I was bikepacking this week and stopped for lunch in Dolgellau. They have a great cycle route into the town but sadly nowhere to securely park your bike. I found a place to secure my bike outside a pub which was near to where I wanted to eat. I noticed a man standing at the pub door watching me whilst I secured my bike. (Outside of pub, appeared to be public land) Once I finished at started to walk away he said you ‘can’t leave that there’. Told me to remove it and in no certain terms told me move it elesewhere. I asked he worked there ‘he was the owner’.
Getting moved on is not a problem, even if I’ve don’t something wrong. But the tone of his verbal aggression and openly dislike of me was palpable that at some point in me made me feel threatened that the situation could escalate. As I started to unlock my bike and move on I did tell him of his arrogance and how he was a completely unpleasant person. But this just made his unpleasantness even worse and his openly arrogant and aggressive personality come through. It really was a really unpleasant and threatening situation that spoilt the rest of my day.
Whilst I moved my bike, I watched a two young women with a child both with bike, attempt to do the same as me but on the other side of the pub, I went over and warned them to try somewhere else due to the aggressive pub owner. They thanked me
When I left my cafe there were two road cyclists looking for somewher to lock their bikes, they obviously saw the same place I had tried and moved there bikes over, so I warned them as well.
I think this must happen to the pub a lot, cyclists struggling to find anywhere to secure their bike, and outside this pub looks good to us cyclists. So I think the pub owner has got some sort angry dislike of cyclists and gets pi**ed off and comes out to have a go at us.
But instead of getting openly arrogant and aggressive, he could put in some Sheffield racks, put a cyclist welcome signs up and gets loads of cyclists spending money in his pub, a good business opportunity. But I suppose having a ‘get off my land rant’ makes him feel better.
I now feel better after my rant as well.
