I have had many experiences of random comments about not wearing a helmet, quite often from other passing cyclists, which I tend to just ignore.mattheus wrote: ↑3 Apr 2023, 1:59pm I've had quite a few random people - some of them on bikes - shout at me about my bare head over the years. I thought it would give some balance to the "polite discussion" in the forum for us to list them.
Here is Saturday's, which was so bizarre+outoftheblue, I have to recount it ...
I was about 100 miles into a very soggy audax (very little rain, but the roads were mostly submerged). Once again I approached a small flood with caution, noting the oncoming cars. The 3rd driver wanted to let me through, but as I'd already stopped I waved him towards me.
As he cruised past in his 911, the only thing he shouted out the window was an angry
"WHERE'S YOUR HELMET?!?"
I was so surprised that I didn't respond! It was so odd, on a day when (almost) every driver seemed to realise how hazardous conditions were, and - perhaps without realising it - held a little respect for us daft souls choosing to ride through such chaos ...
But the strangest I had was many years ago when I was cycling quiet rural lanes in Carmarthenshire one summer evening, and passed an isolated house miles from any village. Two young children came out on their bikes as I passed (they were probably about 9 or 10 years old), one shouted something about me not wearing a helmet (cannot remember his precise words) and then they both followed me making surprisingly realistic police siren noises. In such a quiet area, with virtually no traffic on the lane, that I felt completely nonplussed. This continued until they fell away after about half a mile and a little later I reached the b&b I was staying in, still not quite believing that it had happened.