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news
TdY LottoNL Jumbo 08Woman charges cyclist £3 after filling water bottle - then tips it out when he can't pay
A Yorkshire cyclist who was running low on water while out on a ride got a shock when a woman who refilled it for him asked for £3 – then tipped out the water when he explained he didn’t have that much money on him.
Neil Holloway, who is a member of Leeds & Bradford Triathlon club, posted an account of what had happened on Twitter, saying “Staggered this happened in Huby this week." It’s not clear whether he is the cyclist involved.
The post read: “Just getting this off my chest … 60km ride out on my new road bike this evening. 40km in and realisation that two bottle cages would be better than one as I run low on water.
“I pulled up near a row of cottages near Huby where a middle aged lady was digging the garden. I politely asked if she could refill my water bottle which she duly did.
“Upon handing it back to me she said: ‘That will be £3’ …
“Shocked, I explained I only had about £1 in loose change. She stared at me and without breaking gaze she emptied the bottle over the garden and handed it back empty.
“I was shell-shocked and speechless as she retreated into the house.”
The author added: “Morale of the story … God help us or bring more water in future.”
Granted, not all cyclists would feel confident enough to approach a stranger and ask them to fill a water bottle, and might prefer to have enough money on them so they could pop into a shop, café or pub instead.
But while charging someone to fill their water bottle may seem unusual in the first place, filling it up then tipping the contents out when the money demanded isn’t forthcoming sounds quite frankly bizarre.
Have you come across anything like this before – or any other bizarre behaviour when you’ve asked someone for a helping hand while out riding?
Let us know in the comments below.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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83 comments
Fair enough if she had taken it inside and pissed in it instead of filling it from the tap. But to charge £3.00! That's bloody outrageous!
They're all right posh n up emselves when thas getting that close to 'arrogate
What is the address of this lovely lady?
Google map pin, streetview pic or GPS co-ords would do.
Anyone local could then pay her a visit for a chat whilst riding by.
What are you going to do? Send the boys round?
Come back when you can pick on men rather than women.
Have you recently been in San Francisco?
Well said sir. What she did was nasty and wrong but going around threatening old ladies is OK ?
Who is threatening this lady?
The story should be robustly and accurately researched by getting her side of the story too.
Yes 'robthehungrymonkey' - that is more what I meant and No 'freespirit1' I don't think I will "Come back when you can pick on men rather than women."
Lady my arse.
I took that as every cyclist going past just saying hello in an overly friendly kind of way. I didn't take it as a threat to the woman.
Aren't you being sexist and ageist , no ones encouraging violence, seemingly you're promoting violence if they're fair game!
Irespective of gender or age, if someone is being a c*** they should be made aware.
Not that I have much confidence in the stories facts anyway !
Different to this LEJoGer on Wednesday.
https://helencycleslejog.wordpress.com/2015/09/10/day-4-chepstow-to-shre...
We need a stream of riders to continually stop & ask for water only to then apologise for having no money.
We sure this ain't an urban myth story. Surely someone could not be That much of a tightarsed bitch
Hilarious really. David Cameron was caught saying "Yorkshire people hate each other" today. Had he been reading RoadCC?
Some women, just want to watch the world burn.
I always understood it that it was a moral duty to provide water to travellers - churchyards are always good, but you often find taps on pubs - your chances go up the older and more remote they are. I've often had fillups from behind the bar when I've asked, some bar staff take a real delight in doing that, putting in ice and lemon.
all you have to do is ask - I've had a guy in Marlow fill me up from his garden house, and we had a great chat
but none of those nice people are equal to The Angry Man On Twitter - "cyclist still doesn't understand why people don't like them. You expect too much as normal."
a cup of water! what next- air?
On a recent hot day, I asked my local pub to fill my bottle with water - and add ice and lemon. Jolly nice it was too. And free.
It would have been good to pop £1 in a charity tin on the bar, surely?
This makes David Cameron appear rather astute today.
Try this if you're in need of water -http://www.tapwater.org/refilling-stations
unless im dangerously dihydrated and not a shop for 10miles I would not ask water from anyone. if this story is true then that woman have some issues (mental probably) and I hope it doesnt happen to her when shes the one desperately needing water.
I thought it was illegal to charge for tap water anyway
IIRC That's only if you're a licensed bar or restaurant, something about preventing binge drinking. But not in Northern Ireland
So, what about water rates or meters? I think its more a case of, if you fail to pay your water charges, they cannot cut you off, because water is deemed in law as a "basic human right".
I wonder if her attitude would have been any different with say a 12 year old girl cyclist in the same situation? Just thinking out loud... Hopefully what goes around comes around for this 'Lady'.
I think it's time to organise a Roadcc meet.
Huby - North Yorkshire. It's quite close to Harrogate . . . .
Might have been spa water or she wasn't keen to encourage any oiks from the West Riding visiting her well manicured village too often!!
Surely she just had to say either 'No' - or quote a price - up front, and let the cyclist decide? Even if she was on a water meter (so water doesn't come for free, you know), she's 'wasted' that water... She probably had a right laugh about it at the WI meeting that night.
Steady - you don't want to incur the wrath of the WI
Of which Mumsnet is the paramilitary wing.
Was the bidon empty when handed over?
How much of the cyclist's own water did she throw away?
I'd be sending her a bill for this with an addition to compensate for the trauma caused.
I'd then start watching daytime TV to see if I could find a reputable solicitor.
You should of wee`d on her flowers
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