With talk of quotas and the constant nagging feeling when riding around town that you shouldn’t be riding on the road / pavement / ledges / anywhere the police do come across as spoilsports. So today it was nice to see the other side…
I was riding round the city walls once more; it’s a nice challenging ride with lots of little sets of five or six steps, and let me further the tourists’ view that we English are a bit strange in the head.
The number of tourists is slowly creeping up with the weather improving, and today I ran into my first tour group going in the same direction. I decided to go for a ride around the Minster to let them get ahead a bit, although not before they noticed me; put together they probably have an entire roll of film with just me and my wheel…
Riding along a cycle lane past the minster I heard someone having a go at me. Ignoring them is usually the best option unless it turns out to be a man who decides to chase you and poke a walking stick type thing in your spokes.
The uni crashes to the ground and I UPD; I’m about to turn round and give the chap a piece of my mind, as it were, when I notice the four policemen walking up behind the chap.
I think there had been something going on before; the paramedic-on-a-bike was packing up his stuff and there was a police van parked nearby.
I just stood by and smirked while the bloke seemed to visibly shrink as the policemen reminded him that sticking things into people’s spokes on a cycle lane isn’t terribly good manners. A policeman asked if the unicycle and I were okay, which we were, and they let the chap go. Given the “chat” with the four policemen in front of a large crowd of tourists I don’t think he’ll be doing that again. I cycled on after thanking them.
Just another day in the life of a single wheel…
Phil
Afterword… I just noticed I referred to the uni and I as “we”. I’ve never done that before. Is that a good sign, or a bad one?
LANGUAGE POLICE! You did NOT do a UPD. It is clear that this other person Planned the Dismount.
Joking apart, I hope you’re OK after this unpleasant incident. At one level, it’s a bit of a laugh, and a good story. At another level, you have been the victim of a deliberate assault (and battery?) and the Police have not arrested your assailant.
So, if YOU stuck a stick through the spokes of a bicycle being ridden by an elderly nun, would you be let off with a telling off? I think not. Or if you had made an unprovoked attack on this man? Say pushed him over, or thrown an egg at him? Chances are you would have been pulled in, even if not charged.
And what is it that gives these people the belief that they can be rude, abusive, or even violent towards someone else, simply because that person has the imagination, courage and determination to develop and exercise an unusual skill? I despair.
When I talk to myself, I sometimes refer to myself as “we”. Is that a good sign, or a bad one? But I do always keep it in the first person – never “He’s crazy!”
I didn’t realize that I picked such a dangerous sport – stick in the spokes, rocks thrown… I wonder what percentage of the population SUCKS. I mean, you meet so many nice people and sane people. But they’re not all like that.
Hey, if you were an ninja-unicyclist, you would probably practice stuff like that. See the stick coming, come to a sudden stop. Idle with the stick in the spokes. Hop sideways to get it out. That’s level 11 stuff. And then try it blindfolded.
While I’m busy rambling, has anybody ever tried to ride blindfolded? Like in a big, open space. Or maybe just closed their eyes? I’m not going to try it. I need to see to balance (and even then, it hardly works).
There’s someone in one of the videos I’ve downloaded who does a long deat drag blindfolded and almost picks it up at the end. It’s in some competition. Surely it’s one of you guys.
>While I’m busy rambling, has anybody ever tried to ride blindfolded?
>Like in a big, open space. Or maybe just closed their eyes? I’m not
>going to try it. I need to see to balance (and even then, it hardly
>works).
Never tried blindfolded but riding with eyes closed is a fun thing to
do and not that difficult (on the flat). You can begin by blinking
slightly longer than usual and then gradually work up from there. Even
if you now need to see to balance (do you THINK that or do you KNOW
that?), it’s nice to eliminate that requirement and have fun in the
process. If you start loosing it, you will probably feel that
happening and you can immediately open your eyes and probably recover.
Blindfolded must be scary because there is no emergency exit.
Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
"To escape the grip of a crocodile’s jaws, push your thumbs into its eyeballs – it will let you go instantly. "
Good point. I never tried it. So I really don’t know. And you’re right – it would be good to eliminate the need for seeing. That would certainly improve overall balance.
I’m going to go out in the street and practice now. Just kidding. I’ll find a safe area. Thanks!
> process. If you start loosing it, you will probably feel that
> happening and you can immediately open your eyes and probably recover.
>
> Blindfolded must be scary because there is no emergency exit.
Now wait just a minute there Klaas! That is obviously the wrong way round.
The blindfold IS the emergency exit. It is certainly lot less risky than
just closing your eyes and hoping they stay closed until it turns out OK.
Imagine the trauma of perpetual, vivid, full colour visions of up-rushing
ground, caused by a momentary loss of control of the ‘keep eyes closed’
muscle in the heat of the moment.
Please think about the safety of others before rushing out with
mis-information like this.
