Participants of the “People’s Convoy"—United States capital circling truck drivers protesting public health related Covid-19 policies—grew furious when a bicyclist brought them to a near halt by riding at minimum speed directly in front of them, blocking their route.
Unable to maneuver around the cyclist, the right-wing espousing truck drivers began honking aggressively and yelling at the individual to move out of the way.
One of the drivers leading the small group of trucks and also live streaming the event called out to the single rider, asking:
“Hey, what are you doing? You have a bunch of trucks behind you.”
Protesting their protest, the unbothered rider responded to their demands by saying:
“I’m sorry."
"I can’t hear you, it’s too loud.”
The event was captured on video by Zachary Petrizzo, reporter for the Daily Beast who has been reporting on the convoy.
Petrizzo posted the clip on Twitter with the caption:
"Today The People’s Convoy was defeated by one person riding a bike in downtown DC."
Inspired by the Canadian protest in Ottawa that was largely funded by conservatives from the United States, organizers set up base in Hagerstown, Maryland and developed a plan to drive around the D.C. area honking and causing disruptive backups on major highways.
Their original plan was to only circle the Capital Beltway, but just last week the anti-vax group decided to head straight into the District despite assuring they wouldn’t do so.
The truckers have since encountered considerable pushback, especially from D.C. police who have been blocking interstate exits into downtown Washington to keep the radicalized participants from causing their threatened mayhem. Since their arrival into the city, residents have reported harassment and disruption.
It seems their resistance has yet again been met with pushback, this time by an individual challenger with an effective tactic.
Many applauded the cyclist’s statement, with some calling him a hero:
"Not all heroes wear capes."
"Hipster on a bike trolls DC Trucker Convoy."
Another wrote:
"This absolute hero on a cargo bike just vibing and holding up the stupid 'freedom convoy' in DC."
Supporters of the cyclist acknowledged his ride was a political statement, heard loud and clear:
"One person on a bike slowed an entire MAGA trucker caravan down."
"We love to see it."
Another remarked:
"A very good day to specifically [be] that dude in DC on the bike who held up a right wing convoy."
Some are pointing out the irony of the truckers rage...
"The protesting truckers are MAD that the bike is slowing down/disrupting their convoy while they are trying to slow down/disrupt traffic ...
[W]here is Alanis Morissette when you need her?"
...and:
"Blowing your horn at someone for slowing you down while you are pRoTeStInG by slowing other people down shows exactly the kind of morons that are in this convoy."
A few found the biker’s maneuver to be ironic and counter-productive, further contributing to the traffic problems the convoy intended to cause.
"And this action is supposed to get back at the truckers?? [He] unwittingly has become Pro People's Convoy."
"Ask yourself this, what is the physical purpose of the Convoy? To upset the traffic to get their point across."
"What even better way to be meet the objectives?"
"Be led by a bike."
No one was injured during the standoff.
