Bah, Friday, who needs it.
Family circumstances altered, toddler sleep requires a no show at Goat. Normal commute home, hopefully avoiding the wind and rain.
- First ride home on the new road bike.
- First ride on a road bike for about a year.
- First ride in Shimano road cleats for about five years.
East Oakleigh: approaching little roundabout down a gentle hill, there’s a Falcon coming down the street from my right but he’s way back and I’ll be across the roundabout before he’s even got there. Surprise, I should have remembered the mentality of falcadore drivers around here — he plants the foot — must get to roundabout before bicycle — swerves and sways onto the roundabout then brakes hard and smokes to a halt directly in front of me as I brake and stop, foot down, spot on the white line at the edge of the roundabout. Local falcadore driver waves both hands up in the air in a big “what the F#@#$” at me and then tears off spinning the wheels down the road.
East Oakleigh/Oakleigh: half a kilometre later. I turn left into Huntingdale road, pull out to the centre and sit there indicating right to turn into Edward street, a couple of cars pass head on going north up Huntingdale, a white falcadore wagon pulls up at Edward street to turn right into Huntingdale road. There’s a gap in the traffic, off I start, the falcadore pilot plants the foot and takes off straight through the “Give Way” sign towards me. A loud “OI!!!!” from me as I sprint out of the way, down comes his window and the screaming starts “F*@#$@#(ING DICKHEAD, GEROFFDAFUGGINROAD” as off he goes round the corner. “WATCH IT!” I yell to the retreating car. He stops in the middle of Huntingdale road, screams out a parting “F*#@)@ING C*NT @#(@#)….” and tears off, spinning the wheels. At least he tore off, for a moment I thought our local road-rager was going to come back and have a go at me.
FFS, can someone just shoot them?
At least I beat the rain home by about 45 seconds!
To add to the annoyance, yesterday I received from BV yet another cutesy sweet but totally unhelpful piece:
Harassment and road rage - What you can do
With all the usual crap about taking details and filling out forms and contacting the police. All good in theory, but without photos, witnesses, a rock-solid description of both car and driver the police will do NOTHING, and anytime idiots like this attack you on the road you’re usually too damn busy just keeping out of their way and not being killed to take a photo, memorise the details and write a bloody description of the car and driver. Maybe the police should just ride around plain clothes on bikes a bit more….
