Here they go:
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ignore them first
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if they try to engage, spray them with pepper spray, call cops on that person
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if there’s only one of them and you don’t have your pepper spray, do a Gordie Howe, drop your gloves, and fight them. DON’T TAKE OFF YOUR HELMET. Use your helmet to block their punches (this is where the chin strap better be spot-on fit). I suggest pulling their shirt over their head, that way, you can land some hard punches by pulling their head towards you. It also immobilises their arms, so you can beat the holy #$@% out of them and not have to dodge strong punches. If he’s wearing a wife-beater, you can’t do this, as it won’t work. This also helps with the “ice skate” nature of cleats. Yes, this is how I fought in ice hockey, and is proven to generally win the fight in a rink. If you end up falling down from your cleats, just make sure you stay on top, pull them down with you and continue to pummel the shit out of their soft noggin.
You will have some cut knuckles from their teeth and possibly need stitches on your knuckles, but generally, cops will kind of look the other way when they call crying to the cops that some “faggot cyclist dude knocked out my teeth after I was trying to harass, er, um have a conversation with them!”
I have done all three, and I like numbers 1 and 2 best. Number three is in rare cases, and you had better hope that they are not too much bigger than you.
btw- I am 1-0 using method number 3. I ended up pulling the guy down, and the cops had to break it up. I was not charged with anything.
Bunnyman,
Love all 3! Of course, I want to avoid #3 as much as I can - in Chicago, they send you to Cook County Jail for that, and I don’t do real well in confinement. Especially when it takes up to 30-odd hours to be “processed” into the jail, before you get your phone call, and even then, you got some Gangster Disciple or Latin King with crap tattoos and a big scar standing behind you waving gang signs, wagging his head and yelling “Yo muthaf$%%$a, get up off that phone, man, get up off it befo I knock you out.” Then I end up in a jailhouse fight, and off into solitary or whatever, more headaches…
I just let people beep and do whatever, but fight when attacked and neccessary for defense. Then I’ll really make them wish for h-e-double hockey sticks.
possible to take license plate number and call cops on cell phone?
Way to go Bunnyman!! I was going to suggest the jersey (sweater if your canadian or old school) over their head from my penalty ridden hockey past. another thing you may want to do is place yourself on the grass or dirt so your cleats dont slip.
The drivers are really getting worse, the last several weeks ive had more close calls than in the last couple of years and more aggressive vocal drivers. The problem in Illinois is that there are not many bike lanes. When recently visiting San Diego, CA and Naples,FL it seems that they have bike lanes everywhere.
On Sunday I had a passenger in old beater tell me to buy a car and he gave me the bird. I thought it was funny cause my bike probably cost more than his car and of course I returned the favor of giving him the bird back. Need better education or awareness for all?
Be careful with that bird. Myself and two others were doing a long climb a few weeks ago on a two lane road in the mtns of NC. Impatient semi truck driver while he is passing blares the horn for 30+ seconds, makes you jump out of your skin. He gets the bird in the rearview mirror, slams on his breaks at 45mph, and starts to jacknife. We start circling the wagons and boom! Pick up truck not paying attention rearends the semi. Both drivers cited, nobody hurt. But that middle finger almost caused a fight, serious injury etc. Some people arent playing with a full deck.
One day we were getting harrased much more than normal and had yelled back each time. Then this pick up truck came by and a arm the size of a large tree flipped us off. IT WAS Totally quit. No one said a word. We still laugh about that.
I dont always use the bird, most of the time I raise my arms is disgust.
Is it worthwhile or appropriate to report drivers that come too close or harass you?
Its pretty hard to resist the bird when your pissed! I dont think it can hurt to report reckless behavior. I know in some states, maybe mine, its illegal to honk at cyclists in a malicious, non-needed fashion. Good luck proving that in court. The letters to the editor in my newspaper are good entertainment from the hillbillies who hate cyclists, I save them, and when the time comes one of them “accidently” hits a cyclist, I present proof of a motive.
“1) ignore them first”
Haven’t had too many incidents fortunately. One was with two big guys in a pickup truck with all kind of hockey team decals over it. I’m motoring along and for no reason one of them flicks me the middle finger. A normal reaction would be to return the favor but realizing that if these guys are hockey players they’ll be used to fighting so I took the smart road and ignored them.