Take Care

I hope this tale will encourage other cyclists to consider how they
will respond if they find themselves in a similar situation to the one
I encountered last week. I was assaulted by a motorist on the B970,
near Aviemore, about 1.7 miles south-west of Inverdruie. I got away
lightly, though badly shaken, with only cuts & bruises. I have
reported the incident to the police. Looking back over what happened,
I have drawn two conclusions:

1. When he passed me (very close) I made what I considered to be a
‘non-offensive’ gesture, but, with hindsight, I can see that I
shouldn’t have made any sort of gesture; as long as you are still
upright there is no point. At best it will achieve nothing; at worst
it could lead to assault, injury, or worse.

2. When he stopped his car, got out, and stood in the middle of the
road, why on earth did I stupidly think I could safely cycle past
him? At that point I should have stopped and waited, ready for a
rapid turn around if approached. If anyone stops and waits for you,
keep your distance (unless you are big, strong, and young or there are
more than one of you!)

Although well aware of this sort of thing happening to others in other
parts of the country, it never crossed my mind that it might happen
here and to me. At my age and with my long cycling experience I
should have known better.