Aggressive cyclist encounter

[UrbanRambler]

For background, I'm overweight and do a daily walk, to control my weight and for my mental health (I am prone to depression and anxiety). I walk in my local area (city suburb, mixture of nice and not so nice areas). Over the last year I've increased my walk from 2 miles to 5 miles a day, and this has helped me to lose 1 stone. I'm still a stone overweight, but being tall I carry it reasonable well.

Walking during Covid has become trickier, as the pavements and parks have been busier with more people taking walks, but most people are polite and considerate. All good. I have no issues with pedestrians, but there are a lot more cyclists on the pavements now, and some of them have no consideration for walkers. When they approach from behind, you often can't hear them until they're very close, which can be unnerving.

Today I was walking along a wide pavement (around 8ft) when a cyclist zoomed past me at speed, brushing my shoulder as he went by. He came from behind, and really made me jump, and I muttered "twat" under my breath (it was a reflex action... I wasn't meaning to challenge him, it just came out). Trouble was, he heard it! He stopped a few feet ahead of me, turned around and shouted "Fuck off!" then stood there, glaring at me. He looked about 16 -18, and full of rage. I tried to diffuse things a bit, and calmly said "Well, you were going quite fast, and were too close... some consideration would be nice" then he shouted "Fuck off you c*t!" I was scared, but wasn't going to show it. I said "There's no need for that language... you were going too fast" then he said "Fuck off! Anyway - what do you weigh - about 20 stone?! Fuck off, you c*t!" He then cycled off.

I am rethinking my walking route now, and feel worried about seeing him again. I was quite pleased at my progress, but now I feel shaken and unsure about my walks. The weight comment was just a cheap shot from a stroppy teenager, but he looked me up and down with such contempt that it made me feel absolutely gross. (I don't mean that to be disrespectful to anyone else struggling with their weight, some overweight women are beautiful but I'm rather plain).

I know IWBU and stupid to say that word out loud, and brought trouble on myself - maybe I need to tape my mouth shut in future! But for context, in the southern town where I live, the word "twat" just means "idiot", rather than the ruder meaning that it has in other places.

I can't get this out of my head and feel anxious about it all. I wish there were rear view mirrors for pedestrians... maybe I should just carry a small mirror? AIBU to ask for any suggestions or thoughts about this?

He’s an aggressive, misogynistic cunt, you didn’t deserve that OP.

Do not let people like that put you off .
Always going to get the odd person like this from time to time unfortunately it was you .
One day he will meet the wrong person hopefully soon .

I’d have called him a twat too because he was. There is absolutely no reason to cycle so close to someone and if you can’t get past, you would use your bell or if you didn’t have one use your voice. I don’t cycle but both DH and my dad do. DH called this guy a twat too.

He knows he’s being a twat and I’d probably say he rode too close to you on purpose because a cyclist wouldn’t cycle that close to someone for fear of that person stepping out slightly and it ending in an accident. He’s going to be a vile man. You were right to challenge his behaviour. The fact he then tried to intimidate you would suggest he isn’t used to his behaviour being challenged, especially not by a woman.

It’s generally accepted that cycling is not allowed on the pavement. If he’d hit you, you would likely have had a successful personal injury claim.

He’s a twat.

Well done with the walking and, if you can, put this unpleasant experience behind you and crack on.

He was a twat OP keep walking don't let his ignorance stop you!! You're doing brilliantly so far keep on going on 💐 x

Some will do anything to excuse the behaviour of men, won't they. He shouldn't have brushed past you, and yeah probably wasn't the wisest thing to say, doesn't mean he had to stop and respond.

I got yelled at by a teenage boy on a bike too - it was dark, I was walking downhill on a pavement that is absolutely NOT dual use next to a 40mph road and I had headphones in so if he rang his bell I didn’t hear him. He was absolutely furious with me for not stepping out of his way as he was belting down the pavement and zoomed right past me. He jammed on his brakes when he’d passed me to hurl abuse at me but couldn’t be bothered to stop before and slow down?? He was all in black, no lights, no helmet so I guess decided he had the right to cycle at high speed along a narrow pavement as he couldn’t be arsed to make himself safe to cycle on the road. And shouted at a pedestrian using the pavement legally. I get really shaken up by this kind of encounter and seek to blame myself and my own stupidity in any way I can but sometimes other people really are twats and are in the wrong and why are we agonising over our own behaviour when they will have forgotten about it seconds later and won’t think twice before ruining someone else’s day, endangering others and being a selfish and aggressive dickhead? Try to let it go. Easier said than done I know!

Yanbu. He was cycling illegally on a footpath (unless it was a designated cycle path too), he should use a bell when approaching a pedestrian, and he came into contact with you. I'd say twat was pretty justified!
Don't let this idiot put you off your route or exercising. His weight comments were just trying to hit you where it hurts. Rise above it.

I’m pleased you stood up to the little bastard OP. I very much doubt he would have dared to even stop his bike let alone mouth back if it was a 6’2” burly man he had had to face.
He shouldn’t have been anywhere near close enough to you to actually brush past you. People defending HIS actions on here are twats as well.
This is why I always walk in the middle of the pavement when it’s not busy. Cyclists see an empty pavement otherwise. But this way they will have to slow down as they approach me. Fuck them all. Unless the pavement is a dual one, they shouldn’t be on it to begin with. I don’t treat child cyclists (with their parents or without) in the same manner though.

Awful and unacceptable response. I wish you had challenged him more directly in the first place instead of muttering under your breath, and hope in the event of any future such incidents, you feel able to.

I’m a cyclist.
He was a twat.
He was also acting illegally if he wasn’t on the road. Sometimes cyclists do end up on pavements for reasonable reasons (imo) but no excuse not to have a bell.
Keep doing what you’re doing.
I don’t think what happened had much to do with your actions he was just an unpleasant individual.

@Billben

I’m pleased you stood up to the little bastard OP. I very much doubt he would have dared to even stop his bike let alone mouth back if it was a 6’2” burly man he had had to face. He shouldn’t have been anywhere near close enough to you to actually brush past you. People defending HIS actions on here are twats as well. This is why I always walk in the middle of the pavement when it’s not busy. Cyclists see an empty pavement otherwise. But this way they will have to slow down as they approach me. Fuck them all. Unless the pavement is a dual one, they shouldn’t be on it to begin with. I don’t treat child cyclists (with their parents or without) in the same manner though.

That’s a bit rude the vast majority of us behave reasonably. It’s a shame that a few don’t though

@Happycat1212

Maybe he misjudged the space. I don’t think calling insults after someone who brushes past you is acceptable, but I think the op has probably learned her lesson not to give it if you can’t take it.

She didn’t shout after him. She called him a twat under her breath.

If the sexes were reversed, op, you wouldn’t even think about changing your route. Don’t let men make you adjust how you live.

We live on the edge of the moors / countryside it’s a popular spot with walkers ... and lots of families.. there are lots of lovely trails through the woods. Tragically it’s becoming dangerous due to Mountain Bikers using public footpaths, who become extremely aggressive when challenged. They use the footpaths down through the woods as personal racing tracks, and have ripped up swathes of moorland, that they are legally not allowed on. Tend to be so pumped up with Adrenaline, that they are aggressive. There are small children on those footpaths, and my fear is that there is going to be a horrible accident.
The mountain bikers are allowed on the roads, and the Bridleways, but that’s not enough. One tried to punch my husband the other week, for not moving out of his way ... on a public footpath

I bet it was all deliberate. He saw a ‘vulnerability’ loves to intimidate, was in a bad mood, so got his kick for the day.

This. Funnily enough I had a similar incident yesterday. Two late teens on bikes coming towards me on incredibly wide pavement with bollards. They were cycling too fast for the female in front to navigate me and the bollards. Her male companion takes exception to this and starts hollering all sorts of verbal abuse. I turn around and shout, "But you should be on 'road!".

It was a really strange experience - the unfairness of it all, given that they were cycling fast on a pavement. The humiliation of it all, given that there were cars stopped at a light all able to witness what happened and to hear the names he was calling me. The fear because I'm not used that level of aggression in my life. And the ineffective anger that arose in me, that he was brave enough to swear at me from a distance but not come close enough for me to... well, what?

Unless designated as a cycle lane, it’s illegal for a cyclist to be on the pavement if the wheels on the bike are over 16 inches in diameter, and I’m guessing the cyclist wasn’t on a BMX bike? Also the pavement was wide, so to brush past you, the cyclist was being a twat. Well done on your weight loss, OP💐

That is disgusting OP, his behaviour and abuse of you. Cyckists shouldn't be on the pavement anyway, yes I know that cycling on the roads is reallt dangerous and I have nipped onto the pavement when on a bike myself at times but when I have I've gone much slower if there's pedestrians around as they have right of way on the pavement unless it's actually a cycle track.

I know it's easier said than done but please try to forget what he said. I would take being a bit overweight over being so unpleasant and aggressive to complete strangers any day. If you've only seen him tbr once you're unlikely to see him again.

That’s a bit rude the vast majority of us behave reasonably.

But then, the reasonable majority wouldn’t be riding on the pavement so wouldn’t be affected surely?

If you’re going to hurtle along pavements on a bike, knocking in to people, you can expect to be called a twat.

You did nothing wrong OP. Keep on walking.