Thanks for all your concerns. I have had a little more time to think.
Originally I wrote an account of what happened. It was up for a few minutes but then on reflection I decided to remove it. In this time some must have had the opportunity to read it although there were no views of it indicated.
I am currently undecided about what to do. My leg is still a bit soar but will hopefully mend in the next few days. My road bike Trek 1500 appears ok save for truing the front wheel. I was not seriously injured.
As for the reporting side - since the reg and car do not check out this is sufficient doubt for the police to do nothing or file it in their box marked "bin". The other unhelpful aspect was there were no witnesses. This all adds up to loads of time on my part, with very little likely to come of it and lots of disapointment. Even if I get a really helpful cop which is unlikely I have to say the odds of even catching her let alone making a charge stick are slim to non existant as it will be her word against mine. In the past when I have reported very dangerous drivers nothing has happened or the officers who have dealt with me have had an anticycling attitude themselves which has upset me, thus making me feel that any future reporting of an incident would be a last, last, last resort. So aside from reporting it to the police, I don't know what else I can do?
I have been thinking for a long time now that one of these days I might be knocked down and killed. It has already happened to me once before in 1999, obviously I wasn't killed, but I spent time in hospital as my side was a bit mashed up. Strangely today's near hit was only about 50 yards from where my knockdown took place in 1999 by a speeding careless driver who couldn't give a sh1t - a Mr Frank Leigh.
I have been using the car a bit this week for a long journey and again yesterday. The weather has been nice and I have really enjoyed driving again as I don't do that much at all anymore. Otherwise the car just sits on the drive wasted, rusting. Anyway I was driving along yesterday midning my own business, listening to radio 4, cars came tearing up behind me, passing at well over the speed limit, but you know what? I didn't care as I was enjoying being in relative safety. If I was on my bike I would be constantly trying to outwit the close or dangerous pass to avoid being knocked down. On friday afternoon/evening I had taken a longer route home and ridden the same stretch of road as it was quite warm and sunny but was almost run down by two fat male twunts one in a Peugeot Coupe barge and the other in Ford Focus rally car who literally drove at me. The only thing that saved me was goose necking eyeballing both of them. The Peugeot Coupe to$$er swerved out from the gutter right at the last second. I thought he was going to hit me at 70+ mph. As he passed he must have hit his car's brake pedal as he slowed rapidly and gesticulated aggressively toward me. The Ford Focus guy literally locked up his brakes to avoid driving into the back of me as he couldn't get by due to oncoming traffic then shouted abuse at me when he squeezed by between oncoming cars using his car to intimidate me. I don't cycle slowly. In both these instances I was riding at about 23-24 mph and had seen them several times by looking behind me. They had seen me. It was bright and sunny and was wearing a bright yellow LS jersey.
I don't want an unhappy life of conflict and the risk of being killed everyday by morons who get a kick out of scaring or forcing you off the road. The whole culture and attitude in the UK is contrary to safe cycling. The problems are so endemic that whether I report this or not, will make not a jot of difference. I just seek to warn other cyclists if they see this vehicle and the nasty woman who drives the vehicle.
So for these reasons - the motons yesterday and the nasty woman today, I have decided to give up cycling for the time being. I can't take any more. I still have a lot of things I want to do in life and being dead would be rather inconvenient. I still stay fit running, walking and eating healthily so there is no chance of me turning into an sofa slob.
Safe cycling to everyone.
Oh, today's appointment with death happened on a rural road, just north of a roundabout on the A141, on the northern outskirts of Huntingdon, heading out to a place called Abbots Ripton. I was about half way around my 40 mile circuit. A shorter ride today because of the chilly strong NE wind.
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