Getting harassed

[Snoop]

For the most part, my bike rides/commutes go smoothly and motorists are generally courteous to me. I tend to be cautious, and when on the road I use as much of the shoulder as I can.

Over the course of the summer, there is a particular black pickup truck whose driver has a vendetta against bicyclists. On at least 4 occasions, the guy accelerates by me, getting closer each time, and at the moment he is right behind me, he blasts his horn.

Needless to say, this is terrifying and has almost caused me to lose control of my bike.

After he flies by me, this is inevitably followed by him sticking his middle finger out the driver’s side window, and then he immediately starts pointing to the skinny pedestrian path adjacent to the road (not safe for bikes) implying that I should be using that instead of the road.

It happens so fast, and I am so startled each time, that by the time I think to grab a license plate number, he is too far in front of me to see it.

Last month I saw him do it to a cyclist about 100 yards ahead of me, and the guy almost wiped out in the road.

Has anyone else had to deal with something like this? It’s getting kind of scary as the guy seems to be getting closer each time. Maybe start wearing a GoPro?

 

["A"]

In addition to crazed motorist that tried to kill me with their vehicles, I've had bottles, cans, filled soda cups thrown at me over the decades.
I try my best to memorize their license plates, vehicle type, brand, model and color, keep track of time & place of the encounter, always file a police report when you have solid info.
It takes good amount of time to learn to ignore the adrenalin rush and focus on retaining info quickly.
I pay attention to my surroundings, I make sure I take up the road and motorist see my presence on the road.
I plan my exit route beyond the road, hop on the sidewalk, grass or make a turn quickly.
Part of the reason I don't ride at top speed very often, because I know using the brakes reduce the control I have on the bike, with top speed always on reserve, I have better chance to get away and avoid impact.

I don't agree with all of his methods, but it's a pretty good start: