Debs wrote: ↑10 Jun 2021, 3:02pm
On a ride yesterday, my usual rural country lane course, a nominated national cycling route.
Cycling slight-downhill gradient around 20mph, suddenly a tractor + trailer pulled out of a field though a gate without giving way, far too close for comfort.
I needed to brake very heavily over bumpy tarmac ground to avoid impact with trailer.
This brought me too close to the rear of trailer, so i slowly freewheeled to gain more space behind.
The tractor + trailer kicked up a huge amount of dry soil dust like a brown cloud, as it sped up to 15mph or so.
I lingered feathering the brakes & freewheeling within 5 meters or so behind over a short distance but tractor driver quickly slowed down for bend in road. No brake lights
or number plates on trailer. Then he very suddenly broke hard to an abrupt stop and immediately proceeded to reverse ram me - by then within 2 meters behind trailer.
Had no time at all to get out of the way, the trailer quickly came back and shunted against my front wheel pushing me back a few inches, knocked me off balance but didn't fall over... for a second or two believed i was going under the trailer, but it came to a stop in the nick of time.
I was busy screaming very loudly at this point but don't think the tractor driver could hear me over the noise of his engine.
I quickly dismounted bike to climb up on grass verge, the earth kerb was 18" high so this took a few seconds, as soon as i got up on the verge the tailer was reversing again and shoved the rear wheel of my bike as i got off the road.
Standing on the verge looking at the driver in the cab, a 40 something man who looked completely oblivious to the accident he could have caused on the road.
There was another tractor + trailer oncoming which he was backing-up to make room for a pass, all his attention would seem to be on the oncoming tractor.
Don't think the driver even knew i was there at all - until i remounted by bike in front of his tractor [ as we glared at each-other ] and rode away.
He followed me for 200 meters before turning off into a side road.