7 DHs from adjacent houses cycling all weekend (again)!

[ballisticcyclistic]

I’m sitting here with ice on my ankle because yesterday I twisted it during a ridiculous situation where I had to take 4 special wheels to the garage for DH’s car and he’d loaded these in my car at 5am. I couldn’t park in the garage forecourt as no space, so I had to park up the road. Then I couldn’t lift the bloody things out of the back of my car, so I just pulled two out and tried to roll them along, but the road was on an incline and the wheels took on a will of their own, like wagon wheels rolling off, One was veering into the road so I had to chase it like a lunatic and I caught the edge of my wedge sandals and twisted my ankle which is still very swollen. So that was yesterday afternoon.

DH complained to the garage that it was unacceptable that nobody they’d helped me, but he has since apologised so I’ll just put behind me, but there are repercussions now for this weekend.

We live on a street where we actually get on with lots of neighbours (rare for London) but this is mainly led by the DHs who are all cycling fanatics. This weekend they are all off to the midlands for some famous ride I’ve never heard of. There are seven of them going.

Now normally I’d be glad of the peace, but today I have -

• Landscape gardeners coming around 8am
• The flooring man coming at 9am
• I need to leave at 9.30am to get DS (14) to his tutor, 20 min drive away, so I won’t be back until 12
• DD (11) needs to be at a party for 1.30pm which a good 40 min drive, but could be more like 2 hours because they’ve closed Hammersmith Bridge and Putney and Chiswick Bridges are rammed. Also, I can’t walk to the tube and this DD has a broken toe as well
• One DS in the midst of GCSEs and will need support / someone to practise French with / test him etc. He is working very hard, but sometimes just needs calming down or distraction. Other DS also has end of year exams starting on Mon and he needs a fair bit if input due to dyslexia.
• 2 new kittens who I have to watch in case they get out due to gardeners leaving doors open
• Plumbers coming at some point in the afternoon

AIBU to be a bit miffed? Of course, I know DH can’t cancel the ride now, but I feel aggravated and it’s only 7am!

Cycling do you live on the velo route? I love one road off it. Let me enlighten you on the “organisation”.

1. We had one leaflet several months ago. Dropped through the letterbox with a load of junk mail. This seemed to be it for 90% of people round here.

1. News coverage saying which roads would be affected basically comprised of someone copying and pasting a map a couple of days beforehand on a Facebook page I happened to be part of.
2. Local carers were not informed, anyone who was actually informed could only get round the road blocks by travelling along the motorway and going 10s of miles put their way, some people seemed completely trapped
3. Roads which weren’t supposed to be closed were closed, roads were closed earlier than advertised you can’t expect people to mind read
4. I drive and walk along the affected roads daily. I actually didn’t see any relevant signage.
5. The stewards had no knowledge of diversions, people, esp from outside the area were left driving round trying to find ways past the road blocks.
6. Marathons tend to take place around quite small areas. So generally no difficult to navigate round. This race basically encircled Birmingham, crossing points through this ring basically revolves around the motorway network.
7. I’m fed up of the one day shit. For some people that one day would have been very precious, a day to spend with a dying relative, a day where they helped a relative get up, changing their bed, getting food. A day where their kids birthday was ruined because people couldnt get to the party. A day where people nervous about a hospital appointment we’re driving rind desperately trying to get round round blocks, maybe a day where people with limited mobility were stuck in their homes without something they needed. The only people to whom it was one more day were people who had the ability and inclination to not be bothered by needing to get somewhere.

This would have been solved if they had closed down one side of the roads rather than both sides. I think the lack of organisation will see people campaigning hard to not have this next year. There’s a lot of very pissed off people round here

It really needs organising better. We were completely cut off from the other half of our city. We walked to my parents house and it took us at least 15 minutes to cross the road safely.

he was strangled in his lycra shorts

Regardless of your attitude to cyclists or this specific event, that is a hateful, crass ‘joke’ about someone who has been dead for barely 24 hours.

I started a thread about cyclists and got a load of abuse.

Spoiler: It's because you're a trolling cunt who appears to be happy when cyclists are injured or killed. HTH

I live in a popular tourist area that has a number of these sportive events a year - its not just 1 day - it a number of weekends a year, and the locals hate it.

There is a lot of aggression from the cyclists, the using the roadside and hedges as toilets, dropping litter everywhere ( particularly the energy drink sachets) , cars not able to cross roads or exit their drives and if issues are raised the organising company who make A LOT of money out of it are completely dismissive.

As a an ex horse rider ( who no longer has the horse as it was killed when being hit from behind by a speeding car on the road when going doing the road a few 100m to get to a bridle path) I was frequently told by cyclists to get off the road and back in a field where I belong. My response was be careful of horse riders driving 4x4s as I'll give them the same respect in my car as they have just given me.

Why is simple respect for all road users and communities so difficult?

Eve I’m so sorry about your horse how awful! I hope the driver got what they deserved.

You’re right about many cyclists being aggressive. No one is talking about sue cycling to the shops for environmentally friendly reasons or joe cycling to the station as he has a long walk either end. Cycling seems to have replaced golf amongst professional men. It’s a chance to prove they are alpha male amongst their work colleagues under the premise of enjoying a team bonding experience! Therefore these cyclists are focused on one thing, being the fastest and strongest. Nothing is getting in their wAy. Unfortunately it seems to have become acceptable to use public roads for this desperate promotion strategy. At least they used to be stuck in the confines of the make only golf club!

Unfortunately it seems to have become acceptable to use public roads for this desperate promotion strategy.

Again the public roads are for all users so there is no such thing as it being acceptable for cyclists to be on the road.

Just like any type of user there are good and bad...bad pedestrians who step out into the road without looking or just stop Infront you without thinking there someone behind them. There are bad car drivers who don't stop at junctions or roundabouts anymore and just carry on.

I know lots of cyclists and they don't go cyclicjng to show off and be the fastest and strongest to prove they are alpha males. They do it because they enjoy cycling for them it's almost like mediation great way to switch off from thinking and get fit at the same time. Soelme of us set ourselves challenges I recently set myself challenge of riding 100 miles in 5 days and now I'm doing a speed challenge to try to improve my average speed but I still cycle safe and non aggressively.

The level of hate for cyclists is on another level you don't see this for other types of users who show equally bad behaviours.

Lifeover - unfortunately he didn’t - despite being the local gamekeeper who knew the roads well and knew horses would often be on it , his Jeep was uninsured and police took no action. Sunny (the horse) was hit so hard from behind he ended up on the jeeps roof, his pelvis and back leg shattered but he got back to his field about 50m or so away where he collapsed and vet rushed out to put him down.

My friend who was riding was thrown of and broke her back in 2 places, at 1 point we thought she wouldn’t walk again.

@cyclingmad the level of hate for horse riders is just as bad, at least your cycles don’t bolt of when frightened, that’s why it’s very sad that cyclists don’t support other groups of vulnerable road users - just take a look at the abuse directed to the horse rider when she was hit by a cyclist at Windsor triathlon last year.

that’s why it’s very sad that cyclists don’t support other groups of vulnerable road users - just take a look at the abuse directed to the horse rider when she was hit by a cyclist at Windsor triathlon last year

That was one person. Some people who cycle have ridden/ do ride horses too so sometimes its even the same people.

Really sorry you had such an awful accident but all the cyclists I know do their best to be courteous to horses.

Ahem.....what happened to the thread I was reading way back on page 1,2 3 etc?

Why has the OP's thread been hijacked?

How the above frothing anti-bike event posters feel about the steward who has a broken hip/pelvis after being smashed into by a CAR DRIVER who was pissed off he wasn't allowed through fast enough?

Or is that just fair enough, because, you know, cars.

That car driver is an absolute shit.

Closed road events are problematic.

I'm still pissed off because I missed running a sub-50 10k by seconds, which I would not have lost if a cyclist had used the designated and marshalled crossing point (15 yards away!) rather than just pedalling across and scattering runners who thought they had the (officially closed and marshalled) road to themselves at that point.

Another closed road event caused much ill feeling because despite two rounds of leafleting to householders on and around the closed roads, people didn't realise that yes they would not be able to drive on the closed roads, and on the day was too late for making work around arrangements, something which was possible right up to the day before.

There needs to be proper access for emergencies, including vetinarary emergencies, and this event got that badly wrong and should be utterly castigated for that.

If they did not offer provision for workarounds for necessary movements at properly marshalled crossing points, then they are also at fault. But it is also quite possible that local people did not read the information leaflets, which would have been delivered to every address. Because they should have known to reschedule their movements, to park elsewhere and to seek the workarounds arounds for vital journeys. And it seems many people did not.

Meh am
A cyclist and don’t take any of it personally

I have high cyclist self esteem

Teateaandmoretea - That horse rider received abuse from a whole community of cyclists , 1 hit her, the posts afterwards were from multiple people.

As I said in my post when I was both on and off road on bridle paths I received significant abuse from cyclists.

And my question remains, why is there such little support from cyclists to horse riders - why do special campaigns have to be run to ask cyclists to pass horses with care. I would have thought that 1 vulnerable group of road users would show understanding to another?

Why is there so little support from horse riders to cyclists? Why are horse riders more important? Ultimately when passing a horse the cyclist is very vulnerable.

I rode horses for years (like 20+) and never got abused by a cyclists. Yes some passed too fast/ didn't ensure I knew where they were and were dicks but tbh it was more ignorance and fear of doing the wrong thing.

Most horse riders are nice, some look to have a go a cyclists. That's the reality sorry.

And I educate at my cycling club, many are genuinely baffled that its better to gently ring the bell than 'creep past'

This thread is weird.

I cycle, mostly for commuting (I always stop at red lights because I’m a goody two shoes) but occasionally (gasp) for fitness/because it’s a nice way to spend a couple of hours.

I’ve had a van driver literally try to run me off the road, someone yell out of their window “you deserve to die” because I was on a bike, and numerous car drivers dangerously cut me up or open doors without looking.

My conclusion is that there are a small number of morons and/or people with anger problems knocking about. Not that everyone in a car is a murderous knob-end. Likewise, I’m pretty sure that a few cyclists are arseholes who wish ill to other road users, but most are just ordinary people going from A-B.

The velo event does sounds badly organised though.

I didn't have an issue with cyclists when I rode years ago, but where I live the increase in weekend cyclists who whizz about in huge bunches is becoming an ever increasing hazard for other vulnerable road users.

And vulnerable users of canal towpaths, BOATs and bridlepaths where some cyclists seem to have little care for other users.

Personally I don't think cyclists should be allowed on canal towpaths and bridlepaths but accept that will be an unpopular opinion.

who said horse riders were more important Tea? - the question was why isn't their more support between groups of vunerable road users, after all both cyclist and riders are also car drivers as well, and I'm afraid your experience of encountering cyclists is very different from mine.

If you want to see what a large group of cyclists think of horse riders, try having a hack in the New Forest when there is a wiggle ride on.

Personally I don't think cyclists should be allowed on canal towpaths and bridlepaths

For fucks sake.

Don’t like people cycling on the roads with cars in rush hour because you don’t like having to take care and look out for them.

Don’t like people cycling on quiet country roads at the weekend, because, not sure, they get in your weekend way? You just don’t like seeing people having fun?

Don’t like closing roads in specific locations once a year to allow people to cycle.

Don’t like people cycling on bridleways.

Don’t like people cycling on tow paths.

Fucking hilarious if it wasn’t so tragic.

Maybe we should just shoot all cyclists in the left knee? Not to kill, just to seriously maim and stop them from doing such a harmful, nasty, disgusting hobby?

There is definitely a correlation between selfishness and cycling husbands. Mine was a runner when we met. Few years down the line he got injured and decided to return to cycling (he'd done it before we met apparently) and is now a full on MAMIL. The associated selfishness pervades all areas of our lives. He doesn't cycle with a club or a group of friends, just him being an entitled prick. I'll be pushing our kids into team sports where they need to think about others.

FleurNancy what a horrible way to speak about your OH. SO he ran before presuming on his own now he is cycling on his own so whats different? Other than the type of activity. How is it more selfish for cyclign on his own than cycling in a club or group? Maybe he prefers doing activities on his own, go at his own pace, challenge himself when he wants to, ride the routes he wants to and go out when he feels he wants to and can.

Its no different to someone going to the gym on their own. shesh.

Offs Blue. I don’t give a shit if cyclists are on the roads. I do object to being swept out of the way when I’m trundling along a path and my dog nearly mown down.

But you are conflating different poster’s opinions.

I have a cycling DH and he is lovely and very considerate, so are his cycling buddies, I don’t think taking up cycling changes someone’s innate personality?