To the "cyclist" who knocked my friend off her Divvy bike on the lakefront path.

She has a very large cuts on her face, her legs, she might have a concussion. Her nice dress and boots are ruined. She was shaken up pretty bad but she's determined to keep riding her bike dispite how nasty you were and blamed her.

And the first thing she said to you was "Are you okay?"

 

You make me embarrased to be a cyclist.

 

I know exactly who you are, burning ass down the trail like you own it. Agressively passing with a sense of entitlement. Too smug to bother to call out "on your left." I used to be just like you until I realized that the lake front path is not the place to train for a triathalon.

 

Slow the hell down and be nice to people!

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on October 8, 2013 at 3:01am

I'd like more details before we decide to blame somebody just for being on a road bike...

Permalink Reply by Liz on October 8, 2013 at 3:09am

I don't think he's blaming EVERY road bike rider, and it seems like the most likely scenario that the other cyclist is to blame. 

In my opinion, if you want to have a fast ride the lakefront path between Roosevelt and Addison is not the place for it after 10 am.  I've seen MANY riders (on various kinds of bikes) trying to go 20-25 on the path and causing, refusing to slow down to pass, riding into oncoming cyclists and so forth.  I'd equate that behavior to driving 60 down Damen. 

I'm sorry your friend got so banged up. 

notoriousDUG said:

I'd like more details before we decide to blame somebody just for being on a road bike...

Permalink Reply by WillG on October 8, 2013 at 3:27am

Going fast does not automatically equal an accident. What happened that caused the two to collide? It's be interesting to hear the other side of the story.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on October 8, 2013 at 3:30am

I'm sorry that happened to your friend.  It shouldn't happen to anyone.  Did you get any information from the (ir)responsible rider?  If your friend needs a little help, try the Crash Support Hotline.

Permalink Reply by Paul O on October 8, 2013 at 3:40am

It would be interesting to get the whole story. But the other cyclist fled the scene. In my opinion the details are irrelevant to this post. I know what my friend said, and I know what I've seen on the path. I don't feel the least bit confused about my assesment of the situation. Is it possible my friend make mistakes? Oh yeah. Did she deserve to be disrespected like that?

 

 

 

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on October 8, 2013 at 4:41am

We don't know what your friend said though and the details are relevant considering you're out to call some unknown cyclist out as being an asshole.

I have been taken out by other cyclists before and had a couple of near misses on the paths and in my experience just because somebody is going faster or overtaking somebody it does not mean they are the ones at fault.  

Did your friend make an unexpected turn or randomly decide not to hold their line without checking behind them?  What have you heard from them and seen on the path that make you sure, when you step back from the bias of them being your friend, that makes you able to positively say it was the other riders fault 100%?

Your friend could be fault free and that other rider could be an asshole but it is just as likely that your friend did something stupid and was the asshole as well.  People going faster than average have a responsibility to pass safely but those who go slower than average have a responsibility to stay right and check their six before making large movements.

If your friend made a un-signaled turn without shoulder checking or made a swerve more than a couple of feet over without checking over her shoulder then she may have deserved being disrespected.  2 years ago some hippie with headphones in swerved WAY off his line to go around a pot hole while I was overtaking him on Milwaukee and It hink I was totally in the right to give him an earful.


Paul O said:

It would be interesting to get the whole story. But the other cyclist fled the scene. In my opinion the details are irrelevant to this post. I know what my friend said, and I know what I've seen on the path. I don't feel the least bit confused about my assesment of the situation. Is it possible my friend make mistakes? Oh yeah. Did she deserve to be disrespected like that?

 

 

 

Permalink Reply by Paul O on October 8, 2013 at 4:51am

And if I did offer details would you be in a position to refute them?

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on October 8, 2013 at 5:06am

Nope, I wasn't there.

However, they could, if they are honest, show that it's not all the fault of the other cyclist...

Paul O said:

And if I did offer details would you be in a position to refute them?

Permalink Reply by Skip Montanaro 0mi on October 8, 2013 at 5:07am



notoriousDUG said:

I have been taken out by other cyclists before and had a couple of near misses on the paths and in my experience just because somebody is going faster or overtaking somebody it does not mean they are the ones at fault. 

In my experience (no accidents, but a few close calls) on the LFT, the close calls happen when I go by a slower cyclist or jogger, and some Lakefront Lance passes me at the same time. Such calls can be doubly close if there someone is approaching from the other direction at about the same time. I can understand that the overtaking cyclist might not be able to see who is in front of me, but lack of vision means they should slow down a bit.
Permalink Reply by Liz on October 8, 2013 at 5:10am

I'd like more details before we decide to blame somebody just for being on a road bike a hippy...

Also why are you getting so hot headed defending an unknown person for being a jerk.  By just bolting they're definitely being a jerk, that much we can establish. 


notoriousDUG said:

If your friend made a un-signaled turn without shoulder checking or made a swerve more than a couple of feet over without checking over her shoulder then she may have deserved being disrespected.  2 years ago some hippie with headphones in swerved WAY off his line to go around a pot hole while I was overtaking him on Milwaukee and It hink I was totally in the right to give him an earful.


Paul O said:

It would be interesting to get the whole story. But the other cyclist fled the scene. In my opinion the details are irrelevant to this post. I know what my friend said, and I know what I've seen on the path. I don't feel the least bit confused about my assesment of the situation. Is it possible my friend make mistakes? Oh yeah. Did she deserve to be disrespected like that?

 

 

 

Permalink Reply by Davo on October 8, 2013 at 6:51am

+1 the post didn't even say what type of bike it was. I have seen many different types of bikes with their rider having this same attitude.

Liz said:

I don't think he's blaming EVERY road bike rider, and it seems like the most likely scenario that the other cyclist is to blame. 

In my opinion, if you want to have a fast ride the lakefront path between Roosevelt and Addison is not the place for it after 10 am.  I've seen MANY riders (on various kinds of bikes) trying to go 20-25 on the path and causing, refusing to slow down to pass, riding into oncoming cyclists and so forth.  I'd equate that behavior to driving 60 down Damen. 

I'm sorry your friend got so banged up. 

notoriousDUG said:

I'd like more details before we decide to blame somebody just for being on a road bike...

Permalink Reply by WillG on October 8, 2013 at 7:10am

I think Dug is pointing out that we don't know who was being a jerk here. We have some dude coming in here ranting about his friend getting into a bike accident on the LFT. We know that the other rider was going "fast" and we know that OP was angry because fast guy "disrespected" OPs friend. There are plenty of ways this could have played out in reality.

Dug made some good points. We don't really know what happened and OP has been nothing but hostile at the suggestion that more of the story might be helpful.

The board LOVES to complain about people going too fast (read that as faster than them), especially on the LFT. Fast does not equal dangerous, necessarily, nor does is equal asshole behavior.

Just give some context, OP. Did fast guy run into her while she was riding perfectly straight, did fast guy pass too close and startle her off the bike, did fast guy pass too close and run her into a water fountain, did fast guy punch her in the face as he went by? Or did fast guy run into your friend after she made a sudden unsignaled turn? Or whatever.

Liz said:

I'd like more details before we decide to blame somebody just for being on a road bike a hippy...

Also why are you getting so hot headed defending an unknown person for being a jerk.  By just bolting they're definitely being a jerk, that much we can establish. 


notoriousDUG said:

If your friend made a un-signaled turn without shoulder checking or made a swerve more than a couple of feet over without checking over her shoulder then she may have deserved being disrespected.  2 years ago some hippie with headphones in swerved WAY off his line to go around a pot hole while I was overtaking him on Milwaukee and It hink I was totally in the right to give him an earful.


Paul O said:

It would be interesting to get the whole story. But the other cyclist fled the scene. In my opinion the details are irrelevant to this post. I know what my friend said, and I know what I've seen on the path. I don't feel the least bit confused about my assesment of the situation. Is it possible my friend make mistakes? Oh yeah. Did she deserve to be disrespected like that?

 

 

 

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