Person with blindness on a hike with their service dog has a startling experience with a cyclist, yells out 'I'M BLIND!' but regrets it, Internet assures her she's in the right: ‘Don’t ever feel bad!'

Author image for Elna McHilderson
Elna McHilderson • Managing Editor
May 4, 2025 4:00 PM EDT

Is it true that cyclist have a reputation of being disrespectful to anyone who isn't on a bike too? That's apparently what the internet is saying. Or at least, what this Reddit thread is conveying. The conversation sparked when a person with blindness had a startling experience with a cyclist while just trying to enjoy a walk in nature. She was out with her guide dog when a cyclist rushed up behind her and shouted at her to move. She was startled, obviously, because she couldn't see him and only was able to recognize his presence once he was right next to her yelling in her ear. So she yelled back, "I'M BLIND!" But then she instantly felt bad. So she turned to the internet to see if her feelings of shame should be validated or squished. It seems everyone agrees that she was in the right and the cyclist was not—many even go as far as saying all cyclist tend to be "entitled." 

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  • When it comes to a nature trail, everyone on it has to share since they can't just pave over it to create separate lanes. That would defeat the purpose of going into nature… There are usually signs that says bikes yield to pedestrians and everyone yields to equestrians. However, that goes differently when the person is seeing impaired or otherwise impaired. How can they yield if they can't see you?… So, of course, you should make yourself known and yield to them. It wasn't like this woman was walking around willynilly, she had her guide dog and was very obviously seeing impaired. Do you think the cyclist was in the wrong? The internet sure thinks so! 

  • Cheezburger Image 10500701440
    via Unsplash+ (and ayseela ayse ela)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.
    (Guide dog and man - Unsplash+ (and Getty Images)

  • "Am in the wrong?"

    I just need to vent With the nicer weather, there are a lot more people out enjoying the trails near my house. I'm legally blind and use a guide dog, and we often walk a series of paved walking paths. My boy
    via Any-Roll-6743
  • usually holds the left line, which sometimes puts him on the "wrong" side of the path. I don't see people until they're right in front of me. Most people are kind and give us space, but not everyone. Today, a
    via Any-Roll-6743
  • cyclist nearly ran over my guide dog and didn't try to go around us or say anything until he was already beside us, then he snapped, "Come on, move over!" It
    via Any-Roll-6743
  • startled me so badly that I yelled back, "I'm blind!" I don't know... I just feel really shaken up. and unsure if I'm somehow in the wrong?
    via Any-Roll-6743
  • belgenoir You are not in the wrong. The cyclist was. Don't ever feel bad about standing up for yourself and your dog.
    via belgenoir
  • Any-Roll-6743 OP Like I said in my post most people are super courteous. My boy is super good at like going around walkers or wheelchairs if he needs to. But for the most part he's trained to hold that left line, I didn't feel like I was in the wrong but like a part of me was like. Should I be training him to go around like people and bikes? It's a lot more complicated to have a guide dog move a person than for a sighted person to see. Hey, there's a person being navigated by a dog. Maybe I shou
    via Any-Roll-6743
  • TheMadHatterWasHere You are not in the wrong. You literally can't see the person on the bike. They should have looked out for you!
    via TheMadHatterWasHere
  • Short Gain8302 The cyclist is supposed to warn you before they were too close to you, by either saying something or ringing a bell, you didnt do anything wrong. I know theres probably good cyclists out there but honestly most ive met are entitled af on the road
    via Short_Gain8302
  • ChillyGator I live in a city with a robust cyclist community and they are always ride like this. They totally disregard traffic laws and even kids at play, then they turn around and look at you like you're the problem when they nearly cause an accident. We have memorials all over of bikes that are spray painted white to indicate where someone dod in a bike accident. One intersection has a literal pile of white bikes.
    via ChillyGator
  • It's not you. Cycling speeds are around 15 mph, unless they're race training then it's faster. Walking speeds are 2-4 mph. They also have a height advantage. This person saw you coming and chose to make this a near miss.
    via ChillyGator
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    via Unsplash+ (and Getty Images)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • MoodFearless6771 I second this. I live by a hike/bike trail that is used by cyclists. There's problems even when both people have great vision. But in general, cyclists can be really r de/aggressive. They go too fast to safely share close space with pedestrians, in my opinion, and slow enough that they mess up traffic on roads. I think they are used to fighting and arguing with cars cutting them and can be kind of entitled.
    via MoodFearless6771
  • ria1024 Yep, cyclists are the worst. For years, I rode horse on a trail that required us to go about a quarter mi down a moderately busy country road to get to th start. We'd usually see 1-3 cars on that stretch. W NEVER had a problem with the cars - they all slowed down a bit and gave us several feet of clearance. The only problem we had was the bicyclists. A giant pack of 40+ racing bikes (no,
    via ria1024
  • there was not a scheduled race on the road) decided that the thing to do was go past the horses at 20+ mph on both sides, giving us no space. These horses were fine with bicycles from a reasonable distance, but not at high speeds on both sides! I'm still not sure how we didn't have anyone injured, both horses were badly spooked and the bicyclists still just kept speeding past.
    via ria1024
  • Wolfocorn20 That cyclist was in the wrong here. They clearly had a case of entitlement on wheels as we call that here. May karma strikes where it's do. My guide dog has a comand to hold left or right but will only do so if i ask and it's safe to do so and if someone like that would ride up to us i will just make sure my dog is safe and than give them a peace of my mind. Ringing a bell, shouting to make your presents known or just ya know biking around someone is not that hard.
    via Wolfocorn20
  • Any-Roll-6743 OP Literally didn't say anything until he was basically beside us, didn't call out. Didn't do anything like I said until it he was beside us and then it was to make a a comment to be like just move over. Not so nicely. He did swerve me, and I was like oh God there's somebody here like oh my goodness it was just weird. I walk these trails pretty much everyday on my lunch and we usually don't have any issues.
    via Any-Roll-6743
  • But like I said it's getting nicer. There's a lot more people out and I'm just wondering if this is going to be a more common occurrence and if I should start getting my dog to hold the right side which puts him out in the middle of the trail versus protected on the left side with me in between him and anyone coming on my right
    via Any-Roll-6743
  • Vast_Delay_1377 If it's any consolation... cyclists get a bad rep for being quite r de in general. It's not just you he was r de to that day, almost guaranteed. If you had been in the "right" spot he would have sped around you with a snotty comment, too. Don't pay him any mind. Keep enjoying the trails.
    via Vast_Delay_1377
  • Also, some of those paths may ban cycling. Perhaps reach out to the local parks department and ask about what paved paths don't permit cyclists?
    via Vast_Delay_1377

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