A cyclist punched me this morning.

[paulz]

I was riding through downtown in a bike lane around 20mph and a cyclist passed me and hit me around the midsection.  I did not see or hear him coming. The strike did not come close to hurting, nor did it cause my balance to waiver, but it was not a light tap.  It was hard enough that he may have been trying to knock me over.  As far as I know, I’ve had no previous interaction with this person. I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out what this guy was thinking.  Why do something so dangerous?  If things went terribly wrong for me, he could be charged with homicide.   

Was this a fluke?  Anyone else experience something similar? In smaller city (Minneapolis) with not so many winter cyclists, there is a decent chance that I’ll run into this guy again if he is a regular commuter. Cyclists downtown are typically affluent professionals commuting to work.  Is there something I might have done to provoke him? I’ve done this exact route many times before.

[RockyTop]

Not unheard of. When I ride most people’s faces light up and are tickled to see something new.   About 1 in 100 faces turn angry.  They see me as breaking the law or tricking the system. Sometimes they take the law into their own hands. Other people call the police. I show the police the local law and they agree that I am not breaking the law. That only makes the caller more angry. They act like I just punched their baby and got away with it. (I am a respectful rider ) 

Edited October 29, 2019 by RockyTop

[greentung]

This is main the reason I ride with a camera either mounted to my helmet or backpack. Bike guy need to be arrested for assault. 

[paulz]

Thanks @greentung, a camera is a great idea.  A rear-mounted camera might have given some insight into whether or not I actually did something to provoke this guy......

In the alternative it would be good to send to the police.

 

[greentung]

2 minutes ago, paulz said:

Thanks @greentung, a camera is a great idea.  A rear-mounted camera might have given some insight into whether or not I actually did something to provoke this guy......

In the alternative it would be good to send to the police.

 

I sometime use an Insta360 camera mounted on the top of my helmet. It captures everything around. It's hard not to miss it. People tend to be on better behavior when they see the 360 camera.

[Scubadragonsan]

You just got assaulted! See him again, take his photo and report his ass! Note the time of his ride passing you and figure out his routine and give the info to police to track him down and enforce the law.

[LanghamP]

Yeah, more than a few times, but that's St Louis. A lot of urban bicyclists are mentally ill, and do all sorts of potentially injurious actions.

I don't recommend getting in his face or anything confrontational. Simply apologize to him while pepper spraying him, and apologize some more while blessing him with the hot sauce. No one gets hurt this way.

Do you carry pepper spray? You should! Always. 

[paulz]

My primary goal is returning safely to my family.  A potential confrontation failed a cost-benefit analysis.  I did catching up with him to ask him what he was doing, but I could not do so safely.  He ran a yellow light immediately after passing me.  

I like the camera idea;  would the insta360 stand up to harsh cold, water and abuse?  If not, are there light & small cameras that will?  Is there anything cheaper than the insta360?  I don't care about any video quality past what is necessary for capturing incidents like this. 

[greentung]

16 minutes ago, paulz said:

My primary goal is returning safely to my family.  A potential confrontation failed a cost-benefit analysis.  I did catching up with him to ask him what he was doing, but I could not do so safely.  He ran a yellow light immediately after passing me.  

I like the camera idea;  would the insta360 stand up to harsh cold, water and abuse?  If not, are there light & small cameras that will?  Is there anything cheaper than the insta360?  I don't care about any video quality past what is necessary for capturing incidents like this. 

The insta360 have withstood rain. They sell underwater housing for it as well. I think any camera is better than none. You can get good deals on previous years action cameras and without expensive features like stabilizations. The key is getting a camera with 1/4 screw mount so you can use it on any GoPro style mounts (helmet, straps, chest, wheel handles, etc). Unless you actually get a GoPro then the mount is built into the frame.

You'll want simple instant on and off function. I press one button on my GoPro to start recording when I leave the house and press the same button to stop when I get to my office building. My goal is just to document my ride. 

If you want to discuss more about specific cameras we should start a new topic.  

[Daniel-Son]

The next time you see him, get a stick and ride pass him and jam the stick into his front wheel and yell “payback is a bitch”! That’s the only way you’re going to get respect when it comes to road raging cyclists. 

[houseofjob]

@paulz incidents like this are in my experiences here in NYC not frequent, but not unprecedented either.

This is one of the many reasons why riders in NYC avoid bike lanes, as there is too much f*ery around them (bad paving, no protection, wandering pedestrians, etc, etc.). Much harder for a random guy to do this to you going city car traffic speed, in city roads (why many of us advocate speed can actually be a safety feature).

And I concur with @greentung on getting a good dashcam solution: the ultimate equalizer (which reminds me I still need to purchase one/two myself *smh).

Edited October 29, 2019 by houseofjob

[xorbe]

I've had one motorist scream at me to get a f-ing skateboard while on my e-scooter, and one crazy lady scream at me while squeezing through on the right to turn right with my motorcycle.  Some people are just crazy.  Watch out!!!  I had a high speed bicyclist split between me (jogging) and a lady with a baby stroller, and the cyclist clipped me with his elbow, I'm sure he didn't mean to do that, just too aggressive riding, you know how it goes.

Edited October 29, 2019 by xorbe

[Marty Backe]

With some of the guys I ride with, this would not have gone done well for the cyclist. We ride wheels that can easily outpace a bicyclist. It would be very easy to catch up to him.

Fortunately I've never experienced that level of aggressiveness and hope I never will.

[RockyTop]

1 hour ago, Marty Backe said:

With some of the guys I ride with, this would not have gone done well for the cyclist. We ride wheels that can easily outpace a bicyclist. It would be very easy to catch up to him.

Fortunately I've never experienced that level of aggressiveness and hope I never will.

Hay Man!!! What happened!?? Sorry !!!  You ran into me and almost knocked me over. I was just grabbing at anything I could to keep upright. I didn’t mean to rip you off your bike and slam you to the ground at 20 MPH.      

I have been running dogs at 20 MPH for the last 6 months. One at a time for 3 miles. The younger dog likes 20MPH the older about 14MPH. It has increased my ability to deal with sudden changes in force. 

I almost think I would do better on an EUC in a battle of pushing. You can use both hands and all your body weight rather than just the top half while peddling and holding the handle bars. 

[mike_bike_kite]

I suppose you have to look at it from their perspective. They have a bicycle lane to protect them from motorised traffic then find a motorised unicycle whizzing along at 20-30mph in what they see as their protected lane. There's no point being aggressive back, it just leads to escalation which rarely leads to a good result.

[RockyTop]

28 minutes ago, mike_bike_kite said:

I suppose you have to look at it from their perspective. They have a bicycle lane to protect them from motorised traffic then find a motorised unicycle whizzing along at 20-30mph in what they see as their protected lane. There's no point being aggressive back, it just leads to escalation which rarely leads to a good result.

True....... But???  State law says that the bike lane is my lane too. If unchecked this guy might hurt someone.  

 

[LanghamP]

Everybody talks the big talk until they get punched in the face with a bicycle lock, then they sit down and cry. Don't mess around with the urban bicyclist. They will often escalate beyond all reason, and not care if you're with a group. And even if you and your group wins (assuming you gang up), you still lose. Road rage is stupid.

It's important to understand that pepper spray isn't an assault like punching someone. No one gets hurt from pepper spray, there's no damage to anyone, it doesn't stop anyone but instead buys you time, and time lets you run away.

Finally, understand you have an excellent chance of losing in a fair fight with a bicyclist. Bicyclist are fit individuals, and my experience is that anyone who takes a swing at you has some fight experience. If you've never had formal fight experience and training, then you have no business picking fights with fit individuals on pavement. You're going to get body slammed and lose 20 IQ points.

When you're in the city assume everyone is potentially an evil crazy person who wants to get close enough to stab you under the armpit. 

[Marty Backe]

2 hours ago, mike_bike_kite said:

I suppose you have to look at it from their perspective. They have a bicycle lane to protect them from motorised traffic then find a motorised unicycle whizzing along at 20-30mph in what they see as their protected lane. There's no point being aggressive back, it just leads to escalation which rarely leads to a good result.

In California EUC's are allowed anyway a bicycle is unless specifically stated otherwise. It's probably different in London.

[Rehab1]

Bummer @paulz!  I’ve never had that happen to me but it could be my protective gear.

 

 

Edited October 30, 2019 by Rehab1

[mike_bike_kite]

7 hours ago, Marty Backe said:

In California EUC's are allowed anyway a bicycle is unless specifically stated otherwise. It's probably different in London.

It's sad in London because they've made EUC's illegal over here but, even in California, I think EUC's are only legal up to 1000W which actually makes the OP's V10F illegal. But this isn't about what's strictly legal, it's about how bicyclists perceive EUC riders. I think, as a group, we are very dependant on bicyclists accepting us in their lanes which means we have to be particularly courteous to them. If they start to complain about motorised EUC's using their protected cycle lanes then it's obvious what will happen. You'll soon end up not being allowed to ride on roads, sidewalks or bicycle lanes - which is effectively how it is in the UK. 

[Mike Sacristan]

22 hours ago, paulz said:

I was riding through downtown in a bike lane around 20mph and a cyclist passed me and hit me around the midsection.  I did not see or hear him coming. The strike did not come close to hurting, nor did it cause my balance to waiver, but it was not a light tap.  It was hard enough that he may have been trying to knock me over.

Sounds like he thought you were in the way. Were you carving? 20mph is pretty fast but not that fast that a cyclist can't easily pass you. Were you taking up the whole path? Keeping to your side? I am course not justifying his behaviour but if we are looking at what we can change the only thing we can change is ourselves.

19 hours ago, paulz said:

My primary goal is returning safely to my family.  A potential confrontation failed a cost-benefit analysis. 

You did the right thing. You had already taken the loss and the loss cannot be removed. Best to leave it at that.

Short of starting careers as vigilantes there is nothing we can do but ride defensively and be aware of our whereabouts as well as those around us. This includes looking behind us now and then, perhaps using a mirror, being generous to others with our superior vehicles, etc.

Sorry to hear of this incident. I hope it does not haunt you.

[RockyTop]

So from this post, cycles are super endurance fighters that own the city. No wonder they are such  heads. You should probably just hand them your lunch money too. 

I am not someone to start trouble but I am not just going to stand by either. My least favorite saying is ”C’est la vie”.  ( it is what it is and you can’t change it).   No-   It will be what I make it because everyone else is just standing by saying it is what it is. 

I am getting older but I still have options. Call the COPs and fill out a report. If something happens in the future you have a report. If It happened to me again and I had on gear I might just jump on his back and ride him to the ground at 20 MPH. I am not too old yet. 

[Mono]

1 hour ago, Mike Sacristan said:

Sounds like he thought you were in the way. Were you carving? 20mph is pretty fast but not that fast that a cyclist can't easily pass you. Were you taking up the whole path? Keeping to your side? I am course not justifying his behaviour but if we are looking at what we can change the only thing we can change is ourselves.

You did the right thing. You had already taken the loss and the loss cannot be removed. Best to leave it at that.

Short of starting careers as vigilantes there is nothing we can do but ride defensively and be aware of our whereabouts as well as those around us. This includes looking behind us now and then, perhaps using a mirror, being generous to others with our superior vehicles, etc.

Sorry to hear of this incident. I hope it does not haunt you.

Wise words 

[Mono]

33 minutes ago, RockyTop said:

If It happened to me again and I had on gear I might just jump on his back and ride him to the ground at 20 MPH. I am not too old yet. 

and the not so wise words

[RockyTop]

2 minutes ago, Mono said:

and the not so wise words

If he intentionally tries to knock me over I am taking him with me. As I have said too many times, I am good at crashing. He just entered my world with his bad judgment. 

In a larger scene, In a much bigger picture of the world, YOU GET WHAT YOU PUT UP WITH. So if you are OK with being a pansy don’t complain about it.