Travelling through Scenic western New Hampshire today, as we cruised a small town, a cyclist-wearing helmet, bike shorts & all the professional gear slowed to the intersection. As we passed by, the cyclist was staring at our MINI and fell over sideways!!! (not that it was funny!)- they seemed to be fine other than being totally embarassed! It seemed to be a moment right out of a monty python movie though!
Just thought I'd share another case of the Mini spell being cast over a completely innocent bystander (or should I say By-cylist !)

 

Good stuff! I would have found it funny myself as the person sounds like one of those hardcore riders.

 

Glad the spellbound cyclist was ok. Truly though it does sound kind of funny.

 

 

Perhaps cyclist got decked by a case of MINI envy -- heart races, head spins, etc. That anecdote is too funny. Thanks for sharing.

CROC 411

 

Was he coming to a stop? Got to think through uncliping from the peddles, you just disrupted this train of thought .

 

I agree

 

pics???

 

yep....I have done the same a few too many times even when I was paying attention

 

Could you imagine what was going through his mind?
"I'll just coast up to this light and unclip my.... hey a mini!" as he flops to the ground.

I too have fallen victim to the mini's charm. I almost rear ended, or wedged under, a lifted pickup while admiring a JCW mini. Wow, the feeling of embarrassment that overcomes one is almost enough to laugh at.

 

Yeah, I hate it when that happens.

Sometimes, I fall over in my MINI while watching hot bicyclists... really embarrassing.

 

Finally! I found someone who shares my problem.

 

+1 Me too...I think that's why the husband has (grudgingly) morphed into a MINI spotter -- to avoid the scare of me running into things trying to spot & wave at a MINI, never mind check it out!

 

I am sure that the cyclist was shocked to SEE a mini here in NH. We don't seem have too many Minis up this way other than the Minis on Top event.

Glad you could visit our state!

 

Karma. Just about every tour our club goes on, we get a lot of cyclists making life interesting.

I remember one guy we passed going up hill. As a line of 20 Minis goes past him, I got on the radio and said "Here's this guy pedaling uphill, sucking oxygen, and then suddenly sucking carbon monoxide. Not his day."

Got a good laugh out of it.

 

Falling over like that on a bike as it stops is called a "Arte Johnson" in the Recumbent bike / Human Powered Vehicle world. Artie was the guy on Laugh-In TV show who rode around on the trike in a rain slicker, would run into something then flop over.

Happens to 'normal' bikes more these days too since with the popularity of clipless pedals.

Used to happen to us in our fully faired racing recumbents. With many of these including mine you need two people to balance it as you get in. The top is dropped on and attached then they run with you steadying it until you're moving well enough to balance. Similarly you must come to a stop just as you come between these two people who catch you and balance you. If you stop elsewhere, say you throw a chain then you come to a graceful stop and flop over. You pull a "Arte Johnson".

Me in mine. There was actually someone holding me up for the photo and I removed them with Photoshop.



Arte in action...

 

I learned to "track stand" 25 years ago. Still can do it now on my mountain bike, road bike, and the kids' BMX bikes, even though I'm a lard-butt. But in the process of learning, I toppled over a few times...

 

Yeah, but can you MINI watch whist in a track-stand? I can trackstand, too, but don't expect me to keep an eye out for MINIs while I'm doing it.

 

I stood my MINI up on its right front tire on a mountain corner this weekend... does that count?

 

Once a cyclist was checking out my cousin (not paying attention) and rode his bicycle right into my aunt's S500's open door... He actually flipped over it. He turned out to be ok, but the door had to be replaced.

 

I don't think I will ever stop being amused at what people will do to get a longer look at a MINI. As far as my own experiences, I've had people pace in the lane next to me on the freeway while talking to their passenger about the car and you know they are talking about the car because they are pointing out their window with these big goofy grins on their faces...

Then there's the gal who is clearly not happy about driving her boyfriend's pick-up who says to her boyfriend in the passenger seat, so clearly that you can lip read it, "I want one of those!" Then she follows you for a couple of blocks before having to flip a u-turn in the middle of the street because she really should have turned right when she first saw you.

Another great one is the teenager that is walking down the street in the neighborhood that stops and stares as you pull up to the stop sign, then points and gets down on one knee and pivots to follow your car as it passes out of their field of vision. You don't need to see their faces to know that there's a line of drool trailing down the corner of their mouths...

The OP is by far my favorite though. I have yet to see anyone do anything that tops it LOL!

 

Wow, True story.

 

Great one. Beats mine: I was on my way to the gym early yesterday morning and a homeless guy that looked like the Gordon's Fisherman jumped out of his box and started cheering "Coo-per, Coo-per", fist-pumps and all, as I drove by. It was surreal.

 

Ask him what his favorite kind of sandwich is, then bring him a sandwich. He deserves it.

 

Hey! That coulda been me!... no, wait... I don't live in California. Never mind. But I do like PB & J sammiches.