This morning at 6:30am I was riding my bike with three friends down 30-a heading west. There were absolutely no cars on the road and we were passing through WaterSound where they have the medians in the middle of the road. A mid-sized pick-up truck honked and then violently swerved around us passing us very closely.
My friend gestured for the driver to come back and talk with us. There was no reason for his aggression so early in the morning. The driver of the metallic orange pickup truck hit his breaks and pulled a black handgun out of his drivers side window and started waving it at us. He then sped away.
I immediately called 911 and we met with two very nice Walton County Police Officers and filed a complaint. The officers were very nice and took the situation very serious and said they have all officers in the area looking for the car.
If anyone sees a mid-sized metallic orange pickup truck with a male driver, please notify the police.
In all of my years riding I have been yelled at, honked at, spit at, had things thrown at me, been run off the road into a ditch, been intentionally hit with a car's mirror, had a Harley sneak up on me and rev his engine to scare me and then laugh at me, two weeks ago had a driver laugh and cheer when we had a cyclist crash...but I have NEVER EVER had a gun pulled on me for riding a bicycle on a Sunday morning.
I am from the west coast and stilll learning about Southern culture...I am still trying to figure out this whole aggression thing towards cyclists...but I am sure this was not a friendly southern gesture.
I could be wrong...maybe it was his way of cheering in awe as he witnessed a life changing athletic performance by some local cyclists. Or maybe it was his way of showing support for our cyclist in Bejing and his reaction at Sammy Sanchez from Spain winning Olympic Gold in the Men's Cycling Road Race yesterday over Americans Levi Leipheimer, George Hincape and Christian Vandevelde! Maybe he was saying, "I am with you brother and I solute you and your athletic acheivements on this beautiful Sunday morning...ride safe and I will lead the way!"
Replies
380
Beach Lover
I will say that the cyclist bother me sometimes as well, but pulling a gun? Dorks! And I think that this thread turned into something it is not. I road biked for years when I was a kid to train for mtn. biking. I always tried to find a road with as little drivers on it as possible. I think that may be the problem some people have with the cyclist here. I honestly do think it is a hazard in a lot of ways (on 30-a), not only to drivers who swerve and almost take out four cars, but to the bikers as well. On the other hand, riding a road bike is NOTHING like riding a beach cruiser. One patch of sand (on the bike path as opposed to the road) can send your arse flyin with the skinny tires! As far as I know though, as long as you are not on the interstate, you can ride your bike anywhere you want to. I am sorry you had a gun pulled on you, and I hope they get caught. That is redonkatardulous!!!
hmmmm......can't remember
That is redonkatardulous!!!
The north Georgia judge gives you a 10 on form and a 9.8 on technical difficulty.
Beach Fanatic
Seen and heard on 30A today: redneck in black pickup pulling up along side a biker and yelling "get out of my effing way"! The driver was keeping pace with the biker and screaming at him through the passenger window, almost forcing him off the road and cars going the other way were swerving to get out of the truck's way.
This has got to stop people. Someone is going to get killed. SoWal should be very cycle friendly. Slow down and share the road. If you can't relax or are in a hurry you need to be living or visiting somewhere else.
This has got to stop people. Someone is going to get killed. SoWal should be very cycle friendly. Slow down and share the road. If you can't relax or are in a hurry you need to be living or visiting somewhere else.
Beach Crab
Seen and heard on 30A today: redneck in black pickup pulling up along side a biker and yelling "get out of my effing way"! The driver was keeping pace with the biker and screaming at him through the passenger window, almost forcing him off the road and cars going the other way were swerving to get out of the truck's way.
This has got to stop people. Someone is going to get killed. SoWal should be very cycle friendly. Slow down and share the road. If you can't relax or are in a hurry you need to be living or visiting somewhere else.
Was this another one of your tenants, Florida Girl?
got any pics?
:scratch:Hmmmmmmm... no takers on the BMW X5??? How about this one? I was also passed, properly, by a white minivan with a Sowal sticker, 30A sticker and one of those stickers that tells everybody you have a bunch of kids?
SWGB
Wow, heard about this thread over the weekend, had no idea it had gotten this bad.
I would strongly encourage the WCSO to subpeona the sowal records to determine who florida girl is, I think she knows a little more about this incident than she is letting on. Oh wait, if they wanted to they could figure it out from the galleries she hangs her "art" in.
I do have a question florida girl, if I go into one of those galleries and smash the glass with a tack hammer are you going to forgive me if I'm having a bad day?
I would strongly encourage the WCSO to subpeona the sowal records to determine who florida girl is, I think she knows a little more about this incident than she is letting on. Oh wait, if they wanted to they could figure it out from the galleries she hangs her "art" in.
I do have a question florida girl, if I go into one of those galleries and smash the glass with a tack hammer are you going to forgive me if I'm having a bad day?
Meow
$3.25
Click card to view inside.
Card measures 4.5" x 6.125" and includes matching A6 envelope.
Printed on FSC certified stock, manufactured with 100% post-consumer recycled fibers.
Coming Soon
fartblossom
I will say that the cyclist bother me sometimes as well, but pulling a gun? Dorks! And I think that this thread turned into something it is not. I road biked for years when I was a kid to train for mtn. biking. I always tried to find a road with as little drivers on it as possible. I think that may be the problem some people have with the cyclist here. I honestly do think it is a hazard in a lot of ways (on 30-a), not only to drivers who swerve and almost take out four cars, but to the bikers as well. On the other hand, riding a road bike is NOTHING like riding a beach cruiser. One patch of sand (on the bike path as opposed to the road) can send your arse flyin with the skinny tires! As far as I know though, as long as you are not on the interstate, you can ride your bike anywhere you want to. I am sorry you had a gun pulled on you, and I hope they get caught. That is redonkatardulous!!!
this may be my new favorite word 😀
fartblossom
:scratch:Hmmmmmmm... no takers on the BMW X5??? How about this one? I was also passed, properly, by a white minivan with a Sowal sticker, 30A sticker and one of those stickers that tells everybody you have a bunch of kids?
do you have stalkers ?
Beach Fanatic
maybe he was trying out a new mosquito control technique that one of the mosquito board candidates might have proposed, where by in the early morning hours, in lieu of spraying insecticide over a given area, they would spray hot lead.
Okay, now I get it.
Florida Girl = current Walton candidate
:idontno:
SoWal Insider
This thread is giving me a headache. Be careful on the road people. Peace out...
Meow
Okay, now I get it.
Florida Girl = current Walton candidate
:idontno:
😱
SoWal Expert
Third, that he was multitasking while driving on 30A, as so many of them do, so he had one hand on the gearshift, one of the cell phone, one on his cigarette, one on his beer, and one on the radio knob and one on his gun, so when he tried to wave back at the bikers, it was his gun hand that was closest to the window. __________________
Love it!
RiverOtter, I think I know where that silver X5 parks in the day time, if you are interested in leaving a nasty note on her window.
Beach Fanatic
Okay, now I get it.I thought I would bump this a little bit in case anyone missed it.........
Florida Girl = current Walton candidate
Beach Fanatic
I don't believe I have ever seen more generalizations about locals/tourists in one thread. Rude people come from all over- they might be in a truck, they might be on a bicycle. They might be just typing away at home or work. How about a little common courtesy all around. As this area gets more popular (maybe a little too in my opinion ) more tolerance will be needed in all aspects of life in South Walton. Get used to it, our little secret is no more.
Beach ComberAuthor
I thought I would bump this a little bit in case anyone missed it.........
Thank you. That is all I needed. 😀
Beach ComberAuthor
...and now all of the comments makes sense. And why there was an overwhelming tone of "entitilement" and a "locals vs everyone else" elitist attitude.
OH MY!! :yikes:
OH MY!! :yikes:
SoWal Expert
Did they catch this guy yet or charge him w/ anything? Seems pretty simple to track him down since there are only 1 or 2 metallic orange pickups in the area.
SoWal Insider
Did they catch this guy yet or charge him w/ anything? Seems pretty simple to track him down since there are only 1 or 2 metallic orange pickups in the area.
Did I miss the post where the tag nuber was gotten and this was verified to be a Walton Co. resident:idontno:
Never, never, never, show or pull a gun unless you have reason and are ready to use it. Just a little sage advice from my Grandpa. Glad the orginal poster is okay and I hope you never have to deal with this again.:wave:
Beach Fanatic
I don't believe I have ever seen more generalizations about locals/tourists in one thread. Rude people come from all over- they might be in a truck, they might be on a bicycle. They might be just typing away at home or work. How about a little common courtesy all around. As this area gets more popular (maybe a little too in my opinion ) more tolerance will be needed in all aspects of life in South Walton. Get used to it, our little secret is no more.
Thank You Amy!
:clap:
:clap:
SoWal Insider
Why can't we just be Walton County?you are already...i was just referring to the cash cow tax status of all those beach homes. the whole county benefits, so it's a good thing.
got any pics?
Love it!
RiverOtter, I think I know where that silver X5 parks in the day time, if you are interested in leaving a nasty note on her window.
She just needs to be a little more cautious. And remember that we cyclists do see the details ;-)
SoWal Insider
:scratch:Hmmmmmmm... no takers on the BMW X5??? How about this one? I was also passed, properly, by a white minivan with a Sowal sticker, 30A sticker and one of those stickers that tells everybody you have a bunch of kids?I could have been in the green '66 Dodge Dart[no a/c, slant 6, vinyl bench seats, Paul Harvey on the am radio, Sowal sticker holding the trunk closed] passing you on the right.
got any pics?
I could have been in the green '66 Dodge Dart[no a/c, slant 6, vinyl bench seats, Paul Harvey on the am radio, Sowal sticker holding the trunk closed] passing you on the right.
I would have remembered this as well... ;-)
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
cause I'd still be LMAO :floor:
Beach ComberAuthor
Did they catch this guy yet or charge him w/ anything? Seems pretty simple to track him down since there are only 1 or 2 metallic orange pickups in the area.
I want to thank everyone for their support. I have learned a lot and will make sure that as a cyclist I continue to be aware and considerate of cars. I do recognize that respect needs to go both ways between cars and cyclists and only education and respect for others will solve this issue. The cycling population will continue to grow proportionately with the amount of traffic and we need to learn to co-exist.
The person was found. The situation was and will be handled by authorities and the law. He showed no remorse for his actions which was disapointing.
Thanks again for all of your support.
Checking your forum account
Please wait while we verify your forum account.