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The EVO-fit of Malcolm Cottam issued by police as they tried to identify himHeart disease may have contributed to rider's crash death on Dronfield bypass
The death of a cyclist who took a week to be identified after he was killed in a crash on the Dronfield bypass last year has been found to be an accident, with heart disease a possible contributing factor.
Malcolm Cottam, 67, died of “catastrophic” injuries after being hit by a car on the A61.
Mr Cottam was riding along the southbound carriageway when he drifted into the road.
The Sheffield Telegraph's Michael Broomhead reports that Mr Cottam may have suffered a lapse in concentration due to heart disease that caused him to drift out into the lane.
Chesterfield coroners’ court heard on Tuesday how Laura Colland was driving her Citreon C3 down the bypass at about 3.20pm on July 31 when she saw Mr Cottam.
She tried to move into the outside lane but was prevented by another vehicle. As she moved back in, Mr Cottam swerved into the carriageway.
Coroner James Newman said: “As a result of these two movements – him moving out, her moving back in – there was a meeting and he suffered catastrophic, multiple injuries.”
Pathologist Dr Andrew Hitchcock said tests revealed Mr Cottam had ischemic heart disease.
He added: “Given the pressure his heart was under at the time, it’s possible he suffered from an acute cardiac event.”
Police found no mechanical problems with the car or bike, and there were no defects with the road or wind that might have caused Mr Cottam to swerve.
Recording a conclusion of accidental death, Mr Newman said: “Why did he move out?
“The most likely reason was a loss of concentration due to some medical event.
“He may not have shown any symptoms of heart problems but he did have significant heart disease.
“That’s the most likely reason but it’s not proven.”
At the inquest, Mr Cottam’s family said: “Malcolm was a very fit person who had ridden on the Dronfield bypass for about 20 years.
“He was an experienced cyclist and loved getting out and about on his bike.
“He was a very active man and always loved to be among people – he was always doing something.
“We loved him – he was great.
“He’s missed by all his family and friends and indeed the community.”
Malcolm Cottam was not identified until a week after his death, following a witness appeal by Derbyshire police involving the release of an EVO-fit image and pictures of the bike and equipment he was using.
A retired teacher, Mr Cottam lived alone, and had not been reported missing.
John has been writing about bikes and cycling for over 30 years since discovering that people were mug enough to pay him for it rather than expecting him to do an honest day's work.
He was heavily involved in the mountain bike boom of the late 1980s as a racer, team manager and race promoter, and that led to writing for Mountain Biking UK magazine shortly after its inception. He got the gig by phoning up the editor and telling him the magazine was rubbish and he could do better. Rather than telling him to get lost, MBUK editor Tym Manley called John’s bluff and the rest is history.
Since then he has worked on MTB Pro magazine and was editor of Maximum Mountain Bike and Australian Mountain Bike magazines, before switching to the web in 2000 to work for CyclingNews.com. Along with road.cc founder Tony Farrelly, John was on the launch team for BikeRadar.com and subsequently became editor in chief of Future Publishing’s group of cycling magazines and websites, including Cycling Plus, MBUK, What Mountain Bike and Procycling.
John has also written for Cyclist magazine, edited the BikeMagic website and was founding editor of TotalWomensCycling.com before handing over to someone far more representative of the site's main audience.
He joined road.cc in 2013. He lives in Cambridge where the lack of hills is more than made up for by the headwinds.
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It's absolutely disgraceful this is still happening with Halfords. Around 8 or 9 years ago, I was on a ride when I spotted a woman on the opposite...
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Doesn't quite meet the standard of "unavoidable" though does it?
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46 comments
Malcolm Cottam inexplicably moved into the lane? Other than the driver was there any other witness to this?
Pardon me for being a cynic, but I think lapse of concentration by the driver is a far more probable explanation.
A sad event indeed.
But how predictable the majority of comments on here still blame the driver
Well yes, because, although we don't know why the cyclist swerved, we do know why the driver hit him. She wasn't driving properly.
Unless you were there, no you don't
Dual carriage way speed limit = 70 mph = c. 100 metres stopping distance
If someone swerved out on you when you were doing 70 and had no where to go, you'd still hit them at substantial speed despite getting on the brakes
Says road.cc? Initial reports thought the guy had the physique of a 55 year old (he was 67). What proportion of the uk population over 50 would also show signs of ischemic heart disease? 30%? 50%? Maybe he was in the slow lane throughout, did not swerve, was hit by a driver (not "a car", please) and didn't live to counter the unsupported assertions of the driver (who admits a bungled lane change preceded the ramming). Well, maybe it's true, and it's not important now, but I hope road.cc has more info than I found on the internet if they write such assertions as fact.
Sorry, you are wrong and you have stated the problem. Case law established cyclists have a right to wobble. The highway code is clear on the responsibilities of drivers. It is a shit situation to find yourself in but you must never assume. Would you drive past a horse at 70mph? So why is it ok to go past a cyclist?
This, a thousand times. So many times i have had drivers close pass me then pull out and slow down to pass horses (two abreast also seems acceptable for them but not us)
Two questions come to mind. where did he swerve into the lane from? If he was not in the lane already why did she attempt to move out? Sound like she was trying to share the lane with him.
No I'm not and no I haven't.
I'm not talking about a little wobble - I'm talking about a full blown swerve from the edge of the road into the middle of the lane.
Of course a car should leave enough room to be deal with a wobble. But into the middle of the lane when you're doing 70?
And before you start banging on, I don't know how severe the swerve was in this instance (and neither do you) but as a driver, I do know it would be exceptionally hard to avoid anything that suddenly appeared in front of me whether it was a car, cyclist, pedestrian or badger.
And of course it's alright to go past a cyclist at 70 mph on a dual carriageway. I always stay well away from TTers on dual carriageways but I certainly don't slow. And they wouldn't expect you to - the speed and weight of the passing traffic is why they ride those courses (which are thankfully being phased out).
The reason you don't speed past horses is because they don't think and respond like human beings. For what it's worth, it's also illegal to ride them on dual carriageways
"And of course it's alright to go past a cyclist at 70 mph on a dual carriageway."
Absolutely - in the correct place - the other lane
And if the cyclist had been hit by a cross wind through a gateway? If your going to overtake, you do a PROPER overtake, not a half arsed squeeze past it'll be ok.
"Tried to move into the outer lane but was prevented by" Was this a trial and error job aithout looking in the mirrors?
Simple answer if a direct move is blocked by a vehicle on the right then a small application of brakes - or even removal of the foot from the gas pedal will normally let that driver move ahead and provide clear space to move out.
Given the relative speeds, especially if the direction of travel was towards Sheffield (uphill) the description indicates a long sighting distance (which there is - substantial parts are straight or wide sweeping curves), in which a competent driver would be checking mirrors to seek space to pull to the right and slowing if necessary becuase of the cyclist ahead
"Tried to move into the outer lane but was prevented by" Was this a trial and error job aithout looking in the mirrors?
Simple answer if a direct move is blocked by a vehicle on the right then a small application of brakes - or even removal of the foot from the gas pedal will normally let that driver move ahead and provide clear space to move out.
Given the relative speeds, especially if the direction of travel was towards Sheffield (uphill) the description indicates a long sighting distance (which there is - substantial parts are straight or wide sweeping curves), in which a competent driver would be checking mirrors to seek space to pull to the right and slowing if necessary becuase of the cyclist ahead
No it will be your fault if you swerve without warning in front of a car on a dual carriageway. The reason for your swerve, e.g. fly in eye, heart attack, etc is just the human desire to explain.
I wonder what are the chances she'd have moved back in if the obstruction was rather more solid than a cyclist.
I'm hoping that her version of events was backed up by other witnesses, but the way things work nowadays you have to wonder if this is the new "sun was in my eyes"?
rubbish. I have asthma so if i get killed cycling by someone who can't use a brake pedal. It will be my fault?
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