Wednesday, April 16, 2008

you meet the most interesting people riding a bike

from the orphanage mail box:
I was taking a leisurely ride through a ritzy neighborhood near sugar bottom when a huge v8 pickup swings over towards my lane to give me a little scare (Why do they think this is cool?), I angle out a little so the driver can see me, as I am not sure what they are doing. He swerves more toward me and just misses me with his mirror. I flip him off (oops!) and he locks up the brakes and turns around and drives insanely back to confront me. I stop a guy walking his dog and say I please need a witness as I guy just tried to run me over and I think he might harm/kill me.
The truck driver returns foaming at the mouth screaming, blah blah blah “you fucking puke”, blah-blah-blah, “you messed with the wrong fuckin guy!, blah-blah-blah, “you don’t pay taxes with that fucking thing!” blah-blah, “you ever fuckin do that again I’ll pick your ass up and throw you in the back of my truck and drive you to the police station!”, blah...”you ever put your bike in front of my truck again I’ll run you down!”
Nice that he threatened me with kidnapping and murder for riding my bike on my side of the road. Is it ok to just go around threatening to kill people?
Other notes: I guess it was labeled private drive on one end of the development. I looked at his plates and he was a volunteer fireman. I think I am going to buy a little mini recorder to carry so I can record conversation like these.
--befuddled bikie from river city

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oregon Scientific ATC-2000

$100 or so, an all weather digital cam with helmet mount or handlebar mount. SD cards for transfering vids to your computer or utube. Small enough for road idiots not to notice until you shove it down their throat.

Rick.

Anonymous said...

http://www.atc2k.com/

Kim needs one so there will be some evidence when he is run over.

Anonymous said...

Oops, forgot about the no helmet bit.

Steve Fuller said...

Strap it to the side of your head, and use it to film raccoons!! ;)

Brett said...

What does a helmet have to do with anything? I find this comment off topic and along the lines of police and media reports regarding incidents involving cyclists. There is always a mention of helmet or no helmet. Who gives a shit when a rider is threatened, on the ground, or fucking dead.

Anonymous said...

Hey, it's a blog, nothing is off topic.

Brett said...

Let me rephrase the end.

Who care whether or not a cyclist is wearing a helmet. The more important issue is has a rider been threatened, turfed, or worse, killed by no fault of their own?

Some folks just never comprehend that it's all about respect, education, and understanding.

Anonymous said...

screw the helmet cam, carry a gun!

Steve Fuller said...

Brett,

I think the helmet comment came because

A) the photo of the item in the link showed a camera mounted to the side of a helmet

B) Kim does not wear a helmet.

I'm sure Kim could mount it on his head, with or without a helmet. For the record, I don't care if people wear helmets or not. In either case, they don't tend to protect against assholes threatening you.

Anonymous said...

anonymous with the "hanging it over your head" helmut comment, identify yourself please, just for curiousity sakes. I agree with Brett, it was basically a useless and off the topic comment you made that potentially overshadows the real concerns "we" have as cyclists. Stick together perhaps?

Jeff Barnes.

the mostly reverend said...

hey, lively commentary on my day off.
thanks!

i will be having a cyclist safety episode on the radio show very soon, perhaps coupled with a "stupid ideas by county stupidvisors" segment...