Boomer's Bizarre Bicycle, A - Z Compendium

Black & White
During one particularly early morning commute in near darkness I was distracted by something black & white, a magpie perhaps I thought, nope, that would be feathered, this was more furry I think, a skunk maybe, nah this was bigger., but not as big as a zebra, so I'm going with a badger. Just ran out from the grass verge, paused when I approached, & then scurried back into a wooden area.

Close Pass
What is ok, is when overtaking a cyclist (motorcyclist, horse rider) allow 1.5 metres minimum at up to 30 mph.
What happens far too often is that either the safe passing distance is ignored or the speed, in some cases a combination of both.
If you can't comply to this law, do not overtake until it is safe to do so. At speeds of 30mph+ a full cars width is recommended.

Such cases of careless driving if brought to court can result in 3-9 penalty points, a fine of between 50% & 150% of your weekly wage, or even a discretionary disqualification from driving.

^^ So for anyone who has never been on a bike in traffic, there's this thing called turbulence, when you experience a CLOSE PASS actually staying on your bike can be a challenge, even a small car can push you sideways. Lorries are worse, the fact that they are generally more brick -shaped doesn't help, sometimes the turbulence pulls you closer to the vehicle with a potentially fatal outcome.

Cats & Dogs
Nowt do with raining. ;)This is a crossover post taking in last weeks C & this weeks D.
Firstly cats generally not much of a hazard to cyclists, this is more of an observation regarding something I've noticed over a period of a year or so. On a busy B-Road I passed a house set back from the road, a nice property & within yards of the place on 3 separate occasions there were dead cats. I felt a little sad each time, but then concluded that if these cats belonged to the nearby house, that maybe they either chosen the wrong pet, or the wrong location for a cat.

I've come to the conclusion that most dogs hate cyclists as must as many motorists. Living in a rural setting is a great place for dog owners, but they need to understand that the world doesn't only revolve around their pets. There's plenty of open spaces where they can be let off the lead, but country lanes are not one of these. To a cyclist a free range dog can be dangerous. On one particular lane I can guarantee encountering two or three loose dogs. As I approach I'll slow right down, but often the best there owners can do is beckon their animal back & hold onto them a bit, usually not bothering to put them on a lead. Or you get those pointless retractable long leads that offer no control what so ever, by the time they've reeled them back in it's too late. These encounters are usually accompanied with a disdainful look in my direct as if to say how dare you interrupt my dog walk, or they pull a face at me like I've stepped in their dogs shit, which is a whole different area of complaint. This is my free space as well you selfish cunts.
On one meeting I snapped & decided to challenge an owner, & attempted to educate her on the merits of a dog lead. She came back at me & said I don't have to have it on a lead. Local Bye Laws exist regarding roads & other public areas but there is no specific blanket law. I suggested that if I had been a small child what could have happened. "my dog has never bitten anyone" my reply " My reply was "Yet" All dogs bite, that is a fact, & some humans have been known to bite too, boxer Mike Tyson for one, a bad example I know, but still. I myself wouldn't rule out taking a bite out of someone in extreme circumstances, that woman was almost my first victim, although she looked old meat.

Deer Oh Deer
Rode past another road kill today, only about 500 yards from a roundabout which leads to a market town. They seem to be getting much closer to civilization than in the past, maybe that's just down to the numbers. Every week or so there will be another at the side of the road.
I had one run across the road in front of me as I had just left my village. This has happened more frequently, 4 or 5 time in different locations in the last few years.
There's a great descent in my area where a cyclist was kill in a collision with a deer a few years back. I know one or two experienced cyclists who wont take it on, the steepest section cuts through a wood & has some extreme bends, I've been riding it for years & have lost my bottle yet. It is always at the back of your mind that something will run out at you which isn't great when you need all your powers of concentration to get down in one piece. nothing like a bit of danger to make you feel alive.

I'd been out on a ride, about 4 hours in & just 10K go, as I approached a railway station & level crossing I spotted a woman on a bike using the cycle path on the opposite side of the road a few yards ahead. From what I could see she wasn't young. I paid no further interest & concentrated on setting a steady cadence to reach home. Traffic was passing in both directions & I needed to stay alert. When the road cleared I half expected to have passed the woman but was surprised to see she'd actually opened up a bit of a gap on me. I thought I was losing it, & put in a small effort to gain some ground , despite that I was only making small progress. My ego felt bruised, I'm not having this I thought & went all out, steadily reeling her in, when I eventually started to get the better of her I looked across as I was about to pass & it suddenly all made sense, an E-Bike. I also wondered if she was taking some performance enhancing drugs. Anything to justify my ineptitude on that occasion.

Falling off, self explanatory, avoid doing this at all costs, because it hurts. On a more serious note, protect your bonce, most injuries will heal but head trauma can be fatal.
There isn't much give when you hit the road, in some cases coming off at speed can be an advantage providing you don't hit anything solid before you come to a halt. I've had worse injuries in falls at slower speeds as you tend to hit the ground harder. Avoiding your own bike isn't always easy, & they have lots of sharp bits that can dig into you & cut you.
Take extra care in wet conditions & where possible avoid riding on icy roads, all common sense stuff.
All this highlights & ties in with what I have previously covered in this thread. I make light of it at times, but I haven't added in the factor of other road users in this post. Due to your size, visible presence & slower speed & not forgetting a bicycle isn't the most stable, these factors add up to an accident waiting to happen.
I can here that old chestnut "they don't pay road tax, shouldn't be allowed on the roads" Far many people even more so now with money tight & poor public transport, a bike is the only viable option. For example in my area, Hull has one of the lowest car ownerships in the country. Only recently the spend money on some city centre cycle lanes, only due to many complaints they have backtracked in some cases & removed them. Fatalities are far too common in this city.

Git in a Green Car
Maybe a girl, but I strongly suspect a guy. Having rounded a corner with a junction on the bend which just happens to be an accident black-spot, I'd say at least 2 or 3 car wind up in a ditch, despite the signs & alterations to the junction by way of widening. The road then straightens out with clear view ahead far a good quarter of a mile. It could hear a vehicle behind so I pulled in a little tighter to verge side just to be extra safe. Despite the slow signs on the road & only yards after a 40 limit they passed me at a conservative estimate of 70+ with about a yard space. Great visibility & no on-coming traffic would've allowed a comfortable car width pass. I was unable to say what make or model the car was, it looked sporty & the horrendous fluorescent day-glow green led me to believe that the driver was an attention seeking male. The type of car suggested it was an extension of the tiny dicked git who was driving it, making up for his inadequacies by driving like a prize prick.

^^ By some coincidence, but not really as I was on the same route only a mile earlier than the previous incident, I was passed by a green car. When I say passed, it was the slowest overtake ever, in fact I swear that they pulled along side me, paused slightly before accelerating away with a throaty growl. It would be inconsiderable that it wasn't the same car, same road same time, but why the change. Possibly they had just set off, maybe pulled out of a housing estate in the town that I'd passed through, so not enough time to put his foot down. But it was the way that it passed me, were they checking me out to see if I was the same cyclist who they had tried to scare the shit out of earlier in the week, wondering why I hadn't given up biking after the trauma. Could they by chance read my post & actually realized the errors of their ways. They could easily be a forum member as they displayed all the attributes of a wanker. Could they actually be forum member formally known as Green Machine, a similar type of car, who knows. All very strange.

A new week & it should be H today but there was a further development regarding Green Machine that I feel I must share. As I approached a level-crossing I manoeuvred myself to the front a a small queue of cars, aided by a cycle-path. As the barrier raised I promptly set off passed by the 3 or 4 cars that I had earlier gained a small advantage over. As they sped off out of the 40 limit, who should pass me, none other than Green Machine. He was itching to pass the cars ahead who were all jockeying for positions. The now familiar growl of his engine was a sign of his frustration & his intent was clear. He pulled over on a blind bend, which happened to be the corner before the accident black-spot. It would seem that a leopard never changes it's spots. I didn't ever anticipate that another would become a regular feature here as this is unapologetically a self indulgent all about me thread designed for my own amusement, but in a hope that it will still appeal to one or to others. It is of course open to all to post/reply on any tenuous link to topics here.
I doubt I've seen the last of Green Machine, at this rate he could get his own spin-off thread. I'm starting to liken this to Christine the Stephen King novel.