stop signs. However, I really was a conscientious rider...so I didn't think I necessarily "deserved" the close calls.
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