New kind of trouble

[Tim Hall]

(I've already posted this on uk.rec.cycling, but thought a wider audience wouldn't hurt)

Out with the Tandem Club Sunday, whizzing along the road from
Pevensey to Normans' Bay.  We approached a bend around which towards
us came a pony and trap. The trap being of the kind with old car
wheels.

Three youths were aboard, the eldest looking one driving. One of the
other two was standing. The trap came towards our side of the road.
Hah, I thought, bloody horse hasn't got any steering, thats what they
do. I slowed down a bit.

What happened next suggests it was deliberately steered towards us.

The standing youth then lashed his gert long coach whip towards us (we
were 9 bikes, in line astern) while shouting "yah, yah, get up" OWTTE.
I was absolutley gob smacked. Mrs. Hall let loose some choice
language.  And then they were gone.

I've dobbed them in on the Sussex police website - Operation Crackdown
for anti social driving.

Has anyone else encountered anything like this before?

[GruB]

I quite regularly see a pony and trap near me, but they are the sort that Prince Phillip or Prince Charles would be driving - whereas your lot sound like itinerant travelling types - aka gypsies.
What size were the horses?  The lot I see are quite small.
The trap looks expensive and I'm sure they have races on them around here somewhere ( Wiltshire )

[Pete]

I often pass a pony-and-trap when out on my lunchtime spin, usually in the same area.  I think it's always the same horse and cart, though different people driving it.  I've had nothing but courtesy and a cheery 'hello' from the driver, each time we meet.  And the pony seems quite at ease with cyclists - unlike some ridden horses!  I hope your incident was a 'one-off'.

I've dobbed them in on the Sussex police website

Shouldn't that be "dobbined"?

IGMC...

[Charlotte]

I'm with Gorgeous George on this one.

[Julian]

Be interested to hear what response you get from the police!

[Pete]

Be interested to hear what response you get from the police!

Or should that be: the Bow Street Runners? 

Where's Dick Turpin when you need him?  He'd soon sort 'em out!

[Tim Hall]

Grub said:

your lot sound like itinerant travelling types - aka gypsies.

I'd be inclined to agree. I can see where the phrase "longwhips and ne'er-do-wells" comes from. What do you mean, you've never heard it. Joe Grundy says it all the time.

Hopefully the local police might have a clue where they're based.


Liz said

Be interested to hear what response you get from the police!

Sadly nothing yet. Hey ho.

[domesticated ape]

That sucks, hopefully it's just a one-off

There's one of the car-wheel type traps that I see regularly just outside Farnham, I think it's driven by gypsies too. I've never seen any bad driving from them,  they do seem to scowl at every driver who passes them but I suppose they probably get a lot of impatient ones trying to squeeze past. I noticed recently that the trap uses a bike computer for a speedo

[Gandalf]

There are several Pikey camps in the area in which I work, so these things are a common sight.

[bobb]

Most of the gypsies I see around here are friendly and always offer a cheery wave and a smile. The only problem I have is that when they move on they seem most insistent on leaving an example of BorgWarner's finest in every ditch...