LA TIMES Article
Thread started by
riss at 08.13.07 - 11:40 am
Hurled milkshakes, heated confrontations, serious accidents -- they're all a part of hitting the road for many cyclists and runners. In these tales from the front lines, L.A.-area riders and runners talk about their worst encounters with motorists.
Driveway's invisible man
IT took Flavio Olcese exactly one week after getting his new bike to crash it.
He was heading down a Santa Monica street in March when a car turned into a driveway in front of him. Olcese braked, but he went over the hood, sustaining a sore shoulder, broken helmet and damaged bike. "The point," says Olcese, 38, "is everyone's looking for a car; nobody's looking for a bike. And people don't realize how fast a bike is."
Other incidents have come up since Olcese, a bid and contract manager from Venice, started riding last October. A carful of teenagers pelted him with eggs (one hit him but didn't break), someone tossed a milkshake at him (missed, hit the car instead) and one driver attempted to clip him as he was riding. On that ride, he was leading a group of some 30 riders who happened to see the incident and confronted the driver, who eventually apologized.
Yet none of this has dimmed Olcese's enthusiasm for the open road. "I'm not out there to get angry," he says. "Even if I'm thinking that, I've lost my serenity. I go out there to find peace, and I do. I feel for [drivers]. They're stressed, and that's OK."
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I read that story today in the doctor's office.
I guess we all have experienced such ignorant disrespect by auto encased morons. The article documents several cyclists as well as runners and their horror stories.
Maybe its karma (or car-ma..Ha!), but I ride 5 to 6,000 miles a year, and this kind of stuff is rare. Maybe I ride is less antagonistic communities. I do know the last time someone threw his paper cup beverage at me (and missed), I did everything I could to catch the mental midget at the next light. Luck for both of us I did not.
Creative Thing08.13.07 - 2:42 pm
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Story 1: On a CubScout ride, some Persian guy drove past us, pulled over and yelled, "EAT A DICK!" as we proceeded to pass him. I don't think any of us knew why he said that.
Story2: On a ride to school early one morning, some guy hauled past me and shouted, "EAT A DICK!" Still no idea why he yelled at me.
Maybe this is a serial bike harasser? I've had a couple very, very minor altercations, but fortunately nothing serious. I'm afraid, however, that by riding in Santa Monica all the time, it's just a matter of time before things might go sour.
SPOOK08.13.07 - 3:00 pm
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Get a Pigeon! / Eat a Dick! / Poke Butt! = same thing
Joe Borfo08.13.07 - 3:14 pm
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Get a Pigeon! / Eat a Dick! / Poke Butt! = I wish I was enjoying my life as much as those people riding bikes
spiraldemon08.13.07 - 3:17 pm
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On the Wes Anderson ride someone spat at me driving by, thank god it didn't hit me that would have been gross, but I suppose it was appropriate for the ride.
"I'm so pissed I could spit"
riss08.13.07 - 3:39 pm
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bad things that motorists have done to me while I was riding:
-spit at
-egged
-beverages thrown at
-paintballed
-cussed out
yet, the riding continues because the good from cycling far outweigh the bad:
-met cool people
-get my cardio more fit than it's ever been
-learned about sustainability
-drank more beer than I ever thought possible
-most importantly, had TONS of fun
spiraldemon08.13.07 - 4:21 pm
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Yeah now that i think about it, us cubbies do get a lot of attention eh?
Egged, yelled at.
On the vegas ride a guy driving next to me told me he hoped i would crash. I followed that with and i hope you like the new scratch in your paint job, asshole. (and no, i only said, i never touched the car)
I get the feeling like the people i've encountered yell and throw becuase it's a mischievous thing to do and they have fun doing it. Not because they really hate bikers...
richtotheie08.13.07 - 4:44 pm
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Why did the article include runners? I can only guess to appeal to a wider audience because runners and bikers have so little in common when it comes to dealing with asshole / moron LA drivers. Last I checked, most runners (and I'm one of them) stays almost entirely on sidewalks except to cross roads. As riders using the lanes constantly and riding with traffic, we're putting up with a lot more shit and a lot more danger. My respects to runners, but there's just no lumping the two together.
0gravity08.13.07 - 6:06 pm
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Not to show my age, but I've been running for 40 years and cycling for 21.
Back in the day, when I used to run on the streets, yeah, I got verbal abuse and firecrackers thrown at me etc. But that was very very rare.
But nothing like while I've been cycling. Bikes bring out the worst in some individuals. I now run almost exclusivly on soft surfaces, which keeps me away from pinheads in cars.
No doubt running now along busy streets where there is no sidewalk or if you ignore te sidewalk and run the shoulder (many runners believe that asphalt is a softer surface than concrete), You are "fair game" for the mentally challanged. The only difference is that most runners run opposng traffic, so the jerks can't sneak up on you like they can when we bike.
Creative Thing08.13.07 - 7:47 pm
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It may be a stretch to lump the Running commuinity with the Biking community but if it means more political pull, I'm all for it...
Samhain08.13.07 - 7:58 pm
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MOSCOW (Reuters) - A man cycling from Taiwan to Moscow made it as far as Western Siberia only to be knocked off his bicycle by a drunk driver, Russian media reported Monday.
The 37-year-old Taiwan resident, who was not named, was nearly two-thirds of the way through his roughly 7,000 km (4,350 mile) trip when he was hit by a car in the Novosibirsk region, Interfax news agency reported.
"The victim is currently in a satisfactory condition ... The drunk driver fled from the scene of the accident," the agency quoted a police statement as saying.
Nobody is safe.
Be careful out there.
Creative Thing08.13.07 - 8:57 pm
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