Cyclists - rant!

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lucy16

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We get lots of cyclists around here, riding 2 abreast in groups of at least 6 (sometimes up tp 18!!). It's impossible to get past them when you are in a car and it frightens the life out of the horses. They cant hear the bikes behind them and of course the cyclists don't slow down at all!!

Does the highway code not apply to cyclists????

Thinking about starting a campaign for 'cycling and road safety' just to teach them how to act on roads!!
 
we have those around here at weekends.
they really annoy me in that they take up the road and do not let cars get by on purpose.
they are aggresive and foul mouthed as we found out one sunday when we were pulling out of our field gateway with the trailer.
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I agree 100% and I'm a cyclist! I always try and be considerate to other road users and hope that I'll get the same consideration from motorists in return, but there are a few people (normally men in lycra) who cycle so aggressively they don't care if they send pedetrians flying out of their way. If they get stuck behind me even for a second they're tutting and ringing their bell.
I can only imagine how scary it would be to have a load of them flying past you whilst on horseback
 
they are very annoying - we were on the way to a event and we got stuck behind about 30 of them, all riding 3/4 abreast. we only got past them when they all stopped for a pee - some didnt even get off their bikes for a pee!!
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but merlin and i were out hacking one day, and coming around a bad corner, when a "pack" of cyclists came the other way, i think the cyclists were more surprised than merlin! for a moment i thought there was going to be a dominio effect - it was very funny
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merlin just walked on!
 
Yes the highway code applies to them, but its not like they are going to lose their license for jumping red light, riding on the wrong side of the road etc...

*****DISCLAIMER*****Obviously there are some good cyclist out there and often cyclists aren't given room etc.. by some car drivers.

However in general I think cyclists are complete tosser's(especially road racers and off roaders). Who in general go too fast, with little consideration for their or anyone else's safety.
 
My bug bear as well. At the moment around here they seem to think they dont need any lights at night, have come close to having a few on the bonnet recently. Perhaps they could follow our example and invest in reflectives, or perhaps it should become law for reflectives to be worn by cyclists and riders.
 
Some are great!

Our brakes froze up in the lorry yesterday and we had to unload, tack up and ride home in -4. Flynn's not been out for a week and bicycles send him hysterical at the best of times.

He was right on his toes and we were on a fen road with DEEP water-filled ditches either side when I saw three cyclists all dressed up in cold weather gear, goggles, the lot, coming towards us three abreast. I really, really didn't want to end up in that water miles from home and I yelled at them that he was terrified of bikes and, bless them, they slowed right down, got into single file and waited for us to go past.

Actually he was a star, perhaps he'd seen the water too.
 
i cycle and usually ride on the cycletracks which are much more pleasant than the roads.
these lycra-types ride 2 and 3 abreast and act like they own the road,they throw their drink cartons anywhere and they `gob` ugh!we have often been stuck behind them for 3 or 4 miles,they come around here most saturdays and sundays in groups of 20 or more.
 
On the way to the yard there are lots of windy roads, and the whole of solihull cycling club use them (men in lycra) they take up the whole road and go for miles back so no cars can get past, it usually takes me 10 mins to get to yard, other days a lot longer.
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just imagine if we rode our horses like this(i`m not,for one minite suggesting we should)
there would be an outcry.
 
We have a lot of them round us on a weekend on certain roads and I have to say I do not have a problem with them at all. They are generally very courteous and, if approaching form behind will always let us know they are coming. I have never seen them not allowing cars past either.

I don't actually think they are any worse than some very arrogant horse riders (and i HAVE got stuck behind them) who insist on riding 2 abreast and do NOT seem to consider moving on narrow lanes when a car is trying to pass. I always move aside if a car is coming, it's just common courtesy.

I can only assume these 'rude' cyclists are in the minority!
 
we have a lot of cyclists, where we ride out, and they get really close to the horses, and my horse and my friends both kick, and they shout "Get of the road and get on a bridleway2 when we have to use the busy road to get to our bridleways, and when we take the little kiddy's out on their ponies, the cyclists, will swear at us, in front of the kiddy's.
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a few years ago, a cyclist was killed over taking a horse on a bend, he was so quiet and close that when came by the horse spooked and then double barrelled. the case ended up in court and the judge sided with the rider not the cyclist as they had not shown do care and attention. sad that some lost their life but great full that the court did not automatically side against the horse
 
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However in general I think cyclists are complete tosser's(especially road racers and off roaders). Who in general go too fast, with little consideration for their or anyone else's safety.

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Are you trying to say that cycling quickly is inherently dangerous? What do you consider a dangerous speed? I cruise along on my bike at 18-20mph, so does that make me dangerous?
 
Many years ago we hacked a horse we had just bought, home. Our cae behind her, with hazards on, me on board, then OH walking at the side, a group of about 50 'men in lycra' came past, whooping, hollering, swearing and spitting!
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Fortunately the mare was absolutely bomb proof and ignored the lot of them
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I have to say on the way home she also ignored a milk tanker on narrow roads (twice), an emergency ambulance with flashing lights and a huge feed waggon! Had it been the old Appy with the bikes, I can guarantee smashed bicyc;es.
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will be having my field hedge cut soon.
(thorns on the road= snigger snigger
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Years ago, I cycled past a man cutting his hedge and got an immediate puncture. He laughed and made some fatuous remark, so I marched up to him angrily and told him as it was a thorn from his hedge cutting, he was going to pay to replace the puncture inner tube. He saw my point of view...
 
My novice rider husband was thrown backwards off a horse onto a log pile in a Scottish Forest. It was very early on a Sunday morning and said cyclist had come careering downhill (?40mph) jumping a T-junction and skidded to a halt 20 feet from horses hindquarters.

She said 'You should be prepared for anything when you are on a horse. I stopped'...eventually.
 
Most cyclists are good and considerate. The worst manners come from the "packs" and my worst meeting was the group who came up behind and passed me and my horse on BOTH sides as a car was coming in the opposite direction.
 
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However in general I think cyclists are complete tosser's(especially road racers and off roaders). Who in general go too fast, with little consideration for their or anyone else's safety.

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Are you trying to say that cycling quickly is inherently dangerous? What do you consider a dangerous speed? I cruise along on my bike at 18-20mph, so does that make me dangerous?

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No, not if you can stop within your line of vision!!
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I do consider going at speed round blind bends on the wrong side of the road dangerous (which is often what they go round me).

I also consider going hell for leather with your head down (not looking where you are going) dangerous. - I have seen one cyclist break his jaw doing this when he ran up the back of a van which stopped at lights.

I also consider riding up the middle of the road without even holding on the handlebars dangerous (especially when there is a horsebox overtaking you at the time).

Re off roads - Coming flat out down a loose gravel bridlepath which is very steep is dangerous for other users e.g. Horses/walkers/dogs because there is no way you can stop in time.
 
My OH rides a mountain bike and he is extremely considerate of riders (not just thanks to me drumming it in to him) but the ones who ride on the roads seem to think it is their god-given right to go wherever they please in their little packs. Seems to be a fairly recent thing too.
Passed one idiot the other day, going hell for leather downhill in the middle of a busy road and when I eventually managed to overtake him, saw that he had an Ipod on and was completely oblivious to anything around him. Moron!!
 
I did add *****DISCLAIMER*****Obviously there are some good cyclist out there and often cyclists aren't given room etc.. by some car drivers. - to my 1st post!!

Sadly I think he may be the exception to prove the rule though!!
 
I find most cyclists are very courtious. It is just a matter of explaining to them that horses may be scared of them and they should start talking or ringing their bells well before coming close to the horses.

As regards road races there was a court case 5 years ago which determined that the organisers of the road race where responsible for causing an accident involving horses as they failed to instruct their stewards in escort vehicles to slow and stop the cyclists down when approaching some horses. Organisers of road races should now ensure that the stewards and competitors are aware of this ruling.
 
I bellowed at 2 this morning when I was driving to the yard they were cycling next to each other and didnt even acknowledge that I was there!!

I overtook them in my car and yelled out the window to go single file and all they said was "sorry" and STAYED 2 ABREAST!!!!!!!

I HATE them!!! They have such a sh!tty attitude round here and laugh when they scare the sh!t out of the horses too!

On my way back from the yard I passed about 20 of them (the lycra clad type) flying along the road in the opposite direction-HALF WERE ON MY SIDE OF THE ROAD with a queue of cars behind them!!!!!!
 
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its not like they are going to lose their license for jumping red light, riding on the wrong side of the road etc...


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this is true....they'll lose their lives instead. lesson learnt.
 
There are loads of cyclists round our way, especially the 'pro' cyclists (those ones in lycra!). The other day I was driving down a short stretch of the Ring Road to get to the yard, it's a 70mph limit, dual carriageway, with a cyclepath next to it for safety. There were two lycras cycling TWO ABREAST IN THE INSIDE LANE! SOOOO b***** dangerous! If there was no cyclepath then obviously they couldn't have avoided it, but they were cycling NEXT to it!
 
I am very tempted to make comments on the dual standards expressed on this thread, the words pot, kettle and black come to mind
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I have to say both the roadies and mountain bikers are very good around us, and always slow down shout warning to one another and generally show due consideration for horses.

HOWEVER, while riding on the road yesterday. I noticed a cyclist coming up behind me while we were riding, there was a fair bit of traffic, so I was concentrating on that. My horse suddenly swung his rear quarters out into the road and rounded his back ready to kick, at that point I noticed an old boy on a ladies MTB trying to ride up the inside of me absolutely oblivious to the fact that he had come very close to getting a hoof up his hooter. He then changed his mind and rode around us. I could not believe my LUCK, when the silly old scrote managed the same trick when I was riding home
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Good thing I was riding (single file) at the back, as my OH's mare hates bicycles and if he'd crept up on her she probably would have pood on him!
 
Wow NeilM, sounds like an accident avoided! I agree that many cyclists are excellent, especially when I have the 'caution young horse' tabard on. Many ask if it's ok to pass, and if we're on a narrow bridleway/footpath/cyclepath they will pull over and wait for us to go past. It's like riders I guess, with the stupid and inconsiderate few giving everyone a bad name.
 
Round our way its the motorcross riders that scare me more than cyclists. They are so loud and somehow think they have every right to be using the bridle paths (I'm sure they dont!!)
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and are then suprised to come accross a horse!!

I had to scream at two coming steaming up a hill on the bridlepath (I was at brow so they couldnt see me) to slow down. I was scared to death, HP was a star bless him just snorted a bit. They churn the ground up worse than 10 horses ever would too. Rant rant rant.
 
It was a close shave and amazingly the old boy seemed completely oblivious to the horses both times.

Fortunately for the cyclist, my lad is as sound as a pound in traffic and really does not spook at anything these days, even air brakes on trucks and busses only make him jump a little, so the second he started to move and round I guessed what was going on and managed to push him forwards a little.
 
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