I’ve been riding for years without incident but this has happened twice in the past couple of years. You’re out riding and some A-hole in a vehicle pulls off to park on the side of the road into the gravel in front of you. Just as you get near him he deliberately squeals his tires to shoot gravel up at you. The 2nd time this happened I was riding with my wife and she got hit in the leg by gravel. I was so ticked off that I forgot to get his license plate. I’ve just picked up a Gopro which I was planning to use mostly for scuba diving but am now thinking I should take it with me on rides.
It has happened to me once, about 12 years ago when riding northeast of Dallas.
I get a lot of hooting and hollering and the occasional person who swerves at me…but no stones kicked at me yet.
I’ve pinged a few cars. Riding along on shoulders with some gravel, hit a small stone with your tire, it shoots out and nails the car going by. For some reason I cringe, then I get a big shit eating grin :).
Wow, what a dick move.
I had someone purposely speed up and pass me as we were both riding through a big puddle. People do dumb things while they are in their car.
Dumb people do dumber things when they are in groups. Bet not one of those drivers was alone in the car.
I’ve never been pelted like that. But I was driven at by a big domestic diesel and he stopped, on purpose, just inches from hitting me.
I’ve also had them gun it and leave me in a cloud of diesel.
I think someone spit at me while passing too. I felt it and there was not a cloud in the sky or any puddles on the road.
Then there are POS cheap cars filled with teens. They don’t mean ill. They are just stupid and don’t understand they are putting me in danger.
The insecure ex-jock with a boring job, a fat wife and a couple of kids they didn’t want, in big trucks, they are honestly out to hurt someone. And sometimes do. I think they are trying to get us to crash without hitting us. Suppose they think it’d be funny.
Somebody from a car hit me with a can in traffic for no reason. Thankfully I did not lose control.
Similar to you…I was riding a long stretch that has an adjacent “dirt shoulder.” Some dick in a massive Tonka truck swerved in front of me, wheels in the dirt and gunned it for a good half mile creating a massive dirt cloud I got to ride through.
That is a total d-move…if anything it forces you to go faster and make them eat your rubber!!!
I would have picked up a handful of said gravel and did some pelting of my own.
Glad you weren’t injured. Never had gravel sprayed like that, but definitely seen some people in cages do some really dumb stuff. My wife and I were participating in a Cancer Awareness charity ride near Charleston a couple years ago with my son attached behind me and a giant black truck came towards us, crossed over into the oncoming lane, and came straight at the group of riders and swerved back over across to their own lane way too close to us. Two young, probably 20 something years old, girls were in the truck laughing as they drove by. We reported it after the ride was over but never heard if anything happened.
I’ll never understand some people. A GoPro or something like it might be a good idea if you ride in a place where things like that happen to you. Just to document the event and in case someone is injured you have proof. Be careful out there.
I’m shocked by all the roadrage stories I read on this forum. I never experienced anything remotely resemblant while riding my bike here in the Netherlands. Ofcourse we have a lot of bike-only lanes, but also on shared roads I always get plenty of space.
I only had pennies thrown at me. Then they had to stop at a red light 500m after. Was about to catch them when they realized I was coming so they blasted off, burned the red, almost crashed and drove away.
I had something else thrown at me can’t remember anymore what it was probably pennies too, I guess they all agree I need a new bike lol.
I had many right hooks but that ain’t exactly road rage, more like freaking idiocy.
I had an egg thrown at me from a car traveling 40mph while running.
Just yesterday there was a person that drove past me and nearly hit my elbow when a light just turned green and I was clipping in. Black Mustang, Michigan plate ending in V02
jaretj
" I never experienced anything remotely resemblant while riding my bike here in the Netherlands."
You also have a strong bicycle culture and not a lot of red necks in gas guzzling pick up trucks who think they own the road.
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I’m another that is amazed at some of the stories of idiot drivers. I’ve never had anything done that I would consider intentional. Riding in Garden of the Gods you have to look out for tourists, but they are just clueless. I do most of my road riding at the Air Force Academy, and everyone there tends to be very respectful of cyclists (although you do have to watch for tourists there too.)
A few years ago I was purposely sideswiped by a large truck in downtown Houston while I was riding to work. Somehow I did not fall. There was a parked police car directly across the street and the guy was immediately pulled over. Pretty funny when the guy got out of his car and realized that I wasn’t the typical scrawny cyclist, and had several inches and like 60lbs. on him. Yeah, he apologized.
Can not tell you how many times I’ve been purposely sprayed by diesel smoke or almost pushed into a ditch during my 4yrs in Texas. It’s mindblowing how anti-bike the people are there, totally different here in Utah.
I had an egg thrown at me from a car traveling 40mph while running.
Just yesterday there was a person that drove past me and nearly hit my elbow when a light just turned green and I was clipping in. Black Mustang, Michigan plate ending in V02
jaretj
A few years ago, I had a egg thrown at me while running one evening. The real shock for them was when I did a sudden 180 and sprinted after them and was gaining ground for the 1st 100y or more. Holding a solid sub 5:00 pace they weren’t getting away very quickly with stop signs ever block. I kept sight of them for almost a 1/2 mile before they finally got smart and actually made more than 1 turn.
I love the “Run Forest Run”. I usually yell back “I’m faster than forest”. Of course I’m an easy target since I’m running in the evening and I wear you know… like “dorky” running clothes (tights, short shirts, skull cap or visor), not “cool looking”, baggy basketball shorts and XL T-shirt.
I had this happen about 3 weeks ago. I saw the guy stop and it appeared he was going to stay parked. As I got about 5 feet from him he puts it in gear and I now have another car leaning on my left shoulder. I literally squeezed between to cars. Luckily I yelled at the parked car and he stopped - I stopped - and cruising car passed me without tagging me. It all happened so fast I couldn’t even be scared.
Just like riding motorcycles, I see all cars as potential threats!
Patti in NJ