+1 on filing a police report, Jeff. Of all the things that might go wrong during a ride, becoming the victim of a middle-aged-dude-crazy-rage-attack is one scenario I wouldn't have imagined happening in a million years. Glad that you're OK.

I would also consider contacting Transportation Alternatives. When I've had problems, they've usually helped steer me in the proper direction. They also put me in touch with a pro-bono lawyer for another incident. It can't hurt. Call them, tell your story, and see what they say.
And my vote is that you report it, even though without identifying him there's probably nothing that can be done. At least the cops know there is a guy out there assaulting cyclists. What if every rape victim didn't report the crime because she couldn't identify the criminal. It lessens the chance that they'll find the guy. This isn't that severe, but I believe the same process needs to be followed. Report it. At least there's a record of the incident. But speak to TA. You never know, and they probably have a better idea.

I'd also consider reaching out to the Prospect Peloton gang. They have a yahoo group. If you're not a member, I can post on your behalf, or send you a link to become a member and you can post yourself. They are a good forum for knowing what's up as a cyclist in the park. They might know of similar assaults.

holy crap, that was an unbelievable read. what a nut! glad both you & the steed are ok. sheece.

21oct

jeffery,
incredible you are ok, good tactics; file a report!!!! paper trail essential per jules etc.

...PPk perimeter road need to be re-stripped, from left to right, counter clockwise; -> 4ft jogger/pedesdtrian(clockwise), 4ft jogger/pedestrian(counterclockwise), 6ft cyclist(counterclockwise), 11ft 'shared/lane' cyclist/vehicle (25mph), 11ft vehicle(25mph); &zebra stripping at GAP entry crossing& all others plus graphic signage.

the root of this incident is a lack of clarity/right&responsibilities in park. Jeff please file a report&contact Transportation Alternatives.
-h

<blockquote><cite>Posted By: Jules Roazen</cite>I think you really need to. At a minimum you begin to create a paper trail. Mild mannered people don't jut "snap" and start tackling people in the park, despite what Hollywood would have us think. I'm sure he has a history of violent outbursts at home, work, etc. For all you know you aren't the first cyclist he's tackled.

There have to be consequences to that kind of behavior.</blockquote>

OK OK OK I'll file the damn thing.

jw,
a hug...from me!;>
-h

Jeff - I was just talking to my lawyer this morning (I'm being deposed over a case where a car did an illegal u-turn in front of me 3 years ago). Anyway, at the end of that, I asked about you. He specializes in bicycle cases. He agrees with what I and a few others have said. File a police report. Call Transportation Alternatives. He also said the new DA in NYC is more bicycle friendly than the past DA. At minimum we need to establish this event happened in case he's part of a pattern. Have you gone to the police yet? If not, find out what precinct you're supposed to go to, and go there.

I need a little help here. I'm doing a short section on how to ride safely on the streets for the book I'm finishing up. Looking for basic advice like 'ride to the left on one way streets,' 'swerve only when absolutely necessary,' 'pedestrians can be lest predictable than drivers,'

Anything simple you tell your friends or loved ones when they start riding in our fine city?

i tell them two things:

1: to take a lane!

that way you avoid the door zone AND discourage motorists to buzz you fast. totes counterintuitive, but it allows you to be seen. drivers may honk, but i'd rather they honk at me on purpose than squeeze me into an opening door by accident.

2: be deliberate!

when you pull out in traffic, take a lane ordeal with a pedestrian/driver/other cyclist. be deliberate and make your intentions obvious. waffling leads to crashing!

Agree with william on his point #1. I try to be considerate and stay to the side when it's safe, but as he said, often this encourages cars to scrape by you. Also, if you're over far, there's often a lot of garbage, street hazards , and doubled cars (in addition to his said dooring). Coming down Lexignton and 2nd tonight, I got honked at a few times. But fuck em. There's a ton of people blocking the bike lane and trying to use the turning lanes to zoom up and cut you off. Again, I think I'm super polite, but most drivers haven't ridden a bike since they were 10 and are poor judges of speed and distance.

Ok, I did give out a couple of middle fingers and "use your fucking mirrors, that's why you got em" today.

One of the things I'd add (lights and a bell being obvious) is that just assume NO ONE EVER SEES YOU EVER. So have an "escape route" in mind. Sounds stressful, but having a planed exit in case something suddenly happens is essential. This happens even if you're going 7mph in the bike lane. There's constant interference from pedestrian, trucks, etc obstructing them.

Only other thing I can think of is don't trust other cyclists, especially if you're jumping/running lights. I run them when it's clear, but that might be just a few seconds. Just b/c the guy ahead of you strolls through the light, doesn't mean it's clear for you at all.

two things I would emphasize:

1) ride like your life depends on it - which it does ie: have your head on a swivel and anticipate
2) nobody except the guy on the bike sees the pothole the rider might swerve to avoid - so you can count on drivers not anticipating what you might do

- never get with a door length of a parked or double parked car.
- assume someone is going to pop out of a cab whenever it's stationery, if you can't avoid. Look at what passenger is doing—paying/leaning across are tells.
- passing a stopped line of traffic: assume there's a jaywalker in between every truck/bus/blindspot
- bunny hop the pothole, don't swerve
- get on the bell/shout early, not when you're on top of someone
- scan the whole scene
- more people die on Houston than anywhere (or anywhere else where a car/truck is often going 40mph)
- bus or truck collision = death
- flashing lights during day don't hurt

wear a helmet.

keep your head on a swivel. but also - look where you're going.

don't listen to music through earbuds, with the possible exception of when you're riding in the park when it's closed to cars.

no snitching

sorry

wrong thread

Agree most heartily with WDC's #1 point - counterintuitive, yes, but it's all part of being a legit vehicle on the road. Goes double when riding in Jersey - or Queens.

When the cars are honking just imagine you're Steve Carrell's character on his bike in 40-Year-Old Virgin ("go around me! go around me!")

When the cars are honking just imagine you're Steve Carrell's character on his bike in 40-Year-Old Virgin ("go around me! go around me!")

don't forget to use your peripherals

If I was going to encapsulate my approach, I'd say: stay chill and alert. Anticipate risk, and don't treat it like a race. One thing not mentioned yet is to look at a cars front wheels to see if it's turning rather than looking for a blinker. I think you should also mention that despite the modest risk and occasional ridiculousness, that it's a fantastic way to get around town. I am more likely to arrive at work on time, and arrive happier.

If I'm riding at night always have both lights. I got screwed by an insurance company for only having one. Follow the laws, think of biking like driving a car. Take your space and mean it. Be predictable, calm and alert. Know what space you can safely move in to when a car opens a door, turns in front of you, ect.

JP, my two cents,

second ALL comments above less one; avoid use of center finger gesture, this gesture tends to insight retaliatory action on self or other cyclists, DO inform offending party of displeasure, ie. via raised arm with palm up! a more effective&benign gesture.

-use hand signals, left, right, and especially stop&slowing. (the more we do this the more legitimate we become as 'road sharers')
-be seen, dress self & bicycle brightly/reflectively, front, back, side blinking lights, bell/YELL.
-ride with 1meter envelope to obstacle side.
-ride with 7meter envelope to front.
-'take the lane' (2nd, 3rd &4th this point per WDC)
-do NOT ride wrong way/side; endangers cyclists.
-anticipate, anticipate, anticipate.
-watch vehicles leading wheels& signals(but anticipate signal is either wrong or not being used) wheel movement is the only truth! (per NatMiller)
-make eye contact, with motorists, at mirrors, through windshields, front, back, side, etc.
-be aware: of everything that moves/could move...
-anticipate the flow of traffic, at intersections in (4)directions, left, right, front and back, up&down lights and road surface.
-be polite, play the 'good scout,' when possible at intersections STOP, clip out, make eye contact with pedestrians, motorists, other.
-ride out of situation, if strong. (know your skills &abilities)
-slow early in situation, if not strong. (know your skills &abilities)
-enJOY!

-harry;>

It must be spring in NYC. . .
Another ticket. This time for riding on the sidewalk. Took pictures of the gnarly cobblestones/potholes I was avoiding and will plead innocence on that account (advice of the cop, actually). Was 1 block from Hudson Bike path on 14th St. Cop claimed not to know there was even a bike path! Also claimed his full time job in recent days was nabbing errant cyclists, so beware.

ugh

suuuucks!

Laaaaaaame. Yeah, I got a court date in July for my red light infraction that I plead "not guilty" to. Not sure what my defense should be....I did run it. But I did come to a complete stop and there were people jaywalking at that intersection. I'm being persecuted!!!

Sorry David, I actually feel the same way about the bike path on 14th street. Why would anyone think its a great idea to ride over cobble stone.

I'm not against giving cyclists tickets for breaking the law. The only thing I really want for the NYPD is to be is consistent. Do it year round, I feel it's unfair to one day run a red light in front of a cop and nothing happen then the next day be ticketed for it.

@Jeff. That is your defense. Show up and be respectful and reasonable. You have a good chance of having it dismissed. You could consider citing the pilot program in Paris in which cyclists are being allowed to treat red lights as stop signs. But the judge will probably find that irrelevant. In my case, I just say that I deemed the road to be dangerous. I'm feeling jaded, having been to court twice last year. Trying not to feel stressed on a lovely day.

So, totally off topic, but I watched an NYPD bicycle cop salmon a whole block on 6th Avenue yesterday. snapped a blurry picture that hardly shows what was actually going on. Maybe salmoning is legal now?

I wonder what the Post would do with a picture like that?

Posted By: mugwumpI wonder what the Post would do with a picture like that?

Whatever the post does with any photos that don't have boobs or gore? Mostly just ignore them. The Post isn't going to go after NYPD, they're nice and cozy together in their hatred of cyclists and OWS (Which of course they see as perfectly overlapping groups).

I wanted to start a thread on the topic of staying safe on your bike in and out of races. Apologies ahead of time for any preachy-ness. This weekend (and the LA trip) highlighted the fact that we aren't as organized as we could be on this front.

Communication in the worst case:

1) we can get a 20% discount on RoadID's. Everyone should wear something like a road id, with emergency contact info on it. Contact me if you are interested.
2) if you are on a group ride, please make sure someone else on that ride has your emergency contact info
3) file this under lifehacker: I set the lock screen on my phone to be an image of my emergency contact info when I'm racing or on a longer ride with the guys - anybody who picks it up can see who to call in case of something bad happening
4) if you have medical conditions that would change how EMS treats you (bee allergies, known conditions etc) please see #1 and get yourself a road id

Check your machine:

Everyone says to do this but it always takes a spill to drill it home. Don't be that guy! Before you throw a leg over give your bike a quick bounce and check the brakes, skewers, seat, tire pressure etc. Once in the early spring I pulled my TT bike off the trainer (in a hurry as always) and went out to the park in a last minute "shit it's warm enough I'm going out" move. It wasn't till I hit the bottom of the downhill at 30+ mph that I clamped on the rear brake and discovered that my skewer wasn't in very tight... my wheel came out, locked up and I high sided into the grass. All it would have taken was 3 seconds to check and avoid the dignity (and gear/ass) smashing event.

Check your ride mates:

Group ride, the pace picks up and you find yourself headed downhill into a corner behind some sketchy Fred you've never ridden with. Is this really where you want to gamble? Know the guys you are riding with and if you don't, be extra, extra cautious. People do weird shit when the wind is in their hair - like swerve, brake for imaginary monsters or fail to yell warnings for obstacles.

Don't line up the lemons:

They say most accidents are the result of several sub-optimal decisions. You left a little late in the day, wore a little less clothing than you should have, were riding on a tire that was a little too worn, without good air in it and didn't bring quite enough food. Now you are cold, headed home at dusk on marginal gear and slightly bonked. Your chances of making good split second decisions are for shit. Stop the chain. It is tough to back out of a long, fun ride midway or miss a key workout but if it looks like you are lining up lemons (bad decisions) just say no. The extra time you can spend training or recovering because you didn't crash/break your bike/get sick etc will be plenty of payback. It's the guys who train most consistently that get the strongest, not the ones who take the biggest risks.

Lights:

They aren't pro but your mom/wife/kids don't care. Bring 'em, use em. Nuff said. Adam can regale you with the virtues of the Monkey setup he has.

Helmets:

This should go without saying but I'll say it anyway.

1) Wear one. Don't ride with people who don't. They don't value their skin, so they won't value yours. A bell helmet saved my life and prevented unimaginable tragedy for my wife, kids and family. I have pictures if anyone needs motivation.
2) Check yours, and keep it relatively new. The old, "Ah, it's been a few years, and I've dropped it a couple of times, and there was that *one* minor crash I got into last fall..." is no way to go through life, son. We get a great deal through Rudy and the helmets match our kits. If you are light on "new helmet money" and know your helmet is past due - talk to a mentor and see who can help. There are lots of sentimental reasons to ride old kit; if you love your old-school helmet then find a spot in your man-cave and hang it on the wall to admire and motivate you; don't trust your life to it.

Relax, breathe and observe:

Ryan is the resident expert at this so spend some time chatting with him the next time he slows down long enough for words Seriously though; the looser you are the less "gripped" the more you observe, anticipate and be able to adapt when something funky happens - and funky shit *always* happens.

That is all, Peace.