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Velothon Wales 2015 routeCyclist crashes as tacks sprinkled on Velothon Wales route - but others praise local support
A cyclist taking part in today’s inaugural Velothon Wales suffered cuts and bruises after crashing at 35 miles per hour when tacks were sprinkled on the road in two locations. Most of the 15,000 participants, however, enjoyed the day, with some tweeting their appreciation of the level of support shown by locals.
It’s the second time a mass participation event in Wales has been targeted in such a fashion within the past two years, with a similar incident happening on the Etape Cymru in September 2013.
In a statement reported by the South Wales Evening Post, event director Andy Taylor commented: "We can confirm that a small amount of tacks were discovered at around 9.30am on isolated sections of the route at Belmont Road in Caerleon and 10.02am at High Street/New Road in Caerphilly.
"Fortunately, no accidents or injuries were caused and the affected areas were cleared within a few minutes."
Despite that statement, at least one cyclist was injured, however - Islington CC member, Sustrans press officer and Cardiff native Alec James, who tweeted a picture of himself after receiving treatment following a crash caused after he ran over a tack.
Down but not out. @IslingtonCC 35mph downhill crash due to pins on road #velothonwales #cycling pic.twitter.com/TPsXZW98m2
— Alec James (@AEWJ) June 14, 2015
One participant, Derek Goode, said: “There were around 30 guys that had punctures after tacks were thrown across the road at the top of the hill coming into Caerleon.
"We've raised more than £800 for charity by getting up on a Sunday morning and someone goes and does that.
"It's disgusting and I don't see the point.
"They're just ruining it for the rest of us."
As we reported earlier this month, there had been some local opposition to today’s closed road event which was accompanied by a professional race won by Martin Mortensen of Cult Energy.
Critics included owners of businesses along the route who were worried that trade would be affected, and the First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, criticised the event organisers’ communications strategy.
However, a number of people who took part in today’s event tweeted their congratulations to the organisers afterwards with one, Luke Dix, calling it “the best event I have ever done thank you.”
Another, Sam Mason, said: “Wonderful ride, great route and amazing local support. Anthem at the start gave me goosebumps. Be proud.”
And a tweet from Cardiff-based town planning and urban design consultancy read: “15,000 people seeing our region at its very best today @VelothonWales a great ride, but the support along the route was the real showcase.”
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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61 comments
I've thought about whether to post this and I have to really...one thing that really annoyed me was the two riders from a prominent local club riding the event 'guerrilla'. No numbers bike or shirts...joined by a third castelli man...similarly shorn of numbers...full team kit too
The best cycle event I've taken part in. Thank you for the organisers coming up with it, it seemed pricey, but the difference closed roads makes is worth it. Imagine driving your car on a 15 lane motorway with no speed restriction ... where you could just go flat out, taking the corners 'properly' - that's what it was like for me starting way near the back of the pack and working my way up through it (21mph average). I was worried there would be a lot of congestion, but everyone was well behaved, keeping to their lines, moving over when you made them aware you were coming through, no trouble at all. And the crowds were fantastic, I could do an event like this again every month if possible, as it is, will have to hope to get an entry again next year, and look forward to it even more than this one.
I thought the route was great and the support from the locals was brilliant. But there weren't enough feed stations - more stations would have meant that you didn't need to stop at the few there were and they wouldn't have been so stupidly busy. The one I stopped at (The Tumble) was also poorly stocked. Registration was also a shambles with no-one to tell riders where to go.
Hello
I did the ride on Sunday...it was epic. I had a number of mechanicals which sort of ruined the ride a bit but thanks to Mr Tanned Halfords Service Dude I was on my way fairly quickly after the last chain related cock up - the last of many. It was like being a really really really slow pro...
I want to reiterate that it was a great day, rather humbling that so many people came out to cheer, clap and rattle saucepans and were still making noise when I came through pretty much at the back. I could moan that the first food stop was shorn of scran by the time I got there but...well...I was at the back what did I expect. The others were better, the signage was brilliant, the organisation at the start was startlingly good...the route - meh...
Yeah, we went up the tumble, yeah we did 'Filty but, iesu mawr that bit in between was interminably dull...dull dull dull dull...would far rathered to do smaller roads than dual carriageways...
All in all, yay...thumbs up from Cardiff...will be back next year riding in my eldest's wake no doubt
I couldn't believe all the local support as I cycled the Velothon. Lot's of people of all ages, shouting support, ringing bells and making a right racket. Call me a softie, but I was really moved by it all!
One of the best bits was cycling up Caerphilly Hill and cycling next to a guy who suddenly burst into song about the "Men from Cornwall". Made all the spectators laugh as well!
As someone else has already commented, we shouldn't let a few idiots get all the attention and deflect from a great event (hope the Police catch them though)
Wonder how seriously plod would take it if I were to creep out and scattered nails or carpet gripper strips outside the local supermarket, pub or garden centre for next weekend?
Or police station car park?
I think this is the guy I went past going down near Blaenavon. Looked pretty serious lying on the floor with oxygen. 35 mph was about right for that section.
However, there was no suggestion of tacks there. The only place was much further back before the Tumble with 2 sections of about 100m each outside the Celtic Manor golf club.
Unless this is a different casualty, in which case I doubt he would have been able to have been going 35 mph through where the tacks were as it was a fairly steep climb.
Just to say, this was the most fun I've ever had. Bit disorganised at the feed stops and registration but the rest was simply sublime. The locals and volunteers and (most of) the cyclists did themselves proud. Caerphilly especially put on a great show for us. Lots of shouts from locals such as 'welcome to LLanellen' as we went past their houses.
If you like riding a bike, this is a must for next year.
I am a Caerphilly resident and everyone I came into contact with really loved the event, said they never seen anything like it in their lives. They were in awe of you, as I was.
The local MP Wayne David, doesn't want the event back in Caerphilly next year but I have already e-mailed him as I would suggest others do.
Don't worry though he is full of hot air - hope to see you all again next year!!
What's his reason for not wanting it?
From the Caerphilly Observer:
Mr David, who lives in Caerphilly, has said that the disruption caused to local people was huge and little, if any, benefit had been brought to the area.
The Labour MP said: For the people of Caerphilly, yesterday was a nightmare. Roads were closed, sometimes before the time on the advertised schedules, and information about the Velothon road closures were not widely distributed.
“I have had hundreds of people complaining to me about how the Velothon caused huge disruption and near chaos.
“While I appreciate that the Velothon might be good for Wales and a lot of money for charity has been raised, I very much hope that the Velothon will not include Caerphilly in future.”
What a fool eh?
He probably means he was late getting to the golf club.
The Labour MP said: For the people of Caerphilly, yesterday was a nightmare. Roads were closed, sometimes before the time on the advertised schedules, and information about the Velothon road closures were not widely distributed.
“While I appreciate that the Velothon might be good for Wales and a lot of money for charity has been raised, I very much hope that the Velothon will not include Caerphilly in future.”
Mr.David:- Try googling Most Deprived Area in Wales, guess where it is?? Answer:- Caerphilly- I'm not a great follower of politics but it's been your watch for about 14 years. So whatever you've been politicking, it hasn't worked . When a major event comes along try and be a bit imaginative and get involved and grasp the opportunity, instead of bellyaching that "nobody told me". Reminds me of the Spike Milligan epitaph, "I told you I was ill". I didn't do this event but I will be next year, especially after all the positive comments. Does seem though that the majority of the Gwent Valleys had a good time. So before you stick your meddling oar in to drive the event away, try a bit of accommodating rather than prohibiting.
@dirk1978 I did the Velothon on Sunday, and I agree with you. It was a brilliant event. Everyone, *everyone*, was having a great time. The spectators were brilliant, definitely helped me up the last bit of Caerphilly mountain. Thanks !
I seriously doubt that Wayne David actually had "several hundred letters of complaint". He's an attention seeking fool if he doesn't want the ride back in Caerphilly next year.
http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/13331317.Cars_tyres__punctured_by_...
I took part yesterday and it was absolutely fantastic! The fastest ride i've ever managed with a 19.9mph average - plus top 100 for the tumble KOM! the roads were lovely, the crowds lining the whole route fabulous and the marshaling very professional.
I was held up for about 15 mins with the first problem of tacks on the road - hope the guys injured and their bikes are fine. I's a pity the tiniest minority caused any problems because the MASSIVE majority were simply superb. After the race I think my mouth ached more than my legs with all the smiling at the spectators!
Well done the people of South Wales - amazing!!
Agreed 100%! Was a great event, and the spectators were awesome! Shame all of the headlines are taken by one (?) person. Hope the injured are all ok, but thanks to everyone who came out and supported the cyclists.
I totally agree with this. Excellent course and enthusiastic support just about the whole way
as the Beastie Boys would say 'I'm tellin' y'all it's sabotage'!
I'd suggest that scare and disruptive tactics like chucking tacks down should be treat as terrorism basically.
If they find the perpetrators, then a few days questioning as terrorists should scare the shite out them more than the risk of a fine or short jail sentence
It's probably not premeditated murder because they didn't target a particular person, but it certainly fulfils the criteria for terrorism in many ways. I suspect the police will say there is nothing they can do, which up to a point is true. That said, if an anonymous someone a threw a grenade at a random group of cyclists, with the same low level of injuries, and the same lack of evidence, they would nevertheless be taking it seriously and following it up. Whilst the authorities allow people to think they can get away with hate-crimes against cyclists, they won't change their ways
Terrorism is commonly defined as violent acts (or the threat of violent acts) intended to create fear, perpetrated for an economic, religious, political, or ideological goal, and which deliberately target or disregard the safety of civilians.
On a more positive note, I was very positively surprised by the amount of locals in every village the event passed through who came out to support it. Children, parents, the elderly, were all there, some in chairs for the long haul, cheering as I went past. And if they cheered Mr Nobody me, I'm pretty sure they cheered the thousand before and after me as well. Some even made banners andgot their cow bells out. I wonder whether the people who have been complaining so bitterly over the "loss of their roads" bothered to find out whether their views really represented the majority as they claimed. The people of Wales in the region we rode through were simply amazing in their support - brought tears to a cynic's eyes
The South Wales Argus reported that "AROUND five cars are reported to have had their tyres punctured this morning by tacks on the road on the Velothon route at Goytre this morning. The stretch of road affected is the A4042 between Abergavenny and Pontypool at Goytre near Nantyderry and was part of the Velothon route. "
I'd like to think that one of them was whatever f**kwit put the tacks out in the first place, but I suspect the universe doesn't have such a good sense of irony...
Well, now the police might bother their arses to do something.
Joe In Poole, tacks on the road have brought down professional cyclists in the past, would you like to try and condescend them as well?
Don't be ridiculous. Comparing pro-cyclists in a race to fat blokes on a sportive is like comparing F1 drivers to normal motorists on the shopping run.
I'm still struggling to believe that a slow puncture from a tack can cause a sudden catastrophic failure, without any warning at all, that manifests itself as a crash at 35mph. Maybe a lack of skill, judgement and experience of the rider was the primary reason ... even if a puncture from a tack actually happened to be involved at all.
Sounds to me, from the 'cycling media build-up' ... whatever happened on that ride ... was *always* going to be down to 'saboteurs'. You could probably have written the 'tack story' before the event. A dodgy journalist could have even made sure "it happened".
I know this website is pro-cycling, as indeed am I, but sometimes you have to take the basic report with a pretty major sack of salt.
It all starts to make sense now. Of course, it was all our fault.
FFS man, go listen to yourself.
+1
I'll make sure I tell my riding-mate that the tack he got in his wheel was imaginery.
Still it's the bizarre mis-use of inverted commas that will really wind him up.
I got a flat as I was making good headway up the Tumble and guess what caused the puncture? In this case it was a drawing pin, which bears several similarities to a 'tack'. Not imaginary at all. I hope the fucker that spread these items on the roads gets what he (or she) deserves.
I'll add my voice to the chorus that is singing the praises of this event. Great event, fantastic camaraderie amongst the cyclists and phenomenal support from the wonderful locals who lined the route--thanks to you all!
Your answer is just laughable. Clearly you have never had a blow out at speed due to a cut tyre or sudden loss of air in your tube...believe me this does happen from tacs aswell, its not always a slow puncture as you put it. So with all the respect I can barely show you, shut up
I once had a tyre blow out on me, when I was doing about 15mph on the flat. I pretty much pooped my shorts. I dread to think what could have happened if I'd been going faster or descending.
Ah, right, now I understand where you are coming from.
In future, in order to save me a bit of time when reading your posts if you could just type the word "Wibble" that would be dandy.
Attempted murder?
Just sprinle some tacks on a known dog walking area and watch the police's associated manhunt! We know who has all the rights and who are treated like animals!
Tacks go through car tyres too so next time you're driving your family to through Wales, perhaps on holiday, just think how safe the people there want your family to be!
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