Youths!

John Hemmings said:

Hi, I was riding home tonight when to lads, around 16 years of age, started to cross the road
about 20 meters in front of me. When one of them seen me coming he decided to block my path so I'd
end up in the gutter or having to stop. Made a split decision and kept going and used my momentum
and shoulder to get past, pushing the lad out of the way. What followed was a mouthful of
obscenities from them and I must admit, one from me. Is it just the area I live in, Merseyside, or
is this thing common elsewhere.

You did the right thing. Never slow down or stop - they might be trying to nick your bike. Richard
Ballantine covered this very scenario in "Richard's Bicycle Book"

"John Hemmings" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi, I was riding home tonight when to lads, around 16 years of age,

started

Quoted message said:

to cross the road about 20 meters in front of me. When one of them seen me coming he decided to
block my path so I'd end up in the gutter or having

to

Quoted message said:

stop....

I would have thought just *2* lads would have a job to block the road unless it was very narrow
single track.

"John Hemmings" <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

Hi, I was riding home tonight when to lads, around 16 years of age, started to cross the road
about 20 meters in front of me. When one of them seen me coming he decided to block my path so I'd
end up in the gutter or having to stop. Made a split decision and kept going and used my momentum
and shoulder to get past, pushing the lad out of the way. What followed was a mouthful of
obscenities from them and I must admit, one from me. Is it just the area I live in, Merseyside, or
is this thing common elsewhere.

In Camden, a cyclist lost several teeth when some yobs pulled a rope across him on a cycle route a
few weeks ago.

The incident was reported as a 'prank' in the local press until cyclists and others started
complaining.

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden] Edgware.

John Hemmings said:

Hi, I was riding home tonight when to lads, around 16 years of age, started to cross the road
about 20 meters in front of me. When one of them seen me coming he decided to block my path so I'd
end up in the gutter or having to stop. Made a split decision and kept going and used my momentum
and shoulder to get past, pushing the lad out of the way. What followed was a mouthful of
obscenities from them and I must admit, one from me. Is it just the area I live in, Merseyside, or
is this thing common elsewhere.

Thanks John.

A drunk/druggy tried to do it to me in Holbeck once. I didn't slow down, in fact I aimed at him, he
thought better of it and settled for shouting abuse at me.

Darksiders have an advantage: first, we have less far to fall, and second, being hit by the
chainring *hurts*

--
Guy
===

WARNING: may contain traces of irony. Contents may settle after posting.
chapmancentral.comchapmancentral.comOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

John Hemmings wrote:

Made a split decision and kept going and used my momentum and shoulder

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

to get past, pushing the lad out of the way.

Good decision.

--
Mark (MSA)

Bike shop assistant... "We couldn't repair your brakes, so we made your horn louder"!

In message <[email hidden]>, MSA <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

John Hemmings wrote:

Made a split decision and kept going and used my momentum and shoulder

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

to get past, pushing the lad out of the way.

Good decision.

Indeed, I wouldn't say this is exactly common, but it's not uncommon either, certainly it's not just
your area.

It's happened a few times to me. I always go for the keep up the speed and get eye contact, and keep
on my line - which often is straight for them. If as has been the case, they are just being
d***heads they usually get out of the way once they realise you are going to keep on coming. And if
for some reason they do plan on pushing you off or something then they'll do that anyway.

--
Chris French, Leeds

"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:bn3tgt$6qj$1

and second,

Quoted message said:

being hit by the chainring *hurts*

Quoted message said:

Guy

Aha, the first advantage of riding a **enter whatever their called here** that I can agree with!

Cool :-)

--
Mark (MSA)

Bike shop assistant... "We couldn't repair your brakes, so we made your horn louder"!

"Helen Deborah Vecht" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In Camden, a cyclist lost several teeth when some yobs pulled a rope across him on a cycle route a
few weeks ago.

All the more reason not to use the damned things!

"M Series" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

A drunk/druggy tried to do it to me in Holbeck once. I didn't slow down,

in

Quoted message said:

fact I aimed at him, he thought better of it and settled for shouting

abuse

Quoted message said:

at me.

Riding fast straight at someone has the advantage that they either dive to one side (if they have
any sense) or stay put and get badly winded so they then can't do a lot to you!

Just zis Guy said:

Darksiders have an advantage: first, we have less far to fall, and second, being hit by the
chainring *hurts*

A front tyre snatches in a particularly nasty way when you hit someone...I've done it (see football
thread below). Bit like a Chinese burn.

In article <[email hidden]>, "Just zis Guy, you know?"

Quoted message said:

Darksiders have an advantage: first, we have less far to fall, and second, being hit by the
chainring *hurts*

Is it possible that the chain could be replaced by a chainsaw chain?

--
A T (Sandy) Morton on the Bicycle Island In the Global Village sandymillport.fsnet.co.uksandymillport.fsnet.co.ukOpen ↗

I got a load of abuse from scroaty kids in Leeds city centre on Sunday evening as I left work. They
apparently objected to my cycling spex(?). I did retaliate verbally and they ran away but I was most
amused that the fact they thought that ". . 'can see your bo**cks hanging down to your knees" was an
insult! Went home well chuffed 🙂

"John Hemmings" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Hi, I was riding home tonight when to lads, around 16 years of age, started to cross the road
about 20 meters in front of me. When one of them seen me coming he decided to block my path so I'd
end up in the gutter or having to stop. Made a split decision and kept going and used my momentum
and shoulder to get past, pushing the lad out of the way. What followed was a mouthful of
obscenities from them and I must admit, one from me. Is it just the area I live in, Merseyside, or
is this thing common elsewhere.

This happened to me last night, I sped up to about 20 mph and kept going - they shifted out of the
way, especially as a car was behind me as well. Simon

--
Keep the sun on your face, the wind on your back and cast all your shadows behind you. "John
Hemmings" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi, I was riding home tonight when to lads, around 16 years of age,

started

Quoted message said:

to cross the road about 20 meters in front of me. When one of them seen me coming he decided to
block my path so I'd end up in the gutter or having

to

Quoted message said:

stop. Made a split decision and kept going and used my momentum and

shoulder

Quoted message said:

to get past, pushing the lad out of the way. What followed was a mouthful

of

Quoted message said:

obscenities from them and I must admit, one from me. Is it just the area I live in, Merseyside, or
is this thing common elsewhere.

Thanks John.

I can live with youths being youths and acting stupid, they don't know any better. What I can't
understand is why grown men in passenger seats of passing cars need to wind down their window and
shout something usually undecipherable at you as they pass then head off laughing like imbeciles.
The other favourite is empty cans or plastic bottles being thrown at you as they pass.

We have come to not accept anything better in the North East as we are not the city of
culture 2008 :-)

Merseyside is not that bad at least you get the chance to make a difference if someone just stands
in your path.

Be smug, keeping taking the fresh air, live long and prosper.

"Adrian Boliston" <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

"Helen Deborah Vecht" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

In Camden, a cyclist lost several teeth when some yobs pulled a rope across him on a cycle route
a few weeks ago.

Quoted message said:

All the more reason not to use the damned things!

It certainly has deterred some cycling on it. On the other hand, the Polis are finally paying
attention to cyclists' safety. There had been numerous complaints, but there has only been increased
police presence since after the assault.

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden] Edgware.

John Hemmings said:

Hi, I was riding home tonight when to lads, around 16 years of age, started to cross the road
about 20 meters in front of me. When one of them seen me coming he decided to block my path so I'd
end up in the gutter or having to stop. Made a split decision and kept going and used my momentum
and shoulder to get past, pushing the lad out of the way.

That's fine when you are sure you can get away but it could be very nasty if they manage to stop or
catch you. I try and give any dodgy looking characters a very wide berth well in advance (by
speeding up and riding out into the carriageway).

Quoted message said:

What followed was a mouthful of obscenities from them and I must admit, one from me. Is it just
the area I live in, Merseyside, or is this thing common elsewhere.

I get very little trouble like that in London. One recent exception was when I was trying to get
past a gang of six kids walking along in the middle of a narrow road. I was preparing to slow to
walking pace to follow behind but decided to carry on and use my forearm as a shield to barge
through when the eldest lad instructed his alsation to "eat the man!".

~PB

John Hemmings said:

Hi, I was riding home tonight when to lads, around 16 years of age, started to cross the road about
20 meters in front of me. When one of them seen me coming he decided to block my path so I'd end up
in the gutter or having to stop. Made a split decision and kept going and used my momentum and
shoulder to get past, pushing the lad out of the way. What followed was a mouthful of obscenities
from them and I must admit, one from me. Is it just the area I live in, Merseyside, or is this
thing common elsewhere.

Thanks John.

Bit OT, but wanted to put my experience to the group. Few years ago (I was about 15) was riding
home one dark evening with my sister (13 at the time) close behind. Car full of 20ish yr old
idiots, unprovoked, decided to reach out of the car windows and try to grab both me and my sister
off our bikes, and barge us at speed. After 30 seconds of evasion they gave up, but stopped at the
lights ahead, and the bloke in the passanger seat got out with the obvious intention of pushing us
off. Made a split-second decision given the number of people in the car, and the risk to both mine,
and my sister's personal safety. I sped up (lights were green by now), reaching for trusty Squire
D-Lock and clocked him around the head with adequate force. He went down. Looked back after
clearing the lights to see him getting up again, so he wasn't dead (unfortunatly?). That was the
end of the incident.

I know in the eyes of the law, hitting him over the head with a D-lock wasn't the best idea and
risked serious injury, but wasn't prepared to accept the consequences of being pushed off and set
upon by 4-5 lads and decided the D-lock was the best way of ensuring this wasn't the case.

Did I do the right thing? What would you do?

Cheers,

chris

Quoted message said:

Did I do the right thing? What would you do?

Self-defence is what I'd argue - they'd already threatened you with significant force. Heck, you
could *reasonably* have thought they were going to cause you *serious harm* and you are entitled to
defend yourself.

Cheers, helen s

--This is an invalid email address to avoid spam-- to get correct one remove dependency on fame &
fortune h*$el*$$e**nd***$o$ts***i*$*$m**m$$o*n**s@$*$a$$o**l.c**$*$om$$ do not post my correct 1 on
*any* public forum - thanks