Modern cyclists: the only road users who hate everyone else

"Speedmonkey" (Speedmonkey) 09/06/2013 at 11:20 • Filed to: Cyclists

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This morning I published !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! describing a whimsical drive on a lovely summer evening that was partly spoiled by cyclists indulging in a road race - on public roads.

Ever since I published it a massive argument has raged on twitter between cyclists and motorists. Mud has been slung and insults thrown. I've been called several rude names. Every word I wrote was analysed and anything 'threatening to cyclists' (which, actually was only meant to be a lighthearted piece) shoved in my face as proof that I am a POTENTIAL CYCLIST KILLER.

I accused cyclists (those who race on the roads) of being angry and belligerent, and their attitude on twitter has kind of backed that up. I didn't set out to have a go at all cyclists but offence was taken by all who read it (it did seem they wanted to read it just so they could get angry at it).

So, Jalopnik/Oppo! What do we think? Are cyclists angry by nature?

Oh, and the video is interesting too.

505Turbeaux > Speedmonkey 09/06/2013 at 11:28

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Maybe not angry, I used to be one of their racing masses, but disrespectful typically and always with a feeling of entitlement. The road is, in fact, open to all who want to use it, but some of the crap I see from cyclists is bordering on baiting cars into hitting them.

highmodulus > Speedmonkey 09/06/2013 at 11:30

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J. Walter Weatherman > Speedmonkey 09/06/2013 at 11:33

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Cyclists are assholes and aggressive in no greater numbers than drivers are. A certain percentage of the population are jerks, and those people become cyclists just as often as they become drivers. Most cyclists mind their own business and stay out of the way of traffic and you don't even notice them. Every once in a while, a cyclist does something really dickish on the road, and car guys seem to paint the entire crowd as terrible people based off of that limited anecdotal evidence.

For the record, I am a cyclist and a car guy, however I don't ride on the road, because, regardless of fault, cars win all accidents, and I value my physical well being.

DasWauto > Speedmonkey 09/06/2013 at 11:33

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No, they are not. The same way the spotlight is focussed on asshat [bmw] drivers, asshat cyclists seem to get all the attention and skew everyone's opinion on the whole cyclist population.

To preface this, I have to say that I am a cyclist but I like to think of myself as a courteous cyclist at that. I prefer to use less busy roads, bikelanes wherever available and when I do have to use the main roadway, I stay off to the side minimize the nuisance I cause other road users.

We share the road. I don't have to obnoxiously stake my claim to it because it is my right. Unfortunately, asshat cyclists often take the opposite approach in some self righteous way to feel good about themselves and it reflects badly on everyone else. Shame, really.

/Side note: at first I thought that cyclist was affiliated with the filming of those supercars, and still somewhat suspect it. Pretty clever ruse if that was the case but douchebag nonetheless.

Dukie - Jalopnik Emergency Management Asshole > Speedmonkey 09/06/2013 at 11:35

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It's pretty obvious this cyclist was looking for attention. He purposely waited for the Lamborghini then pulls out in front of him going as slow as he can. Impeding traffic anyone? The cyclist is akin to those douches who go looking for police confrontations to "show everyone how to fight for your rights".
Disclaimer : Know your rights, but don't be a douche about it.

dinobot666 > Speedmonkey 09/06/2013 at 11:36

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Even when I'm commuting on a bicycle, away from busy roads and side streets people constantly yell and scream obscenities at me and throw soda cans and other trash my way, simply because I'm riding a bicycle and that upsets them for some reason.

I like cars and I like bicycles, but the two have never, ever made for a good pairing on the road. That's why I mostly ride my mountain bike off-road.

pianomanzero > Speedmonkey 09/06/2013 at 11:40

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As a motorist and a cyclist I find the attitudes of most of the cycling community to be completely repugnant, belligerent, and in a great deal of cases, completely ignorant of the local laws that govern bicycle use on public roadways and other public spaces. In many cases, especially with some of the cyclists I regularly encounter, they're fully aware of how the laws apply to them but feel they are in some special class that is immune to the law or is above it somehow. These examples flaunt their violation of the law with gusto.
In these examples, the propensity of our local law in forcemeat to overlook violations by cyclists reinforces this attitude, and often to the point that cyclists locally will blatantly flaunt their violations even when their own lives are at risk and even when they've been involved in an altercation.
I bike to and from places because its a good way to get my exercise in and stay healthy, but I don't like associating with other cyclists in public because of the seemingly pervasive attitude they carry.
While cycling I've witnessed several accidents involving cyclists that were 100% the fault of the cyclist, and I made sure to stick around to give a witness report to the authorities in those situations.
It's not to say that there aren't a great deal of accidents involving cyclists where the driver is at fault, but frequently being on both sides of the line I do see that cyclists create the vast majority of their own problems.
Around here I've seen them do stupid shit that, while not necessarily dangerous or illegal, doesn't help drivers' perception of cyclists in general; for example, I was stopped at a light recently and a cyclist stopped next to me. Instead of in clipping his toe clips and using his own goddamn feet to steady himself with, he reached out and steadied himself with my car.
Like I said, at least as far as my area is concerned, cyclists create a great deal of their own problems.
Granted, this is all based on my anecdotal experience of being both a motorist and cyclist in the greater Salt Lake area and may be different from other places.

Pitchblende > Speedmonkey 09/06/2013 at 11:49

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I've nearly killed a few cyclists through their own stupidity, but I don't live in a city full of completely stressed out people on various numbers of wheels and very rarely commute during rush hour. I try to give them as much room as I can because I don't need them scratching my paintwork if I run them over. I don't cycle myself, it would be difficult on my bad knee.

About the only confrontation I've had with a cyclist was with a woman who ran into my front wheel when I was pulling out of the drive. I pull out of the drive very slowly as there is a hedge and gateposts on the left which renders vision impossible; pedestrians stop very quickly when they see the nose of my car and then I stop for them; cyclists don't have time to stop if they are going too fast and not paying attention. However, on my road there are painted cycle lanes on both sides and in addition a paved cycle track runs alongside the road on the opposite side (where there are no drives), so I take a very dim view of a full grown woman who thinks its okay to cycle along a path used by children, mothers and dog-walkers when better alternatives are available. I didn't stop for an argument or make a rude gesture, just watched her face as I drove away.

dieselwagon > Speedmonkey 09/06/2013 at 11:56

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Some cyclists are a menace on the roads. Some are not.

I am a cycling enthusiast to an extent (Street BMX, 4X/Dirt Jump). In my experience the problems tend to arise from racers/healthy lifestyle and commuter elements of the cycling world.

Driving in London I see a cyclists riding dangerously every day. I also see people driving badly every day, but the hazards involved are quite different. Someone driving who is not paying attention is probably doing so at 20-50mph, which doesn't heavily impede traffic and isn't as noticable. A gaggle of cycling commuters doing 5-10mph, certainly does. Over taking cyclists who take up as much of the narrow road as possible can be very difficult or take a long time to do safely. Cyclists seem to be less aware, as although many drivers dont look in their mirrors, cyclists don't have any to ignore and often go with the headphones and music. If they are aware they often don't seem to care, impeding traffic on a road with a 50mph limit while they casually cruise at 10.

The problem here is the same as the AfroDuck comments. Cyclists are all viewed as all in one group. Yellow Cabs are also viewed as a single unit. To the outside observer they all look the same, it doesn't mean they're all bad and doing the same things. When a large minority does behave badly, it reflects on the whole group as you're all identifiable with each other.

School teachers might be the worst on the road but because they drive, Toyotas, Hondas, Volvos, Kias, Hyundais and every other make, you can't call them out in the same way.

(Disjointed comment, I hope it makes sense)

BarryDanger > Speedmonkey 09/06/2013 at 11:57

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I'm not assuming that the driver of this Lamborghini was Saudi Arabian but this incident reminds me of this story from a earlier this year "Millionaire Boy Racers of London."

The local Londoners have a racially charged feud with the Saudi Arabians who visit for the summer. The locals complain of the noise and unsafe driving/racing taking place outside their downtown flats but in the documentary they clearly never confront the super car owners to voice their frustration. The Saudi's are claiming that there are underlying racial issues and I agree with them. I hope that there is a civil and fair solution to this issue before this gets out of hand.

delete-me-please123 > Speedmonkey 09/06/2013 at 11:59

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I'll try to reply more in depth later, but I've got beef with bicycle riders in my town. Stay in your bike lane! I stay in my lane, you stay in yours. The closer you get to the line, the closer I get to it too.

Mikeado > Speedmonkey 09/06/2013 at 12:02

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You know how it is, the noisy minority create an image for the whole group. Militant cyclists are bastards, but not all cyclists are militant.

apr10427 - Greedo never fired > Speedmonkey 09/06/2013 at 12:04

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There are bad cyclists and their are bad drivers. I can't speak about cyclists in the UK, but where I live, the ratio of good cyclists to bad cyclists and good drivers to bad drivers seems to be the same. Generalizing will always get you in trouble. By the logic you use, all drivers are bad drivers and also angry by nature. It seems to me that you deserved the backlash.

Meatcoma > Speedmonkey 09/06/2013 at 12:25

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I don't cross many cyclists on my daily drive but it seems that most I do encounter move over, wave you on and generally just want to be left alone. The anger and all around asshatery of cyclists/motorists may be region related or something. Just a guess.

William Byrd > Speedmonkey 09/06/2013 at 12:53

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I posted this the other day and got lots of cyclists annoyed at me. I stand by it though.

Pedestrians in DC are pretty bad, lots of "I don't feel like walking 1/2 a block to the crosswalk, so I'll just cross here don't hit me bro" happening, but people on bikes are ten times worse. There is more of a "I want the same rights as you cars...until it inconveniences me and then it's a free for all" entitlement happening with a lot of cyclists around here.

They (rightfully) want drivers to yield to them as they coast down the side of the road (pedal fucker!) to the next light. Then (naturally) they pass all of the stopped cars and pull up in front of the lead car. At one point (when my cars weren't boring), I had a 412hp Mustang and was always amazed at the people that decided they could get away from the light quicker than I could. And oh by the way, it's ILLEGAL to run red lights, which most will do in a heartbeat.

I'm not anti-cyclist at all, and I'm betting most cyclists who are aggro-assholes are that way becuase so many drivers have done stupid stuff and almost killed them. But there is a huge sense if entitlement around here, combined with lots of bike-share novices, who all end up in a conglomerance of dangerous situations.

efme > Speedmonkey 09/06/2013 at 13:01

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I err towards being an asshole biker. As a habitual honker in a car, I'm very nice to bikers. I hate it when people don't see me on a bike OR car cuz they're on a stupid cell phone.

McLarry > William Byrd 09/06/2013 at 13:50

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"pedal fucker"

..not to be an obnoxious grammar nazi, but the mental image was pretty funny when I read your post, just thought I'd share.

McLarry > McLarry 09/06/2013 at 14:27

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Dammit, Nibbles...This was supposed to go in there:

William Byrd > McLarry 09/06/2013 at 16:49

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Haha maybe I intended it that way! Lol

Evan, Pope Of Jalopnik by Self-Appointment > pianomanzero 09/07/2013 at 15:01

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I'm in a similar position, as I have been a cyclist before, although I've fallen away. I have plenty of respect for them, and luckily around here they seem to know their place and are polite. But I have seen some truly appalling behavior from many, and I think its almost as if they feel they have a right to fuck with everyone who drives a car, because some of them have quite an irrational hate towards motorized vehicles of any kind.

If someone used my car to steady themselves at a stop....oh man. I'd be pissed.