A lot of people really don't like cyclists. I know this because they tell me to my face, without formally introducing themselves.

Sometimes it's random verbal abuse aimed at me and my friends from the irate occupants of a passing car; other times it's random verbal abuse delivered from a stationary car. The variety is endless.

Occasionally the abuse is delivered by a passenger, someone more able to concentrate on screaming and gesturing without the unwanted distraction of driving. But more often than not, the needless theatrics come from a driver with impressive multi-tasking skills and slightly less impressive anger management skills.

It's truly humbling to be lectured on the etiquette of road use by a man with one hand off the steering wheel and a complete disregard for the road ahead, whose only priority is being able to tell those cyclists they're a bunch of w*****s for adding 30 seconds or so to his journey.

That's us told. If it helps, we always gather after such confrontations for a moment of group soul-searching. We never just shrug with bemusement at your alarmingly uptight manner.

The bizarre tribalism around modes of transport that stokes this road rage remains baffling, even though most of our rides are confined to country lanes with barely any cars (it's not like we're clogging up the M2 or the Dartford Tunnel).

Like most cyclists, I'm also a motorist and see some idiotic stuff from both cyclists and other drivers. Being stupid on the road is not the sole preserve of either, yet idiocy from cyclists tends to be added to the charge sheet against all bike riders in the court of public opinion. If I wished to collar someone for poor driving, I'd be unlikely to call them a 'bloody motorist'.

'Nothing brings us down to earth like a drive-by insult from a bloke who's late for his lunch. And yes, we're fully aware that we're wearing Lycra but thanks for pointing it out...'

Cyclists are often characterised as smug types who make a virtue of rejecting nasty, polluting motor vehicles. A handful of sanctimonious riders can certainly add to this impression and these people are just as unhelpful to our public image as cyclists who jump traffic lights, wear headphones or perform wheelies on dual carriageways.

The fact is most of us go cycling for fitness and enjoyment, not instead of driving a car. It's not like we're making a choice between going out for a ride and doing a 50-mile loop in our cars through country lanes at speeds irritating to other motorists.

Few of us are feeling self-satisfied and superior while we're annoying other road users, if it's any consolation. Plus, nothing brings us down to earth like a drive-by insult from a bloke who's late for his lunch. And yes, we're fully aware that we're wearing Lycra but thanks for pointing it out.

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