Cyclists pelted with eggs in Essex?

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Essexcyclist
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Cyclists pelted with eggs in Essex?

Post by Essexcyclist »

Hi guys, new to the board, hope you're welcoming..

Just saw this story on a local news website in Essex (I'm originally from Chelmsford) about a married couple being attacked by four 'thugs' in a car. Seems a bit bizarre to be honest, can't say anything like it has happened to me before

http://www.essexchronicle.co.uk/Married ... story.html
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tykeboy2003
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Re: Cyclists pelted with eggs in Essex?

Post by tykeboy2003 »

You haven't heard about the silver BMW in Leicestershire that went round with the passenger pushing people off their bikes then? It was on the local BBC news a couple of months or so back.
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Mr. Viking
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Re: Cyclists pelted with eggs in Essex?

Post by Mr. Viking »

despicable
CycleTourer101
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Re: Cyclists pelted with eggs in Essex?

Post by CycleTourer101 »

Something similar happened to me years ago. A white van man leant out and screamed in my ear as he passed me about 30mph. I nearly fell off into a stone wall.

I was 14 I think and he was 30 something. Amazing how some people choose to get their kicks.
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tykeboy2003
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Re: Cyclists pelted with eggs in Essex?

Post by tykeboy2003 »

iviehoff
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Re: Cyclists pelted with eggs in Essex?

Post by iviehoff »

There was quite a fad for chucking sloppy things at cyclists and leaning out of car windows and abusing them during some warm summers back in the 90s. I experienced it a handful of times, though with nothing worse than water squirted at me. Someone even opened the passenger door on a car to lean out and abuse me. There were more serious cases where the liquid thrown was still in its container. Though it always seemed to be projectiles, rather than anything like a punch we read about here.

It seems to amuse people in the same way as other things, like "happy slapping", which they somehow overlook are really quite serious assaults. It involves the same kind of thought process that puts cyclists into some kind of "inferior out-group" as xenophobes view foreigners.
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Mick F
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Re: Cyclists pelted with eggs in Essex?

Post by Mick F »

Some few years ago, I was riding through a quiet street in Plymouth and a learner driver was going quite slowly ahead of me.

On the opposite pavement, a yoof shouted very loudly - complete with obscenities - at the learner car just as it drew level with him and I saw the car swerve a tiny bit. No doubt the learner was shocked.

I passed by, then did a U turn and quietly came up right behind the yoof, and shouted BOO! He jumped out of his skin! :lol: :lol: I did another U turn laughing heartily at him - he shouted obscenities at me - but I was still laughing a mile later.

What gives these people their kicks to do stuff like in the OP I don't know. I sometimes get shouted at or tooted as cars and vans go past. I don't jump very easily and take it in my stride. Never been touched or punched though. Shocking.
Mick F. Cornwall
kwackers
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Re: Cyclists pelted with eggs in Essex?

Post by kwackers »

It's not just cyclists, I've had eggs thrown at me from moving cars whilst out jogging.
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BeeKeeper
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Re: Cyclists pelted with eggs in Essex?

Post by BeeKeeper »

It is a bit worse in the US where throwing beer bottles at pedestrians etc is quite common from what I have heard. I found this rather grim site: http://www.accidentin.com/accident_on_us_50.htm
If you search for "beer" using Ctrl-F (on Windows) you will find a report of this. If you want something even more depressing do a search for "cyclist". I found 8 references and trucks seemed to be frequently involved. The site is slow so be patient.
Essexcyclist
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Re: Cyclists pelted with eggs in Essex?

Post by Essexcyclist »

Interesting, I can kind of understand the eggs from a juvenile point of view but it was the punching which threw me. Especially in Chelmsford!
snibgo
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Re: Cyclists pelted with eggs in Essex?

Post by snibgo »

Welcome to the forum, Essexcyclist.

Sadly, some elements of our society are violent thugs. They seem to mostly be young men (though most young men are not thugs, of course). Pack a car with thugs where they can encourage each other (I nearly said, "egg each other on") in the vicinity of people more vulnerable than themselves, and violence will happen.

Do such attacks happen more to cyclists than pedestrians? I don't know.

Fortunately physical attacks are very rare compared to verbal abuse, which itself is very rare. In nearly half a century of cycling, I've never been physically attacked. I would encourage anyone to report any such attacks to the police. Even if it doesn't result in a prosecution, the police can build an informal database of local thugs.
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hubgearfreak
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Re: Cyclists pelted with eggs in Essex?

Post by hubgearfreak »

Mick F wrote:did a U turn and quietly came up right behind the yoof, and shouted BOO! He jumped out of his skin! :lol:


good work :mrgreen:
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661-Pete
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Re: Cyclists pelted with eggs in Essex?

Post by 661-Pete »

Egg-throwing is taken quite seriously by the Plod I believe - it can cause nasty injuries. Never had an egg thrown (I'd forgive the thrower if - and only if - the egg thrown was a Fabergé Egg, and it lodged in my clothing undamaged :shock: ), but other things, yes. One of the stupidest, years ago, was 'silly string' - that party popper stuff that condenses into sticky strands. If it had landed in my eyes....

I've also been pushed off, and punched. Dregs of so-called 'society', I suppose... :(

One one occasion a hand merely reached out and patted my bum. Not really a slap. Now - I'm not too bothered about that sort of thing, but it could certainly upset another cyclist, especially a woman. So - armed with a registration number and a rough description, I reported it to the Police. They said they already had a thick file on the driver (a 'little scrotbag' were the words the nice friendly copper used) but they couldn't bring charges without a passenger ID - and the driver wouldn't shop him. But the PC said, thanks very much for the intelligence, we'll use it next time we pull him in.

Unfortunately not every Plod takes that attitude. There are cycle-friendly PCs, and less-cycle-friendly...
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Re: Cyclists pelted with eggs in Essex?

Post by Vantage »

Waiting at the lights one day, a car pulled up next to me, his bumper level with my cranks. As the lights changed to green, the passenger launched a McDonalds strawberry milkshake at me and they sped off to the next set of lights. I gave chase but they got away, how I wish I'd been fitter.
Simpletons, they're everywhere.
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“Ride as much or as little, or as long or as short as you feel. But ride.” ~ Eddy Merckx
It's a rich man whos children run to him when his pockets are empty.
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jezer
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Re: Cyclists pelted with eggs in Essex?

Post by jezer »

Over the years I've had bread rolls, empty beer cans and bottles thrown at me from passing cars. The latter turned out to be empty plastic ones, but when they coming flying at you you don't know if they are glass. IIRC these were all in the nineties, nothing much since. Perhaps motorists now find my sharply honed lycra clad body too awe inspiring to risk an injury. On the other hand they may be taking pity on me for my advancing years. There was a report a few months ago in our local paper of car occupants going around pelting cyclists with vegetables. I didn't experience it myself, a pity as it would have saved me money on my groceries :lol:
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