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Details of man knocked off bike in road rage attack shared over 12,000 times on Facebook

"Maniac" in Range Rover knocks Derbyshire man off bike, police still seeking witnesses...

Derbyshire Constabulary are investigating an incident on Sunday August 11 in which cyclist Mark Canning says he was deliberately knocked off his bike by the driver of a green Range Rover.

Mr Canning sustained a broken hand and serious damage to his bike, but it could easily have been far worse.

He gave his own account of the crash on his wife Elise’s Facebook page. Her picture of him in hospital and appeal for help finding the driver has been shared over 12,000 times.

Mr Canning writes: “On Sunday 11August at approx 11.30 am I was deliberately knocked off my bike by a man driving an old green Range Rover on the A6 near Whatstandwell, between Cromford and Amber Gate.

“The driver took objection to me shaking my head at him in his mirror after he pulled out in front of me, just before Whatstandwell Bridge, causing me to break heavily to avoid hitting him.

“After twice getting out of the car to run at me across the road he decided to use the vehicle to hit me rather than his fists.”

He told the BBC: “At this point I thought, ‘This guy is a maniac, I need to get off the road.’ I was thinking about a lay-by a bit further down where there’s a burger van and quite often bikers, to try and get in there for a bit of assistance.

“But, before I knew it I’ve been knocked off, he has clipped me from the side.

“I have suffered multiple road rash, bruised shoulder and sternum and a broken hand, as well as £400 of damage to my bike.”

The driver is described as “of a large build and in his late 50s/60s with grey hair, there was also a woman in the car at the time with grey hair.”

Elise Canning said on her Facebook page: “Someone out there must know the person who did this to my husband.

“This road rage was a deliberate and malicious attack. The man who did this was not going to stop until he did my husband damage. Please if you know anything contact Derbyshire Police asking for P.C. Stuart.”

John has been writing about bikes and cycling for over 30 years since discovering that people were mug enough to pay him for it rather than expecting him to do an honest day's work.

He was heavily involved in the mountain bike boom of the late 1980s as a racer, team manager and race promoter, and that led to writing for Mountain Biking UK magazine shortly after its inception. He got the gig by phoning up the editor and telling him the magazine was rubbish and he could do better. Rather than telling him to get lost, MBUK editor Tym Manley called John’s bluff and the rest is history.

Since then he has worked on MTB Pro magazine and was editor of Maximum Mountain Bike and Australian Mountain Bike magazines, before switching to the web in 2000 to work for CyclingNews.com. Along with road.cc founder Tony Farrelly, John was on the launch team for BikeRadar.com and subsequently became editor in chief of Future Publishing’s group of cycling magazines and websites, including Cycling Plus, MBUK, What Mountain Bike and Procycling.

John has also written for Cyclist magazine, edited the BikeMagic website and was founding editor of TotalWomensCycling.com before handing over to someone far more representative of the site's main audience.

He joined road.cc in 2013. He lives in Cambridge where the lack of hills is more than made up for by the headwinds.

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24 comments

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hood | 10 years ago
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sorry to hear of this awful attack, hope it doesnt put Mark off cycling.

if i got rammed every time i shock my head at a drivers bad driving in london i'd be dead by now!

i wont hold my breath about catching th guy and giving him a meaningful sentence, as from seeing other video footage on cycling forums it is my understanding even with hard evidence drivers normally get let off. but i will keep my fingers crossed the driver is at least found...

Mark - get well soon

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stefv | 10 years ago
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I had a range rover driver take the time to inform me that there was a cycle lane next to the road (by inform, I mean pull in close alongside me and shout 'Cycle Lane!' with an angry look on his face. Dick.

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Matt_S replied to stefv | 10 years ago
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mckechan wrote:

I had a range rover driver take the time to inform me that there was a cycle lane next to the road (by inform, I mean pull in close alongside me and shout 'Cycle Lane!' with an angry look on his face. Dick.

By that 'logic', surely the Range Rover shouldn't be on the road either.  7  39  26

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stefv replied to Matt_S | 10 years ago
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Matt_S wrote:

[
By that 'logic', surely the Range Rover shouldn't be on the road either.  7  39  26

Ha ha true, I wish I had the quick-wit to shout "FIELD" at him. I did shake my head-though, which is all Mark did in this case. Crazy.

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graphite | 10 years ago
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TBH I think that in cases where a car is used as a weapon then the charge should be attempted murder. I mean, if you deliberately run someone over in a car it's total luck whether you kill them or not.

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NeilXDavis | 10 years ago
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Just the words Range Rover make me cringe...always seem to drive just that bit too close to me on the bike...

Really hope they find the idiot driving it.

As Matt_S says it should be a requirement to have 'CUNT' tattooed on ones forehead prior to purchasing one.

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a.jumper | 10 years ago
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I do a bit more than shake my head. Think Cav just after he's been cut off from a sprint. Well if I'm going to risk them stopping to accost me, I might as well make them think I'm volatile! I also usually have a handlebar camera.

Yes, it's condescending, but someone's got to challenge bad driving before they T- bone someone or worse and the traffic police are too busy with non- issues like ticketing cyclists who ride to parking spaces in ped zones.

I hope this chap's back on his bike soon and his attacker is punished.

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timothy | 10 years ago
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its Derbyshire Police, there track record on reacting to being purposefully shoved of a bike is poor in my personal experience.

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Matt_S | 10 years ago
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Save money on a Range Rover as a statement of your personal status by simply having "CUNT" tattooed on your forehead.

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Critchio | 10 years ago
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Theres a good chance the vehicle driver is local. A check on the police database for registered green range rovers of an old age should create a manageable list. These records also show insurance details and sometimes the policy holders date of birth, which will narrow down the search further. If you get suspects from that then it may go to ID procedures. There's lots that can be done to identify the driver and it usually pays off, it just takes time.

Speedy recovery.

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toothache90 | 10 years ago
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wouldn't hold my breath, the CPS are bunch of idiots. They wouldn't know the term 'prosecution' if it hit them in the face.

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Whirlio | 10 years ago
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Feel terrible for this poor cyclist.

Focussing on the head shake - it is extremely condescending and irritating to receive if I'm honest, and I try to avoid it as it only ever escalates a situation. Not that it deserves being run down by a 4x4, but we all use it in a way that can be seen but not easily responded too. I've had it from someone who rolled up next to me at an ASB and saw I was wearing tracksuit bottoms in the January snow rather than proper cycling tights. It was totally unnecessary and I was instantly happy to think of the guy as a complete knob. To do it to a 4x4 who's already driving badly is only going to make the driver angrier. Again I'm focussing on the the head-shake in general rather than for this specific circumstance where the driver's action is wild and criminal.

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pepita1 | 10 years ago
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No registration number for the vehicle?

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Carl | 10 years ago
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BCSD. Big Car, Small Dick.

Get well soon, Mark.

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fullers1979 | 10 years ago
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From experience possible offences would be dangerous/careless driving along with abh (due to the level of injuries). The police will try and charge with the most severe offences however the decision on charging is down to the CPS, who are (contrary to popular opinion) nothing to do with the police. If they decide there is enough evidence, the punishment he will receive will be down to any admission of guilt or lack of and previous criminal history. The magistrates (most likely) can only imprison up to 6 months if they feel a more severe sentence is necessary they will pass it over to the Crown court and a judge will decide.
Incidentally there is no such thing as an accessory to an assault in England. That is an offence in the American justice system.
Oh and just to add my personal thoughts I hope he gets found soon and meets a judge who just so happens to own a bike!

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cat1commuter | 10 years ago
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Hmm, shaking my head is currently my favourite way to react to poor driving. Strange how touchy some of these drivers are. It's as if criticising someone's driving is the worst possible insult!

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cisgil23 | 10 years ago
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Unless the woman comes forward, she should also be done as an accessory.

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Bez | 10 years ago
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Surely voluntary GBH is the minimum that should be applied here. Let's see, eh?

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NickK123 | 10 years ago
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Absolutely appalling and my positive thoughts are with Mark Canning. Shouldn't be that difficult for the Police to find the driver!

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Myriadgreen | 10 years ago
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And once they get him? How much will the paltry fine be? God forbid he gets convicted of assault or similar.

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Vili Er | 10 years ago
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He’s going to be a nightmare to track down. The vast majority of Range Rover drivers are fat middle aged men. The rest are orange women.

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blago replied to Vili Er | 10 years ago
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iamelectron wrote:

He’s going to be a nightmare to track down. The vast majority of Range Rover drivers are fat middle aged men. The rest are orange women.

You forgot about footballers  3

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thereverent | 10 years ago
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Hope they find the Range Rover driver, he sound like he shouldn't be driving.

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zanf replied to thereverent | 10 years ago
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thereverent wrote:

Hope they find the Range Rover driver, he sound like he shouldn't be driving.

Shouldn't have liberty more like.

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