Very scary incident near Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire - 26th June - and a plea for witnesses

The Little Onion

I need a witness if anyone was cycling around Bolton Abbey on the morning of 26th June.





So at about 10AM I was riding into Bolton Abbey from the road coming from Skipton when a small red car came the other way. The drive stopped in the middle of the single track road and started f-ing away at me. Naturally, rather than stopping I continued. Two minutes later the same driver came chasing after me, swerving and nearly running me off the road. He stopped to get out, so I accelerated away. He then followed me, sitting behind me revving his engine and shouting out the window. I tried to get away, doing U turns, signalling right then turning left at junctions and so on, but he still continued, swerving at me and trying to run me off the road. Eventually, after I did two U-turns in quick succession, he saw me coming the opposite way, crossed into my lane (head on), making me do an emergency manouver to stop going over his bonnet. I stopped, got my phone out and started to dial 999, but he started getting out the car, so I got back on my bike and legged it as fast as I could. When I next stopped, I realised that I didn't have any details, such as the car registration, but I had noticed he was a guy aged about 50 in a smallish red car.



Did anyone see any of this? There were loads of cyclists about. If so, can you PM me, so I can get enough details to call the police.





I am scared shitless after this incident - never seen anything like this in decades of cycling. It makes me very close to giving up.

redvision

Sounds quite alarming.
At least you managed to avoid a confrontation and are ok.

Unfortunately there are some idiots out there.

I would say the chances are, seeing as you mentioned there were numerous cyclists, the driver had had some sort of incident with another cyclist and mistook you for them. Not that there is any excuse for that type of behaviour!

Hopefully someone will have witnessed the incident but even if no one comes forward, make sure you report it to the police.

Don't let this idiot put you off cycling! Get yourself a camera for your bike rides, that alone can deter people acting like morons!

It may not seem like it to you at the moment but incidents like this are rare and you were just very unfortunate to experience one today.

cougie

If you use Strava - you can do the strava flyby and youll see other strava users in the area and then you can trace them.

If you don't use it - then start to.

THere are idiots everywhere. I'd just avoid that route for a bit and you'll be fine.

Whyscotty

Try to forget it, you come across idiots now and again.

sloppyschleckonds

Did you find out if he voted in or leave?

ben@31

Sound like your red car of anger could have been frustrated about how popular these roads are with us cyclists. The back road from Ilkey to Bolton Abbey ( W Hall Ln and Lowfield Ln) and the B6160 can be quite narrow and a busy meeca for cyclists with 65,846 "attempts" on Strava. Sometimes its like watching the TdF peloton go past.
Ive also came across an impatient car or two who was driving the other way. But only once or twice out of many rides. If the car driver has a problem with cyclists, why do they drive on such a busy cycling back-road rather than use the A59 and A65 that runs parallel, Ive no idea?
Like others have said, I doubt anything can be done without GoPro video footage of him and his registration plate. However it's such a popular cycling area someone else must have came across him.
Don't let this one car put you off and think of all the other rides you had that were fantastic. Think of what can go right rather than what can go wrong. If you come across this sad lowlife behaviour again, try not to antagonise them as it may get violent, just record their details. I think I would have used the camera on my phone.
Coincidently, I planned on riding these very same roads and the B6160 past Bolton Abbey today !!! However I didn't have the time for a decent length route without getting caught in the rain. If only it started to rain a few hours later.

amaferanga

Report it to the police anyway. Someone that saw the nutter may have reported it already with registration details, etc.

I had a nutter threaten me a few years back and because a passing motorist had reported the incident the police took action.

The Little Onion

Cheers for the support - I'll report it to the police in the morning.

And as for the voting in/out - I just presume that all these homicidal "gerroff my road!!!" types are all UKIP members.

veronese68

The Little Onion wrote:

And as for the voting in/out - I just presume that all these homicidal "gerroff my road!!!" types are all UKIP members.

Do you look a bit foreign?
Sorry, couldn't resist. Seriously though, report it as you have said you will. If he went to such great lengths to have a go at you there's a good chance he's done it to someone else. I have a vague recollection there was a case a while ago of someone that had driven at a few cyclists. Only one or two had any footage but all of the reports counted against him.
Don't let it put you off, thankfully extreme nutters are a small minority. If it gives you peace of mind get a camera, just don't post every close pass on youtube.

rolf_f

Is this the gated road (ie Skipton via Embsay)? If so, it is very much a locals road so it is quite possible that he can be identified. Presumably, his rage must have been triggered by an earlier incident so others might have details.

fenix

Strava ? You didnt answer ?

weezyswiss

Likely he was fed up as there was the Ripon Sportive this weekend (26th) so there were loads of us on those roads.

I passed a red car who seemed to move into the centre of the road as I passed (very faded red, small like a corsa or fiesta style thing), but certainly nothing like you. I did have a silver people wagon try and take me out (drove into my bars) as they tried to overtake into oncoming traffic and realised they could not and to save their rust bucket they decided to hit the squidgy thing on top of a bike.

The Little Onion

Thanks - there were certainly a lot of riders out there.

In any case, I am on strava, but I didn't have my Garmin recording my ride. I'll create a manual file which should hopefully allow me to see who passed me during those times.

Other cyclists were definitely there - a cyclist coming up behind me shouted something at me at the final incident, but I legged it because the driver started getting out of his car. So, if that was you, please get in touch.

trek_dan

Very similar incident happened to me. Reported it via 101 and to my surprise the Police took it very seriously which is reassuring. They couldn't trace the car/driver though, but they told me it always worth reporting in case anyone has a similar incident its on file. Apparently a grossly overweight middle aged BREXITer driving a black Passat taxi isn't an adequate description.

tubaonwheels

Can't help the OP here, but just a comment on car driving idiots.....
Did the White Rose Classic Sportive yesterday with a group from my club. 113 miles so a long day out.
We encountered 2 or 3 irate ''idiot'' drivers - windows down shouting ''get in single file'' etc. etc. But also encountered lots of considerate pacient drivers who responded in a friendly way to our waves of thanks.

The idiots are the minority... but they can be scary and dangerous.

Another incident recently had a mate of mine knocked off bike when 4WD with trailer turned in too sharply due to oncoming vehicle. He ranted also and claimed not his fault then drove off. Unlucky for him there was an ambulance following that stopped to help and also witnessed incident.
Upshot was a hefty fine, points and an insurance claim. I doubt if he will risk the same again.

Steve.

mrb123

Bolton Abbey again...
http://road.cc/content/news/195074-bbc- ... ltercation

dinyull

MrB123 wrote:

Bolton Abbey again...
http://road.cc/content/news/195074-bbc- ... ltercation

Having read the comments on Road.cc, looks like the driver sent some "good Samaritans" after the culprit who mistook them for the OP.

type:epyt

Funnily enough, I was gonna ask the OP why he didn't take the dude's car keys (maybe he was a big bloke, but no car = no weapon) but it seems this is how the chain of events began ...

Sadly the actual story will just now be he said, she said but would like to know why the original cyclist felt the need to take the keys ... Although the original car owner is citing 'church' in his communications so we all know how that one goes ...

The Little Onion

Nick Ahad is tweeting about the car key incident, and the fact that he asked the red car to hunt down the cyclst in quesitont - https://twitter.com/nickahad. Can someone with twitter ask him to also tweet a link to this thread. I am sure he will want the red car driver to be held responsible for repeatedly trying to ram me

AK_jnr

Bloody hell
Screen shot that asap incase he deletes it. Surely thats all you need to get that guy put away?!

StillGoing

trek_dan wrote:

Apparently a grossly overweight middle aged BREXITer driving a black Passat taxi isn't an adequate description.

This and all the other comments, be they serious or tongue in cheek, have no place on this thread or these boards. That a Moderator has joined in is shameful.

Back to cycling.

webboo

The Little Onion wrote:

Nick Ahad is tweeting about the car key incident, and the fact that he asked the red car to hunt down the cyclst in quesitont - https://twitter.com/nickahad. Can someone with twitter ask him to also tweet a link to this thread. I am sure he will want the red car driver to be held responsible for repeatedly trying to ram me

Now a news item on Cycling weekly website, which says he has reported it to the police. You might want to give them a ring now about your experiences.

ben@31

MrB123 wrote:

Bolton Abbey again...
http://road.cc/content/news/195074-bbc- ... ltercation

I would have never thought of grabbing his car keys and then cycling off.

I reckon theres two sides to this story and Nick Ahad is being ahem "economical with the truth" . It sounds a bit incredible that the Spanish looking cyclist ( so thats a guy with a tan and brown eyes then) was weaving across the road to try and prevent people overtaking him, while poor old Nick Ahad was completely innocent. This doesnt sound right.

Nick Ahads Twitter fed is full of quotes that condemn hate and discrimination against minorities. However, I wonder what he thinks about unacceptable and threatening behaviour against a minority like cyclists?

Ahad defended his description of events, saying: "I used all my decades of journalism experience to write nothing but fact! "

Since when did journalists only write unbiased truth without any political agenda or tabloid sensationalism?


Nick Ahad, if you are reading this. Have you apologised to the completely innocent cyclist that you caused distress to, by sending the red car to chase him down ?

fenix

I don't think Nick Ahad understands cycling. If the rider was stopping him from overtaking - it probably wasnt a safe place to overtake.

And for him to drive alongside and 'chat' with the cyclist - well how unsafe is that ?

Sounds like he got angry at the perceived actions of the first cyclist - cyclist took action to get away safely - and another motorist has terrorised an innocent.

If the journo hadn't been a dick in the first place....

Journos being dicks indeed - and we are back to Boris...

pinno

Any follow up on this since the incident?

mrb123

Pinno wrote:

Any follow up on this since the incident?

Have a look on Road.cc. It's been quite a saga. Long conflicting accounts published from the main protagonists, police involved, the lot.

Bo Duke

A very nasty incident, I can imagine the OP was very shaken up.

There's little time to think however there' a quick and easy action if you have a phone (which he did as he called 999). Simply point the phone as if you're taking a photo, and make it obvious you're doing so.

The driver will immediately realise his plates been photo'd and anything else he does after that point only worsen's his position.

If he decides to fight you to get the phone then you have a major issue with the tw@t anyway but I've done it before and it works.

Otherwise in a bike against a car situation, the only way you can be equal would be when the driver's out of the car.

pinno

Bo Duke wrote:

A very nasty incident...

...the only way you can be equal would be when the driver's out of the car.

Been there, got the T shirt. Those damn cleats aren't the best to prance around on.

Couldn't find the thread in Road cc.

pblakeney

Pinno wrote:

Bo Duke wrote:

A very nasty incident...

...the only way you can be equal would be when the driver's out of the car.

Been there, got the T shirt. Those damn cleats aren't the best to prance around on.

Couldn't find the thread in Road cc.

http://road.cc/content/news/195074-bbc- ... ltercation