Road Rage Incident - Did I do the right thing? - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

03-11-2005, 10:40 PM

So, I'm out on my regular training route this afternoon minding my own
business. The area is rural, and the road is narrow, with a 45 mph speed
limit. I ride this route a lot, and many of the locals know me and wave,
but there's this one peckerwood redneck who doesn't like bikes on the road.

A couple of months ago I was on this same stretch of road when I got passed
very close by a beater pickup. I yelled at the guy and gestured (I did
*not* flip him off). He screeched his truck to a stop in the middle of the
road and got out irate. I told him I had a right to the road, and that he
had to give me more room when passing. He told me he almost had a wreck
once due to oncoming traffic when he was trying to pass a bike. I told him
he should wait to pass until it was safe. It went back and forth like that
for a minute until he drove off.

Today, the same thing happened. On a straight, wide-open stretch of road,
this guy passes within 12" of my handlebar. I yelled at him, and he shook
his fist at me. I gave the "Italian" salute (not the finger), and he
screeched to a stop in the middle of the road. He got out of his truck
yelling at me and would not let me pass. He yelled stuff about how bikes
shouldn't be on that road, and how I "dressed like a woman" and other
moronic stuff. I tried to be assertive, but not irate, until I asked him if
he'd intentionally been trying to run me off the road. He laughed and said
he was trying to brush me, and "what are you going to do about it?". At
that point, it kind of degraded into name-calling.

When I got home, I phoned the local sheriff's department and filed a report
for "simple assault". Unfortunately, I didn't get his license plate, but I
did get a good description of the vehicle and the driver, and I wanted to
get it on the record, in case he ever hits someone out there.

Anyway, I'm wondering if I did the right thing. My SO says that I should
have just ignored him, and may have made the situation worse. But damnit,
I'm a guy, and I've had friends hit and killed by cars, and I think it's OK
to stand up for our rights on the road.

What do you all think?

Also, I'm considering submitting this letter to the editor of my local paper
(this is a rough draft, written in some anger, so I may change it tomorrow):

"To the short, fat guy who intentionally drove his 80's model GMC pickup
(with a "Union" bumper sticker on the tailgate) within 12" of my handlebars
on Old Hwy. 44 on Friday afternoon.you are wrong - I do have a right to ride
my bicycle on that road.

I ride that stretch of rural road often, and I've not had problems with any
other drivers (many of whom recognize me and wave). But, on two occasions
now, you have intentionally tried to give me a "close shave".you admitted it
this time when you got out of your truck in the middle of the road to yell
at me. According to my contacts at CHP, your actions constitute "simple
assault", and I've filed a report with the Shasta County Sheriff's
Department to get your behavior on record.

I don't understand why you're so upset and threatened by bicyclists, but you
'd better get your head straightened out before someone gets hurt, or you
end up in jail. Do you intentionally drive close to tractors, or kids on
horses? They're "slow moving vehicles" too, and they use that same road
frequently. So, the next time you see me out near Palo Cedro on my bike,
just take a deep breath, pretend I'm a tractor, pass me with 3 feet of
clearance when it's safe, and we'll all get along just fine. OK?"

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