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Update: Police in Derbyshire identify cyclist killed in collision with motorcyclists on Sunday

Man aged in his 30s was riding Giant road bike with carbon frame and tri bars

Derbyshire Constabulary have today named the cyclist killed in a collision on Sunday with two motorcycles, one of whose riders also died, as Matthew Hook, aged 28, from Sheffield. The fatal incident took place just before 1pm on the A621 road near the Owler Bar roundabout on the edge of the Peak District National Park.

Police aked for  the public’s help in identifying the male cyclist. An initial appeal from police described the cyclist as aged between 20 and 30 and with “short dark brown/black hair, blue eyes and had short facial hair.” It added that he had been riding a bike with a carbon fibre frame and fitted with tri bars.

Speaking at Chesterfield Coroner’s Court yesterday, PC Andrew Prince of Derbyshire Constabulary provided further details, saying that the bike in question was a Giant road bike and that the cyclist was aged in his 30s. The motorcyclist who died in the incident was named as Kim Broomhead from Sheffield.

According to the Derbyshire Times, PC Prince added that the cyclist had been wearing a navy blue cycling top with the Kalenji brand name, dark blue cycling shorts with white panels bearing the Gordon & Smith name, and a blue and white cycle helmet.

Although Mr Hook has now been identified, police have also issued an appeal for witnesses to the incident itself, or who saw the motorcyclists or cyclist prior to it happening, so If you have any information, please contact Derbyshire Constabulary’s collision investigation team on 0345 123 3333.

No specific details of the circumstances that led to the fatal collision have yet been provided, but as we reported on road.cc last year, a report from EuroRAP and the Road Safety Foundation identified the A621 as the third most dangerous road in Britain in terms of accidents involving motorcyclists, and half of the top ten list were in and around the Peak District National Park.

One factor though by road safety campaigners to be behind that is what Lee Murphy, Manager of the Cheshire Safer Roads Partnership, described last year as an appeal to the "challenge mentality" among some motorcyclists when it came to riding on roads such as the A537 Cat & Fiddle, which the survey had identified as Britain's most dangerous road.

Mr Murphy told BBC News: "The Cat & Fiddle does have a bit of a challenge mentality, and a minority do try to ride it as fast as they can." 

Indeed, a cyclist who arrived on the scene of Sunday's incident later posted to the CTC Forum of having spoken to an eyewitness whose account suggests that the speed of the mtorcyclist may have been a significant factor behind it.

The tragic case also highlights the indispensability of carrying ID with you while out riding, whether in the form of one of the purpose-made bracelets available from the likes of Road ID and SporstTagID, or at least something in your jersey pocket that can tell the emergency services who you are and who should be contacted in the event of your becoming involved in an incident.
 

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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8 comments

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MCLK | 12 years ago
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Very sad news, indeed. I cycled past there on Saturday and Monday and was completely unaware of what had happened. My thoughts go out to the families of those involved.

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YIKES ID | 12 years ago
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an incredibly sad story. Our condolences go out to each rider's families and friends.

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armitage shanks | 12 years ago
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This is terrible news. Anyone who cycles through Owler Bar regularly, as I do, will tell you that it is a haunt for wannabe Barry Sheenes, who race the bends there with no regard for other road users. And then there are the signs that say 'Think Bike', when some motorbike riders are thinking of no one but themselves!! If they want those kind of thrills go and hire some time on a proper racing track...  2

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bazzargh | 12 years ago
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The linked Derbyshire Times article has been updated - the cyclist has been identified, as Matthew Hook, 28, from Sheffield City Centre.

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Simon_MacMichael | 12 years ago
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Crazy-legs - Thanks for the info, I've updated the article with a link to the post on the CTC Forum, plus as reported in an article here last year, the A621 has been identified as having a particularly high rate of fatal/serious incidents involving motorcycles.

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crazy-legs | 12 years ago
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More news on it here:
http://www.derbymercury.org.uk/forummenu/general-chat/12495-accident-in-...
including a witness account.

Sad news.  2

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bikeandy61 | 12 years ago
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Yes very sad, the same would probably true of me if I was riding solo except that I always take something. If I don't take my wallet then I always put my debit card and drivers license in a bag in my pocket.

Hope they find out who it is soon.

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stewieatb | 12 years ago
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So sad  2 Seeing as he hasn't been reported missing, I guess he lives alone, so he might not be missed for days  2

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