Was it "try knock a rider off his bike day yesterday"?

**ric007** · 8th March 2009, 09:40

Is it just me or was everyone trying to take us out ?
within 3kms of leaving home a lady ( husband passenger with his hands over his eyes as is wife does a u turn directly in front of us)

nearly takes first blood, then under a minute later 2 cars drive straight out of a car park no indicators causing us to brake hard an swerve into the painted median!
out of town now

and we meet 2 bikes trying to recreate the carnage from the akaroa highway by passing trucks on blind sweeping bends.
finally returning to town where the westcoast traffic meets the traffic coming from kaikoura we see a car at the intersection preparing to cross... after the other attempts to take us out we're wary and proven right as with 50 mtrs to go he turns, oblivious to headlights on highbeam and the horns and the various finger signals an looks at us with a vacant george bush expression "why are those bikes trying to pass me in the gravel"?

.
I know riding is inherently dangerous but come on.

**Maha** · 8th March 2009, 09:44

Its best to turn around and go home on days like that eh?

Coming home from Paeroa a few weeks back, road works bla bla...best option (for me anyway) is to single file it until the road works pass, then get rid of the cars...but noooooooo, mono pass everything on the gravel seems to be an option also!

**shafty** · 10th March 2009, 19:24

Geez Ric, No good. Ever tempted to follow and confront them nicely?

**beyond** · 10th March 2009, 19:56

Had it on Sunday the 9th mate

Went for a spin as I hadn't been out for while and man... no wonder they call it lazy Sunday.

I was fully alert and not travelling quickly, just enjoying the ride, came around a right hand corner to face a four wheel drive vehicle coming straight at me because he decided overtaking a slow moving cyclist was safe to do on a blind corner at 100kmh!!!! Quick reactions saved the day.

A few K's further on I come around another blind corner and right after the bend is another four wheel drive towing a horse float with a horse in it... trying to do a uturn.... on a blind corner!!!! Dealt to that one without mishap too.

Then managed to dodge several kamikaze birds, a bit further on managed to miss a wayward Pukeko and a bit later a mental turkey.

Thinking all must surely be ok now, I am presented by a nutcase on my side of the road, having taken a corner way to hot in his car.

I was definitely thinking about turning around and going home at this point.
Was the weekend a full moon or something?

That's got to be it right.... nope

Four wheel drive pulling out of a drive way sees me coming, headlight on and pulls out in front of me.

Confronted by two cyclists two abreast around another blind corner.... a car would have taken at least on of them out.

Camper van deciding the whiteline was better used for a cornering line and made sure his right wheels and mirror were well over my side of the road.

Was an interesting ride. Never shitted my leathers though

**dpex** · 10th March 2009, 20:41

Originally Posted by ric007

Is it just me or was everyone trying to take us out ?
within 3kms of leaving home a lady ( husband passenger with his hands over his eyes as is wife does a u turn directly in front of us)

nearly takes first blood, then under a minute later 2 cars drive straight out of a car park no indicators causing us to brake hard an swerve into the painted median!
out of town now

and we meet 2 bikes trying to recreate the carnage from the akaroa highway by passing trucks on blind sweeping bends.
finally returning to town where the westcoast traffic meets the traffic coming from kaikoura we see a car at the intersection preparing to cross... after the other attempts to take us out we're wary and proven right as with 50 mtrs to go he turns, oblivious to headlights on highbeam and the horns and the various finger signals an looks at us with a vacant george bush expression "why are those bikes trying to pass me in the gravel"?

.
I know riding is inherently dangerous but come on.

Seems like a perfectly normal day, to me.

**beyond** · 10th March 2009, 20:43

Originally Posted by dpex

Seems like a perfectly normal day, to me.

Yep, pretty much sums it up

**Swoop** · 11th March 2009, 07:11

Originally Posted by beyond

Was the weekend a full moon or something?

It was a very full moon last night. You could be onto something here...

**Bend-it** · 11th March 2009, 07:42

next time...

**vifferman** · 11th March 2009, 07:44

Was it?

Damn!
If only I'd known - I had the car yesterday.

**Tubbsy** · 11th March 2009, 07:51

Could be this morning too. Riding along past the cars slowly this morning on Akls waterfront, and being wary as I have become, youngish guy turns out in front of me because he has a craving for coffee and he was almost past the mobile coffe spot......slammed on brakes and just got this "where the fark did you come from?" look from him. I ride with lights on always btw.

I'm starting to notcie a trend here....turning out in front of bikes seems to be a logical thing to do? WTF? If anything we're moving faster than cars.

Same thing closer into town too. In the bus and bike lane, straight after the guy with a camera, it's like open season for cars to merge into that lane...and oh yeh...another ne wfave....people driving erratically as if they're drunk...pass them and....they're on their mobile. Sheesh!!! Gets you going in the morning though......I now drink caffeine to relax.

**pritch** · 11th March 2009, 08:46

Around the full moon is always dodgy. You need to be extra careful around that time, especially if you are one of those particularly affected...

**vtec** · 11th March 2009, 09:56

On Monday, got pulled over by the cops 30 seconds from home. Let me off warrant just expired yay. 2 minutes further down the road. Lights change when I'm about 20 metres away, school had just got out so I was going slow. I'm stationery when I hear the dreaded screech of tyres from behind, quick glance in the wing mirror and try to take off. Get a big nudge from behind.

Then the bitch proceeds to tell me I was stopped at a green light. I tell her to stop deluding herself. She calls me a palangi snake. In the end have to call the police on her ass. She was trying very hard to convince me that I had caused her to rear end me. If she had gone through, she would have run the red right outside a school just as all the students got out. Thankfully one of the students gave me his name and number as a witness. Definitely get motorcycles time at the moment. I'm nervous about getting on the bike, cause the cops are all over us as are the poor driving abilities of our caged cousins.

**Kemet** · 11th March 2009, 15:34

There have been studies on the Full Moon Phenomenon. Talk to anyone who works in A & E and they will tell it always gets busier for them around the full moon!!

**beyond** · 11th March 2009, 17:29

Originally Posted by Kemet

There have been studies on the Full Moon Phenomenon. Talk to anyone who works in A & E and they will tell it always gets busier for them around the full moon!!

So I ws right then. Full moon it is. Lock up the bikes cos it's full on tonight.

**lozz900** · 12th March 2009, 19:06

Had it yesterday, Somthing must be up.
An oncoming car that was going round a LH corner spun out and flew between me and the car i was following. To make matters worse the car in front of me saw it all unfolding and slammed the anchors on about 1 second after the whole incident happened, I took my eyes off the spinning car just in time to see i was about to slam into the car i was following..