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Video: Cyclist pushed from bike by motocross bike rider

Police are treating incident in Altrincham earlier this month as assault

Greater Manchester Police are investigating an incident in which a cyclist was pushed off his bike by a motocross rider having initially said they would be unable to take the issue further because the perpetrator could not be identified. The incident was caught on camera by the cyclist.

The Manchester Evening News reports that the footage was filmed on Sinderland Lane, Altrincham by Andy Goodman, aged 51, who was riding at around 18mph when he was shoved from his bike as the motocross rider overtook him.

The cyclist said on Twitter that he had “got away lightly really considering the possible consequences - bad grazes to hip and arm, bruising and aching joints. Jacket trashed, shorts possibly and brake lever scuffed up.“

The footage shows that the driver of a van immediately in front of the motocross rider had also made a close pass on the cyclist.

Neither stopped at the scene, and the motocross bike was not displaying a registration plate.

Mr Goodman contacted police but was initially told that they would be unable to do anything because the rider’s face was not shown clearly in the footage.

However, police have since told him that a criminal investigation has been opened.

Local councillor Michael Welton, who shared the tweet, said: “This video is shocking. Motocross bikers on Trafford’s roads are a growing menace.

“Frequently speeding down the pavement on my street, buzzing walkers on the canal towpath, and always without number plates.”

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: “Officers are appealing for more information after an assault in Altrincham.

“At around 5.20pm on Monday April 13 2020 police were called to a report of an assault on Sinderland Road in Altrincham.

“A 51-year-old man was assaulted by a man riding a motorbike shortly after he was approached by a driver in a blue transit van.

“No one was seriously injured during the incident.

“Enquiries are ongoing and no arrests have been made,” they added.

Anyone who has information is requested to contact police on 0161 856 7530 quoting incident number 1929 of 13/04/2020, or the charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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16 comments

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Chez_worldwide | 4 years ago
0 likes

.

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Rick_Rude | 4 years ago
5 likes

Bet the van was with the mx rider. 

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to Rick_Rude | 4 years ago
3 likes

That was my opinion. Van driver passes too close, cyclist gives the normal reponses and mx rider punishes the cyclist for abusing "his dad". 

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zeeridesbikes | 4 years ago
1 like

Ride this road everyday. Really scary to see! 
 

glad the chap wasn't hurt too badly. 

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Accessibility f... | 4 years ago
7 likes

For those who don't know the area, Sinderland Lane is one of those old country farm lanes that used to carry horse and cart, that still exists and which is now used by people as a shortcut from the Broadheath area over to Partington.  It's an NSL road with long straight sections and high speeds, so it's bad enough, but it also has some extremely tight sections where there's ONLY JUST enough space for two vehicles to pass, and yes, people drive way too quickly on those.

So it's bad enough to drive on, it's even worse to cycle on.  And it's the best way for people in Urmston to get to Altrincham or into Cheshire, via Birch Road.

Fortunately, there's a disused railway that almost parallels it.  Unfortunately, it's a disused railway and impossible to cycle on.  That may change in future as there are ongoing discussions to upgrade it to a cycle route.  Currently, the majority of users on this railway are people like the motorcyclist in this video - idiots.

These bikes (I include the van in this) plague the area, particularly Carrington Moss, which this road borders.  They ride over farmers fields, destroying crops and scaring legal users of the Moss.  They come from the direction of Sale and are regularly seen riding around the roads, scarves around their faces, being dickheads.  I don't wish violence on most but if these idiots fell off and ended up as vegetables, I'd have exactly zero sympathy.

The police do what they can, but in Greater Manchester there are two officers tasked to off-road policing.  Two.  Thanks, tories.

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CygnusX1 replied to Accessibility for all | 4 years ago
6 likes

Throw in the badly deformed road surface particularly toward the verges (as can be seen in the beginning of the video, you're constantly having to pick your line - or "weaving all over the shop" as Angry Motorist would call it - and hope tha said angry motorist coming up behind you will give you enough space

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jimbo2112 replied to CygnusX1 | 4 years ago
0 likes

Rush fan?!

Agree with the post BTW

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CygnusX1 replied to jimbo2112 | 4 years ago
0 likes

Yes. How did you guess Mr 2112?

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longassballs replied to Accessibility for all | 4 years ago
0 likes

Do you have an url of any info regarding possible plans to upgrade the former railway? I recently rode it (well, walked) from the viaduct to the canal.

I don't really know the area, was hunting for gravel routes, and I was pretty surprised how bad the road surface is on Sinderland. Would you say Carrington Moss was a dangerous place to ride?

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Accessibility f... replied to longassballs | 4 years ago
0 likes

Not in writing but I attend Trafford Cycle Forum and am aware that the council want to make it a cycle route.  The chap who upgraded Irlam Railway Station wants to make it a heritage railway, there's enough space for trains and cyclists.  The Cadishead Viaduct is 4 tracks wide, for example.  There are lots of barriers though, including Network Rail, who own it.  It's still an active railway although no trains have been on it since the 1980s.

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PRSboy | 4 years ago
4 likes

One great thing about the lockdown has been that the Motocross riders have been banished from riding their stupid noisy bikes round fields in the countryside.  

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CygnusX1 replied to PRSboy | 4 years ago
2 likes

This is a joke, right?

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Zebulebu | 4 years ago
3 likes

One of my main training routes. Quite sobering, considering the fucking shitbags that live up the road in Partington (where I guarantee these picks are from). Went out Monday and was close passed three times in the space of 10 minutes - including one on that road. Absolutely no excuse for motorists to close pass you on that road - especially there, which is a dead straight road for about a kilometre, with lanes wide enough for you to pass on both sides. Cunts.

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eburtthebike | 4 years ago
6 likes

So glad Andy wasn't hurt worse, but the next victim might no be so lucky.  This kind of assault seems to be happening more frequently, so I was surprised that the police initially refused to investigate. 

I bet all those cyclist hating presenters and twitter users are so proud.  This is what happens when stupid people believe the nonsense published by other prejudiced stupid people, and someone is going to be killed.  It's time cyclists were recognised as a vulnerable group and given protection of the law under the hate crime legislation.

The registration of the van is visible, and the details on DVLA are legit, so possibly a good lead to start with.  I hope they catch the bastard.

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Butty replied to eburtthebike | 4 years ago
2 likes
eburtthebike wrote:

The registration of the van is visible, and the details on DVLA are legit, so possibly a good lead to start with.  I hope they catch the bastard.

A blue unmarked transit, unreg bike reg in the Partington area. I wonder who that can be? The police won't be investigating this too closely for their own safety.

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mdavidford replied to eburtthebike | 4 years ago
2 likes

Well to be fair, on this occasion, I doubt that the motivation was any kind of 'righteous retribution' against cyclists. More likely they just thought it'd be a laugh. I'd guess that they'd be just as likely to clothesline a pedestrian as they passed, should the opportunity present itself, because that's just the kind of anti-social sociopath they are.

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