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Abuse when running!
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Had an egg thrown from a moving car before narrowly missed luckily.
Most enjoyable experience was coming towards end of a 5 miler when passing a group of youths one decided to join me at which point I picked up the pace to a sprint after 20 or so yards he relented. All I remember hearing is his chums howling with laugher and him screaming you didn't have to run that fast.
Nearly killed me the sprint but felt on top of the world hearing his chums laughing
For some reason I only ever get coke thrown at me wether its a bottle, can or McDonald's cup...
Girl in her sports car, her partner rolled the window down, spat at me, missed by 10ft. It happens. Carried on. I could outrun him anytime. Most people are polite. Will move to the side, smile etc. You always get your minority of prats. I think cyclists get the worst abuse.
Only once while running, a skin sack full of gravy driving a Fiesta slowed alongside so his idiot passenger could throw a load of colourful, gobsh**e language my way. I had no choice but to burst into tears and assume a foetal position right there on the pavement.
Been on the end of a bit of verbal while on the bike and had a couple of things thrown at me, including a bottle of Friji milkshake... that's a pretty expensive beverage to be hurling at cyclists with such gay abandon in my opinion.
Can't remember if I have written this elsewhere, but walking towards the start of the GVH 20 miler last year someone threw a firework from a car between myself and the chap in front.
It was a little way ahead so I wasn't really worried - however, I was stopped by a couple further on who'd seen the incident and were concerned as they'd seen me appear through a cloud of smoke.
"That's just how I like to turn up to events," was my reply
.
The next 20 miles soon removed my mirth !
Talking of fireworks, I wasn't out running - in fact I was in the car park of the local adult education centre, on my way to an evening class a few years ago, when what I soon realised was a rocket went past my face, evidently fired by the two kids I saw legging it on the other side of the road. I was a little late, and a bit shaken, or I'd have taken off after them - I don't think it dawned on me that I'd nearly been hit by a firework for a few minutes. Waht do people think they're doing sometimes?
That's horrible JT did the cockwomble who did it get away with it or where they found?
Some sad tales here
I guess I'm lucky, and had no bad comments or ridicule directed at me, I'm slow and must look rough during a run as have had two people stop and offer me a lift home recently!
When I run on the big road (it has a white line down the middle) most drivers give me a really wide birth and I always raise my hand in thanks.
As for dogs, yup, I think there are 2 types and it's the ones that make eye contact with you that you need to be wary of, I'll walk past them and there has never been an issue for me.
Don't really get much abuse whilst running round my way. Had an old man give me a big grin and a thumbs up in the park which I'mt aking as a nice gesture but may have been pure unadulterated sarcasm.
Also had a fat middle aged guy start rying to run along next to me when Iw as coming to the end of my run once. Tooke myearphones out and said:
"You racing me bud?"
To which he then replied:
"Oh...eh..no..I definitely think you'd be faster like"
Had a weird one last night - someone was in the middle of hurling abuse at me (they got as far as "LOVING THE HI-VIS BELL..." but they stopped abruptly after they walked into a massive cloud of gnats.
I tried to reply with something pithy, but I couldn't stop laughing at his funny little swatting motions.
(I then almost immediately swallowed one myself, but I tried my best to mask that fact.)
I run with my dog and the amount of issues we have with untrained dogs being off the lead is incredible. When I used to run alone I was regularly harassed by the little yappy tikes - but after it went under my feet and met my trainer and got booted- the owner soon reacted.
A couple of weekends (first weekend of the football season...) ago I was reaching Liverpool Street Station in East London, having done about 22-23 miles on a Saturday morning and tiring somewhat...A group of about 6 blokes in Fred Perry jackets and with shaved heads come walking towards me and I'm slowly going round them on the pavement when one puts his face right up close to me and shouts a certain four letter word beginning with the third letter of the alphabet.
If I'd been in anything like a half healthy state I would have at least said something but was far too tired to do anything apart from keep the head down and plod on for home. You try telling yourself that you're better than them because you've done something more productive with your Saturday morning than getting tanked up on Stellas but it's impossible, we're just a rubbish species sometimes!
Do you think they're born twats or do they learn it?
I think the only thing that's been said to me was in jest. though I took offence at a group of young ladies laughing at my lycra as I ran through Worthing in February. OK so they were compression tights and I have a feeling they might be a little small to (ahem) accomodate me and my 44 yr old physique. At least, to the untrained eye.
I think twatism is learned behaviour, definately. I've never experienced anything like the shameful and worrying incidents described here, but I once had a a lady pull her 4x4 up to the kerb and keep pace with me (effectively kerb-crawling, I felt so dirty!) while asking if I knew the location of a certain private hospital not to far from my route. I wouldn't have minded, but there was an abundance of dog-walkers to mither and she chose me. And it was an uphill section. Cow.
I was out on my bike once on an icy February day, coming to the end of the longest ride I'd ever done, and my last half km was a nice, very welcome downhill stretch through town.
So I'm freewheeling down, and suddenly a car absolutely screeches past me and slams on about 25 yards in front of me. I hit the brakes and try and swerve, back wheel doesn't want to know, so suddenly I'm half tumbling off the bike, the road tears most of the flesh off my leg, and it's sheer luck that I avoided slamming into the back of the car.
Fella gets out and says, "You alright there mate? Just wanted to ask if there's any free parking round here?"
You should have taken the chain and throttled him with it.
I've started commuting to work on my bike - it's 35 miles each way but sometimes i drive half-way. So far i have had no incidents, but i'm waiting. I saw a program a few months back about motorist on cyclist attacks and it looks bloody terrifying!
It was his blank expression that really got me, seemingly confused as to why I'd just fallen off my bike for no reason.
He nearly killed me and was completely oblivious to the fact. In his bubble, bikes going downhill on ice can come to a halt immediately.
Early last Sunday I was running from Crawley to Horsham via the Forest Road.This road is pretty wide and i run in high-vis on lanes. Just outside Colgate (I run facing traffic as per Highway Code) a pale blue VW Golf was approaching me, I was well tucked-in to the side, nothing coming the opposite side of the road.
The car swerved towards me so I had to jump off the road - I heard them laugh as they went past.
Unfortunately I didn't get the number plate.
Out running on saturday afterrnoon was shot at by some chav with a toy dart gun the type that you lick the end and it sticks to a window. Its only a childs toy and doesnt sound dangerous but the fact that i didnt expect it just heard a car roar up behind me with someone hanging out the window pointing something at me was actually quite scary. I have had lots of verbal abuse before but a first for being shot at!