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?

Omg the title of this thread made me spit out my tea 😂😂😂

@TitterYeeNot you don't care if the cyclist is cycling safely, you despise all cyclists dear.

If cyclists wave you on and you decide not to what's the issue just wait until you can safely overtake them. Why are you getting so riled up that they even wave you. So what let them continue to wave.

@samsmum2 OK I'll take the bait. So you thought they were a car? That's good as you would be unlikely to want to hit a car.

So they took up as much width as a car. So how would you have overtaken them if they were a car? Maybe there wasn't enough space for you to safely overtake.

So they were doing 20-25mph on bendy roads. Maybe the road was too bendy for you to see far enough ahead to overtake safely.

Cycling 2 abreast is allowed in the Highway Code and cyclists are encouraged to do this if they feel it is safer to do so.

Everyone is so keen to demand that cyclists get out of the way of anyone faster.

But when I drive round the Lakes, I'm almost always trailing along behind someone driving slowly, and never do they pull in to let you past.

Maybe people should show that consideration they demand from others and the culture might start to change.

They will wave you to overtake when dangerous, I was once behind 4 cyclists (riding single file) on a bendy country road going uphill. The brough of the hill is also a corner so completely blind. I drove up behind them leaving plenty of space between me and the cyclist at the back. He then started aggressively waving for me to go round just as a car came flying around the corner. He had no idea if the road was safe or not, just didn't want me behind him.

YANBU - I am studiously careful to avoid the space of, and be kind to cyclists, too - I am a cyclist myself - but trying to wave you on around blind bends, insufficient space, even into visible oncoming traffic (!) is common.

Just ignore them. I think some people's brains shut down a bit when on a bike.

she sounds like a nut job!
Personally I think the real/underlying problem is that cyclists and motor vehicles are incompatible & should not have to share the same spaces

Also, if drivers stopped using their 2 (actually often 3) abreast vehicles there would probably be plenty of room for people to overtake.

Often drivers just carry around spare empty seats taking up that width. At least when cyclists are 2+ abreast there are actually people there.

Well many of us don't cycle to virtue signal. We cycle for work, to the shops, visiting friends or just because we enjoy it.

And how will you stop your child cycling when they get older and are adults? Will you call them a virtue-signalling twat? Will you rejoice when they are knocked over?

Because she's a shit driver with anger issues! Gets "het up" behind the wheel of a car...

I absolutely do not trust as cyclist to wave me through. I wouldn't put my faith in some random cyclist any more than I would put my faith in some random driver. People do stupid things on the road all the time and I prefer to judge for myself.

The waving is one thing (it’s annoying because it’s wrong, but hey ho) but a lot of them seem to get so angry when you don’t obey their command! Such unnecessary aggression.

@TitterYeeNot your child won't be cycling.....

Fuck me, there is controlling parent and absolutely mad parenting..

You've decided your child won't cycle!?!?

What will you do if they do? Go no contact?

There is no law to say what they are doing is wrong. You might think its wrong.

No I would ignore them. As a pedestrian I am sick and tired of waiting to cross at a duel carriage way and cars/vans/lorries stopping expecting me to cross when the lights are on red for pedestrians. There is another lane and I can’t see if a vehicle is approaching, so no, I’m not going to cross until it is safe.
Cyclists are the same and should mind their own business.

Fair enough I guess I did then. I speak as I find based on the majority of cyclists using the roads around me. Considerate ones appear to be vanishingly rare.

@nomoremerlot that is uncalled for. I think the OP was more upset by the rudeness of the cyclist when she rightly decided not to overtake until she was ready.

If you ignore the thread title which is a bit goady it is not the OP who is coming across as having anger issues on this thread.

For the lycra apologists...
there's a reason why people titter....

Horrible horrible thread title.

I could write a thread called "Fucking parents and their fucking children" after the day I've had, but I won't because it's really unpleasant and offensive.

Actually it is wrong to wave someone on. Dh failed his first driving test for waving to pedestrians to cross at a zebra crossing. The instructor failed him for that alone. He said that you should never, ever indicate that it is safe for another road user or pedestrian under any circumstances. The correct thing is to do nothing and allow others to use their own judgement,

I mostly drive on rural roads and get stuck behind cyclists a lot.

If they're bothered by cars behind them, why don't they pull over at field entrances and let cars pass? Horse riders round here do this all the time, and I really appreciate it.

A bit goady?!?!

Well that's the understatement of the year!

It's bloody awful.

And again getting "het up" behind the wheel of a car, with other road users makes you a bad driver.

How many accidents do you think are caused by "het up" drivers?