London Dynamo has launched an investigation after a cyclist alleged a rider from one of the cycling club’s group rides spat in their face in Richmond Park on Saturday morning.
The cycling club, which is one of the biggest in the UK and hosts a range of events and group rides for London-based cyclists throughout the year, was alerted to the alleged incident over the weekend and is in contact with the rider who made the allegation.
London Dynamo’s chair Andy Taylor confirmed the club had received the allegation from a non-member and it would be investigated as, if confirmed, it is “entirely unacceptable and does not reflect the values of our club”.
The rider shared their experience online, saying they “just wanted to vent a little”, and alleged they saw “a large group of London Dynamo riders coming from the opposite direction” in Richmond Park on Saturday morning, and they were “taking up more than 3/4 of the road”.
“I shouted ‘YO!’ to indicate to give some more space — instead I was met by being spat in the face by one of the riders,” the post continued. “This has shaken me and angered me more than any close-passing incidents I have had, including a van driver squirting water at me whilst passing. At least it was clean.
“How are we meant to gain respect from drivers if that’s the precedent the clubs are setting? I have informed London Dynamo, the Royal Parks (who look after Richmond Park) and British Cycling, who they are affiliated with. Hopefully it all trickles down to some stern words and, more optimistically, some warnings. The rider also says they “reported it as an assault to the police”.
They continued: “I’m realistic and don’t really expect anything to come from it especially without evidence, but even if they contact the club that would be a win.”
In a reply to the post online, a ‘LDNdynamo’ account said they were “sorry to hear of this alleged incident” and thanked the rider for raising it. The reply said the club “can assure you London Dynamo takes such matters extremely seriously” and “we are now gathering any further information from witnesses”. The club also invited the rider to message them directly to assist the investigation.
London Dynamo chair Andy Taylor told us: “We have been contacted by a cyclist (non member) about the alleged incident and we are currently investigating it. This kind of behaviour, if confirmed, is entirely unacceptable and does not reflect the values of our club.”
London Dynamo is a major cycling club in London which was founded in the early 1990s and hosts numerous group rides every week for its hundreds of members. The club’s website describes Richmond Park as its “spiritual home”, but adds that it has members “from every corner of this magnificent city”, something it says is “a true testament to our reputation and the welcoming, competitive spirit that draws riders from all over London to be a Dynamo and ride in our iconic jersey”.
The club also runs racing events, such as its popular early-morning Richmond Park time trials, which were controversially cancelled by the Royal Parks last summer over fears cyclists would break the park’s 20mph speed limit, that despite the charity which runs the parks having previously admitted that the speed limits do not apply to cyclists.
38 thoughts on “London Dynamo cycling club investigating allegation rider spat in another cyclist’s face in Richmond Park”
Sorry to any members of
Sorry to any members of London Dynamo on here as I’m sure you’re not all the same but in many decades of being a regular Richmond Park rider I have found the club’s riders as a whole pretty aggressive and discourteous in the way they ride round the park, chaingangs doing exceptionally high speeds even at crowded times, very close passes on slower cyclists with no warning or just pre-emptory arrogant shouts of “coming through” or “move aside” et cetera. They often do take up a substantial portion of the road with no regard for the cyclists already using it on either side. They do seem to believe, consciously or subconsciously, that as the biggest club with probably the best riders in the park they have some sort of ownership rights over the road. Never experienced anything like the behaviour detailed above but I’m certainly not surprised that somebody saw fit to challenge them on their riding.
Not sure I could agree more
Not sure I could agree more with this statement!
Can guarantee if i hear a large pelton behind me in the park, and they pass within inches, it’ll be London Dynamo!
Bezzard74 wrote:
What’s a Durham town doing cycling round Richmond Park?
Presumably going full pelt.
Presumably going full pelt.
Same. I never ride in RP,
Same. I never ride in RP, but round the Surrey Hills they have the same reputation (in my experience) with clubmates & others I ride with on occasion. Miserable buggers that never wave back (I mean, who cares really though) & can’t seem to stand you being in front of them. I assume driving a BMW is part of the joining criteria?
Although, in fairness, London
Although, in fairness, London Dynamo aren’t the only club with bell-ends, a club local to me has the same eejits.
I’m sure there will be plenty the length and breadth of this piece of rock.
I don’t cycle much in
I don’t cycle much in Richmond Park, so have not had the dubious honour of interacting with London Dynamo, but last year a friend and I nearly got taken out by a fast club ride who decided to sweep past us as just as we were about to turn right into a side road (indicating clearly). A tiny difference in the timing and there would have been a huge pile up.
Can confirm I’ve also been at
Can confirm I’ve also been at the receiving end of a number of close passes from London Dynamo. Obviously, this isn’t a reflection on the entire club, I wouldn’t want to be a member.
Well said! Btw anyone that
Well said! Btw anyone that spits at me will need a replacement from wheel.
Hear Hear. I’ve been close
Hear Hear. I’ve been close passed 3 inches from my bars, and if I have the temerity to be in their way (overtaking other riders at a safe distance at more than 25mph) have been sworn at for blocking their way.
If they want to own the road, they should book a day at Hillingdon cycle circuit.
And it’ll be a total waste of time complaining to the boss – nothing changes.
I can only imagine how unsettling it must be for leisure cyclists.
If any Dynamos are on here, give your mates a solid talking to.
So, lets get this straight. A
So, lets get this straight. A rider out on his bike get a bit of , (alleged) vile behaviour pointed at them. That is sad and only goes to show that there are all sorts of dickish people out there, and some ride bikes.
But an investigation? seriously WTF? this isnt the crime of the century and this is a cycling club not the FBI. I really don’t understand what they ‘think’ they can do. Ask the guy who did it? ok . “It was this guy”. Repy – “No I didn’t, Prove it!” Where do they go from there? Scour the area for CCTV of the alleged incident? Put out an appeal to any passing drivers who may have dashcam footage?
So far as I see, its 1 guy vs a group of riders who did nothing wrong in taking up ‘3/4 of the road’. No mention of how they were riding. They may well of been in file and upholding the very rights this bloody website, among others, campaigns for. Riding in a bunch and safely 2 abreast. Then some gobshite has a go at them – Could be their retort.
So investigate all you like, you cant prove it and I very much doubt they would just go and boot members who are doing nothing more than riding in a group maybe with a club jersey on (which must be the only way they were ID’d) They were not representing them. They were not racing under their club banner. Its really got nothing to do with them.
So , anyway, slow news day I guess.
Was it you Steve?!
Was it you Steve?!
Can you prove it?
No! Can you prove it?
The way the post is written I
The way the post is written I wouldn’t be surprised Quiff! It’s unbalanced to suggest that a group of riders taking up 3/4 of the width of the road in the park were doing nothing wrong, and the ‘No! Can you prove it?’ statement merely adds fuel to the fire.
Clubs have rules, especially
Clubs have rules, especially on club organised rides, precisely as the other comments highlight riding around like a knob in club kit tends to give that club and all it’s members a bad reputation, warranted or not.
So they’ll be investigating to id the rider involved, confirm if they did what has been alleged or not, and sanction that rider accordingly if so.
Which could be as simple as you’re not welcome on club rides for a period of time, to you’re not welcome in our club full stop anymore.
Again, two words. PROVE IT.
Again, two words. PROVE IT. Big group vs 1 guy. his word against theirs
There would be no need to
There would be no need to prove it, the club investigation speaks to members who have some integrity and don’t want to ride with a bellend who can’t control his bike or mouth and job done they are expelled.
Sounds like your an advocate
Sounds like you are an advocate for fascism.
It may not be “crime of the
It may not be “crime of the century” but firstly it is absolutely vile and secondly it is a serious criminal offence, constituting common assault and it can even be charged as assault and battery even if no other physical contact was made. It can incur a prison sentence and is taken seriously as an offence by the police, particularly in this virus-ridden era (wasn’t there a transport worker at Victoria station who caught Covid and died after someone spat on her during the pandemic?).
In terms of investigation, it’s obvious that the club would want to investigate if one of the members is behaving in the manner alleged. I don’t understand why you don’t think that going on a training ride organised by your club, with other club members and all of you wearing the club uniform doesn’t mean you’re representing the club. If this person did behave as alleged it’s probably not the first time they’ve lost control and it may well be that other members are sick of them and would be happy to help the club/police with evidence.
As for “taking up 3/4 of the road” I assume that the complainant means exactly that, they were taking up 3/4 of the entire carriageway, not just their lane. I’ve certainly seen London Dynamo groups do this on the closed road sections in Richmond Park, riding two abreast is fine but not doing so either side of the centreline with other cyclists in both the oncoming and following lanes; when they come thundering down Sawyers Hill at 40mph+ taking up the middle 3/4 of the carriageway and leaving just a couple of metres each side for all the other riders that’s not good, particularly when you consider that Richmond Park is the place many people, including novices, who are looking for somewhere safe to ride go.
I dont think you really read
I dont think you really read a word I said. You got all foamy at the mouth and then went off before actually reading. I said at the start , its a vile thing. Go read it again. I also state that they can investigate but they shouldn’t expect to get anywhere. A group of riders, who will corroborate each others version of events vs 1 guy. If you want to call this a serious crime you need to prove beyone reasonable doubt, there isnt even balance of probability in a 1 vs group against you.
I also mention the 3/4 of the road. thats not proving anything. How wide was that part? were there many other cars/traffic? were they in file ort all over the shop. Answer is YOU DONT KNOW! it doesnt say and again its 1 persons word vs many. People can say any old shite to defend their narrative in a complaint. Bit like cyclists whizzing throuigh London at 50mph. Humans have a funny tendancy to exaggerate
Im not defending ther actions of anyone, im just saying one simple thing. Be Realistic.
Smoggysteve wrote:
an investigation? seriously WTF?
a group of riders who did nothing wrong
some gobshite has a go at them
YOU DONT KNOW!
People will say any old shite
its mostly total bollocks
PROVE IT— also Smoggysteve
First wipe off the foam from thine own lips, old chap.
Well at least if you went
Well at least if you went that trouble you might of actually read it properly this time
And you and the other clown below fail to know the difference between mocking and outrage.
PARSER ERROR
PARSER ERROR
REDO FROM START
?????
Smoggysteve wrote:
Pot – meet kettle.
If anyone in any group I ride
If anyone in any group I ride with ever carries out such a vile act as to spit in someone else’s face, then be very very assured that I would be reporting them myself and providing witness statements to the Police. Cowardly and disgusting act. I don’t believe I am alone in this so if this did happen then hopefully one or more of the group will have the courage to stand up and be counted.
Please do not cycle on the
Please do not cycle on the roads, especially with other people around Steve, you sound like a right…
“….who did nothing wrong in
“….who did nothing wrong in taking up 3/4 of the road”
Who are you kidding how many laps have you ridden round Richmond Park ?
If you do ride round there and have this view you are not sound of mind (speaking myself as someone who used to train in the dark in there back in the 1980’s).
Taking up 3/4 of the road in Richmond Park is not acceptable, especially by club riders who should know better. Disciplined riding in two lines of riders side by side yes, but not a heaving chaingang with riders out of control. With downhill sections in the park meaning the 20mph speed limit is unlikely to be adhered to, potentially a head on crash with another cyclist could leave someone in a wheelchair or worse.
The rider who complained did the right thing, the cycling club are doing the right thing and hopefully the berk that spat on him might think twice before doing that again, it is appalling behaviour that gives us cyclists a bad name and he ought to be banned from the cycling club – if he is doing that when in a group how is he (or she or they) behaving when they are not in a group? I’d hazard a guess and suggest that behaviour is the tip of an iceberg.
How many times I hear peole
How many times I hear people say they were taking up all the lane or they were all over the place etc etc, its mostly total bollocks. Its a guess and rough estmate, he may have thought they were taking up more room, the group may disagree. Unless you were actually there you do not know have any idea what constituted 3/4 at that time.
Even if the cyclist was at
Even if the cyclist was at wrong and he really had loads of space, it didn’t warrant an assault. Not sure why you are the only person in the comments defending their actions here.
hmsgenoa wrote:
On the first bit – the fallacy of the collective. One cyclist spitting doesn’t reflect on anyone else – particularly when its on “one of our own”. I do however think there’s some merit in the argument that (rightly or wrongly) prevalence of e.g. red light jumping affects attitudes to the wider ‘group’.
Second bit – if anything I would say that sometimes being in a group emboldens people and they might do things they wouldn’t have if on their own.
I’m sorry Quiff but this what
I’m sorry Quiff but this what you have to say is claptrap, racism, homophobia and in the case GOBBING are all things that can bring a sport into disrepute, and footballers for example are sanctioned for these things if they cross the line with their behaviour. If you think a cyclist gobbing on another isnt bringing our sport/recreation into disrepute you are mistaken, in the park that could have been taking place feet from people walking their children and it is vile and reprehensible behaviour. That’s like saying making a career ending challenge on another player on a football pitch (ala Roy Keane or Dean Saunders) doesn’t reflect badly on football because it was only on another player. Get real and stop practically defending the behaviour of the idiot who did this. And as for the second bit I’d argue that if they do this as part of a club (reflecting badly on them – it’s clear this hasn’t done the reputation of London Dynamo any good whatsoever) this behaviour is likely to be the tip of the iceberg, emboldened or not,
Standard behaviour for London
Standard behaviour for London Dynamo sadly. I have had run-ins with them when they (thankfully rarely) venture further south, including being sworn at while out with my then 8-year-old son for having the temerity to climb a steep hill that they wanted to descend taking up the entire width of the road.
A Clarence Wheeler?! Hello
A Clarence Wheeler?! Hello Nick, if that’s the same Nick Strugnell I used to know! Hello to Zoe too (was too young and shy to at the time lol!) . Did your son keep up the cycling? My son is coming to the Tour De france with me this year (21 years), but hated cycling for years…..something to do with me taking him through tunnels in the alps and uop mountains when he was 7! Cheers Ian
Different NickS! There’s a
Different NickS! There’s a few of us around. I’m further south with VCGH. I see another of our members has also commented on this thread with a similar experience sadly. My boy is still a keen cyclist although much more into MTB these days.
Ah ok thanks for the reply
Ah ok thanks for the reply Nick, glad your boy is still into his cycling! My son said to me did I want to do The Isle Of Wight road race next year….the answer was no, my racing days are over! Some very strange responses to this thread – SmoggySteve seems just a little bit too bothered to PROVE his point!
Having cycled for 50 years,
Having cycled for 50 years, for some reason, I’ve never felt the need to join a cycling club; this sort of incident doesn’t make clubs that attractive tbh, and we all come across those ‘types of cyclist’ on a ride.
My wife is in a local club, only to join a mid-week ladies ride that 2 of her friends do. It’s the slowest group and some people are on hybrids. She’s a much stronger cyclist than most of the group (very good climber), but it’s all about the social side for her. They try and coordinate the cafe stop with the fast group; after setting off on a climb (straight from the cafe), one of the fast group caught her up and said, “you’re a bit hard to catch”. I was a bit WTF; emptying yourself on the hill just to avoid the shame of being beaten by one of the slow group.
I’m reading the article, and
I’m reading the article, and then the variety of comments people have made, and in my head the London Dynamo now sound like the villains in a Ben Stiller type underdog movie…
(edited 27/06)
brooksby wrote: