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Video: “My name is your worst enemy," driver tells cyclist in astonishing rant

driver apologises after footage of him swearing at cyclist goes viral

A motorist from California has described himself as a “knucklehead” after a video of him swearing at a cyclist and telling him, "My name is your worst enemy" went viral.

Robert Lewis, aged 66, says he did not realise that the bike rider had priority in the shared-use lane in Newport Beach when the incident happened on Wednesday.

The video, which contains a lot of swearing,  was uploaded to Facebook by a friend of the cyclist, who wishes to remain anonymous.

“I’m just an old surfer, knucklehead, and I do apologize for using the words that I used,” he told CBS.

“I’m very embarrassed,” said Lewis. “I screwed up.”

Bill Sellin from the Orange County Bicycle Coalition said: “Road rage is one thing we’ve learned about on southern California freeways.

“Cyclists experience road rage quite often in areas where people are frustrated with thick traffic.”

 

Police are reported to be investigating the incident, during which the cyclist alleges that Lewis’s car brushed against him, the rider subsequently trying to make a citizen’s arrest.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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21 comments

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HarrogateSpa | 7 years ago
1 like

The article finishes with the throwaway line '...the rider subsequently trying to make a citizen's arrest.'

This is classic road.cc - make a cryptic reference to an interesting or crucial part of the story, without explaining it, so that readers are left knowing less about the events of the incident than before they started reading the article. (I may be exaggerating, but you get the point).

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efail | 7 years ago
1 like

OK. Should have Googled before I posted.

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efail | 7 years ago
1 like

"I'm your Huckleberry, buddy!"

I'm going to use that next time someone annoys me just to see their reaction.

Just out of interest, does anyone know what it means?

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ACyclingGuitarist replied to efail | 7 years ago
1 like

efail wrote:

"I'm your Huckleberry, buddy!"

I'm going to use that next time someone annoys me just to see their reaction.

Just out of interest, does anyone know what it means?

 

huckleberry
ˈhʌk(ə)lb(ə)ri/
noun
noun: huckleberry; plural noun: huckleberries

1.
a soft edible blue-black fruit resembling a currant.
2.
the low-growing North American plant of the heather family which bears the huckleberry.

 

So he's basically saying that he is a soft fruit or a plant?! 

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Hootsy replied to efail | 7 years ago
0 likes

efail wrote:

"I'm your Huckleberry, buddy!"

I'm going to use that next time someone annoys me just to see their reaction.

Just out of interest, does anyone know what it means?

It's from 'Tombstone' - when one of the bad guys trys to pick a gunfight with Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday says something like 'if your looking for a fight, I'm your huckleberry'. My understanding is that it just means 'I'm your guy' and doesn't necessarily have any violent connotations. I hope not, anyway, as I used it in conversation last week...

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fukawitribe replied to Hootsy | 7 years ago
0 likes

Hootsy wrote:

efail wrote:

"I'm your Huckleberry, buddy!"

I'm going to use that next time someone annoys me just to see their reaction.

Just out of interest, does anyone know what it means?

It's from 'Tombstone' - when one of the bad guys trys to pick a gunfight with Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday says something like 'if your looking for a fight, I'm your huckleberry'. My understanding is that it just means 'I'm your guy' and doesn't necessarily have any violent connotations. I hope not, anyway, as I used it in conversation last week...

It may have history before that too, although the medieval references seem a bit far fetched...

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Dov2711 | 7 years ago
1 like

The level of menace in this video is really concerning, clear threat to immediate safety and the cyclists future well-being. A great reference for the gun trotting bravado of this type of American Neanderthal.

The calm educated manner of the cyclist is amazing, well done. Under this pressure Im sure i would have snapped. 

As for the apology, pathetic, cowardly backtracking when held to account by someone other than a cyclist.   

Punishment should be a 70 mile ride with the guy he verbally assaulted, then he can confirm or retract his belief that we are fa##ots, pu##y's etc 

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Gus T | 7 years ago
2 likes

What can I say, a wannabe Clint Eastwood lookalike who seems to have real issues with his own sexuality judging by the number of times he called the cyclist a faggot and a pussy. Prehaps the surfer got turned on by the cyclist's lycra and needed to prove his manhood to himself. I'm also impressed with the way he shows himself to be a bully by drawing attention to the fact he is a lot bigger than the cyclist. A real American hero.

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burtthebike | 7 years ago
1 like

Is he related to Donald Trump? 

Same moronic attitude, same fifty years out of date opinions, same stupid speech.

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aladdin pain | 7 years ago
0 likes

This bike-unfriendly town is just up the coast from me; if I'm on my bike at 7:00 AM I can have lunch there and be babck in San Diego before dinner if one of this guy's tribe doesn't run my down.  

I feel like I've just watched the vindication of my take on a substantial slice of the the Southern California surf pie after living with these guys for fifty years.  Yes many are laid back, likable, and all smiles, but there are so many of these odious tools (a lot of the worst ones are in very expensive cars; at least this guy was semi-congruent in his Ford) who act like this one minute and then pull the "later days and better lays" Spiccoli surf bum act.

Anyone planning a cycling trip to this region is safer heading inland to the mountains than white-knuckling it through these beach towns.

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tritecommentbot | 7 years ago
3 likes

Aye seems reasonable.

 

More like a total douche who apologised after getting outed on the internet.

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Colin Peyresourde | 7 years ago
1 like

I think if he's big enough to apologise about it, and given that (despite his obvious internal rage) he did not physically assault the guy that deep down he's probably a reasonable guy. Hopefully he's learnt a thing or two.

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DrJDog replied to Colin Peyresourde | 7 years ago
2 likes
Colin Peyresourde wrote:

I think if he's big enough to apologise about it, and given that (despite his obvious internal rage) he did not physically assault the guy that deep down he's probably a reasonable guy. Hopefully he's learnt a thing or two.

If you're serious you're as mental as he is.

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brooksby | 7 years ago
0 likes

"Wil Wheaton"?

(sorry - coming down from a Big Bang Theory marathon...)

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ronin | 7 years ago
0 likes

Worlds craziest road rage fool smiley

 

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tritecommentbot | 7 years ago
3 likes

Oh wow.. pure gold. Not sure he's as good as our Ronnie though!

 

What's the deal with these kinda guys. They must sit around eating lard getting ridiculous blood pressure levels trying to remember cheesy lines from 80s movies repeats on TV. Have to leave the sofa for more supplies once in a while then explode at the first guy to get in their way smiley

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ridein | 7 years ago
1 like

He just apologized after being embarassed on the tv news. Translated it means "So sorry I was being a**hole on the bikers camera, but I meant every word and would do it again."

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StraelGuy | 7 years ago
1 like

Is '...your worst enemy' an anagram of '...massive bellend' ?

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WillRod | 7 years ago
1 like

I'm amazed the guy didn't have a heart attack!

apparently he apologised for swearing, as if that makes it all ok again

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peakingintwomonths | 7 years ago
5 likes

Someone should introduce him to Ronnie Pickering.

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don simon fbpe replied to peakingintwomonths | 7 years ago
1 like

peakingintwomonths wrote:

Someone should introduce him to Ronnie Pickering.

Ronnie fucking who?

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