PALM BEACH, Fla. – A group of cyclists riding on the road say a driver got too close for comfort and things took a tense turn when the cyclists confronted the driver.
It’s another example of how tense things can be on the road between cyclists and drivers.
This latest incident happened Tuesday and was captured on camera.
The video shows a white SUV pass close by a group of riders on A1A in Palm Beach.
“He just went really close to us and we all freaked out because his mirror could just wipe us out,” Diego Broglia said.
Broglia says the car nearly hit his friend, Patrick Whyte. When the group saw the driver pull over at a condo building, they stopped too.
Broglia’s GoPro recorded the encounter.
“Hey sir, you know how close you came to us?” one of the cyclists says.
“You almost hit me,” another one adds.
“How?” the driver asks.
“Just be careful,” one cyclist responds.
“No, I’m not being careful. Stay the f*** off the road,” the driver responds.
Video shows the man holding a gun in his hand and moving it toward his pocket as he accuses the cyclists of taking up too much of the road.
“You don’t understand you’re on the road?” the driver asks. “Are you kidding me? You’re four wide and you think that’s no big deal?”
“I said, ‘Alright, I’m going to be on the news.’ I go, this is where I get shot and that’s it. I’m an idiot,” Broglia said.
Broglia said there is no bike lane on that stretch of road but the riders were trying to keep single file.
Both men said they’ve been hit by cars before, but usually people aren’t trying to come so close.
“People, they’re distracted, they’re on their cellphones. It happens, I get it, but this was absolutely malicious,” Whyte said.
“I just wanted to say to the guy, ‘Hey, listen man, next time you’re going to hit someone, you’re going to go to jail just because you don’t want to go two feet over,’” Broglia said.
Broglia and Whyte said they plan to take their video to the authorities because they believe the driver was purposefully getting too close to them.