Road rage turns into social media threats, Orange County bicyclist says

A road rage incident between an irate BMW driver and an Orange County bicyclist turned into social media threats, the bicyclist said. 

"I ride probably 20,000-30,000 miles a year, and I've never encountered anything like this," Laguna Beach resident Luke Fetzer said. 

Fetzer said he was riding with his friends along Pacific Coast Highway through Corona Del Mar, near Cameo Shores, last Saturday, when the blue BMW driver started swerving, swearing and honking at the group. 

"It's kind of typical, being a cyclist. Drivers do that," Fetzer said. "In the heat of the moment, I squirted my water bottle at him, at his car as he pulled up to the red light."

Fetzer shared a video of the driver veering into the bike lane, tailgating the group, and then throwing a bottle of water at the bicyclist. 

"He then stopped, got out of his car, ran into the road, tried blocking the road and yelled at us that they were going to kill us, and tried knocking us off of our bikes," Fetzer said. 

The professional bicyclist worried about what would have happened if a less experienced rider had encountered the driver. 

"Thankfully, I do have the experience that I have," Fetzer said. "I'm a six-time national champion. I race my bike for a living. But, if it that was anybody else, if it was a less experienced rider, he could have killed them."

After the road rage, Fetzer said the man tracked him down on Instagram and challenged him to an MMA-style fight after boasting that his car was worth $100,000. 

"Hey bro let's both sign waivers and meetup for a consensual Full MMA sparring session," the man wrote. "Let's settle this like Men."

Fetzer said he took the man's license plate number and reported the incident to the Orange County Sheriff's Department. 

"I'm just trying to ride my bike on a nice Saturday with my boys," Fetzer said. "I've got a big race the next day. I'm out there training in the sun, and he's trying to cause physical harm to me."