I'm beginning to hate (some) cyclists

[jonathan75]

Unimportant Belgian road.
and
Main North South route in Wales.[

Great photos. If there is a reason why like is not being compared with like there, it's that as with much of Britain, the Welsh road looks like there is a big incline compared with the Belgian flat- a big obstacle IMHO to greater bike takeup, the thought of which likely constrains policymaker willingness to provide decent bike lanes. But I v much take the point and always feel v pissed off at the comparison anyway. I'm sure the absence of safe lane provision and a safety first driver culture has a big impact on takeup too.

 

[mike killay]

Great photos. If there is a reason why like is not being compared with like there, it's that as with much of Britain, the Welsh road looks like there is a big incline compared with the Belgian flat- a big obstacle IMHO to greater bike takeup, the thought of which likely constrains policymaker willingness to provide decent bike lanes. But I v much take the point and always feel v pissed off at the comparison anyway. I'm sure the absence of safe lane provision and a safety first driver culture has a big impact on takeup too.

I agree Wales has more steep hills, but the Flanders 'Plain' although quite flat to the motorist has a lot of gentle, long slopes, i.e Ypres to Passchendaele that go on for miles. Because it is flat, the wind blows steadily and sometimes strongly. This makes the 'hills' just as daunting as the shorter steeper hills we have in Wales.
That's my experience anyway and is why I appreciate the electric motor on my bike.

 

[flecc]

Because it is flat, the wind blows steadily and sometimes strongly. This makes the 'hills' just as daunting as the shorter steeper hills we have in Wales.

True also of both the Dutch polders and the flat areas of our eastern English counties, the lack of obstructions to impede wind in such areas can mean consistent and sometimes ferocious headwinds over very large areas. Both being on the seaboard, cyclists can use the North Sea shipping forecasts to know what they'll be facing inland!

These winds are a major factor in the popularity of velomobiles in the Netherlands, a type of recumbent trike rarely seen elsewhere.
.

 

[Jayfdee]

Back on topic, I am very careful about passing non ebike lycra riders, I try not to,but often have to,and have never had abuse.
I get abuse on the tow paths/shared routes, for ringing my bell, for not ringing my bell, just being there by walkers who insist,wrongly, that bikes are forbidden. I get abuse from the drunks who congregate under the canal bridges.
The most polite are the Horse riders who usually say thank you when I pass with consideration. I always say thank you, and this usually completely disarms any protest.
I have had walkers on shared routes who deliberately block the route, equally I have had riders riding no hands and texting and almost colliding, usually no helmets. Motorbikes on cycle paths, petrol powered skate boards on cycle tracks, Horse and cart on a cycle track etc
As with many things, the etiquette lags behind the real life situation.

 

[RobF]

When I first started ebiking being called a cheat - sometimes quite venomously - by roadies happened fairly often.

Attitudes have softened in the last few years as ebikes have become more mainstream.

Although I still don't rub their nose in it.

If I am gaining on a roadie on a climb, I will usually hang back knowing he will speed up over the crest.

 

[LeighPing]

I only ebike around my local woods and country park, with my dog. There's a single shared path running through it. Shared by cyclists, horse riders, dogs and their walkers. Having an ebike allows me to cheat the beaten track, go off piste, up grassy hills, across fields and o'er dales. I get some funny looks now and then. But, it's not malice, I get the impression that they wish that they could be doing the same thing that I'm doing.