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Valleys Velo organiser appeals for help tracking down saboteurs (+ video)

Dozens punctured on descent of Bwlch due to drawing pins - thankfully, no-one was injured

The organiser of the Valleys Velo sportive in Wales, targeted last Sunday by saboteurs who spread drawing pins on the descent of the Bwlch causing dozens of cyclists to puncture, have appealed for help in tracking down the perpetrators.

On Tuesday, we reported how one rider, Richard Manning, had told us that he had punctured at 80 kilometres an hour and that he discovered that the drawing pin responsible appeared to have been painted black in an attempt to camouflage it.

Organiser Jamie Rowland of The Bike Doctor, described his reaction when he heard about the incident.

“I couldn't believe it when I first received the call to say what was happening,” he said. “My heart sunk thinking of the riders and their safety who were unfortunately caught up in the unfolding events, all their training and effort undone by some mindless idiot!

“Our first priority as always was rider safety,” he went on. “The marshal point on top of the Bwlch was contacted immediately to warn the riders of the tacks and slow them down before they tackled the descent!”

Swift action to ensure the tacks were removed thankfully meant that no-one was injured, as Rowland explained: “All available marshals and volunteers were immediately sent to the scene with brushes along with the event vehicles and course mechanics. St John [Ambulance] were already stationed at the Bwlch, thankfully their assistance wasn’t required as no accidents had occurred thankfully!

“Most riders had already fixed their punctures and were on their way, the reminder of people were given free tubes and help given to change their punctures where required. The spirit and camaraderie of all the riders involved after what had unfolded was truly remarkable!”

It is believed that whoever spread the drawing pins on the road did so while the event was in progress.

Rowland said: “Whilst the changing of inner tubes was carried out, marshals and volunteers were busy directing riders and sweeping the section of road working their way down the Bwlch.

“It soon became apparent that the first wave of riders didn't suffer any punctures, this along with the distance covered by the tacks has led us to believe they were scattered from a vehicle during the event shortly after the first wave had passed through.”

He confirmed to road.cc that police are now involved, and said: “We are appealing for anyone who has any information regardless of how little or insignificant they believe it to be to please get in touch with us,” he continued.

“Did you see any strange behaviour on that section? Please wrack your brains! We also would like to speak with the first rider to puncture, to narrow down the time of the incident, if that was you please get in touch.

“We are doing all we can to find the perpetrators, with a time scale of events and local CCTV footage of passing vehicles we will be able to identify the vehicle and find the guilty party!

“We have already discussed how we can put control measures in place and remove the chance of this being repeated again next year after learning from this incident.”

You can contact him via email if you have any information that may help track down the person or persons responsible.

He added that next year’s third edition of the event “has got a real tough act to follow, but one thing you can guarantee on is that there will always be ‘a welcome in the hillsides’!”

Entries for the 2015 Valleys Velo are due to open today, and ratings on the Cyclosport website suggest that despite Sunday’s attempt at sabotaging the event, many participants will be returning in 12 months’ time.

 

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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16 comments

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Matt eaton | 9 years ago
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This is a very short-sighted attempt at sabotage. The idea that riders and organisers will give up on these rides as a result of this sort of thing is unrealistic. If anything, acts such as this will make it easier for events like this to be held on closed roads, and I'm sure that the angry yokels wouldn't be very happy about that.

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Tony | 9 years ago
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The problem is that when culprits have been caught in the past, such as in the Scottish case a few years ago, the Courts let them off very lightly. What it needs is a concerted effort to find the perpetrator and a jail sentence that is widely publicised in the media "pour encourager les autres"

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MaxP | 9 years ago
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No one is going all out to catch the culprit and no one ever will. It will be a wast of money.

I thank there is the usual amount of media exaggeration with this story 'Tacks painted black'! More likely 'Black tacks were purchased'

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gazza_d | 9 years ago
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The fact the pins were painted black and scattered at a point on the course which would be known to be fast (rather than a relatively slow, flat, straight section) indicates a premeditated desire to cause harm, and posibly serious injury or worse.

Thankfully noone was injured. Hope they are found and dealt with appropriately

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BikeBud | 9 years ago
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Well done to the organisers for their quick responses.

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Frannybobs | 9 years ago
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There is a frightening amount of vitriol towards cyclists which I have felt a couple of times with vehicles deliberately driving at me, and I'm sure have others. I will never understand such hatred towards people you do not know and have never met.

The general abuse out of windows etc is a little more common but the vitriol is thankfully only a horrid minority - the person who spread these tacks meant to cause harm and clearly has some sort of either destructive nature or a vendetta against cyclists...they need to be found.

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Rich71 | 9 years ago
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Plenty of lowlife ignoramus scum in the valleys,lost count the amount of times ive been screamed at through the windows of these vermin and had punishment passes
Id have no objection to Isis going up there and dispatching these filth to the grave where they belong,inhuman parasite shite,worse than cockroaches

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ljmilo replied to Rich71 | 9 years ago
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Manmachine - What a pompous and moronic thing to say.

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Spangly Shiny replied to Rich71 | 9 years ago
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Rich71 wrote:

Id have no objection to Isis going up there and dispatching these filth to the grave

Be mindful of what you wish for Mr Rich

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manmachine | 9 years ago
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...."mindless Idiot" ?

Uh, no. Deviant, nefarious criminal. Let's not provide an excuse for this no good piece of shit, who's intent was to harm or even potentially kill cyclists.

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mrchrispy | 9 years ago
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the police need to take this very seriously indeed.
it should be possible to narrow it down to a number of suspects. it'll be an angry fat retiree

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mrmo | 9 years ago
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Thinking about it, how different is this to the age old stretched wire across paths? And what do the police ever seem to do about that?

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steviewevie | 9 years ago
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Nice video.

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Simmo72 | 9 years ago
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What next? Bear traps painted black for the upcoming children's fun run. Lets hope it is taken seriously and the culprits named, shamed and preferably, whipped.

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Leodis | 9 years ago
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Maybe it was the 1st group through  38

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zanf | 9 years ago
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I disagree with Jamie Rowlands comment that this was carried out by a 'mindless idiot'.

It was calculated to cause as much injury as possible: the pins were painted black and were planted on a descent on which riders were reaching high speeds.

It is by sheer luck that there were no injuries

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