[sanjuro]

Have you ever seen an upset cyclist challenging a motorist? It's pretty amusing and hard to take seriously most of the time - especially if there are lycra and road shoes involved, not to mention the typically irrational and exaggerated comments that come out in the heat of the moment.

I'm not saying I don't get agitated and confrontational sometimes, just that it's rarely a good idea.

I suppose my new, more reflective attitude is related to riding sport bikes.

There I can inflict as much damage as I want: boot doors or smash mirrors, and just throttle away. On the other hand, I am usually going so fast that there is no chance for an incident.

 

[OGRipper]

I guess you never met an agressive hipster with an u-lock who thinks hating on cars is cool.

I live in San Francisco, of course I have. Ever seen a hipster get his girl pants in a wad after his own dumb move created a dangerous situation? On the funny/ridiculous scale, it's a close second to a roadie Fred doing the Look cleat dance while trying to look tough. (Except the roadies are often actually tougher.)

 

[sanjuro]

I live in San Francisco, of course I have. Ever seen a hipster get his girl pants in a wad after his own dumb move created a dangerous situation?

Yes, OGRipper has seen me ride.

 

[rockofullr]

Yes, OGRipper has seen me ride.

Now the rest of us have seen you ride too.

 

[JohnE]

^^^^wtf?^^^^


Looks flexy

 

[gonefirefightin]

^^^^wtf?^^^^


Looks Plexy

fixed

 

[JohnE]

D'oh!

 

[berkshire_rider]

I suppose my new, more reflective attitude is related to riding sport bikes.

There I can inflict as much damage as I want: boot doors or smash mirrors, and just throttle away. On the other hand, I am usually going so fast that there is no chance for an incident.

This could be you some day:

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view/20220425dad_beaten_over_parking_space_its_not_worth_it/srvc=home&position=3


Dad beaten over parking space: ‘It’s not worth it’

Jessica Heslam By Jessica Heslam

Wednesday, April 25, 2012 - Updated 4 hours ago



A Brockton man brutally beaten over a parking space recalled the harrowing attack yesterday from his Hub hospital bed, telling the Herald he’s lucky to be alive and the argument wasn’t worth it.

“They kicked me. They hit me with a stick when I was on the ground,” recalled Felipe Sosa, who said he begged his attackers to stop. “They never stopped.”

Sosa said he and his wife of 13 years, Midea, were out at a friend’s house Saturday night, and a neighbor was waiting for him when they got home.

Sosa, 40, said his car was parked in its designated spot — and the neighbor was fuming because it was blocking his space — a grassy area where Sosa has cookouts and where his daughter plays in the summer. Sosa said the neighbor wasn’t supposed to park there.

The pair exchanged words, Sosa said, and the other man threatened to return with his friends. Sosa thought he was joking, but the man came back a half-hour later with two pals, according to Sosa.

When he saw them coming with a “big piece of metal” and sticks, Sosa said he grabbed his baseball bat to keep them at bay until help arrived. But he said he never swung it as they unleashed a violent beat down.

“My arms are all bruised where they hit me with the stick and with the metal,” Sosa said. “And they went on and on. I was wearing sandals and then I fell down.”

He said he lost consciousness when one of them clubbed him in the head with a metal bracket. The next thing he remembered was waking up in the hospital.

“When you pass out, it’s almost like you die,” Sosa said. “They can do whatever they want to you. You don’t feel the pain anymore.”

Sosa said his wife tried to call the cops but one of the attackers took her phone and slammed it on her face. Sosa later learned that his daughter called police for help. Police arrested Juan Molina, 24, of Brockton, who is being held without bail after being charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

“If the ambulance had arrived a few more minutes later, they said I would have died,” Sosa said the hospital staff told him.

Sosa said his “whole body” is injured and in pain. He underwent surgery to drain excess blood from his brain. A Boston Medical Center spokeswoman said Sosa was in fair condition yesterday.

The parking flap nearly cost Sosa his life — and he said, “It’s not worth it.”

“If I could go back to that night,” Sosa said, “I would have stayed over at my friend’s house.”

 

[rockofullr]

^^^

Nice. Only a true pansy has to go get his friends to take on a 40 year old family man.

 

[S.K.C.]

I was riding down a quiet residential city street at dusk, when an oncoming car merges over and comes straight at me.

There was no center line on the street, the car was going about 15mph, and the driver wasn't out-of-control or malicious. I believe she was simply trying to park or pull into her driveway.

Nevertheless, she was driving illegally and scared me, but I was at the end a long ride, so all I did was swerve around her and lightly tap her window.

Still I felt a little stupid I did not do more. I know this was the beginning of my ride, I would have turned around and at least told her that she could have killed me.

Many riders would have smashed her window or mirror, and I had considered that as well.

On the other hand, even being pleasant and telling her she was putting a cyclist's life at risk with her driving could save another rider's life.

Some more information is needed here: What was the distance of closure between you and the oncoming vehicle? How far away was the vehicle when you first saw it? Did the driver see you? How far away was the vehicle when it changed lanes?