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“Unacceptable” – police condemn Staffordshire cyclist filmed taking 30mph tow uphill from car (+ link to video)

Dashcam footage showed vehicles travelling in opposite direction narrowly missing rider

 

Police have condemned the behaviour of a cyclist filmed in Staffordshire seen taking a tow uphill from a car – and that of the driver of the vehicle – as “unacceptable” after footage of the episode was sent to a local newspaper.

It’s something we’d expect to report on more in the context of a pro cyclist getting illegal assistance from his team car – remember Vincenzo Nibali getting kicked off the Vuelta a couple of years ago? – but this incident happened on a road between Tutbury and Burton-on-Trent.

> Video: Vincenzo Nibali thrown off Vuelta after being towed by team car

The Burton Mail says it was sent dashcam footage by Porsche Cayenne owner Eric Dowding, who had been following the cyclist when he saw him grab onto the car on the driver’s side, with vehicles coming in the opposite direction, including an ambulance, narrowly missing him.

Mr Dowding, who said he was travelling at around 30mph, told the newspaper: "I went to pick my lad up from Beavers, and as I was coming back I noticed there was a cyclist slap bang in the middle of the road and I couldn't quite understand why.

"Then it looked as though there was a car trying to undertake him, and the next thing he took hold of the vehicle and they were travelling up the hill.

"It was wobbling all over the place, on every pot-hole, and it was a road bike so it had very skinny tyres and he was just wearing Lycra.

"I think it's just ridiculous, absolutely bonkers.”

He added: "I can only imagine that they did know each other. The driver's window was open, so I can't imagine he would just say 'here mate just hang onto my car' if he didn't know him.

“So I think they know each other, and he's given him a lift up the hill."

A spokesman for Staffordshire Police told the Burton Mail: "Such behaviour on our roads is illegal, and unacceptable.

"Both driver and cyclist have a responsibility to act safely on the road to ensure their own safety and that of other road users.

"We will not tolerate such dangerous behaviour and would urge anyone who witnesses such activity to report it immediately, providing as much detail about the car and cyclist as possible," he added.

As far as we are aware, Staffordshire Police are not among the forces that have adopted the widely acclaimed close pass initiative originally launched by West Midlands Police last year.

However, in February they did retweet a road.cc story on the subject, asking whether they should adopt it – with some predictable responses from non-cyclists ensuing.

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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28 comments

Avatar
alansmurphy | 6 years ago
0 likes

Shucks JR, I wanted a full wheel by wheel playback of your epic riding like a boss cool as smashathon...

 

I rode 2 miles, pretty slowly, didn't even boss the big ring!

Avatar
surly_by_name | 6 years ago
1 like

Agree with sentiment that this is all a bit of a yawn/not really newsworthy, albeit potentially dumb/unsafe for individual doing holding on.

There's a lot of "commuting like a boss" this morning. Must have been a good trip in.

Avatar
ConcordeCX replied to surly_by_name | 6 years ago
5 likes
surly_by_name wrote:

Agree with sentiment that this is all a bit of a yawn/not really newsworthy, albeit potentially dumb/unsafe for individual doing holding on.

There's a lot of "commuting like a boss" this morning. Must have been a good trip in.

my boss drives to work

Avatar
CXR94Di2 | 6 years ago
2 likes

I dont condone the cyclists method of hill climbing but the newspaper article is trying to emmulate the Express/Dailymail or Sun.  "Narrowly avoiding an ambulance"--it was parked on the other side of the road.  Hahahahahaha

 

 

Avatar
Leviathan | 6 years ago
5 likes

Absolute madness; 30 second ad to watch a 66 second video. Shocking.

Avatar
The _Kaner | 6 years ago
4 likes

I do hope that Eric, in his capacity as "safety officer for the world(tm)" uploads all the unsafe driving acts he no doubt encounters on his daily patrol in his Porsche Cayenne. mmmmk?

Avatar
burtthebike replied to The _Kaner | 6 years ago
2 likes
The _Kaner wrote:

I do hope that Eric, in his capacity as "safety officer for the world(tm)" uploads all the unsafe driving acts he no doubt encounters on his daily patrol in his Porsche Cayenne. mmmmk?

In my experience of Porsche Cayenne drivers, he would have to turn the cam around and film himself.

Avatar
madcarew | 6 years ago
1 like

Didn't look that wobbly...

 

Avatar
scouser_andy | 6 years ago
4 likes

Stupid? Yes.

Dangerous? It is to the man on the bike himself.

More outragous than countless closs passes/cutting up/driving whilst using a phone/not using indicators - all of which I see on a daily basis? Not in a million years.

 

Whilst it was a stupidly dumb thing to do, I don't get the outrage from our mate Eric. If he's that concerned about cycle safety, I'm guessing I'll see him at the next die-in protest.

 

Thought not.

Avatar
Podc | 6 years ago
4 likes

Love how Eric spots the "ridiculous, absolutely bonkers" behaviour and drops back and keeps his distance in case anything went wrong, rather than accelerating up behind and following closely....  

Avatar
Stef Marazzi | 6 years ago
2 likes

Looking on Facebook, Porsche Cayenne Owner, Eric Dowding, seems to be a Mountain biker. Maybe he just hates roadies and their "very skinny tyres".

Avatar
DrG82 | 6 years ago
4 likes

Quick, someone report him for that KOM on strava.

 

Avatar
Mackadoo | 6 years ago
4 likes
Quote:

Porsche Cayenne owner Eric Dowding

Eric must be do embarrassed they told everyone what type of car he drove.

 

 

Avatar
CygnusX1 replied to Mackadoo | 6 years ago
1 like
Mackadoo wrote:
Quote:

Porsche Cayenne owner Eric Dowding

Eric must be do embarrassed they told everyone what type of car he drove.

Yes, the poor fella can't afford a 911.

Avatar
P3t3 | 6 years ago
6 likes

Seriously, this looks fine.  Probably not everyday, but as a one off, its fine.  

 

I mean...

Driver does something reckless; nearly hits/kills cyclits: nobody died, no case to answer

Driver hits and kills cyclist:  Oopsie, but we will call it careless and no you don't need to go to prison

Cyclist skitches a car, nobody injured:  "this is unaceptable and will not be tolerated!!!"

 

Avatar
FluffyKittenofT... | 6 years ago
9 likes

Typical anti-cyclist spin.

What's wrong with "helpful cyclist gives motorist an assist when his car struggles with gradient."?

Avatar
bendertherobot | 6 years ago
2 likes

He was only wearing lycra. But he was wearing a helmet. 

Avatar
davel | 6 years ago
14 likes

I'm also making an assumption here, but:

Eric Dowding bought a dashcam purely to film something vaguely interesting to send in to the local paper, and have his name preceded by 'Porsche Cayenne owner'.

This country.

Avatar
Gourmet Shot | 6 years ago
2 likes

I'm making some assumptions here.

The driver was complicit is this madness

The dash cam driver was able to read the number plate of the offending car

The dash cam driver passed the reg details to the police (along with his footage)

The Police visited the car drivers address and enquired who the cyclist was

The issue was resolved and the 2 idiots involved charged with the appropriate offences

Case closed?

 

Avatar
ClubSmed | 6 years ago
0 likes

What an idiot!

Highway Code:

Quote:

Rule 68

You MUST NOT...hold onto a moving vehicle or trailer

Avatar
Ush replied to ClubSmed | 6 years ago
9 likes
ClubSmed wrote:

What an idiot!

Highway Code:

Quote:

Rule 68

You MUST NOT...hold onto a moving vehicle or trailer

Yeah, whatever.  Looked perfectly controlled to me.    

 

I do get the point though that if he veered to the side, causing an oncoming motorist to spill hot coffee onto her lap and then in agony accidentally tweet "it's over" to her lover who works at the nuclear missile launch site then we could all end up dead, just because of that cyclist, who is typical of them all.

 

Meanwhile, did you see that nice little village ruined with all the ugly f****ing cars parked all over the roads, their noisy porsche engines sputtering away and shattering what should be the tranquil peace of a place to live?  No, thought not... back to outrage over "bad" cyclists.  Not like you and me.

Avatar
MarkBowll replied to Ush | 6 years ago
1 like
Ush wrote:
ClubSmed wrote:

What an idiot!

Highway Code:

Quote:

Rule 68

You MUST NOT...hold onto a moving vehicle or trailer

Yeah, whatever.  Looked perfectly controlled to me.    

 

I do get the point though that if he veered to the side, causing an oncoming motorist to spill hot coffee onto her lap and then in agony accidentally tweet "it's over" to her lover who works at the nuclear missile launch site then we could all end up dead, just because of that cyclist, who is typical of them all.

 

Meanwhile, did you see that nice little village ruined with all the ugly f****ing cars parked all over the roads, their noisy porsche engines sputtering away and shattering what should be the tranquil peace of a place to live?  No, thought not... back to outrage over "bad" cyclists.  Not like you and me.

Nice to know Horninglow is a tranquil, nice little village. Don't remember it being like that when I lived there. LMAO

 

Avatar
Ush replied to MarkBowll | 6 years ago
0 likes
MarkBowl wrote:

Nice to know Horninglow is a tranquil, nice little village. Don't remember it being like that when I lived there. LMAO

Keep chuckling arseless ... the joke's on you.  It will  never be "like that" again until the porsche drivers are drowned in the village duckpond:  http://horninglowandeton.co.uk/history-of-the-area/

Avatar
ClubSmed replied to Ush | 6 years ago
1 like
Ush wrote:
ClubSmed wrote:

What an idiot!

Highway Code:

Quote:

Rule 68

You MUST NOT...hold onto a moving vehicle or trailer

Yeah, whatever.  Looked perfectly controlled to me.    

 

I do get the point though that if he veered to the side, causing an oncoming motorist to spill hot coffee onto her lap and then in agony accidentally tweet "it's over" to her lover who works at the nuclear missile launch site then we could all end up dead, just because of that cyclist, who is typical of them all.

 

Meanwhile, did you see that nice little village ruined with all the ugly f****ing cars parked all over the roads, their noisy porsche engines sputtering away and shattering what should be the tranquil peace of a place to live?  No, thought not... back to outrage over "bad" cyclists.  Not like you and me.

I see drivers using their phones while behind the wheel and their driving seems "perfectly controlled" in the right conditions, does that make it OK to do it all the time?

 

Avatar
beezus fufoon replied to ClubSmed | 6 years ago
3 likes
ClubSmed wrote:
Ush wrote:
ClubSmed wrote:

What an idiot!

Highway Code:

Quote:

Rule 68

You MUST NOT...hold onto a moving vehicle or trailer

Yeah, whatever.  Looked perfectly controlled to me.    

 

I do get the point though that if he veered to the side, causing an oncoming motorist to spill hot coffee onto her lap and then in agony accidentally tweet "it's over" to her lover who works at the nuclear missile launch site then we could all end up dead, just because of that cyclist, who is typical of them all.

 

Meanwhile, did you see that nice little village ruined with all the ugly f****ing cars parked all over the roads, their noisy porsche engines sputtering away and shattering what should be the tranquil peace of a place to live?  No, thought not... back to outrage over "bad" cyclists.  Not like you and me.

I see drivers using their phones while behind the wheel and their driving seems "perfectly controlled" in the right conditions, does that make it OK to do it all the time?

 

if he did it all the time it would kinda defeat the object of going for a ride - maybe he's like those mountain bikers that can only go downhill?

Avatar
Bentrider replied to ClubSmed | 6 years ago
7 likes

Not that I'd recommend this method of hill climbing but I don't see the cyclist wobbling any more than usual, as far as I can see he stays entirely on his side of the centre line and the clearance between him and the ambulance is a damn sight more than many drivers allow.

Avatar
nniff replied to ClubSmed | 6 years ago
5 likes
ClubSmed wrote:

What an idiot!

Highway Code:

Quote:

Rule 68

You MUST NOT...hold onto a moving vehicle or trailer

 

Thanks for clearing that up - a sticky bottle is therefore necessary to stay on the right side of the law.

 

Avatar
dafyddp | 6 years ago
8 likes

"Vincenzo, mate! Just let the Strava segments go."

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