Almost assaulted. Advice please

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Gentle tones only pls; I’m pretty shaken up. If you want to judge or insult, please just hold it on this one.

I have never been in a fight in my life, and am non aggressive, and non confrontational. In my early twenties, a guy [ with three friends ] once walked up to me and told me very out of the blue they were going to “kick my a$$” , and I literally ran / speed walked away and left the dance club. I’m a lean, lightweight guy, tall but very slender. I do not “look like a fighter” , and 100% sure I would lose to most of the population.

This post is not to devolve into ‘E bikes are bad’. Please.

I’m on a trad bike; not an E bike. Fun ride, sometimes fast, sometimes noodling. Was going 7 - 15 ish km/h on MUP, cyclist oncoming. Just as our handlebars pass, E biker zips between, 30 - 40 ish. No clue; this was all a blur. What I did see, dead - clear, my eyes locked to my bar ends & his; less than an inch to spare, almost collision w me, and the other cyclist [ assumption, but impossible not to be equally close ].

All that fell out of my face, in shock was: “WOAH !!! … buddy… maybe try that without a battery next time ? Jesus.” Tone was shocked & scared, not aggressive.

“What the F did you just say?” He slammed on his brakes, brought his handles right beside mine. “Get off your Fing bike, I’m gonna F you up right now.” - rams my bars sideways. “Let’s Fing get this guy !” - I realize he has 3 - 4 friends w him. No clue, too panicked.

I stood up and stomped the cranks like I’ve never in my life. I was doing definitely >50 km/h, in seconds. Thank god their bikes didn’t go that fast. After 3 - 5 ish mins, I was going to puke, so slowed to 30 ish, staying hard, for 5 ish mins.

Nowhere in sight. I was way farther from home than I wanted. Luckily, I was at a point where the MUP splits entirely, and there is a park in the middle, abt 20 m / 60 ft wide. I turn around & head home.

I hear “THERE HE IS !!! LET’S FING GET HIM !!!” He cuts sideways through the park and floors it, directly at me. It looked like he intended to T bone me. I missed his front tire by inches, him going abt 30 ish, me at 50 ish.

I did, in panic, think I heard his friends shout something like “No dude ! Leave him alone !”, but not sure. Did 50 ish as long as I could. Just lay on the floor at home, vibrating and crying.

Advice. Please.

  • Do I get rid of my unique coloured helmet & the top I was wearing ? It is a day - glo top w zero logos. Not very unique, but it does attract attention. I like to wear day - glo for safety. Do I stay “regular” colours only on that MUP from now on ?

  • I always run lights, for safety. Good, bright ones. Do I turn them off, always, on that MUP, to avoid him recognizing me ?

  • I really hate the idea of needing a helmet cam, always on me. I also feel if I was assaulted, they would steal the cam. But is a hidden - ish cam on my bike or something necessary from now on ? What % of you peeps “Never ride without one, for exactly this reason.” ?

  • I strongly feel that gentle negative feedback is needed to these people. We surely can’t just let them rip arround running people off the trails and say nothing, right ? Not even “Hey ! That was dangerous, you could hurt someone !!” ? Or was this partly my fault ? Say nothing, ever ?

  • Do I file a police report ? If I had any details, I would have, automatically. I have none. I could not pick him out of a lineup. I was in a panic. He could be black, Indian, Mexican… heavy, athletic, etc. All I know is “Darker skin, and not super thin like me; he was a bigger dude. His arms were huge. No clue how tall.” A report seems stupid.

  • Are self defence classes absolutely necessary ? I really do not want to do this. [ No guns country. And don’t want to carry a firearm. I carry ‘dog spray’ for emergencies, but no way I can get it out that fast; someone right beside me jumps on me, instantly. ]

If a camera is absolutely necessary, if anyone could recommend an extremely economical one, that they have had for a long time and is reliable, I would really appreciate it. I’m low income, I can not just “buy a camera”. It’s also obvi stupid and just a waste to buy a cheap one that then doesn’t help you if you do get in a bad situation.

Sincerely appreciate any ideas. I sincerely can’t see myself riding my bike outside an organized race or community event anytime soon. I will not be riding alone w my partner until I have a strategy here. I will not possibly get her into a situation w that person, if, god forbid, he saw me again and recognized me.

[ Unfortunately I can’t avoid the area; it’s the main MUP in my city. ]

I really hate having to make this post. I feel… destroyed. Biking is my one greatest joy in my daily and weekly life.

I’m sincerely sorry to “bring down the vibe of the forum”, but I really need some help.

David & mods can delete if not appropriate.

I hope you have a great ride today. Thank you for reading.

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You look as in shock which is imagineable ofcourse after being chased.
The chance that he’s in that same "f him up mood’ the next day towards you is very slim though.
Usually they calm down later, brag about it during the remaining of the day and forget about the whole incident the next.
So the fear of him attacking you again, although understandable emotion, is something you need to get rid of fast.
Best way is really to go out there again. The dog-spray you can put on your handlebar with velcro
Big fat chance nothing will happen and slowly the comfort to ride there will return.
Avoiding it and always be wary of that place can make it a trauma.
And if it already feels like that, talk to a psychologist. They are trained to help you for these instances.
But thinking of guns, self defense classes, avoid riding (afterall, this is 1st occasion I reckon in how many years?) seems it might help you to talk to a trained specialists for trauma’s.

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Absolutely I would say. But it may depend on the country/region…
If this guy just had a bad day or was visiting the area, chances are high, you will never see him again. If he’s a local and regularly in the same state of mind, this will happen to other people as well.
That’s why you should file a report to the police and give them the information you have. If this is a recurring thing, the police will get similar reports from other cyclists/pedestrians… and at some point there will be enough information to identify him.

Don’t let this incident get to you! It should not happen and is probably not going to happen again. Just be attentive without being obsessed and the feeling of anxiety will slowly fade. Try to ride that MUP again at moments where lots of people are around. You will feel more safe with others around and get back your confidence.
Unfortunately, these kind of things do happen but you don’t want to lock yourself up! Keep enjoying life and cycling, try to get your mind of it and if you can’t, look for professional help as @JS_MTB suggests.

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So sorry to hear this. I don’t have much experience, just empathy. As a neutral person, I agree with @JS_MTB the perpetrator will not have a vendetta. In fact, he’s probably completely forgotten the incident already, which adds to the unfairness. But you should focus on what will make you feel more comfortable. Dog spray is a good idea; maybe you can keep that more readily accessible “just in case”?

Do call the police. This was an attempted assault.

I also second the idea of talking to a therapist. PTSD is real, but talking about it really does help.

Don’t let this guy rob you of your passion.

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Thank you all. I appreciate your empathy.

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What’s a MUP?

I use to could get out of fights by just being tall and muscular and scary looking and pretending I’m not afraid but now I’m 70 and could not even run away fast enough. Nevertheless I would strike first if I felt like I had no choice. But we don’t have roaming gangs around here. Change clothes colors and ride somewhere else and wear a camera. My friends are cops so I have that as well. (Southern California)

Do you have friends that ride in the area? Talk to them if you do.

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Think it’s Multi Use Pathway. Cyclists/Pedestrians/skaters…

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