Fucking Cyclists

[SpanielSprint]

I live in a very rural area that is super popular with cyclists. All of the roads around me are narrow, bendy, single track lanes - no white lines. Wherever I go I get stuck behind cyclists. I accept this, always leave extra time for my journeys and never drive aggressively.

The issue is that the cyclists always seem to try and wave me past when I don’t feel it is safe to overtake. Either into blind corners, or when the road is too narrow so would necessitate going onto the verges which are rutted and full of hidden rocks and pot holes - I’m not willing to risk my tyres driving at pace along them. Obviously I just ignore them but this seems to infuriate them.

I’ve just returned from yet another journey where I was behind a pair of cyclists for several miles. The cyclist at the rear kept waving me on and when I didn’t go past she seemed to get increasingly angry about it, gesticulating etc. when I finally did pass, she screamed fucking twat at me and gave me the Vs.

Nice. So basically that’s my ‘thanks’ for trailing patiently behind them for 10 minutes and almost doubling the duration of my journey.

disclaimer: I realise that not all cyclists do this, but there seems to be a significant enough number of them around here to make this sort of thing a weekly occurrence.

AIBU to overtake cyclists when I’m good and ready, and think that some of them need to learn a few lessons about manners and road safety before they go out on their bikes?

You don’t have any neighbours for 3 miles but you can’t fathom the concept of a single track road? Sure thing. I seem to be arguing with a fantasist 🤦🏻‍♀️

Sorry was your thread intended to represent a statistic and not an anecdotal experience - please share those. Because I think you’ve confused the two.

I am signalling it is safe to pass in my view and encourage drivers to consider the same, as I said, it doesn’t absolve them of responsibility to satisfy themselves that’s the case. But if they’re following for miles

I have the same issue, regularly drive single track roads for work and get stuck behind cyclists all the time. It’s absolutely infuriating that they refuse to move into passing places to let you pass and just continually try to wave you passed even when it’s not possible to do it safely. On single track roads there is surely never a point where you could pass a cyclist with 1.5 meters of room.
having been stuck behind some cyclists for miles the other day I ended up winding done my window and calling “excuse me can you please let me passed I’m late for school pick up” and it really didn’t go down well although they did go into a passing place to let me by after giving me some angry hand gestures 😂

You really can’t stand someone’s opinion to differ to your own can you?

You think hand signals are inappropriate - I disagree.

You think defenders can’t travel on a verge - I disagree.

You have suggested this thread represents some sort of statistical evidence - I disagree, it’s entirely anecdotal as are my responses.

I know exactly what a single track road looks like. Not once have I suggested you should overtake if it isn’t safe to do so, but I don’t agree with your reasoning in its entirety. See above.

Have you considered that I might not be wrong and you might not be right and that it’s possible there’s an area of grey here? Or is your mind also geared to a single track of thought?

Ok, but in the Highway code’s view this is dangerous behaviour. But I guess you know better.

By definition, if a car has been following you for miles, they clearly don’t think it is safe to pass you, for whatever reason. If they did, they would pass you! So why are you signalling to them? If not to insist that they do so against their better judgement?!

I would pull over and allow a car to pass if it wasn’t safe for them to overtake. If I felt it was safe I would signal. Whether or not they chose to us up to them. Much like offering someone a biscuit - as you have correctly asserted it’s a gesture, not a command.

I never said hand signals were inappropriate. I only said that waving on other road users was inappropriate.

A defender isn’t infallible. I know some farmers abuse their defenders but I happen to like mine and want to look after it. Plus repairs tend to be expensive! The car I drive is irrelevant I was merely pointing out that I’m not a novice when it comes to driving in the country.

Where have I said this thread represents statistical evidence? I simply pointed out that you saying ‘I’ve never had a problem’ is not evidence of a practice being inherently safe.

Grey area? Look, if you wave a car on which then goes on to have an accident, that is entirely the driver’s fault. I accept that. And if you want to continue waving that’s up to you I can’t stop you. But you have told me that I should be overtaking when I am waved on, my hesitation proves that I am an incompetent driver, if I get stuck behind a cyclist for miles there must be something wrong with me. Can you not see how outrageous this is? And you want me to agree with you?

I don’t know if you have any understanding of statistics but your anecdotal experience really doesn’t count for much.

^^
That was your irrelevant reference to statistics.

Im perfectly content that you don’t agree with me. It’s you rehashing the same arguments and repeating yourself.

Very sensible.

Gosh, you really are lacking in self-awareness. Yes, we will have to agree to disagree. I accept that I have been repeating myself in the hope that you might respond with a comprehensible argument to defend your opinion but I despair of that. I think i’ve said all that I can say so I will simply refer you back to the Highway Code and hope that one day you read it and take it onboard.

Repeating yourself is not the equivalent of a comprehensible argument. You not agreeing with me isn’t a lack of comprehension on your part. Your inability to actually engage and instead incessant repetition just shows a lack of critical thinking skills. Which all supports my hypothesis that you just lack confidence as a driver and lack awareness. Having a valid argument doesn’t make you duty bound to change the minds of another - some people are just ignorant as you have demonstrated yourself.

Thought back to my cycle on Monday. Several one track country lanes in the 30 miles. Several occasions of there not being enough room for a car to pass with the position I was holding in the road (staying out of the gutter) so me pulling to one side and waving someone on. Interestingly my road bike tyres tolerate this at a slow speed for a short period well.

I didn’t want to stop and unclip my shoes - but moving over and slowing down was sufficient enough to create some space and the opportunity for the driver to overtake. I indicated I was doing so by waving. Everyone got on with their day and nobody sat behind me for miles and miles. If they had chosen to sit behind me for miles I would have found their driving skills and inability to communicate with me as a road user problematic and wondered what on earth their issues was.

On a one track road you’re going to meet on coming traffic so it’s not like you’re crossing lanes.

My hand signal gestured I was making space for them to pass - changing my position in the road.

Thankfully met only competent drivers, we gave each other a nod.

Would you like my Strava info OP and you can check the lanes - maybe I can provide a reconstruction.

Have to say on a road like that I’m pulling over for nobody…..I need to keep the momentum going to get to top 😁

You’re contradicting yourself now. Real country lanes don’t even have gutters. Riding a bike on our verges would be simply impossible unless you wanted to end up in a ditch so your comment about tyres is nonsense. You clearly live in a very different sort of area to me and I’m baffled as to why you can’t accept that.

Most of the dales cyclists are day trippers that don’t know the area. I do. I know that overgrown verge that I’ve just been waved onto actually conceals a large ditch. Or that x farm dumped some rocks on theirs but they can’t be seen in the long grass. I have actually taken out part of my undercarriage before in a previous car when I pulled off the road.

The fact that you are resorting to verbally abusing me at the mere idea that I wouldn’t necessarily overtake you if you waved shows how much you have in common with the arrogant bully in my OP. Maybe it’s all a bit too close to home for you.

Just because you don’t have neighbours doesn’t mean your mindset isn’t in the town. Rural areas are working environments; they are not theme parks or playgrounds. I’m f cyclists cannot or will not be polite and courteous they should race round a velodrome and stay there. OP is right not least because if you follow instruction from a cyclist and there is an accident it won’t be the cyclist who’s culpable; it will be the motorist.

I was using gutter as a reference to the area of the road - of course they’re weren’t actual gutters - but the wedge of the road, which is worn.

Verbal abuse? Give it a rest. You can’t accept someone else’s view might differ to your own and I haven’t bowed to what you consider your superior knowledge and experience.

How do you pass actual vehicles if the roads are so narrow? Do you

How do you pass actual vehicles if the roads are so narrow and each verge concealing a dangerous hazard? Do you just reverse for miles and miles?

You sound like a townie telling horses to get off the roads and onto bridlepaths and fields.

If you did pull over she wouldn’t pass - I’m not clear how OP gets anywhere on these roads where she can’t pass a cyclist. Can only imagine the chaos created by two cars meeting. The roads aren’t wide enough to pass and the verges so treacherous that even her defender - a car literally designed for undulating terrain, cannot safety pass.

Absolute madness.

and for what it’s worth, that photo is mild. We live there and we love it but it’s not a race track and many roads are barely one car wide. There are no nail bars or coffee shops either😂😂😂😂

Op Bit rich telling someone off for verbal abuse given your thread title

Sadly, that just shows how little you really do know! Any horse rider who is discourteous should stay in an arena and not be allowed out. As someone who has ridden for more years than I care to remember you are not in a position to make judgements about me. I just hope that you are not one of those arrogant horse riders who give the rest of us a bad name.

She’s also referred to me being hard of understanding and called several of us fantasists for having an opinion that differs to her own.

@RedTulipsSpring where I live the difference is that other vehicles use passing places to allow passing and sometimes overtaking. Cyclists just completely ignore passing places.

I’m just an all round terrible person, cycling, riding and waving people past with wild abandon causing collisions left, right and centre.

I run too - am I allowed to do that as a townie sounding country residing person? Please let me know where I go wrong there.

I even walk the dogs off lead.