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“Be patient,” says Olympic champion Elinor Barker after being knocked off bike last monthElinor Barker (Picture by Alex Whitehead, SWpix.com)

“Be patient,” says Olympic champion Elinor Barker after being knocked off bike last month

GB team pursuit gold medallist will be heading to Tokyo
by Simon_MacMichael
Mon, May 31, 2021 19:57
6

Olympic champion Elinor Barker, who was knocked off her bike last month by a hit and run driver, has urged motorists to “be patient” around cyclists.

The 26 year old from Wales, who won gold in the team pursuit at Rio 2016 and hopes to repeat that success this summer, had been training in Manchester when the crash happened, reports Wales Online.

Police have been unable to trace the driver and speaking this week as she collected Team GB kit in Birmingham ahead of the Olympics, Barker said: "I did not get any information on the car whatsoever.

"It happened really quickly. So nothing has happened to the driver. Unfortunately it is part of being on the road.

“We all know the risks we take when we go out training.”

Reflecting on the incident, she said: “Oh my God. I was unbelievably lucky, no doubt about that. I would say to car drivers just to have a bit of patience, imagine it is someone you love who is holding you up for 10 or 20 seconds.

“"I find it very hard to think about that person who hit me,” continued Barker, who missed five days of training following the collision.

“They were thinking they did not have time to stop on the way to work. That was nothing to do with me, it was not my fault, it was just because they did not give themselves another five minutes.

“So my message would be, just to be considerate really.”

She added: “I was a bit nervous, it was a car which pulled out at the roundabout. Now I look to the left much more than I did before. It has definitely affected me, but you have to get back into it.”

Following the crash, Barker said on Instagram: “Seriously, waiting TWO SECONDS to check for a cyclist won’t hurt you. Not waiting might hurt somebody else.”

> Elinor Barker 'relieved' to be training again after being hit by driver

elinor barker
Simon MacMichael

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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6 comments

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Global Nomad | 3 years ago
1 like

having been in collision with a car whose driver pulled out from a side road and being in hospital for 4 days after an operation to fix a finger, 4 weeks later I am being patient with my recovery and my inability to ride. Yes it could have been much worse and yes the driver didnt look properly....sounds like Elinor was fortunate that the incident wasnt worse but patience is only a small part of the problem

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Captain Badger replied to Global Nomad | 3 years ago
3 likes

Global Nomad wrote:

having been in collision with a car whose driver pulled out from a side road and being in hospital for 4 days after an operation to fix a finger, 4 weeks later I am being patient with my recovery and my inability to ride. Yes it could have been much worse and yes the driver didnt look properly....sounds like Elinor was fortunate that the incident wasnt worse but patience is only a small part of the problem

All the best in your recovery Global, hope you're back on your bike soon!

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Global Nomad replied to Captain Badger | 3 years ago
1 like

thanks Captain

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Velophaart_95 replied to Global Nomad | 3 years ago
2 likes

Global Nomad wrote:

having been in collision with a car whose driver pulled out from a side road and being in hospital for 4 days after an operation to fix a finger, 4 weeks later I am being patient with my recovery and my inability to ride. Yes it could have been much worse and yes the driver didnt look properly....sounds like Elinor was fortunate that the incident wasnt worse but patience is only a small part of the problem

I'm sure that is what happened to the late Michele Scarponi......driver didn't look. It doesn't matter if you're a top pro, or commuter/enthusiast.....we're all vulnerable to drivers not showing enough awareness.

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Rome73 | 3 years ago
9 likes

"patience, imagine it is someone you love who is holding you up for 10 or 20 seconds" 

you were not 'holding them up'. You had priority if you were already on the roundabout. The issue is other road users who think they have priority over cyclists simply because the cyclist is, well, on a cycle. 

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DoomeFrog replied to Rome73 | 3 years ago
4 likes

It's not just cyclist they ignore. I have twice recently had people ignoring give way to the right at mini roundabouts whilst in my car.

One a van driver even stopped to remonstrate with me despite the fact I had clear right of way turning right and it was only that I was watching him from my left that I didn't get t-boned.

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