Attacks by cyclists on runners

I don't always run on the right in the country lanes I run in. They are very quiet, traffic wise, but because they're so winding, I run on the side which gives me and oncoming traffic a better view. Sometimes I'll even run in the middle of the road, just to make sure I can be seen. I'll then move right over or even stop entirely to let the car past.

Can't say I've had any problems with cyclists. I've tended to take the view that we're all just trying to get some exercise in the outdoors so we're kind of similar. Having said that, I've never had a cyclist say hello without me first doing so.

I think I'm lucky as I've never had any problems with any other road users (apart from the occasional chav yelling out the window of whatever shitmobile they or their mate are driving).

I had an entire 40 strong peloton shouting at me, telling me I was a effing w@nker because I wanted to turn right in my car and had to stop in the middle of the road whilst waiting for a lull in the opposite traffic. The cyclists were behind me, which made them seem to think they had right of way.

Several riders decided to spit into my car (the top was down) as they passed.

Never really felt well disposed to cyclists since. 

Artie, that can't be all there is to that story.

Did you stop a little sharply or something?

Maybe seeing a convertable car driven by a male just disgusted them?!

SR - The L2B goes right passed my house on a small climb and to be honest the guys who are cycling at a reasonable rate dont cause a problem from my experience. The main issue is the people pushing bikes taking up a lot of road then the people still cycling, but no faster than some is pushing a bike seeming to want to pull out of the draft and start a breakaway! Possibly due to the 1% increase in effort they are putting in for the slope they are ascending their brain shuts down to anything around them. A few of them could do with some performance enhancers... or even some training

Artie - that sounds well off.  Cyclists arent any more savage than any other group of individuals - you MUST have done something to piss them off.  I've never seen anything like that in all my years of club cycling. And spitting ? Who the hell does that ?   Usually you dont get chavs cycling as the cost rules them out. 

Theres got to be more to this story than meets the eye. 

That could be the old overtake-then-pull-up-to-a-stop-whilst-blocking-the-road manoeuvre, a classic displayed by drivers when driving through small villages that have cars parked on one side of the main road.  Overtake the cyclist, then pull in because there's traffic coming the other way...

I have been known to be the only person who should be permitted on the road when on a bike, as well!

I remember reading a story which had a guy who started as a pedestrian, then got on a bike, then drove a car, and in each scenario was annoyed at the other road users.  At the end of the chapter he discovered that each other road user was himself!

I appreciate the health benefits, and good to the environment of cycling.

But when I drive I don't like cyclists, as they're either 2 or 3 abrest or there's a very real risk of not seeing them making them very very vulnerable to danger.

When I walk or run, I don't like cyclists either,  as invariably they're on the footpath they shouldn;t be on!

Stevie G . wrote (see)

But when I drive I don't like cyclists, as they're either 2 or 3 abrest 

Generalisation, and largely bollocks.

Stevie G . wrote (see)

or there's a very real risk of not seeing them making them very very vulnerable to danger.

Driving without due care.

If you do ever get serious hassle like abuse from a large group of cyclists then report them.  Generally a large group is either in a race, so report to race organisers/course marshalls with a few race numbers, or a club ride so at least a few will have club colours on.  If you have no luck straight away then report the entity responsible to the cycling governing body.  Any like minded groups hate it when a few muppets spoil it for others.  Cyclists racing on open roads are still required to follow the highway code, I have been in races stuck at traffic lights before, to see a jerk jump them - a shame he didn't getting a finish time as I reported him and he got DQd, revenge is sweet

Intermanaut wrote (see)

Stevie G . wrote (see)

But when I drive I don't like cyclists, as they're either 2 or 3 abrest 

Generalisation, and largely bollocks.

Stevie G . wrote (see)

or there's a very real risk of not seeing them making them very very vulnerable to danger.

Driving without due care.

Clearly you drive in an area with very sensible cyclists. Bully for you.

cougie wrote (see)

This nob on a bike sounds like a complete idiot. I'm sure he'd come off far worse than you if there was a collision.

I have seen runners in races on open roads running on the wrong side of the road looking down and with their iPods on. Sonits not runners or cyclists - just stupid people.

+1 like all groups of people - rule of averages means there's going to be some arseholes 

Ive never had an issue with cyclists, and i see lots where i live when im out running ..they always nod and say hello ....that was until saturaday when a woman cyclist who was fairly old was not going to budge from her line and it was on the same line as me running on the right her on the left we were NOT on a road but a disused railway track..suffice to say i moved cos sure as hell she was not gonna move...

I had the issue the OP describes on Clapham common a few weeks ago. I was running along the pavement when a guy on a bike cycled up from the road onto the pavement. There were no cars around. I moved to the right to pass him, when he deliberately swerved infront of me, nearly making me fall over the fence. He laughed, swerved back, then dropped back onto the road and sped away.

Some people are just complete idiots.

I've never been specifically targeted by either cyclists or drivers, but I do have to put up with an awful lot of rude cyclists on the bike paths where I run and walk my dogs. 'Serious' cyclists tend not to have bells on their bikes (no idea why, maybe they think it's childish, or adds an extra 50g weight, or whatever) so they whoosh up behind you doing 20mph then grumble at you if you haven't seen them coming and accidentally get in their way. They've nearly run my dogs over loads of times, when all I need is a bell or a shout and I'd call the dogs to heel and make them sit till the bike was past. Club cyclists are by far the worst. Also if I do see them coming and step off the path and make both the dogs sit beside me, they almost never bother to say thanks, or just smile, or even acknowledge me in any way whatsoever, but just bomb on by as if I wasn't even there. Rather annoying...

In my defence a bloody great tank could come up behind me and unless it tapped me on the shoulder with its gun I wouldn't know it was there.

That is the other thing, just because you assume someone is being rude by not acknowledging you, try to remember the fact that they might not be able to hear you, I don't wear my hearing aids when running (sweaty ears bleuughh!!) so have to be more aware of what is going on around me.

I was part way through a LSR one day and was weaving a bit on one of my walk breaks. I was smacked in the back by a passing cyclist (he thwacked me with his hand. I'm glad I was wearing my camelback). I was on a thin path with wide grass verges by a wide road with very little traffic. I'm sure he said something to me, but being partially deaf means I didn't hear. Plus I'd been running for about 3-4 hours, so I wasn't quite with it. There was pleanty of space for him, there was no need to nearly run me over and smack me one.

Only issue I've ever had with a cyclist. Usually the ones round here are sensible and nice.

Fair point about deaf people Adrian, though when it's cyclists failing to acknowledge my hopping out of their way as they cycle straight towards me at speed, I think I can safely say it's because they're rude and not because they're deaf.