A few days ago, while walking on a rural, rare-to-see traffic road, a ‘racing’ cyclist shot by me from behind, passing within half a metre. I had to pause to catch breath and imagine what could have been the outcome. This is not the first time, although it was the most frightening. No warning sounded. I guess he had a bell - why not use it?
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Just spent 4 days in Vienna, and contrary to Munich where bell ringing to warn of an impending bicycle arrival on the cycle path is still a thing, none of the cyclists in Vienna rang any of their bells. I guess it comes down to the individual, and whatever cycle culture is dominant in a given area.
Walking towards oncoming traffic so it doesnt approach from behind?
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Many of the very rural roads here in France are pretty much single vehicle width, so even if one is walking on the right a cycle could still pass by very close.
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At a guess I’ve walked 500km on rural roads over the 20 years I’ve lived here. Always (well very near always) facing oncoming… This event happened when I nipped over to the other side to look at some flowers. Just typical.
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Bloomin typical
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No such thing on a canal towpath. 
And because it’s nice and flat they come up hard and fast.
I think ringing a bicycle bell can seem a bit aggressive especially if you only want to warn of your presence. I have an even greater problem driving an EV. I want people to know I am there but I don’t want to give them a blast of the hooter.
I solved the problem by fitting a “Ding Dong” type of front door bell chime. It certainly attracts their attention when I come up quietly behind them as they turn around wondering who has come to visit (even though they are miles from home!)
On the other hand it does tend to send dogs into a frenzy 
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The bell startles people and they might jump right in front of the bike.
On the basis of personal experience of regular walking on the Lot veloroute opposite our house, I’d assume that the cyclist didn’t have a bell and, even if they did they probably wouldn’t bother to use it.
OTOH a ‘racing’ cyclist’ wouldn’t use the veloroute, preferring to hold up traffic on the D840 which follows the river on the other bank. And they certainly wouldn’t have a bell - extra weight…
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I’ve had the same thing with people riding electric scooters at speed in cities on the pavement passing 25cm away out of sight not anticipating what could go wrong.
Only if its used at the last second, used in plenty of time ahead the issue its fine.
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Yes.
The best way is to start ringing from a few hundred metres and keep repeating until the person acknowledges. And, if they don’t, slow down. That’s what we’ve always done.
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This drives me potty - now the sun has made an appearance, the lycra loons are out in force here in Surrey and none of them will ever demean themselves by using an official cycle path, they are too busy imagining they are Primos Roglic winning a stage of Le Tour.
I should add I am pro cycling in general, it’s good for health and for the environment, but when local councils spend fortunes on adding cycle lanes and dedicated paths it’s frustrating when they are ignored and you get a Rapha-clad peloton clogging up the roads. Especially annoying when they are in pootling mode and bimbling along two abreast having a chat, with a queue of cars behind them.
Surrey CC just spent a bomb on widening 500m of footpath on a busy main road on my route to the supermarket and making it dual use for pedestrians and cyclists and I have yet to see a single cyclist using it.
(rant over!) 
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There is a reason for that.
I am not a cyclist.
I was driving home after a rather long and successful fishing session at a local lake. As I exited the track to the lake, I checked all was clear to the left and swung right onto the road home. This is a quiet, perfectly straight, long road for about 2 km with the traditional plane trees either side. However, I was not expecting to be confronted by a dozen police on motorcycles, headlights full on, coming towards me.
I stopped.
The first policeman pulled up to me and asked “what are you doing?” in a tone that implied I was somehow in the wrong.
“Going home” I gulped
“Didn’t you see the signs?” he demanded
I pointed at the unsurfaced track that I had just exited. “There weren’t any” I squeaked.
“Pull over to the side of the road AND DON’T MOVE”
I complied.
“I MEAN IT” the policeman said, obviously suspecting I might make a break for it.
They moved on but the trailing policeman pulled over to where I was parked.
“Pull further over, switch on your hazard lights and put on your headlights.”
I felt a bit miffed. This seemed totally over the top because there was a perfectly straight road for 2 Km and anything approaching from the opposite direction could see me clearly. Obviously this jobsworth gendarme had to have his say.
“OK” I said meekly as I pulled over a bit more, not realising that I had left my front tyres turned out to the left.
There then followed a procession of vehicles. Vans full of spare parts, cars with roof racks holding several bicycles, motorbikes with cameramen on the pillion and two helicopters circling round above everything. The event was being filmed live for television and any incident would become instant news.
Eventually three fit looking cyclists shot past at a surprising speed. Just I was thinking what a fuss about nothing, I looked up to see a million cyclists (I didn’t actually have time to count them) filling the road as far as the eye could see. Obviously engaged in some sort of race, each cyclist was pumping away at the pedals, head down, eyes focussed on the rear wheel one millimetres in front of him. I wound the window down and prodded around on my phone in a futile attempt to call up the camera app to take an interesting picture.
Then a wave of clanking machinery, sweaty bodies, huffing and puffing engulfed me. The ones in front obviously spotted my hazard lights and head lights and gently eased away from the car. Unfortunately, the guys behind could only see the wheel of the rider in front and had to make last minute corrections accompanied by suitable expletives. Then one rider hit my poking out tyre and wobbled uncertainly into the pack. Another hit my wing mirror and screamed in pain. Yet another tail ender hit my tyre before I was left totally alone, in silence thinking WTF.
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Having been a racing cyclist some 40 years and 30 Kg ago I have to say that cycle paths are not terribly good if you are on racing wheels and tyres. The kind of lightweight (and v expensive) tubulars or tubeless tyres that are now favoured don’t fare well on the gravel, broken glass and other detritus that accumulates in the gutter and on cycle tracks. Car traffic keeps the main road much cleaner of puncture prone grob.
That does not excuse poor ettiquette and unless you are in a chunky peloton single file is more aerodynamically efficient! If lycra offends you I still have some wool and chamois shorts somewhere unless the moths have got at them.
Real cyclist wear harris tweed 
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Is this another one of your puns?
He’s a Slovenian cycling pun.