I Incited a Road Riot, and am ALMOST ASHAMED to be a Cyclist

Riding home last night, and one of the more considerate motorists on the roads of Melbourne decided to stop right in front of me, half way up a hill, in a No-Standing zone, blocking a Bicycle Lane...

See where the problem is starting?

I had to throw out the anchors, given I was doing about 30 km/h up the hill, had a quick peek over my right shoulder - yep - all clear, and went around the offending vehicle, asking if he'd care to stop somewhere other than a bike lane next time (or words to that effect)...

Driving behind me, by this stage, was a middle aged gent and his wife, in their gold Nissan Pathfinder, complete with the King Charles Spaniel in the back seat. Clearly showing his appreciation for the Road Rules for Cyclists set out for Cyclists by Vic Roads, old mate, then proceeded to follow me up to the red light I was now stopped at, next to a tram, and yell his head off about f'ing cyclists, and how we have no right on the road. My response? "I wasn't talking about you, I was having a go at the guy parked across the bicycle lane"... End of story, or so I think...

Not so, thinks the guy on the bike NEXT to me at the lights, who had no involvement thus far, who then proceeds to rant and rave, using the F-bomb, the C-bomb, abusing the driver of the Nissan (clearly my fellow cyclist has had a bad day - hell, he TOLD the motorist this, and wants an avenue to vent).

The light goes green, the tram moves off, I tell the antagonist to settle down - he's got the wrong end of the stick, and head off up the hill.

Get to the top of the hill, and old mate has been held up by the other guy on his bike, who has ridden up the middle of the lane, blocking the Nissan in beside the tram. So, we get to the next red light, and the guy who's had a bad day now resorts to physically attacking the Nissan, who's driver has now decided that he's not as brave as he initially thought... At this stage, old mate winds his own window up, and I yell at him through his other window that I'm sorry for this other guys attitude, and that if he had not automatically assumed I was inferring he was in the wrong, he'd now NOT have 2 fist sized dents in his bonnet, a shaken wife, and an over excited Spaniel.

To the motorist, not that I have any reason to suspect you read my blog (does anyone? Please let me know if you do!!!), I apologise for my fellow cyclist - please don't make the next one in front of you a target. And to the other cyclist - stay the hell out of it next time - you've just made EVERY cyclist on the road a potential target for the guy in the Nissan next time HE is having a bad day...