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“If we want to promote cycling, we have got to be responsible”: Cyclist calls for hit-and-run “MAMIL” to be “named and shamed” following head-on collision which left him unconscious

“It is particularly disappointing that he fled because we cyclists are a sociable tribe,” Adam Kelliher said following the incident in Richmond Park

A cyclist who was left unconscious following a head-on collision with a hit-and-run rider in Richmond Park has appealed to the man to turn himself in, describing his decision to flee the scene as “particularly disappointing because we cyclists are a sociable tribe”.

Adam Kelliher was treated in hospital for concussion, a cracked rib, and cuts to his hands after being struck by the cyclist while riding with a friend in the southwest London park on Bank Holiday Monday.

Following the incident, Kelliher’s wife Cathra also called for the rider to be “named and shamed” and argued that people on bikes “have got to be responsible” if cycling is to be promoted to a wider audience.

> Machete-wielding bikejacker who attacked pro cyclist in Richmond Park sentenced to 12 months

The 61-year-old cyclist, a life science entrepreneur and former BBC cameraman who also owns Taransay, the UK’s largest island without a permanent population and the setting for BBC reality series Castaway, said the rider appeared to be distracted by his bike computer and had crossed over to the wrong side of the three-metre-wide path when the collision occurred.

“He seemed to me to be a normal MAMIL,” Kelliher, who says he only remembers “glimpses” of the incident, told the Times.

“He seemed to be concentrating on his timing and keeping up his speed. He hit me head-on. I am quite a big guy and I was knocked off my bike and on to my back. My helmet was smashed like an egg.”

> Cyclists blast proposals to introduce 10mph speed limit on Richmond Park hill

The stricken cyclist, who was left unconscious in the crash, was helped by neighbour and riding partner Philip Weston and several passers-by, including three members of the emergency services.

“Philip was busy helping me and when he looked up the other rider had gone,” the father-of-four said.

“It is particularly disappointing that he fled because we cyclists are a sociable tribe. All he would have seen is that someone was pretty seriously injured. He made a second error of judgment by fleeing the scene.

“The paramedics said if I wasn’t wearing a helmet I would have been taken away in a helicopter or probably a hearse.”

> Cyclists in Richmond Park face crackdown for ‘speeding’ – even though limits do not apply to them

Kelliher’s wife Cathra also called for the hit-and-run rider, described as white and wearing black and white cycling kit, to be “named and shamed” following his actions in Richmond Park.

“If we want to promote cycling and this wonderful sport, we have got to be responsible,” she said.

“The danger is from a few irresponsible people and they have to be aware of their consequences. This guy should be named and shamed because next time it could be somebody like a five-year-old child and they might not survive.”

As well as owning Taransay, the Wimbledon-based Kellihers also own the Borve Lodge Estate on the Isle of Harris. After joining the BBC from the Times, where he worked as a foreign correspondent, Kelliher was shot in an ambush in Croatia in 1995, which saw reporter John Schofield killed.

> Cyclist breaks pelvis in Richmond Park crash with off-lead dog

Monday’s collision comes less than a year since The Royal Parks – which manages several parks in the capital, including Hyde Park, Green Park, and St James’s Park – warned bike riders who do not observe speed limits in the parks under its management that they will be subjected to a crackdown, including fines and even prosecution, for recklessly endangering others.

Despite cyclists technically not having to adhere to speed limits on roads in the park, as bicycles are not required by law to be fitted with a speedometer, the agency said in August 2022 that they were nevertheless expected to observe those limits on the “park, road, or path in question,” and could be fined if they were believed to “intentionally or recklessly interfere with the safety, comfort, or convenience of other visitors”.

In April, we reported that plans to introduce a 10mph speed limit on a section of Richmond Park were criticised by local cyclists, who argued that people on bikes will be unable to comply with the proposed restriction while riding downhill.

According to the Richmond Parks Cyclists organisation, which aims to represent all types of cyclists and para-cyclists who use the London park, a meeting of the Safer Parks Police Panel revealed that The Royal Parks is intending to introduce a 10mph speed restriction on the road between Broomfield Hill car park and Robin Hood Gate roundabout.

The cyclists’ group, which said it was not consulted on the new measure, criticised the change, set to be implemented on a sweeping, hilly section of the park which currently features a 20mph limit.

“It seems unlikely that many cyclists will be able to comply with this restriction descending the hill, even if they try to,” Richmond Parks Cyclist said. “Speed differentials are likely to increase and the road is likely to become more hazardous.”

Ryan joined road.cc in December 2021 and since then has kept the site’s readers and listeners informed and enthralled (well at least occasionally) on news, the live blog, and the road.cc Podcast. After boarding a wrong bus at the world championships and ruining a good pair of jeans at the cyclocross, he now serves as road.cc’s senior news writer. Before his foray into cycling journalism, he wallowed in the equally pitiless world of academia, where he wrote a book about Victorian politics and droned on about cycling and bikes to classes of bored students (while taking every chance he could get to talk about cycling in print or on the radio). He can be found riding his bike very slowly around the narrow, scenic country lanes of Co. Down.

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39 comments

Avatar
General Zod | 5 months ago
0 likes

A pity that the comments are dominated by irrelevant complaints about the victim's ownership of an island and the inevitable anti-helmet "contribution".

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GMBasix | 9 months ago
0 likes

paramedic with PhD in applied biomechanical impact assessments wrote:

“[if he] wasn’t wearing a helmet [he] would have been taken away in a helicopter or probably a hearse.”

By the law of averages, there should be paramedics with high-level qualifications in biomechanical impact assessments pronouncing that a helmet [would have] made f***-all difference.

Where are they?

Avatar
eburtthebike replied to GMBasix | 9 months ago
1 like

GMBasix wrote:

paramedic with PhD in applied biomechanical impact assessments wrote:

“[if he] wasn’t wearing a helmet [he] would have been taken away in a helicopter or probably a hearse.”

By the law of averages, there should be paramedics with high-level qualifications in biomechanical impact assessments pronouncing that a helmet [would have] made f***-all difference.

Where are they?

I'm assuming that your invention of the paramedic having a Phd in biomechanical impact assessments is deep irony.

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brooksby | 9 months ago
3 likes

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SimoninSpalding | 9 months ago
7 likes

Firstly, I hope that Adam recovers well. I do remember the incident with John Schofield, but I had forgotten the name of his cameraman.

As for the individual who crashed into him, he is clearly an entitled, self centred arse without an ounce of humanity, and regardless of what sport he chooses to engage in, he is not part of the same "tribe" as me.

I think there is a wider point here, that this kind of incident can be held up by the media as evidence of cyclists being a menace, but when there is a hit and run involving somebody driving a car there are no generalisations made about all other drivers.

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dubwise replied to SimoninSpalding | 9 months ago
1 like

Sounds like Mr Kelliher is an entitled, self centred arse who has the affront to own an island that should belong to the people of Scotland, not some self-serving individual.

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hawkinspeter replied to dubwise | 9 months ago
1 like

dubwise wrote:

Sounds like Mr Kelliher is an entitled, self centred arse who has the affront to own an island that should belong to the people of Scotland, not some self-serving individual.

Well, at least it's not owned by Uri Geller

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-65750701

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chrisonabike replied to hawkinspeter | 9 months ago
4 likes

I wouldn't mind except all my spoons have gone missing and my forks are wonky.

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Brauchsel replied to dubwise | 9 months ago
6 likes

Is there anything stopping the "people of Scotland" from clubbing together and buying it off him, if that's what they want? If he bought it from a previous owner in a freely-entered transaction, how is that the "people of Scotland's" business?

And even if you don't believe in private property rights, how does any of that mean it's in any way excusable to crash into him and leave him lying injured while you ride off?

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dubwise replied to Brauchsel | 9 months ago
2 likes

Why should the people of Scotland buy back what is rightfully theirs?

Read about the clearances and how the UK government of the day sold the land to private individuals namely the aristocracy.

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Rendel Harris replied to dubwise | 9 months ago
2 likes

dubwise wrote:

Why should the people of Scotland buy back what is rightfully theirs? Read about the clearances and how the UK government of the day sold the land to private individuals namely the aristocracy.

See also the enclosures in England and Wales and the land seizures in Ireland, the common people of every country in the UK have been royally ripped off by royalty and the aristocracy for many centuries.

 

 

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Robert Hardy replied to dubwise | 9 months ago
1 like

Not strictly true, the customary rights of clan chiefs and warlords were converted into legal property rights over the land which was then often sold on to fund the Edinburgh or London high life. I doubt a returned Stuart monarchy of England and Scotland would have dealt the highland clan folk any better an outcome. They were in the way of a good profit from the sheep.

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brooksby replied to dubwise | 9 months ago
1 like

dubwise wrote:

Sounds like Mr Kelliher is an entitled, self centred arse who has the affront to own an island that should belong to the people of Scotland, not some self-serving individual.

It was my understanding that most of Scotland is owned by private individuals...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-47963208

BBC wrote:

The government believes 57% of rural land is in private hands, with about 12.5% owned by public bodies, 3% under community ownership and about 2.5% is owned by charities and other third sector organisations. The remainder is thought to be owned by smaller estates and farms which are not recorded in those figures.

 

 

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chrisonabike replied to brooksby | 9 months ago
1 like

brooksby wrote:

It was my understanding that most of Scotland is owned by private individuals...

While there have been some notable "community buy-outs" (Eigg, Gigha...) they're notable because they're rare.  IIRC a greater percentage of people in Scotland than e.g. England are living on someone else's land - and most is controlled by very few people.

https://whoownsscotland.org.uk/

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Robert Hardy replied to SimoninSpalding | 9 months ago
1 like

Probably of the "my other bike is an Porsche Cayenne" variety of bicyclist.

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cyclisto | 9 months ago
0 likes

I cycle and I don't think I am sociable.

Am I not a cyclist, or maybe I am sociable and I don't know it?

But I shouldn't fool anyone, I have stereotypes too. For me lycra cyclists is indeed a very different tribe than jeans cyclists.

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jestriding | 9 months ago
0 likes

If it's not on camera, it didn't happen.

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Muddy Ford | 9 months ago
10 likes

How someone else rides their bike has got f'k all to do with me unless they are an actual acquaintence of mine and riding with me. Even then, they might choose to ride like a dick and there's not a lot I can do about that except choose to discontinue my ride with them. But I do want to attend the next cyclist AGM if someone could forward the invite.

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Hirsute replied to Muddy Ford | 9 months ago
9 likes

Tomorrow night in the village hall. Bring cake.

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hawkinspeter replied to Hirsute | 9 months ago
8 likes

Hirsute wrote:

Tomorrow night in the village hall. Bring cake.

Not that marble cake though, it always gets left uneaten

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SimoninSpalding replied to hawkinspeter | 9 months ago
5 likes

I will happily eat the marble cake, but I am planning to bring vegan mung bean flapjacks this time.

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hawkinspeter replied to SimoninSpalding | 9 months ago
3 likes

SimoninSpalding wrote:

I will happily eat the marble cake, but I am planning to bring vegan mung bean flapjacks this time.

I'll give those a try, got to be better than dry marble cake

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ChrisB200SX replied to Hirsute | 9 months ago
3 likes

Are the MAMILs invited this time? They were all so unsociable last time.

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Muddy Ford replied to Hirsute | 9 months ago
1 like

Hirsute wrote:

Tomorrow night in the village hall. Bring cake.

I'll batch bake some Victoria Sponges. 

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chrisonabike replied to Muddy Ford | 9 months ago
2 likes

Anyone up for a Spicy Curry?  Oh - sweet - right, a Grim Donut?

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Gimpl replied to Muddy Ford | 9 months ago
6 likes

The problem as I see it is that we are not in control of what other people think of us. You and I may not wish to be lumped together, I hate riding in groups for example but when I'm out on the road I am percived as one of those 'lane hogging, tax dodging lycra twats' (the last bit may be true!).

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eburtthebike replied to Gimpl | 9 months ago
2 likes

Gimpl wrote:

The problem as I see it is that we are not in control of what other people think of us. You and I may not wish to be lumped together, I hate riding in groups for example but when I'm out on the road I am percived as one of those 'lane hogging, tax dodging lycra twats' (the last bit may be true!).

We may not be in charge of what others think of us, but the media is.  If we are continually portrayed as anti-social, lycra clad law-breaking hooligans by the press, that's how many people will see us.  If the media suddenly changed tack and started describing us rather more accurately as socially concerned, healthy, financially aware citizens, many people would view us differently.

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Gimpl replied to eburtthebike | 9 months ago
0 likes

The media certainly contribute as do our actions. I agree it would be much better if we were portrayed more accurately.

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billymansell | 9 months ago
16 likes

If someone wants to promote cycling I'd suggest not using lazy MAMIL tropes, or any divisive cycling tropes for that matter, which only serve to sow discord.

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SimoninSpalding replied to billymansell | 9 months ago
5 likes

Oi, there is nothing wrong with us lazy MAMILs thank you very much!

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