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Video: Cyclist pushed off bike by car passenger on Irish mountain pass says “they could have killed me”

Gardaí are investigating incident which happened in Wicklow Mountains National Park last weekend

A ​cyclist in Ireland says that the occupants of a motor vehicle “could have killed me” after he was pushed off his bike by one of its passengers – with footage of the shocking incident, which happened on a mountain road near Dublin, posted afterwards to social media.

According to The Irish Times, the rider, who gave his name as “John,” only found out that the assault last Saturday had been filmed by another passenger in the vehicle when he phoned a radio show about the incident and was told by the host that the video had been shared online.

RTÉ Liveline presenter Joe Duffy urged the vehicle’s passengers to turn themselves in to Gardaí, Ireland’s national police force.

John, who had phoned the programme to try and trace a motorist who had helped him following the assault, said that he would be prepared to press charges but added that he “would be fearful” of the perpetrators given that they “had the mentality to do that.”

He added that after watching footage of the assault, his family had urged to avoid the area when riding his bike.

Located in the Wicklow Mountains National Park around 10 kilometres south of Dublin, the Sally Gap pass tops out at 503 metres above sea level, making it a popular climb for local cyclists.

However, according to Gardaí, in recent years the area has seen a number of attacks on cyclists, often riding alone, with some having their bikes stolen.

With respect to last weekend’s incident, Garda HQ in Dublin’s Phoenix Park confirmed that “Gardaí are investigating an incident that occurred at Blessington Lakes on Saturday 10th April 2021.

“No arrests have been made, investigations are ongoing.”

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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12 comments

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grumpyoldcyclist | 2 years ago
0 likes

Only charge is likely to revolve around not wearing a seatbelt, won't be anything to do with protecting cyclists......

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ChrisB200SX | 2 years ago
3 likes

Definitely not a hate crime though... I mean, he was clearly dangerously pushed off his bike at speed for some reason other than he was riding a bike.

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mdavidford replied to ChrisB200SX | 2 years ago
1 like

Well - yes - mostly views and likes, I imagine.

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ChrisB200SX replied to mdavidford | 2 years ago
4 likes
mdavidford wrote:

Well - yes - mostly views and likes, I imagine.

I see, so it's just incidental that this person was on a bike and these guys don't discriminate because they video themselves pushing over pedestrians, horseriders, etc.

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mdavidford replied to ChrisB200SX | 2 years ago
0 likes

Probably. And other anti-social acts. Though horse-riders would be logistically tricky.

It's basically an extension of the old US film trope of whacking mailboxes with baseball bats, but with added callousness towards the person involved, and the worst side of social media thrown into the mix. There was a spate of videos not so long ago of people on bikes/mopeds smacking unsuspecting pedestrians around the head as they went past - this isn't really any different.

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Captain Badger replied to ChrisB200SX | 2 years ago
3 likes
ChrisB200SX wrote:

Definitely not a hate crime though... I mean, he was clearly dangerously pushed off his bike at speed for some reason other than he was riding a bike.

Oh come on Chris, it was a joke. Where's your sense of humour?

Matthew Parris will be able to explain...

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mbprouser | 2 years ago
1 like

Add the fact that this area has been known for cyclists to be mugged and their high end bike stolen from them. The Sally Gap is a fair way from the nearest house, town or Garda station. Not a nice situation to be be in.

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brooksby | 2 years ago
1 like

I'm confused: "The call prompted another listener to send us the video below [which surely demonstrated that they were at the very least 'aiding and abetting' the assault]"???

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EK Spinner replied to brooksby | 2 years ago
8 likes

to be fair it is the kind of horible video that once shared with someone, it gets passed along the line, the person who sent it in to the radio could be 20 - 100 links down the line and without proper investigation and tracing (which should happen) it may not be obvious who originally posted it

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brooksby replied to EK Spinner | 2 years ago
0 likes

Hadn't considered that; you may have a point...

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Secret_squirrel | 2 years ago
14 likes

Jesus Christ that's terrifying just watching it.  I hope they throw the book at the knackers. 

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PRSboy replied to Secret_squirrel | 2 years ago
7 likes

Indeed.  Should the little f**kers be caught surely there should be no question of pressing charges.

Hopefully next time they try it, the perpetrator gets a multi-tool straight in the eyes, and the car leaves the road to end up upside down in a ditch, slowly filling with farm effluent.

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