Scottish cyclist tells of how driver tried to ram him and friend off road

A cyclist in Scotland has spoken of the moment a driver tried to ram him and his friend off a road in Aberdeenshire.

Ashley Keenon and his friend Colin Ritchie, who had just finished a 31-hour, 560-mile ride, were cycling on the North Deeside Road when the incident happened at around 3pm on Thursday afternoon, reports the Daily Record.

The 36-year-old architect said he banged on the window of the Kia Sportage around eight times as the driver tried to force them off the road as they rode side by side.

He said that the driver involved in the incident, whom he described as an “elderly gentleman” and has been reported to Police Scotland, appeared to slow down before swerving towards them.

He told the Daily Record: "I've ridden on dual carriage ways and major roads but this is up there with the worst things.

"We were going along at [around 20mph] so it could have really caused damage.

“I was thinking, ‘Tthis is pretty scary. If I come off here it could be very sore or I could end up under his wheels’.

“We both decided we would go out to Banchory on the North Deeside Road.

“After Drumoak we decided to cycle side by side for safety as it is quick at that stretch.

“Out of nowhere this car overtook us and then slowed down and was driving beside us.

“It then started weighing in towards us and suddenly I felt myself hitting the window.

“He just kept ramming into us. I must have hit the window about eight times.

“My friend was almost cycling on the verge so it is lucky he is experienced.

“The whole thing maybe lasted 10 seconds but when you're going at that speed it feels a lot longer.

“It was a bizarre, weird moment,” he added.

“I have no idea why he was deliberately trying to run us off the road.

“Colin has just done this massive trek and then some idiot is trying to ram us.

“I would like to get this guy caught so he can't do anything like this again.

“It's just one of those things. It doesn't happen often but when it does it is not nice.”

A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said: “We received a report of an incident involving a car and two cyclists on North Deeside Road, Aberdeen, around 4.40pm on Thursday, 24 September, 2020.

“Enquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances around the incident."