Having foolishly said that I’d try to ride a century this year I needed some practice, so last week we went on a short (60km) tour. Unfortunately yet another post about riding through hils and valleys woith the birds singing and the hills being alive to the sound of music et c, doesn’t make for interesting reading, but thankfully for the purposes of a good blog there was one problem. The Motorised cyclists are back.
I have two theories for the phenomenon of the Motorised Cyclist:
1. They’re out to get me: I’ve annoyed the local drivers so much that not content with making assasination attempts on the roads, they have commisioned bounty hunters to take me out on the cycleways as well.
2. In the spring, SUV drivers all over Stuttgart dig the bike out of the shed, blow off the cobwebs and pull on their high-tech cycling clothes, then then set off down the cycle trail, forgetting that it isn’t an Autobahn and the squashy obstacles are actually allowed to be there.
So, for example, as I slowed down to pass a family with a wobbly toddler on a bike, the air was suddenly filled with the sound of disc brakes, swearing, and bicycle bells as the drivers cyclists behind made their displeasure clear. They swept past with the traditional greeting of “schiebeauszervaygettinkfurfastergopersonens!”, and they were gone.
Until the next slight climb where we passed them again.
*It was entirely a coincidence** that I decided to slow down a bit more at that point, just in case.
** Sort of.
8 comments
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March 25, 2012 at 10:35 am
perthcyclist
we get that a bit here too… I was shocked to see packs of lycra roadies on the shared path early last Saturday when we went to do our charity ride. There is a perfectly good, wide road next to us which would be much more suitable for the speeds they were travelling at and the amount of space they took up! It’s not nice seeing them coming at you head on because they are going too fast to single up before they see you…. and there are too many of them in the first place :O
March 25, 2012 at 10:40 am
Zweiradler
I’ve never heard that “greeting” before, but I know which type of “bike driver” you’re referring to. Get-out-of-my-way behaviour is always inappropriate, especially on a bike.
Nico
March 25, 2012 at 4:57 pm
Kim
Vehicular cyclist eh, that sadly the way the world is…
March 26, 2012 at 1:21 am
Randall Smith
There’s a finger in the middle of the human hand designed specifically for such people.
March 28, 2012 at 8:02 am
Andy in Germany
Thanks for the thoughts.
@Perthcyclist: I know what you mean: the family I was passing were pretty intimidated as well, and worse, they thought I was pinging along with the cyclists behind me.
@Zewiradler: It was a rough translation, but it gave the general idea.
@Kim: Yeah, I’ve been wondering about that for a while: doesn’t being a ‘vehicular cyclist’ mean imitating the most dangerous type of vehicle, and thus becoming more dangerous yourself?
@Randall: I find it’s best to smile: it stops me descending to their level. (and makes them madder than anything else I could do).
April 3, 2012 at 12:54 pm
Iain Robinson
As a year round cyclist until recently, I too am irritated by the folk riding top of the range shiny new bikes and treating other cyclists and peds with disdain or worse. It’s nice to see more people riding bikes, but you have to be careful what you wish for sometimes! However, as a “Lycra clad roadie” myself (and I do object to us all being tarred with the same brush, Perthcyclist!) I find the road is the best place for my kind of riding, not a cycle track. On the road, where I can outride the unfit motorist/cyclists off with ease.
April 4, 2012 at 12:12 pm
Andy in Germany
Hello Ian:
I tried not to use a stereotype in the post: sorry if it looked like an attack on road cyclists. What I found annoying was that these cyclists clearly wanted the safety of the cycleway, but wanted to ride ‘their’ way, and that it meant for the pedestrians I was also tarred with the same brush, as another arrogant cyclist…
April 12, 2012 at 3:19 am
perthcyclist
Iain – I sometimes wear lycra, but when I do I ride (mostly) solo, and (mostly) on the road. My objection is big bunches that ride on our inadequate-width & shared with pedestrians cycling infrastructure. Note, I referred to ‘packs’. If they want to hunt in packs they should be on the road. There are plenty of quiet, wide roads for them to use.