Police hunt Land Rover driver after Somerset cyclist pushed from his bike

In 1976 I bought a TX900 from Open Air Bicycles in Santa Barbara CA, the TX900 was a model the article failed to mention, it was Trek's top of the line frame/fork, it could only be bought as a frame/fork, I had it equipped with Campy Nuova Record because it was open box sale, can't recall the other stuff, but I think I had Zues hubs on Mavic tubular rims. Had the bike for about a year and sold it because girls thought there was something wrong with me because the bike was worth more than my car! So, I sold both and got a better car. Later, after I got out of the military, I went back to Trek and that same bike shop and bought an 81 515, and a few years later an 84 Trek 660 after the 515 got twisted in an accident, that one was a replacement frame so it was just a frame/fork which I put the entire Suntour Superbe group on it, I still have this bike in storage because I ride a newer bike.

(a) It looks like an absolutely stupid risk to take- I don't see how the rider could possibly have had any visibility round the right hand bend at the end of the video, when he is well across the centre line into the path of oncoming traffic. (b) It is absolutely NOT the case that he is only a danger to himself. Ask a train driver who has hit a "jumper". Surely you can imagine the life-long trauma of killing someone with your car, even if obviously it was not your "fault". Kids of friends have suffered PTSD for years after a car they were in was struck by a motorbike, and the rider was badly hurt. They weren't even driving. (c). AND equally obviously, what if a driver coming up the hill sees a bike in front of them, and either pulls off the road, or into the oncoming car??? (d) AND, critically, if anyone on a bike does something utterly twattish, there are many people who don't ride bikes who extrapolate to the position that all people who ride bikes are twats, and there is a dehumanising effect that makes life more dangerous for everyone on a bike. There are few things that make me more cross than people on bikes riding through red lights- which, let's be frank- happens at pretty much every red light, every time, in central london, because they are just making life more dangerous for everyone else on a bike.

I guess. But I've seen a fair amount of this sort of entitled behaviour from cyclists sharing paths with pedestrians... I noticed he said he'd got a 120db horn and had used it...Makes you think he was actually used to blasting it at people who had the temerity to be in his way.

Yup. Complete dick and someone who gives us all a bad name.

Well done!

Annoyingly with it being in the Daily Fail they will be using it to fuel the hatred of cyclists :-(

He might have had sight lines through the trees overtaking the second car, but I doubt it for the first - the ground is raised, most likely blocking any view around the corner. So it was probably a stupid risk to take, but the point a lot of critics miss is that as a cyclist he's only a danger to himself, not others.

I think it happens quite a lot, just not reported. Just one of those things. How often do we really hear about the four and a half deaths on our roads that occur every single day.

Not sure about it contributing to any debate but the guy is a prick. This is akin to when drivers claim they didn't realise they had hit a cyclist. I wouldn't have overtaken if there was someone in the way let alone a child but even if I had a rush of blood to the head and did, if I touched the child I would have stopped to make sure she was ok. I have children of my own and when you have kids you are around kids and the little blighters get everywhere and occasionally you bump into them. You don't just assume they are fine and go on your merry way, you check on them if you're a decent human. He totally would have known he hit her quite firmly as well. Even if we are to believe it wasn't intentional, he would have known it wasn't a light contact.

For their own safety, cyclists shan't expect motorists to pay attention to them. Like it or not, we are the most vulnerable road users. Consequently, we better anticipate the worse case scenario. Suburban areas being particularly hazardous.