Bonsall incident

[billheidler]

 The Clippers ride on May 31 was marred by a disgusting incident. The ride group was leaving the parking lot of the McDonalds/7-Eleven, turning left onto Olive Hill Rd to cross 76. Someone in a pickup truck pulled up to the driveway right into our midst and yelled "Get out of my way you goddamn f*ggots".
 We all ignored him. Probably the right thing to do.....but I'm not sure. Maybe the right thing to do this time but not if it happens again...?
 There was a Courrer rider group at the market also, not quite ready to leave. Lots of riders stop at that market and the stores are nice to us.
 I want to assert my support for Pride Month, for the LGBTQ "community", for LGBTQ riders all year round. And no one should have to hear language like that.
 I want to note in a few places (including the Fallbrook weekly newspaper) that this happened. Especially in case it happens again.

[Smstewart]

Wow!  I had no idea that happened!  So sad people have to act that way.

My approach to such rage is to flip it on its head and say 'Have a nice day!' or some other kind words and move on.  They don't seem to know how to react. 

If I experience a close call (typically a close passer) and if there is a chance to catch up to them stopped at a light, I will kindly explain the danger I experienced from their action.  I take care not to confront them with anger but try to use it as a teaching moment.  I simply want to raise awareness of cyclists safety and not get into a confrontation.  Always approach the situation as a concerned road user.  If there is ANY sign of anger, I avoid them.

[billheidler]

Steve, that's the thing, there were huge signs of anger.
For cyclists' safety it was best to stay away, which we did. But then he got away with this. Not just aggression toward cyclists but the hate speech.
Hopefully just an isolated incident on a bad day for him. But I do not feel good about not responding to an assault on LGBTQ.

[Steve Fox]

Having lived in FB for eight years, there's still plenty of red-neck mentality to be experienced by
anyone crossing this type of person's path.  Sad, but not surprised.  Probably best to ignore such
creatures.  I personally know of red-necks that carry weapons in their cars, so you don't want to
aggressively accost such individuals.  My $.02

[K Pfeiffer]

As an ally to the LGBTQ community and Training Ride Leader with AIDS/Lifecycle for two years, there was only one incident I personally experienced on the 545 mile/7 Day ride when on Day 3, we were threatened with our lives by such an individual. He "wanted to kill us and hoped we die along the road". A photo of license plate was taken and given to the ride security team. In this case, we were changing a flat under a tree when this occurred. We were so taken back by the threat that we must have simply looked dumbfounded and had no response. Fortunately, this person in a truck moved on and we were able to take a photo of his license and I believe the ALC Security team reported it to the local authorities.
Fortunately, we were only a few miles from the finish for that day. This was on a route from King City to Paso Robles. On this particular day, this groups raises over $70,000 for the Bradley Elementary School who holds an event along the way, right in the heart of ranch and farming country. This group has the most amazing heart, and I can say they are not easily shaken. Best to just be dumbfounded and let them move along. These people often do carry guns. This type of hate can be very scary.