During my ride this afternoon some frickin idiots went by me and threw a half-empty plastic pop bottle out the window of their car. The only good thing about it was that I had just crested a climb and was down in my aero tuck so it hit me hard in the lower back and then glanced off. Now I’ve got a sore and stiff lower back to deal with as I get ready to race this weekend ): The bastards went by so fast that I couldn’t get the plate number which is a real drag since my brother is a cop in this area and I probably could have gotten him to visit them. There sure are a lot of assholes in the world!
Well, that’s disheartening. By and large I feel we here in Ontario are safe form the yahoo contingent, but I guess not. I hope the back unstiffens and de-bruises by race day.
Alas, too many of us have similar tales to tell. 
A couple of years ago some yahoos thought they’d get their ya-ya’s out by loading up with a hefty stash of water ballons and driving up a long climb popular with local cyclists. You can guess what the water balloons were for. After I got mine, I continued up the hill, very pissed off, only to find cyclist after cyclist who had suffered similar attacks.
What really flabbergasted me about this was the obvious forethought that went into it. These knuckleheads went to some trouble just to terrorize a bunch of innocent strangers. One couple I encountered up the hill had pulled out a cell phone to call the cops, but we were pretty sure it was hopeless that they’d get caught.
I also remember virtually the exact same thing happening one year when a charity ride was rolling over our local roads. I encountered a similar carfull of idiots doing exactly the same thing. They missed me, but I saw them continue to lob water balloons at other cyclists as they sped away down a hill. What was really upsetting in this case was that they were harrassing people on a CHARITY RIDE, many of whom were children or otherwise not the strongest cyclists and who might easily have been knocked from their bikes as a result of being tagged with a water balloon. Sheer boneheaded malice and shitdipping.
The human capacity for stupidity and thoughtless cruelty utterly astonishes sometimes. Thank god these jackoffasaurs are rarer than the other type of human.
Anyway, glad you were not hurt worse! Hang in there.
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I have been wondering if I could carry a pistol in the back of my jersey
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I don’t remember who said it but it went something like, yell towards a crowd of 100, “Hey asshole,” and somebody will prove it.
Last mile of a century got a full 2 liter thrown at me by car full of teens. It sailed passed me only catching my jersey. If they had not blown through the stop sign I would have gotten the plate. Hope you heal-up soon.
I really don’t like riding alone anymore for the kind of stuff that keeps showing up on the forum.
No way!
The same exact thing happened to me yesterday. Was halfway into a 30 miler outside of bike friendly Portland, and a car full of kids thew a full big gulp at me. Hit me in the back of the head. Detonated on impact. I would guess they were going around 40 mph.
As completely pissed as I was, I am just thankful that it wasn’t something heavy.
large betto bag would work.
Imagine this - Scads of chowderhead teens logging onto slowtwitch, lurking around, getting ideas for what to do to us on our rides. It almost sounds as if there’s an epidemic going around of these ballistic adventures. And there’s now a solid reason why we are supposed to ride with the flow of traffic - much better to be clonked on the backside than in the face, I reckon.
I really like your voodoo doll - can I borrow it? I can’t promise that I’ll return it in the same condition I got it though…
I’ve been thinking that if some of us (it wouldn’t have to be all) had a small video camera on the backs of our bike… if we only caught a few of these #@^*s, the deterrent effect would be huge. If a few get caught and publicized and cited, the word would get out that folks on bikes are not fair game. With todays compact storage chips/cards, a loop type recording with a few minutes of run time would be all that is needed. For all of the weight weanies, it wouldn’t weigh much. Mount it on the stays or the saddle.
At least it wasn’t full of pee…
1992- Sydney, Australia, I am out cycling alone - a car comes alongside with three 18 year old kids inside - slow down to the pace I am riding up the hill - then sharply steer into the curb forcing me to a complete stop - at which point, two of the kids start hacking spit bombs all over me.
They drive off thinking it is hilarious - as I was riding up a steep hill and had nowhere to go - they double back around a side street and decided to do a fly by at about 50mph - missing me by inches.
I manage to get the plate number, stop at the next gas station and write it down.
Go to work later that afternoon - (I was a State HWP officer) punch in the details of the car - call the owner - demand that he attend the local station with the driver and two other occupants within the hour. (The owner turned out to be the father of the driver)
Told him it was in relation to a traffic incident and left it at that.
Separated the three kids - sat down with my supervisor and told them that a cyclist had been assaulted by the occupants of the car - and asked them if they would recognize that cyclist if they saw him again.
They flat denied the entire incident - and claimed that they would not recognise the cyclist because he was wearing a blue helmet and sunglasses.
I pulled my helmet and sunglasses from a bag and said, “Like this?” they said “yes”
It was at that stage that I dropped the bomb on them that I was infact the cyclist and I could identify each one of them.
The two spitters were charged with assault (18 year olds are considered adults in the Australian justice system) and the driver was charged with dangerous driving.
I went to the courthouse on the day they faced the magistrate (judge) and they all entered guilty pleas.
I don’t know what was more precious - the look on each of their faces at the police station when they realized it was me they attacked - or the look on their faces when the magistrate handed down their penalty.
(each was remanded in custody for 12 hours - the two spitters were convicted and fined $1500 each. The driver was convicted, fined $2000 and disqualified from driving for 2 years. Not that his father would have ever given him the keys to the car again!!!)
True story
that’s great
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I am a back of the pack newbie that still needs to lose 30+ pounds. A car pulled along side of me while I was riding alone and some teenage goons threw what looked like a rock at me. When it squarely hit my helmet I realized it was a McDonalds Big Mac, cardboard container and all. It exploded on impact and I had special sauce and shredded lettuce all over me. Typing this now it’s kind of funny, but at the moment it was pretty scary.
more importantly…did you stop to pick up the Big Mac.
Were you by chance riding the Madison course? I think someone “may” have tried doing the same there to me…
priceless.
No, I didn’t stop to pick-up the Big Mac. So far in 2005 I haven’t eaten at a McDonalds. In a small way this probably contributes to the 15+ lbs I’ve lost this year. But like I said I still have a good 30+ to go.
This happened in NH which is usually a pretty nice place to ride. Glad I could make you guys laugh with mental images of a guy who has no business wearing spandex getting pelted with a Big Mac.
"There sure are a lot of assholes in the world! "Is it just summer tourism or what? Went riding on Saturday morning and a couple of young rednecks in a pickup yelled at me “get the f*ck off the road”. Then some idiot honked at me as he flew by at high speed nearly clipping me with his mirror and giving the middle finger, to which I responded in kind. Then some asshole passed me on a tight corner almost causing an accident with myself and an oncoming car. The entire weekend was like that. Living in a low traffic rural area, problems with motorists usually aren’t a problem but lately somebody is letting all the morons out of their cages. 