Commuter cyclists are foolish?
Jules Richards ******, when a car passes toooo close & tooo fast on a narrow country road and the potential circumstances flash through your mind, you stop at the lights and ask could you give me more room next time… a verbal slanging match ensues, culminating being told to sod off! You feel worse than ever and the week’s started well. ****ed off, feel like the crap in the road I have to ride through. Why do I ****ing bother?
[friend] I know how you feel, Jules!
Jules Richards I feel awful! onward… I really don’t know why I am so stupid, just do what everyone else does… eh? “common”? sense. Or do what you feel like and ride against the wind – Sometime’s it’s invigorating but when challenged by other “travellers” often one feels on limb and a bit foolish. When you’re on a limb anyway it doesn’t take much for the limb to break. Cycling can be freedom, but also can be tense, dangerous and a stupid thing to do, given the circumstances. I’m not surprised people want to stay in their “auto”mobiles.
Arghijklmnopqrstuvw…x…y…. z.
[friend] I don’t cycle as much as you do, but sometimes circumstances lead me to realise the risks I’m taking and I wonder, if the worst happened, would I think it was worth it if I looked back? Think these things even more with two teenage boys cycling on the roads. The Big Picture: we can’t let fear drive cyclists off the road – there are so many reasons to cycle. But the Little Picture – with you and loved ones in the frame – sometimes doesn’t look as clear. Sorry this has happened to you today
Jules Richards on verge of giving in and buying a car.
[friend] A couple of weeks ago after being overtaken just before a blind corner I also asked a driver to be more careful. During the abuse he said that next time he would kill me.
I do not understand why anyone would even think that let alone say it.
But I can’t afford to buy a 2nd car for health, wealth and environmental reasons.
I am going to revisit cameras though and then report them all
[friend] I haven’t really had any altercations with drivers, tho I did once shout at a bloke driving a Chelsea tractor and talking on his mobile. When he drew up later, he lent over and spat at me through his passenger window.
It is bizarre the amount of contempt/hatred British men feel for cyclists. In France, in my experience, you get only consideration from drivers and encouragement from pedestrians – because most of them cycle as well. In Britain, there still seems to be a deep-rooted attitude that the manly thing is to drive (ie sit in a comfy chair and let an engine do all the work) and only little boys and twats ride a bike.
Jules Richards seriously thinking of a camera, have been for a while. Not at ease about having to go that route though.
Jules P Richards 
3 replies on “cyclists are foolish? raw rant…”
I’m a complete coward and only cycle on cycle paths since having had a child and never felt comfortable on roads before that. Despite College Road School cycling proficiency lessons! Such a shame, I wonder if it is a culture thing- like our drinking habits? Other European countries seem to share their public highways safely between cyclists and motor vehicle. I’d never ride anywhere without a helmet, having worked with brain injured people and find it worrying how many cyclists I see without them.
Hee here that cheered me up, college road cycle prof.. hehe I remember.
Always a helmet. Yes.
The problem with cycle routes is they are sooo poor.
My experience locally is they are disjunctive, poorly designed, poorly maintained, unobserved by pedestrians, and i’d have to ride significantly further.
The wear and tear on bike and rider when riding cycle paths, chicanes, bollards, tree roots, glass, rubbish, parked cars, pedestrians is farcical.
It’s an option that I might have to entertain again but it means the attitude of the automobile wins and will continue to carve an attitude through our communities. The car has a place but it’s casual use is seriously unhealthy in a multitude of ways. But still it get’s priority.
http://www.kevela.co.uk/info/bicycle-safety-flag/55/127/