Road rager on a Raleigh in Sunnyvale

Wrong way rider takes umbrage at suggestion to ride on the right side of the road.

I was asked to not reveal identities, so I’ll just share this Just Riding Along story without names to protect the identity of the innocent (and the guilty).

Friday before last I was commuting home the slightly-scenic route, and took the Moffett bay trail to Borregas Ave. On Borregas between 237 and 101 I yelled “Ride on the right please!” at a cyclist coming north in the middle of the southbound lane (no bike lanes on this quiet residential stretch).

I got to the stop sign at Weddell Dr (alongside 101) and heard the guy yelling at me, having turned around and started biking back my way. Me being me, I waited for him to see what he was going on about. However this guy wasn’t up for a civilized conversation — he jumped off his bike and punched me in the ear!

Fortunately a bystander/witness showed up and distracted the guy who continued yelling profanities and threats while I took his picture and dialed 911, at which point the perp rode off.

Road rage in Sunnyvale

Sunnyvale PD took 20 minutes to show up and naturally didn’t find the guy in the neighborhood / local greenway.

If you see this [guy] on a too-small Raleigh, don’t yell at him but please do call 911 regarding case CR13-4422. I’d love to see charges pressed against him. But meanwhile I can’t help myself and still yell at cyclists and drivers doing dumb stuff. The “please” has gotta help right?

Does anybody know if Sunnyvale’s anti-harassment law applies if the harasser is riding a bike?

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