Takleberry,Tackleberry wrote:...I encountered a couple of yobs on dirt bikes and I heard (what the *%#*) I'm not sure they saw me or not but I wasn't going to hang around to find out...!!!
I had a similar comment from a bunch of mountain bikers on an escarpment by the Thames once. They had to slow right down to pass and the comment was then followed, rather sheepishly, by an apology and "I did not really mean that; your clothes just kind of took me by surprise" That turned into a stop and chat for about five minutes with the couple of riders who'd already gone past returning and joining in. No hassle, no grief and a small group of cyclists a little better informed than they had been. Confidence (even if it is faked) makes a huge difference to how interactions go.
Most folks are good at heart if you give them a chance, I suspect that, had you challenged the bikers in friendly conversation, you would have had a similar positive experience to the one I had.
Try (it is not always easy) to suppress the flight reflex, just look folks in the eye politely; it works wonders.
Have fun,
Ian.