UAE Team Emirates has confirmed that they will not take legal action against the road rage driver who caused Brandon McNulty to crash shortly before the start of Tuesday’s Tour de France time trial in Évian-les-Bains.
McNulty, who escaped without sustaining any injuries in the crash, posted a photo of the motorist’s car on social media, while team principal Mauro Gianetti said the incident was reported to the police “as normal”.
The American, a key part of yellow jersey Tadej Pogačar’s squad in the mountains, was riding back to the start of Tuesday’s 26.1km time trial on the shores of Lake Geneva when a member of the public, driving behind him, began blaring his horn.
The motorist then overtook McNulty before slamming on his brakes, causing him to crash into the back of his vehicle.
“It was just after the recon of the circuit and he was riding back to the start,” Gianetti told road.cc. “And one guy with a car was just behind him and he overtook, honking the horn and making bad signals with his hand.
“And then when he was in front, he just slowed down and when he was very close, he stopped immediately to make him crash, and then he drove away.”
Gianetti attributed the incident to a general disdain towards cyclists on the roads, even when they’re professionals getting ready to race a stage of the Tour de France.
“Unfortunately when we ride the bike, we see people like this too many times,” he said.
When asked if the team was considering taking legal action against the motorist, Gianetti said they would instead be leaving the matter with the police.
“Our sports director was there, he saw it in the car, and we just reported it as normal to the police,” the team boss added.
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On Instagram, McNulty posted a photo of the back of what he says is the driver’s car, with the caption: “This guy loves TT days as well”.
While the team said McNulty was not injured in the crash, the American was one of the first riders dropped on the opening climb of Thursday’s mountainous stage to Orcières Merlette, though his current struggles may be down to an illness currently plaguing UAE Team Emirates, rather than the after effects of his crash. He abandoned the race later that day.
McNulty wasn’t the only rider to be involved in a collision with a member of the public at the Tour de France on Tuesday.
Following his effort, Pinarello Q36.5 rider Xandro Meurisse was also struck by a driver – who one source from within the team claimed was distracted at the time – leaving him bloodied and battered and his bike broken. Police attended the scene.
6 thoughts on ““When we ride the bike, we see people like this too many times”: UAE Team Emirates won’t take legal action against hit-and-run road rage driver who brake checked Brandon McNulty before Tour de France TT”
FFS France always seemed like a safe place to ride a bike, outside Paris that is.
Can’t see the Department number in the photo – hire cars traditionally have been registered in Oise (60) and many still are, though not all.
Does make you wonder if it was a Brit on holiday. Only road rage driver I’ve experienced in Spain was in a hire car, and that was relatively benign – brake check and windscreen wiper / fluid squirt.
@Jakrayan I was cycling on Tenerife for a week this year and you could tell whether cars were driven by locals or (probably) English tourists; locals would consistently pass in the opposite lane even if it meant waiting minutes for it to be safe. While they did this they’d give you a respectful distance. Was quite shocking when you got passed in the same lane or had any sort of aggression at all.
The reason Spanish drivers are so good is because of the laws around collisions with people on bikes. I don’t know why they can’t do something similar here.
In France, the closer the cyclist gets to the Mediterranean Sea, the weirder car drivers behave. Some of them being repeat road deliquents. Encounters with 13, 31, 34 and 84 may prove hairy. Drivers with plates showing 84 (Vaucluse) think light signalling is no longer necessary before making a turn or exiting a roundabout.
Pity UAE Team came to the decision not to press charges.
I believe they are leaving it to the police for now.
I like the Tour de France- all those motorists at the roadside applauding cyclists.
UAE Team Emirates should pursue charges otherwise this driver will probably do the same thing again and the cyclist may not be so lucky that time. By not pursuing this, it signals for road rage drivers that it’s okay to bully cyclists with no consequences.