Motorists vs Cyclists.... again

[WaldoZ]

3 minutes ago, DuToit Van Den Bergh said:

As I said we were coming from behind you and you were going extremely slow.

Also we passed far and wide and safe because you were going slow. Read the first part again.

The point you are trying to make is based on a lie. Which is perplexing and the conclusion that is must be some other form of resentment that you carry.

Anyway, there's not much more to the story than that folks.

It was as simple as that.

"Driver gets angry because cyclists pass him."

Storm in a tea cup. He clearly needed some drama in his life and wants to come play keyboard warrior. Anyway, not worth it. 
 

1 car on the road driving 10kph taking photos of “how reckless” we are with no respect to using a complete empty road otherwise. No wonder this world is so screwed up.

[RobynE 🚵‍♀️]

So a photo of random, unknown cyclists riding three abreast on a public road is shared on a thread dedicated to cycling safety, and the cyclists turn up defensively justifying their behaviour and resort to personal attacks on the poster for calling them out. 

I mean it’s just about scripted. 

“In order to keep us safe on our bicycles as we flagrantly disregard road safety by our own choice, put your vehicle into the oncoming lane and overtake us with your own exposure increased”. 

There’s no justification for riding three abreast on a public road whether it’s a metropolitan CBD or a one horse town on a Sunday and your aggressive defence is painfully typical of what happens when people call cyclists out. 

[NC_lurker]

4 minutes ago, RobynE 🚵‍♀️ said:

“In order to keep us safe on our bicycles as we flagrantly disregard road safety by our own choice, put your vehicle into the oncoming lane and overtake us with your own exposure increased”. 

Try read it all again...

The cyclists passed the car which was driving exceeding slowly. It's a dual carriageway road. The cyclists didn't get irrationally upset about another road user driving slower than them, they just safely passed and kept on going.

Still no clarity as to the source of the picture, I'm assuming it's a still from a dashcam? I mean there's no way an "experienced cyclist" would use a mobile phone while driving.

[NotSoBigBen]

Was going to say something about horses and ladders .... but suffice to say one day I want to be a perfect cyclist like some on here 🤪

Edited August 18, 2025 by NotSoBigBen

[Mamil]

24 minutes ago, RobynE 🚵‍♀️ said:

So a photo of random, unknown cyclists riding three abreast on a public road is shared on a thread dedicated to cycling safety, and the cyclists turn up defensively justifying their behaviour and resort to personal attacks on the poster for calling them out. 

I mean it’s just about scripted. 

“In order to keep us safe on our bicycles as we flagrantly disregard road safety by our own choice, put your vehicle into the oncoming lane and overtake us with your own exposure increased”. 

There’s no justification for riding three abreast on a public road whether it’s a metropolitan CBD or a one horse town on a Sunday and your aggressive defence is painfully typical of what happens when people call cyclists out. 

Nah the scripting here is cyclists are lucky to be allowed on the road where the car is king, people on bicycles have only themselves to blame for what happens to them yada yada yada.

Just to be clear, "the behaviour" is a group of mates headed out into the countryside to enjoy the fresh air and physical exercise.

I don't approve of the ad hominem comments directed towards @Mook but seriously this pic and the expectation that riders join in condemnation because they're giving us a bad name? No man, that really is the motonormative koolaid.

 

[Sid the Sloth]

13 hours ago, Mook said:

Wellington Main Road, Sunday the 17th, 10:17

I did not stalk this bunch on purpose - just happened to go in the same direction. With hardly any cars parked on the side, they were happy to occupy the entire left lane whilst fully aware of me.

No radar or bright kit will ever solve this problem ........................ actually no medication either. Poor road road surface ------------ neh, they were on gravel bikes.

Just say'n 

It literally has 0 effect on your day whether they occupy the entire lane or ride single file. 
 

You have an entire lane to pass safely, they should get treated like any other slow moving vehicle. Same applies to a cart horse or that old Toyota Tazz taking some Oom and his lady to church on a Sunday. 
 

If it was a Friday afternoon and full of traffic and the cyclists were over taking slow moving vehicles blocking both lanes you wouldn’t hear the cyclist complaining that the road is being taken up…
 

It’s shocking that you claim to be a cyclist and call this a problem. And then get support in this thread. People like you are the reason we won’t see change, and no amount of bright kit or radar will fix your attitude and the attitude of the majority of motorists.
 

On another sad note, a Cape Town local was tragically hit in Hermanus yesterday and passed away. May he rest in peace, and hopefully be the last for a long while.

[RobynE 🚵‍♀️]

23 minutes ago, NC_lurker said:

It's a dual carriageway road.

In that case I apologise, I opened it again and I see that now. The driver risk wouldn’t have been increased. 

I still stand by the fact that riding three abreast on a public road is unjustifiable regardless of the circumstances and that the lynch mob is typical of what happens when cyclists are called out. 

[Mamil]

This morning on the cycle path outside Rondebosch girls high an Audi Q5 with ZN plates pulled out suddenly to get past the cars turning right. I slapped the side of his car hard with my hand and let out an expletive that would have made the mummy's blush.

The oke catches up to me and driving right next to me winds down his window

"Why'd you hit my car"

"It could have been the other way around - you hit me"

"Don't hit my car"

"Maybe you'll look next time when it's one of the schoolkids on the bike"

A roar of however many kilowatts that particular narcissus mobile has under the hood.

I have a radar and a flashing front light but I was wearing black so I must have been my own worst enemy again.

Contrast that with the 3 other interactions I had on the 2.5k from my home to my work

1: Ridaah the coffee trailer man - we spoke about the dangers of burnout when being self employed

2: Two women walking where we had a smiling moment of confusion about who had right of way - it was them but they behaved as if I did

3: The dustbin man who was running hard with a dustbin in tow behind the lorry and we called out "ewe!" cos we see each other quite often.

------------------------------

Quite apart from the endless stream of fatalities on the road - the privileging of the car in law and in the mindset of the populace has a destructive impact on the air, social relationships - a host of other effects tangible and intangible.

_______________________________________

@Mook @RobynE 🚵‍♀️next time you see okes out and about like that, I suggest simply sitting back, admiring the bikes (all those sexy flared handlebars) and give a friendly wave as you drive past. I's a way bettr approach than joining the greek chorus of impatient motorists who don't understand bicycles and who think we should all be in 6 inches of space on the side of the road so that they can roar off to the next traffic light in an never-ending queue of frustrating stop-start traffic.

 

[WaldoZ]

21 minutes ago, RobynE 🚵‍♀️ said:

In that case I apologise, I opened it again and I see that now. The driver risk wouldn’t have been increased. 

I still stand by the fact that riding three abreast on a public road is unjustifiable regardless of the circumstances and that the lynch mob is typical of what happens when cyclists are called out. 

This is where context comes in. This pic is just as we passed him. We passed him on the right, he was ridding very slow and looked like he could be parking so passing him on the left where the parking spaces are would be foolish and unsafe. We are grown men with wifes and kids and driver’s licenses. We know how the road works. 

I’m not saying we were perfect all the time but neither is any motorist or anyone in life but situations plays out and we deal with things responsibly and safely.

We were alerted to this post because it’s actually a joke. We are 100% for safety on the roads!!

It’s disappointing that a picture like this is being scrutinized as it’s a freeze frame in a whole passing manoeuvre executed safely.  The fact that we co-existed on the road as road users was the positive here. 

Never in a million years would I have predicted someone would post here that not even medication can fix us.

 

[Mamil]

9 minutes ago, WaldoZ said:

This is where context comes in. This pic is just as we passed him. We passed him on the right, he was ridding very slow and looked like he could be parking so passing him on the left where the parking spaces are would be foolish and unsafe. We are grown men with wifes and kids and driver’s licenses. We know how the road works. 

I’m not saying we were perfect all the time but neither is any motorist or anyone in life but situations plays out and we deal with things responsibly and safely.

We were alerted to this post because it’s actually a joke. We are 100% for safety on the roads!!

It’s disappointing that a picture like this is being scrutinized as it’s a freeze frame in a whole passing manoeuvre executed safely.  The fact that we co-existed on the road as road users was the positive here. 

Never in a million years would I have predicted someone would post here that not even medication can fix us.

 

Top drawer reply

[RobynE 🚵‍♀️]

The irony is that I am an exceptionally tolerant driver and extremely aware of other road users whether cyclists, horse riders, heavy vehicles, etc. 

I live just off Cedar Road which is a cycling hotspot. I am often behind groups, and in fact getting hooted at by people behind me as I wait for a safe place to pass the group. 

I think I have admonished one group, and that was for an overtake manoeuvre on a left bend where I narrowly (and I mean like maybe 30cm) missed hitting the rider as he, without looking behind, pulled around a two-abreast to overtake on the bend right in front of me on an 80km/h road. I did get the middle finger and a “eff you” for my “what are you thinking” hand. 

Now I just shake my head and wait to get past with a whimsical expression on my face, and hope that whoever is behind me has seen that I’m going slowly because there is a group in front of me, and won’t violently overtake me and swing in front before seeing them. 

 

[Robbie Stewart]

14 hours ago, Bro Derek said:

Motonormativity and small willy syndrome proven in just a handful of posts 

why are you so preoccupied with the size of other mens genitalia? Do you have some unhealty fetish that you are surreptitiously living out on this thread?

stay in you lane boet!

[Bro Derek]

Just now, Robbie Stewart said:

why are you so preoccupied with the size of other mens genitalia? Do you have some unhealty fetish that you are surreptitiously living out on this thread?

stay in you lane boet!

Sigh

The only response this warrants is a sigh

I'm sorry society and the education system have failed you

[DJuice]

Just be lekka!

We all have bicycles in common, surely we can be more considerate.

 

[Shebeen]

22 minutes ago, DJuice said:

Just be lekka!

We all have bicycles in common, surely we can be more considerate.

 

whoah this has got wild!

 

Thread title says it all.

maybe time to change it to motorists vs cyclists vs cyclists

 

 

[Mook]

27 minutes ago, WaldoZ said:

This is where context comes in. This pic is just as we passed him. We passed him on the right, he was ridding very slow and looked like he could be parking so passing him on the left where the parking spaces are would be foolish and unsafe. We are grown men with wifes and kids and driver’s licenses. We know how the road works. 

I’m not saying we were perfect all the time but neither is any motorist or anyone in life but situations plays out and we deal with things responsibly and safely.

We were alerted to this post because it’s actually a joke. We are 100% for safety on the roads!!

It’s disappointing that a picture like this is being scrutinized as it’s a freeze frame in a whole passing manoeuvre executed safely.  The fact that we co-existed on the road as road users was the positive here. 

Never in a million years would I have predicted someone would post here that not even medication can fix us.

 

Clearly I have touched a nerve, judging by the slandering and personal attacks that followed my post of yesterday.

Obviously high volumes of corroboration amongst the group of cyclists in question have taken place since yesterday, which is to be expected. Many comments are even made by "cyclists" who were NOT in this group based on the corroborated responses of 2 that apparently rode in this group ................  since context is mentioned above.

The picture was not photoshopped or created by AI. No cyclists or animals were injured during filming. I stand by my statements based on what is clearly visible in the image. 

There were 2 groups of riders - the second group appeared to have broken off from the group in the distance. I overtook the group at the back and moved over to the left lane before some riders from the back group started overtaking me because I was not going fast enough to slipstream to the group in front. All this time the front group(pictured) were riding over the width of the left lane. I spent 20 seconds behind the group in the photo - when I eventually passed them on the right they were still in the same formation ........................ since context is mentioned above.

Calling me a liar wont get you far. I have respect for cyclists with this motto in life "We are grown men with wifes and kids and driver’s licenses. We know how the road works"

The question begs why these loving husbands would jump the red traffic lights at the intersection of Jan van Riebeek and Stokery Roads? Yes, I was there when you arrived at the red intersection and I was still there when you were 700 meters down the road by the time the green came on.

Perhaps you should consider ending your victimhood mentality and realize that, as cyclists, we share the roads with cars and trucks. Neither one of us stand a reasonable chance to survive a hit from any of these vehicles. Stop weaponizing cycling to change the minds of motorists.

Stop your petty personal attacks on those that do not hold or support your opinions.