In Maybe the Saddest Development of All Time, Bicyclists Are Now Using “Bike Escalators” to Climb Hills

I'm all about this kind of infrastructure. A nice escalator for cyclists in Norway. pic.twitter.com/QQoLNMssf0

— Fascinating (@fasc1nate) April 19, 2024

Woof, man. This is a blog, which means I am obligated to write words for you to read. But what can I even say about this video? If a picture is worth a thousand words, this video is worth a million. A billion, even.

I don’t like bicyclist, but I’m nothing if not fair. I will absolutely acknowledge that riding a bike has its positives, and chief among them is the fact that it’s good for you. It’s a solid workout! And I’ll be the first to admit that biking a few miles and taking in the sights is probably a hell of a lot more enjoyable than lifting weights in the gym or plodding along on the treadmill for an hour. As long as you’re not blocking traffic, running down pedestrians, or blazing through red lights and stop signs like a bull charging a muleta, I could give a fuck. The problem, of course, is that asking bicyclists to obey these basic laws of common sense and human decency seems to be a universal nonstarter. But right now, that’s neither here nor there. This is me extending an olive branch. This is me acknowledging that while bicyclists may be horrible, spandex-clad monsters incapable of introspection or self-awareness, their chosen hobby is, if nothing else, a good way to get some exercise.

At least, that’s what I thought. But this video…well, this has made me rethink my entire stance. It’s made me wonder if even the one, miniscule scrap of respect I had for bicyclists has been built on a lie. Because, look, hills are hard. I may not have been on a bike since I was a little kid, but I know damn well how hard it can be to pedal up a hill, no matter the gear. So please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not judging these bicyclists for being incapable of pedaling up a hill. I’m a reasonable man.

But you know the other thing I remember from when I was a kid? Don’t worry, I’ll tell you: I remember getting to a hill I knew I was never going to be able to pedal up, and simply…hopping off my bike. Yes, that’s right — I used my own two legs to walk my bike up that hill. Sure, it sucked having to hoof it up a giant hill. Sure, it was embarrassing to admit I didn’t have the strength to pedal up that hill. But man alive, if I had only known then what I know now. I didn’t realize that the simple act of walking my bike up a hill apparently represented a Herculean effort far beyond what the modern bicyclist is capable of.

I mean, my goodness. I’d ask how any self-respecting person could use one of these “bike escalators,” but I suppose if bicyclists had any self-respect, they wouldn’t be bicyclists in the first place. Even so, it takes a special type of person to take an exercise-based hobby and render it completely meaningless. What are we even doing here, guys? To not be able to pedal up a hill is one thing. But to be unwilling to even WALK up that hill? Christ.

It really lays bare what I’ve been saying for years about the bicyclist mindset. It’s not about getting in shape. It’s not about the environment. It’s not about fun. Frankly, this video has me more convinced than even that bicyclists don’t even enjoy bicycling. No, it’s not about any of those things. It’s just about entitlement. Bicyclists feel they should be entitled to whatever they want without having to exhibit the slightest bit of effort. It’s pathological. You may think I’ve been a bit over the top all these years when I talk about bicyclists being cheaters, and drug addicts, and violent lunatics. And maybe you’re right. But my counterpoint is this: how can you possibly interpret the invention of the “bike escalator” any other way? The modern bicyclist apparently feels that they should have even have to suffer the indignity of climbing a hill. That’s some sick, sick shit, man. Norway, I’m keeping my eye on you.

Bicyclist Tries to Tattle on Driver to the Police, Promptly Gets Uno Reversed to the Moon

[Road.cc] [A bicyclist] was cycling on Pont Street in Belgravia, London in August last year when he came across a driver at the wheel of a Range Rover in momentarily stationary traffic using his mobile phone and turned around to capture footage of the man caught in the act. However, when he submitted the video, seen by The Standard, to the police, the outcome was certainly one that he was not expecting.

The penalty for holding a cellular device when driving can be up to 6 penalty points and a £200 fine, as well as losing your licence if the driver passed your driving test in the last 2 years. However, the Met police instead proceeded to claim that the cyclist had been riding on the wrong side of the road, and suggested that he “could pose a danger to other road users”.

[A] Met police staff member in the traffic division, said that the cyclist was “in the middle of the road” and was then “very close to the Range Rover on the opposite side of the road whilst a motorcyclist was oncoming with a passenger”. She added: “You can see the cyclist cycling towards the oncoming motorbike that is filtering between traffic,” and then suggested the motorbike has to “ride in between the cyclist that is very close and the Range Rover”.

[The bicyclist] is now due to face trial next month at Lavender Hill magistrates court. The driver of the Range Rover, meanwhile, has got away with a police “advisory letter” and is said to be facing no criminal case.

—

Let’s get this out the way early: you shouldn’t use your phone while driving. Okay? When you’re at the wheel of a multi-ton vehicle, you should be distraction-free. Using your cell phone while driving creates an unsafe situation not just for others, but for yourself as well. Got it? All set? I don’t really feel like I should have to say all that, but I don’t want some bicyclist popping off in the comments about how I’m endorsing distracted driving. I’m not. Keep your phone in your fucking pocket.

All that said, if you ARE going to use your phone, doing it while stopped at a traffic light or sitting in standstill traffic is definitely the time to do it, right? Okay, fine, we can all agree this driver is being irresponsible, but at the same time they’re also being incredibly responsible. Which is what makes it even funnier that THIS is the moment this bicyclist chose to whip out his cell phone and start gathering evidence as if he was witnessing a fucking murder. What did he imagine the police were going to do with that video? Buddy, the police don’t even bother solving crimes that MATTER. You think they’re gonna scramble all units to take down a guy sitting in traffic and texting “k” to his wife?

It’s not just the stupidity that gets me. It’s the total lack of self-awareness. I feel like “no one likes a tattletale” is basically the first thing you learn on day one of kindergarten. The impulse to run crying to an authority figure the moment someone does something they’re not “supposed” to do is something that gets roundly beaten out of most kids by the time they hit the third grade. Let’s think back. Did you ever hear the most popular kid in school say the words, “I’m gonna tell on you”? No, you didn’t. You don’t get to be the captain of the football team or head of the cheerleading squad by tattling to teacher every time someone smokes a cigarette in the bathroom. Shit, man, I don’t even think you get to be head of the D&D club or captain of the math team if “I’m gonna tell!” is in your vocabulary. The kind of person who retains the impulse to tattle on their peers for every minor infraction is the kind of person who is totally divorced from the norms and niceties of basic human interaction. I guaran-fucking-tee you this guy thought the cops were going to give him one of those gold “Junior Detective” stars they give little kids when they take a field trip to the station. He thought the boys down at the crime lab would be working in shifts to crack the case of the texting driver.

And, really, that’s what makes this story so special. Because the police DID review the video he sent them. They reviewed it so carefully, in fact, that they realized the bicyclist who was so concerned with upholding traffic laws recorded his little tattlecam video while riding on the wrong side of the road.

There’s something wonderful about a bicyclist sending evidence of his own lawless behavior directly to the police. It’s exactly what I’ve been saying for more than a decade now. The bicyclist motto is “laws for thee, and none for me.” They are simply flummoxed by the idea that any of their own actions could possibly have consequences. But hey — when you decide to tattle on your fellow citizens and demand the police uphold the rules of the road, you may want to make sure your own house is in order first. I’m not the biggest fan of cops in general, but I’ve got to hand it to whoever decided to slap down the Uno reverse card on this tattletale. Give that officer a raise. Those are tax dollars well spent.

The COVID-19 Pandemic Has Officially Broken The Bicyclist Community

Image source: https://pixabay.com/photos/covid–19-bike-virus-corona-mask-5135086/

[Wall Street Journal] [NAME REDACTED] used to consider cycling to work at a Toronto, Canada, ad agency every day as part of his identity. He would share harrowing tales of cars cutting him off and him screaming at drivers.

Then his workplace shrank to his apartment. “One morning I woke up and said something has got to give,” he said. He rode his bike from his bedroom to his living room, which was about 7 feet away.

Now, he showers, dresses, and leaves his house by 8 a.m. for a regular make-believe commute. “I go for a walk around the block to psychologically trick myself that I’ve left the house for work,” he said.

—

Look, I’m not going to sit here and say that the last two years have been easy for any of us. They haven’t. And I’ll be the first to admit that working from home isn’t for everybody. Having a little separation between your work and home life can be a very good thing. But my goodness, the anti-remote-work propaganda coming out of the Wall Street Journal these days is truly something to behold. News flash, dickheads: 99.999% of people fucking HATE their commute. Even the people who ARE clamoring to go back to the office aren’t doing it because they just can’t wait to sit in traffic for an hour and fifteen minutes every morning.

It’s honestly insulting that the rich douchebags who run the Wall Street Journal don’t even respect the rest of us enough to come up with a believable reason for bringing people back to the office. Oh yeah, people love sitting in standstill traffic! They can’t fucking get enough of it! Please, boss, don’t deny me the pleasure of inhaling those sweet, sweet gasoline fumes! Where else but my daily commute can I get all the pleasure of idling my car in a closed garage with only half the amount of functional brain death?

Anyway, I digress. Would it shock you to learn that bicyclists factor heavily into the 0.001% of people who DO miss their commute? Reader, of course it wouldn’t. And I know I’ve spent a lot of time shitting on bicyclists over the years, but I am becoming genuinely concerned for their mental wellbeing. That excerpt up there reads like a cry for help. And it’s not from some local Podunk paper. This guy is so broken that not only does he think bicycling from his bedroom to his living room is a perfectly normal thing to do, he is proud to talk about it to the Wall Street fucking Journal! My dude, I would keep that shit under WRAPS.

I do appreciate that we are introduced to this guy by establishing his bicyclist bonafides. Does he consider being a bicyclist “part of his identity?” Check. Does he have a victim complex fueled by “harrowing tales” about sharing the road? Check. Does he take pride in “screaming at drivers?” Oh baby you KNOW that’s a check! With credentials like that, I have no choice but to assume that this guy is representative of the bicyclist community as a whole.

With that in mind, my closing message is this: bicyclists, don’t you DARE fuck this up for the rest of us. Working from home and eliminating my commute is more or less the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. I get to play with my dog during the day. I don’t have to slam my face against the steering wheel in frustration every time someone refuses to make a right on red. I get to plop down on the couch squarely at 5:00 and cue up the next episode of Star Trek. If you take those things away from me simply because you have a pathological need to scream at drivers who, despite your interminable persecution complex, would actually rather NOT hit you with their cars, I will lose my goddamn mind.

Actually, maybe Toronto guy was onto something. The next time you need to feel like a victim, just ride your bike from the living room to the kitchen and try yelling at your goddamn toaster. I promise, it will be JUST as productive as yelling at a driver without any of the drawbacks like the rest of society hating your fucking guts. Just a thought. Just a thought.

I Decided To Research What Bicyclists Eat And What I Found Was Horrifying

[The Guardian] Malt loaf is well known to cyclists as a perfect high-carb, low-fat snack. It’s a mystery to me that people love plums, but deride prunes. They are fantastic and shine in this recipe. The sugar and dried fruit provide a speedy dose of energy, but you also get slow-release carbohydrates from the sweet potato that are perfect for endurance. This loaf works just as well at home – toasted, buttered and partnered with a cup of tea.

—

Despite the fact that I hate bicyclists, I will admit to being fascinated by them. After all, what could possibly motivate a man (or woman) to squeeze himself into a skintight spandex outfit knowing full well that they are about to draw the ire of every motorist they encounter? What drives such a person?

So, when I saw an article in The Guardian titled “David Atherton’s recipe for cyclist’s malt loaf,” I decided I had to click on it. Frankly, the words “malt loaf” made me gag a little right off the bat, but I decided to be open minded. I stifled my vomit and forged ahead, determined to see what exactly bicyclists are stuffing into their bodies.

Friends, the results are terrifying. Let’s go through this thing ingredient by ingredient, shall we?

150g prunes

Right off the bat, we’re in big trouble. I didn’t know how much 150g was because I live in America, the greatest country on earth, so I looked it up. Folks, it’s nearly a cup and a half of prunes! This is the star ingredient? We’re leading with prunes? My goodness. Okay, let’s move on.

100g sweet potato

I have nothing to say here. Sweet potatoes are good and if you don’t agree you are wrong. Bicyclists may be the scourge of the earth, but broken clocks, etc, etc.

150g malt extract

I don’t know what this is but it sounds horrible. I’m imagining, like, the dregs of a really disgusting beer, and I see no reason to spend a moment Googling whether that impression is correct. So congratulations, bicyclists. You’re eating a shitloaf made from prunes and beer dregs. Moving on.

100ml prune juice

We are a mere four ingredients into this journey and this is the second time we are encountering prunes. What the absolute fuck is going on here, bicyclists? I thought we all agreed that prunes were a punchline, not a food. I thought that was decided years ago. Decades even. There is absolutely no excuse for having two different prune-related ingredients in your stupid bikeloaf. No one in the world likes prunes this much. Well, aside from Mr. Worf.

50g soft brown sugar
50g dark muscovado sugar

Two different types of sugar. I thought the whole thing with bicycling was that it was supposed to be healthy? But here we are, looking at undeniable evidence that bicyclists are nothing but hopeless sugar addicts. I thought the prunes were bad, but this is just getting sad.

50g porridge oats
70g strong white bread flour
140g plain flour

Now we’ve got two different types of flour? On TOP of oats? You know, in my day there was only one type of flour: flour. Now we’re just delving into the kind of hipster bullshit that today’s bicyclists are known for, and frankly it’s appalling. I refuse to spend another moment thinking about this.

¼ tsp salt
1½ tsp baking powder

Blah, blah, baking shit.

2 large eggs

I have been told throughout my life that eggs lead to bad cholesterol which leads to heart attacks. Are bicyclists promoting heart attacks? That’s certainly not for me to say, but the inclusion of two eggs immediately after recommending salt really makes you think. I’m just here to ask questions, folks.

Maple syrup to brush on top once cooked

Once again, these supposedly “healthy” fitness fiends recommend slathering this “meal” with sugar and sugar byproducts. And hey, look, I’m not here to slander maple syrup. I grew up in New Hampshire. I know exactly how fucking good maple syrup is. I don’t begrudge bicyclists for loving it because everyone should love it. I’m just saying that these assholes like to hang their hat on how good for you their chosen hobby is, and yet once again it’s sugar to the rescue. Well, I hope it’s worth it you goddamn hypocrites.

Look, I didn’t go into this determined to shit on bicyclists or their diet. I went into it genuinely curious about what motivates such a universally terrible group of people. I went into it hoping to learn a little more about what keeps them going (through red lights). But this…this is too much. This horrible loaf of sadness and shame simply cannot be what bicyclists eat. I have no choice to believe that The Guardian has pranked me, putting up a deliberately ridiculous recipe in the hopes that some poor sap will actually try to recreate it. I have to believe this, because the alternative is just too upsetting.

81-Year-Old Bicyclist Rides Past Airport, Promptly Gets Blown the Fuck Away by Jet Engine

[Sacramento Bee] An 81-year-old bicyclist is suing San Luis Obispo Regional Airport and the county after he says he was blown off his recumbent bicycle by the engine blast of a departing jet.

A complaint filed in San Luis Obispo Superior Court Friday alleges that San Luis Obispo resident [name redacted] was one of a group of riders who were “struck forcefully by the blast from an aircraft preparing to depart from the southeastern corner of the runway apron of the SLO Airport.”

The lawsuit does not pinpoint precisely where the incident occurred, but it states that [name] was riding south with a group of 14 other cyclists on Highway 227 on June 13, 2018. While passing the airport, the lead group of about eight riders were “knocked onto the ground and into the roadway, in the way of oncoming traffic, by the jet engine blast, the complaint says.

The gust knocked [name], who was riding a recumbent bike, to the ground “and spun his body and bike 180 degrees and onto the pavement of Highway 227 into the southbound lane of traffic, causing him severe injuries and damaging his bike and property,” the lawsuit reads.

—

If you can envision an 81-year-old man being blasted off his bike and spun through the air by a goddamn jet engine WITHOUT laughing your ass off, congratulations: you’re a better person than me.

Look, I don’t wish this old man harm. But if you can’t handle the consequences, there are certain risks you just shouldn’t take. If you don’t want to risk getting wet, you don’t hang around the pool. If you don’t want to risk falling, you don’t climb El Capitan. And if you don’t want to risk getting blown the fuck off your dipshit bicycle, you don’t pedal your ass past an active jetway.

I would also be remiss if I didn’t call attention to the fact that this guy isn’t just riding any old bicycle. No, he’s riding a “recumbent” bicycle. If, like me, you were unaware of what a recumbent bicycle is, allow me to enlighten you:

If you weren’t laughing before, you sure as hell better be now. It’s funny enough to imagine a regular bicyclist getting tossed around like Dorothy’s house in the tornado, but it’s even funnier to imagine it happening to someone in this weirdo Barcalounger contraption. Buddy…if you want to bicycle, go ahead and bicycle. I can’t stop you. But at least TRY to salvage a little dignity while you do it.

I know what you’re thinking. “Falco, you’ve told us time and time again: dignity isn’t in the bicyclist handbook.” You’re right. I’m right. But I just can’t stop myself from trying to help these poor bastards. If Darth Vader could be redeemed, there’s hope for all of us. I admit that, when it comes to bicyclists, it seems hopeless. But I can’t stop trying. I just care too much. It’s my burden, but I carry it so the rest of you don’t have to.

PS. I’m also entertained by the idea that this is just Mother Earth glaring down at this old man and saying “you spent 81 years pumping fossil fuels into my atmosphere and now that you’ve got one foot in the grave you care enough to start riding a bike? Enjoy the spin cycle, motherfucker.”

Idiot Bicyclist Can’t Even Get The Old “Flaming Dog Poop On The Doorstep” Gag Right

[Winchester News Gazette] A Ring doorbell camera captured a bicyclist starting a fire outside her neighbor`s door before leaving the scene.

—

You probably think I’m going to say it’s bad to go around lighting fires on doorsteps. And don’t get me wrong. It is. You should not do it. I in no way endorse it.

But that said, the ol’ “put a bag of dog poop on the neighbor’s doorstep and light it on fire” gag is a classic! Who among us hasn’t done it? Well, okay, granted, I’ve never done it. But if there’s one thing I know about sitcoms it’s that they are an accurate representation of the real world, and it seems like there was a real epidemic of people pranking each other with flaming dog poop around the 80’s and 90’s, so I assume like 90% of people have done it.

Anyway, what makes the gag a classic is its simplicity. There are only, like, four steps:

1. Acquire dog poop and put it in a bag.
2. Put the bag on your victim’s doorstep.
3. Light the bag on fire.
4. Run away.

You get to light something on fire, and your neighbor gets their feet mashed into a pile poop. It’s perfect! As much as I think it’s wrong to light things on fire and leave them on someone’s doorstep, I’m totally willing to forgive someone for doing so in the name of a hilarious, classic prank.

And I guess that’s where this bicyclist went wrong. Step two? Nailed it. Step three? Perfectly executed. Step four? Well, the point of running away is to not be caught, but he couldn’t have known there was a camera on him so I’ll even check that box, too. But step one? Total whiff. Swing and a miss. It’s a real bummer, man.

Because, look, a 75% success rate is more than good enough for government work. It would be the best batting average in history. But the problem is that the 25% you skipped was the most important step. Without the poop, there’s no prank. There’s just you, setting fire to garbage on someone’s doorstep. Nobody’s shoes are getting covered in poop. And without the poop shoes, there is no comedy. It’s just mean. Mean and stupid.

But then again, “mean and stupid” is the bicyclist way. In a way, this failed prank perfectly encapsulates who they are. I almost respect this poor fool for embracing exactly the sort of idiot mentality that so many bicyclists run from. Do you, poopless prankster. Do you.

Whether 20 Years Old or 90 Years Old, You Can Always Count On A Bicyclist To Dope

[Deadspin] Last July, 90-year-old cyclist Carl Grove was the lone competitor in his age group at the U.S. Masters Track Championships, where he set an age-group world record in the individual pursuit with a time of 3:06:129. Sadly, Grove subsequently popped a positive for the banned steroid epitrenbolone in a drug test after the race. Now, even though the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency let Grove off with a public warning, he has been stripped of his world record.

—

Many people believe that I hate bicyclists. I suppose the name of this site would lend credence to that theory. But it isn’t true. The truth is, I love bicyclists. I want to help them. I’ve always said that I don’t support hurting bicyclists. I don’t support taking action against them. They are victims, victims of a terrible psychosis that leads them to believe that they cannot be hurt, that their actions have no consequences, that they can, nay, that they MUST be entitled to the entire road. Time and time again this mentality proves actively harmful to them, but they cannot shake it. Friends, the only conclusion I can draw is that bicyclists are deeply unwell people, and I feel their pain as if it were my own.

Stories like this really drive the point home. The bicyclist mentality is baked in deep–and the world of competitive bicycling is perhaps the greatest example. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a 20-year-old kid entering your first road race or a 90-year-old man looking to set a world record. When you enter the world of competitive bicycling, all roads lead to doping. No matter how pointless it may be in the end, no matter how sad and terrible the ramifications, they just can’t help themselves. They can’t!

Think about this poor guy. Think about Carl. He could be spending time with his grandkids. He could be telling stories about the good old days down at the local watering hole. He could be playing chess in the park (people do that in real life, right?), hustling youngsters with his buddy Larry who always gets him into trouble, but they’ve been friends for 60 years, so what are you gonna do, right?

Instead he’s cramming his body full of epitrenbolone and forcing it to pedal up hill after hill in pursuit of an accomplishment that he knows in his heart is ill-gotten and meaningless. Where is the satisfaction in this life, I ask you? Where is the pride?

I know not, dear reader. I know not where such a man finds his zen, but I do know that it is not to be found on the back of a bicycle.

Bicyclists Are Just Out There Punching Buses Now

[York Mix] A cyclist punched and smashed a bus window as it went through York city centre. Now police have released a CCTV image of a man they want to talk to about the incident.

At about 5pm on December 20 a First York Bus with passengers on board was travelling over Ouse Bridge when a passing cyclist punched a window and smashed it.

No one on board was injured.

—

I’ve never accused bicyclists of being smart. Their continued disregard for their own personal safety clearly proves that they are not. No matter how many times one of them gets flattened by a car, they still feel empowered to fly through every red light, carefree and filled with the lunatic certainty that nothing can harm them.

And it’s one thing when it’s just cars. I mean, I’m taller than most cars. I guess if my mental faculties were somewhere around those of a third grader (which I imagine is true of most bicyclists), I might think that, since I’m taller than a car, it can’t hurt me. Biggest kid makes the rules. Might makes right. You know, all of that. It’s not accurate, but hey, if you’re a moron or a child, it makes a certain amount of sense.

But a bus? A fucking bus? You’re going to fight a fucking bus?

Consider boxing. Boxing is one of the most violent sports on earth. Just two people bashing each other’s brains in, round after round. Even the winning boxer usually comes away bruised, battered, and bleeding. Now consider that before a boxing match, there is a weigh-in to make sure that both boxers are below the agreed-upon weight. For the most part, this means that boxers are within a few pounds of each other when it’s time to fight. For instance, before the Mayweather/McGregor fight last year, Mayweather weighed in at 149.5 lbs, McGregor at 153 lbs. A pretty negligible difference.

Now further consider that the average bicyclist probably weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of 175 lbs, while the average bus weights around 30,000 lbs. Most boxers won’t fight an opponent outside of their weight class. This dumb son of a bitch wants to fight a 10-foot-tall steel contraption that outweighs him by 29,825 lbs! Many would say that this is not a smart decision!

Look. I’m not a scientist. I don’t know much about mass and acceleration and relative speed. But I do know a few things. You don’t tug on Superman’s cape. You don’t spit into the wind. And you definitely don’t put your fist through the window of a fucking bus.  Buses kill hundreds of people a year ACCIDENTALLY, the last thing you want to do is give a 15-ton death machine capable of reducing you to a red smear on the pavement a reason to kill you INTENTIONALLY. Just one man’s opinion.

P.S. I do admit that I’m a little shook that a bicyclist could just casually smash a bus window. I’m not sure if this makes me a little bit afraid of this bicyclist or a little bit afraid to ride a bus now. Probably a little of column A, a little of column B.

Bicyclist Armed With Switchblade Blocks Intersection Doing Wheelies On A Stolen Bike In A Story Straight Out Of Bicyclist MadLibs

[MassLive] As Worcester police continue to combat swerving, the act of riding a bicycle in front of moving traffic, a 22-year-old was arrested over the weekend after a group rode in circles downtown. An officer was on his way to work a private detail at the Palladium on Sunday around 6 p.m. when he saw a large group of young people riding bikes in and out of traffic on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, police said in a statement.

“The officer was in his personal motor vehicle and had to slam on his brakes in order to avoid a collision with two of the youths that went directly in front of him,” the statement read. “The group was riding around in circles and executing ‘wheelies’ in the middle of the intersection through a full cycle of traffic lights,” police said. “Numerous vehicles were activating their horns and yelling out of the windows.”

“The detail officer was walking on the sidewalk from the front of the building and about to turn the corner when he was nearly struck by one of the males on a bike,” police said. “At this time the officer noticed a second male heading right at him on a bike. The officer reached out and grabbed the rider’s arm and forced him off his bike.”

The rider, Javier Amarat, of 82 Elm St., was known to the officer as one of the men who rides with a group that calls itself “bike life,” the statement said. Police discovered a spring-loaded 4-inch knife on Amarat. He was riding an ofo rental bike and police said the locking mechanism of the bike he was riding was “damaged beyond repair.”

—

Imagine, if you will, a bicyclist-themed MadLibs.

Today, a bicyclist decided to pop some ____(PLURAL NOUN)____ in the middle of traffic. He ___(VERB, PAST TENSE)___ an entire intersection on a ___(ADJECTIVE)___ bike. He was even carrying a ___(WEAPON)___! Luckily, a ___(ADJECTIVE)___ police officer was there to yank him off his bike. ___(NUMBER)___ cheers for the police!

If you said WHEELIES, BLOCKED, STOLEN, SWITCHBLADE, HEROIC, and THREE, congratulations! You’re the writer of this absolutely fucking ridiculous story!

Look, I’m not completely unreasonable. In a lot of cases, I’m even willing to meet bicyclists halfway. It’s true that there are plenty of streets where there just isn’t a ton of shoulder space for bicyclists to ride. It’s also true that drivers aren’t always as aware of bicyclists on the road as they should be. See? I can be understanding. I can be empathetic. I’m willing to hear out the other side.

But it’s shit like this that makes the pendulum swing so very, very far in the opposite direction. Bicyclists constantly complain about how dangerous the roads are for them, and how often negligent drivers run them down, and how absurd it is that the burden of safety falls on them when their spindly little aluminum contraptions are up against two-ton steel behemoths. And just when you’re about to open your mouth to say, well, sure, you may have a point there, they hold up one hand and say, “just a sec–I need to dart into traffic and cut off this truck.”

I mean, honestly. Circling an intersection and popping wheelies through and entire cycle of lights is not exactly what I would call “risk-averse behavior.” In fact, I’d go so far as to call it just plain stupid. Language like “idiot with a death wish” doesn’t seem out of place.

I didn’t even get to include the part of the article where the moron they arrested responded to every question with the name of bicyclist gang group, a group which claims it’s “just looking to put negativity aside and ride.” Sweet job, guys! You’re almost as good at vetting your members as Kevin Spacey’s agent! Or…wait, no, as any production company that hires Kevin Spacey! Shit, there’s a joke in there somewhere, come back to me, I’ll think of it.

Anyway I think it goes without saying that you should not, in fact, spend your day popping wheelies in the middle of an intersection, and you should especially not do that if the bike you’re riding is stolen and the weapon you’re carrying is illegal. All in all a pretty dumb confluence of circumstances for our bicyclist friend, here. But I guess that’s just par for the bicyclist course. When you assume that laws don’t apply to you, there’s no reason to give any behavior a second thought. In Freudian terms, bicyclists are all id. There’s no ego, no superego. Just 100% id, racing out there to seize the day.

In a weird way, I envy their freedom. If we could harness that raw, impulsive energy, we could probably change the world. Instead, we just have jails filled with unpredictable assholes who think intersections are a great place to practice wheelies. It’s a shame. It’s just such a damn shame.

 

Watching A Bicyclist Get His Brains Bashed In By A Railroad Barrier Made Me Smile On This Rainy Thursday

Update: Maynooth services operating up to 30 mins late due level crossing damage caused by a cyclist. Pls heed #warningsignals & #bikesafety pic.twitter.com/2qsAtieC05

— Iarnród Éireann (@IrishRail) October 25, 2017

[Leinster Leader] Delays were reported to Maynooth rail lines this afternoon, after a cyclist caused damage to a level crossing at Coolmine.

Iarnród Éireann‏ released footage of the cyclist trying to cross the level crossing before the barrier dropped, and ends up colliding with it. Delays of up to 30 minutes were reported at approximately 2:15pm as a result.

—

It’s raining outside. It’s a gloomy, gloomy day. It’s the middle of fall, and the days are getting shorter. It’s flu season, and a lot of people (myself included) are suffering from the sniffles. Baseball season is almost over. Cold and snow are just around the corner. All in all, it doesn’t feel like there’s much to look forward to these days, and it can make this time of year a little depressing.

That’s why it’s important that we treasure the little things. Little things like a bicyclist trying to duck under a descending railway barrier and getting his goddamn brains bashed in. It just brings a smile to your face, you know? Watch that video up there and try not to laugh, I dare you. Watch that dumb piece of shit fly into frame and immediately miscalculate his own height by about a foot and a half. It’s amazing. It’s like a shot of adrenaline straight to the heart. After watching that video, I feel prepared to face the day. Who cares about rain? Who cares about darkness? Who cares about the looming winter and creeping inevitability of death? NOT ME! I’ve got a bicyclist breaking his face to watch!

PS. Am I thrilled to hear that a dumb fuck bicyclist managed to cause 30 minute train delays? I am not. In fact, if I was stuck in that backup, if I was 30 minutes late to work because some idiot had to try to sneak under a barrier, I’d be pretty fucking furious. But sometimes you just have to set those feelings aside and enjoy the simple pleasure of a bicyclist obliterating his own face.