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news
road.cc newsNew Forest sportive sabotage reportedly results in broken collarbone for local man riding to work
A New Forest cyclist has reportedly suffered a broken collarbone as a result of attempts to sabotage a sportive ride there at the weekend – ironically, not one of the participants, but a local who is said to have been riding to work along the same route earlier in the day.
The Southern Daily Echo says it was alerted to the incident by a comment made to its coverage of the weekend’s disruption to the Wiggle New Forest Spring Sportive by a friend of the unfortunate cyclist.
The identity of the rider is unknown, and the newspaper says that a poster going by the name cyclejim wrote: “ “His wheel caught one of a number of tacks thrown onto that particular part of the road, which blew his tyre and caused him to fall and break his collarbone.
“I hope whoever did that is satisfied.
“Who has been causing the real danger on Forest roads this weekend?”
The newspaper says however that a spokesman for South Central Ambulance had said that the only incident they dealt with on Saturday involved a 50-year-old woman who injured her hip after coming off her bike on Saturday lunchtime.
As we reported yesterday, Saturday saw attempts to sabotage the event including drawing pins being scattered on the road, signs being changed or ripped down, and motorists deliberately driving slowly in an attempt to impede riders.
When he was told of the injury suffered by the mystery cyclist, Martin Barden of organisers UK Cycling Events, said: “My thoughts go out to him – it’s obviously dreadful and this is not just fun and games it is putting people’s lives in danger.
“Normally locals welcome us and have been very supportive but we are talking about a very small minority of protesters and a handful of hardcore vigilantes causing mayhem.
“Their aim was to protect the Forest but chucking down tacks doesn’t just endanger cyclists and motorists, it hurts Forest animals too,” he added.
Chief Inspector Tony Rowlinson of Hampshire Police said that the force was trying to identify the saboteurs.
“We support people’s rights to lawful, peaceful protest but for those that break the law we will take action,” he explained.
“We are now following up on information to find those responsible for the criminal damage caused during the Sportive.”
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
Might go and throw some industrial nails down on the roads before the SUV school run.
What a blo-ody awful society to live in! God forbid that something should inconvenience their ordered lives.
The : not in my back yard syndrome; and, I'm not having it attitude. Well, the blo-ody cheek of it! All those damn cyclists riding through our countryside; while we poor old car drivers, are having to wait patiently for them to move. Just nont on you know! What say you old-chap?
What is it with people in this country? is it that we're educating to a STUPIDITY STANDARD?
Cyclists and pedestrians are NOT allowed on M-roads and Dual Carriageways are not safe! Maybe it's time for cyclist only roads, all across the uk. Now that would be good! Althogh, the Numpty Brigade would find something about that to protest against or sabotage.
Stupid is as stupid does.
I get a bit sick of the backlash against sportives and other large scale cycle events. It's snobbery, as if sportives are only the domain of johnny come lately Mamils who aren't proper cyclists, run by profiteering chancers who only care about the bottom line.
Is that how the Italians view Gran Fondos? Is that how the French view La Marmotte? Can you imagine people complaining about how the London Marathon and Great North Run are ruining it for 'proper' runners?
Most of the sportives I have ridden have strong links to great charities, like the Tour Ride or last weekend's Bath 100. If you want to make a quick buck you certainly wouldn't organise a sportive!
I have enjoyed some great days on the bike with hundreds or even thousands of likeminded souls. Seems like I should be able to do so without risking injury, and certainly without being sneered at by other cyclists!
I don't disagree with of what you said here but the GNR and the London Marathon occour on from closed roads so using them as a comparison weakens your point.
I'd wager that the tack spreaders and sign removers who deliberately put people in danger are not necessarily those who raised concerns through the proper channels.
FYI, I have never seen a horse injured by a cyclist but I have witnessed a horse injuring a cyclist, and and the occupants of a car. I was the passenger, the car was stationary and the horse, having bolted and thrown the rider jumped onto the roof of our car. Dumb animals should not be on roads. That was a hell of an insurance claim. Buy a golf....strong roofs.
Bet they are all range rover sport hse driving dicks who moved down from the city and think they are the dogs bollx just because they wear hunters and a flat cap.
The guy with the broken collar bone may have ridden himself to hospital as I did both times I broke mine, so the ambulance people would not have any record of him.
Moving on, I can understand the locals annoyance, having seen how many riders act en masse.
Imagine if your sleepy little village was suddenly invaded by thousands of people shouting to each other, dropping rubbish (energy bar wrappers, banana skins, chocolate wrappers etc, etc,) and peeing in the hedges and generally upsetting the rhythm of your day.
Why not just go for a ride in a small group? Why do you have to do it with thousands of others with all the attendant problems that brings?
I await the verbal attacks.
No verbal attacks - all good points. Just think that to get those points across there are better ways of doing so than driving dangerously and causing criminal damage.
Maybe ripping signs off and throwing them in said hedges is also a little hypocritical.
And when the weather improves, I sincerely hope that all said protesters take it in turns to drive through the New Forest so as not to cause traffic jams or any other undue annoyance on those trying to enjoy this wonderful, public, space.
Actually I tend on the whole to agree with you. These are just commercial events and only encourage some people to drive there, thus polluting the atmosphere. Cycling for me is mainly a time for quiet reflection as well as exercise. If you want to ride with other people that's great as well but there are people called friends and family as well as cycling clubs with a much higher standard of group riding. I did do one sportive in honour of the Olympics near Cambridge but it was only 200 people (the long one) and all the entry fee went to charity which with even most charitable ones is not the case (Cambridge News organised it).
I'm in no way condoning the actions of people who disrupt perfectly legal activities, spreading tacks is cowardly and despicable and I hope the people who did it are caught but I very much doubt they will. However very large scale sportives are not the best part of the revival of cycling I think.
There is a cyclejim on this site aswell.....I wonder if its one and the same?
I believe Dr Ferris is the chair of NFCDA.
Pricks.
Well, yes actually.
well, this is still up: http://www.nfcda.co.uk/ - maybe CI Rowlinson could start at the door of the good Dr Graham Ferris...
Not sure what you're driving at. The link doesn't relation to the above that I can see.
I'm assuming Dr Ferris was the injured party, but until the person with the broken collar bone is identified it's hearsay.
But the tacks on the road is a dispicable act.
Why would that be KiwiMike ? Possibly jumping to conclusions ?