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"Wrong-Way Fred Gets Dead"

Started by Rich Clark · · Last activity · 42 posts · 4,257 views

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Road Cycling
Published
2 July 2004
Last activity
12 July 2004
Original author
Rich Clark
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42
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  1. I call this out to wrong-way riders as I pass them.

    Bad grammar, but it rhymes, it's quick to say, and while
    they may not grasp its meaning immediately it may stick in
    their heads and make a connection later on.

    And it's a way for me to release my frustration without
    being too confrontational.

    If it catches on, over the months or years it could even
    lead to more public discussion of the dangers of wrong-
    way cycling.

    RichC

  2. Rich Clark said:

    I call this out to wrong-way riders as I pass them.

    "What did that guy say?"

    "I dont' know. Some kook on a bike. Don't mind."

  3. In article <[email hidden]>,

    Rich Clark said:

    I call this out to wrong-way riders as I pass them.

    Here in Canada, we have a perennial hypnotist/entertainer
    named Reveen. He has distinctive sideburns and a goatee.

    We also have a TV series (sort of a Canadian 'Coronation
    Street'😉 called 'Trailer Park Boys', in which one of the
    characters, Ricky, looks a little like Reveen. In one
    sequence, some BMX punks ride by, taunting him and calling-
    out: "Hey, Reveen!" He chides back: "I'll Reveen you, ya
    f***in' little [censored]!" They respond with: "F*** off,
    Reveen!" as they ride off into the distance.

    Yelling at people generally doesn't get anything done.
    Except maybe on 'American Chopper'.

    cheers, Tom

    --
    -- Powered by FreeBSD Above address is just a spam midden.
    I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

  4. Rich Clark said:

    I call this out to wrong-way riders as I pass them.

    Bad grammar, but it rhymes, it's quick to say, and while
    they may not grasp its meaning immediately it may stick in
    their heads and make a connection later on.

    And it's a way for me to release my frustration without
    being too confrontational.

    If it catches on, over the months or years it could even
    lead to more public discussion of the dangers of wrong-way
    cycling.

    i have to restrain the urge to stop and lecture every
    wrong-way rider i see. why don't they understand how
    dangerous it is?

  5. In article <[email hidden]>,

    (The Queen of Cans and Jars) said:

    i have to restrain the urge to stop and lecture every
    wrong-way rider i see. why don't they understand how
    dangerous it is?

    Because they haven't been clobbered yet. And worse, a lot of
    'em were 'officially' taught to ride that way.

    But they pose a bigger threat to right way cyclists than
    right way cars. But there aren't as many cyclists as
    drivers, and on city streets bikes generally occupy a
    slightly different road space than cars, so the odds are a
    little more in their favour.

    Anyhow, wrong way cyclists can generally see what's
    happening ahead of them, and deke toward the curb if
    need be. Trouble is, right way cyclists have to decide
    whether to pass them port to port, or starboard to
    starboard. And who knows what squirrely move they're
    gonna make in the meantime?

    cheers, Tom

    --
    -- Powered by FreeBSD Above address is just a spam midden.
    I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

  6. Mike
    mikebeauchamp.commikebeauchamp.com

  7. In article <[email hidden]>,
    "Mike Beauchamp" <[email hidden]> writes:

    Quite.

    That bit on Trailer Park Boys still arouses a chuckle in me,
    though. I guess it's all in the delivery.

    That show has quite a few bicycle moments, if you look for
    them.

    I think Bubbles should have gotten a bike instead of
    the go-kart.

    cheers, Tom

    --
    -- Powered by FreeBSD Above address is just a spam midden.
    I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

  8. Tom Keats said:

    In article
    <[email hidden]>,

    (The Queen of Cans and Jars) said:

    i have to restrain the urge to stop and lecture every
    wrong-way rider i see. why don't they understand how
    dangerous it is?

    Because they haven't been clobbered yet. And worse, a lot
    of 'em were 'officially' taught to ride that way.

    And a certain percentage of them think "Yeah, I know what
    the law is, but I'm smarter than most people. I'm so smart
    that I can ride _this_ way, and it's actually better!"

    --
    --------------------+ Frank Krygowski [To reply, remove
    rodent and vegetable dot com, replace with cc.ysu dot edu]

  9. Rich Clark said:

    I call this out to wrong-way riders as I pass them.

    Quoted message said:

    Bad grammar, but it rhymes,

    So does "wrong-way [censored] gets hit."

    I doubt either helps much.

    You might as well ask something like "Just get back from a
    tour of England?"

    --kyler

  10. Frank Krygowski said:
    Tom Keats said:

    In article
    <[email hidden]>,
    [email hidden] (The Queen of Cans and Jars)

    Quoted message said:

    i have to restrain the urge to stop and lecture every
    wrong-way rider i see. why don't they understand how
    dangerous it is?

    Because they haven't been clobbered yet. And worse, a lot
    of 'em were 'officially' taught to ride that way.

    And a certain percentage of them think "Yeah, I know what
    the law is, but I'm smarter than most people. I'm so smart
    that I can ride _this_ way, and it's actually better!"

    The law might as well not exist, since I don't think I've
    ever seen a cop enforce it on wrong-way riders.

    -Luigi

  11. On Fri, 02 Jul 2004 11:25:28 -0400, Luigi de Guzman
    <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    <[email hidden]>:

    Quoted message said:

    The law might as well not exist, since I don't think I've
    ever seen a cop enforce it on wrong-way riders.

    Just as well it does exist, since it's the same law that
    keeps all the mobile death greenhouses on the same side of
    the street :-)

    Guy
    --
    May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after
    posting. chapmancentral.co.ukchapmancentral.co.uk

    88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at
    Washington University

  12. "Kyler Laird" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:
    Rich Clark said:

    I call this out to wrong-way riders as I pass them.

    Quoted message said:

    Bad grammar, but it rhymes,

    So does "wrong-way [censored] gets hit."

    I like that. Can I use it?

    Quoted message said:


    I doubt either helps much.

    You might as well ask something like "Just get back from
    a tour of


    England?"

    I'm sure that one would sail right past, unimpeded by
    comprehension.

    No, what I'm after is creating a meme and helping it spread.

    RichC

  13. "Luigi de Guzman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:
    Rich Clark said:

    I call this out to wrong-way riders as I pass them.

    "What did that guy say?"

    "I dont' know. Some kook on a bike. Don't mind."

    It's not important that they understand it. It just has to
    stick somewhere, like a mild anesthetic burr. If a phrase
    gets repeated often enough, a meme is born.

    And it makes me feel better, and keeps me from doing
    something really stupid, like whacking them with a frame
    pump as I pass.

    RichC

  14. Rich Clark said:

    I call this out to wrong-way riders as I pass them.

    All they can hear is "...ay Fre...".
    --
    Rick Onanian

  15. Rich Clark said:

    I call this out to wrong-way riders as I pass them.

    It's a waste of breath. Those guys are too dumb to realize
    how dangerous their behaviour really is. Hopefully, Darwin
    will take care of those folks before they reproduce, but I'm
    not holding my breath.

    Regards,
    H.

  16. Quoted message said:

    Subject: "Wrong-Way Fred Gets Dead"
    From: "Rich Clark" [email hidden]
    Date: 7/1/2004 11:44 PM Eastern Daylight Time
    Message-id: <[email hidden]>

    I call this out to wrong-way riders as I pass them.

    Bad grammar, but it rhymes, it's quick to say, and while
    they may not grasp its meaning immediately it may stick in
    their heads and make a connection later on.

    And it's a way for me to release my frustration without
    being too confrontational.

    If it catches on, over the months or years it could even
    lead to more public discussion of the dangers of wrong-
    way cycling.

    RichC

    Trouble is, they believe YOU are the "wrong-way Fred"

    Bill, riding bent in Florida (hence the screen name)

    I may be old and fat, but by golly,

    I'm Slow!

    To e-mail, remove undies

  17. "maxo" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:
    Kyler Laird said:


    You might as well ask something like "Just get back from
    a tour of England?"

    That's pretty much what I say. I'll usually turn around
    and catch up on the correct side of the street --they'll
    laugh and say that they're not English, and I'll remind
    them of the law. Then the rider will say, "whatever", and
    I'll say "not 'whatever', it's the law", and they'll say,
    "you can't tell me what to do", and I'll say, "no, but I
    can remind you of the law", and at this point they usually
    escalate it to,

    Quoted message said:

    dangers of additive impact velocity", then they'll shake
    their heads and I'll give up.

    See, it's fun! 😄

    That's an example of the dialogue, and it occurs several
    times per week 'round here. I suppose I should let it go,
    but--it seems no less stupid than driving your car on the
    wrong side of the road. Less dangerous for others
    perhaps...

    What needs to happen is for cops to stop these cyclists
    once and spend, oh lets say, ONE MINUTE, and remind them
    what the law is. That's all it will take.

    Fat chance that happening round here though, even though
    there's a couple letters in the paper per week during the
    summer complaining about cyclists.

    And all this is why I've chosen to reduce it all to "wrong-
    way Fred gets dead." Much better satisfaction/hassle ratio.

    RichC

  18. Glad to see a Trailer Park Boys fan on this NG! And yeah..
    the Raveen / Patrick Swayze bit is still funny. I find the
    funniest one is in the pilot/movie when they are sitting in
    the car.. it goes on for 10 solid minutes.

    Mike mikebeauchamp.commikebeauchamp.com

    "Tom Keats" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    In article <[email hidden]>, "Mike
    Beauchamp" <[email hidden]> writes:

    Quoted message said:


    Quite.

    That bit on Trailer Park Boys still arouses a chuckle in
    me, though. I guess it's all in the delivery.

    That show has quite a few bicycle moments, if you look
    for them.

    I think Bubbles should have gotten a bike instead of the
    go-kart.

    cheers, Tom

    --
    -- Powered by FreeBSD Above address is just a spam midden.
    I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

  19. "maxo" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    It might work in your town/city, but a cute phrase round
    here (Nashville) will just get you branded as a wierdo.

    Being an adult riding a bike for transportation, by choice,
    pretty much takes care of that around here.

    Quoted message said:

    Full on confrontation seems to work better.

    Too many guns.

    Quoted message said:


    Let's just say I haven't had to confront the same cyclist
    twice. Perhaps that's luck, or maybe I'm making a
    difference. Most likely I'm on my way to get my ass
    kicked...but they'll have to catch me first.

    Faster than a speeding bullet, are you?

    RichC

  20. maxo said:
    Rich Clark said:

    And all this is why I've chosen to reduce it all to
    "wrong-way Fred gets dead." Much better
    satisfaction/hassle ratio.

    RichC

    I'm not concerned about smug satisfaction--I'm concerned
    about safety. I don't shout at everybody, but I make sure
    to lay into those that I do--well I don't lay into them
    until they start acting like [censored]. 😄

    It might work in your town/city, but a cute phrase round
    here (Nashville) will just get you branded as a wierdo.
    Full on confrontation seems to work better.

    Would playing chicken qualify as confrontation? I usually
    just wobble back and forth generally toward them and look
    frightened until they freak out and run to the curb or, for
    lack of intelligence, dodge around me by heading into the
    oncoming traffic.

    Quoted message said:


    Let's just say I haven't had to confront the same cyclist
    twice. Perhaps that's luck, or maybe I'm making a
    difference. Most likely I'm on my way to get my ass
    kicked...but they'll have to catch me first. 😄

    That's the great thing about bicycles.

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