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Video: Alabama driver arrested after posting anti-cyclist rants

"I’m going to hurt one of them one of these days"...

A driver from Alabama USA has been arrested after posting incriminating videos of himself online, first ranting about cyclists and then allegedly attempting to scare a pair of cyclists with a close pass.

According to The Aniston Star, Calhoun County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested Keith Maddox of Piedmont after complaints from cyclists about Maddox’s videos, in which he rants about cyclists getting in his way as he drives to work.

After passing one rider, Maddox can be heard saying “I’m going to hurt one of them one of these days, I can’t help it. I’m going to do it, I can’t help it.”

In his most recent video, after Maddox pulls alongside a pair of riders, he is heard to say: “That scare ya boys? Get your pedalin’ butts off the road. God I hate cyclists.”

Maddox has been charged with misdemeanour reckless endangerment.

YouTube user Jeff McCord compiled Maddox’s three videos - apparently filmed using a handheld mobile phone - into one clip:

Maddox has since removed the videos from his Facebook page and issued an apology.

He wrote: “I want to publicly apologize to all people that I have offended over those absolute stupid videos that I posted ... anybody who knows me knows that would never ever intentionally hurt anyone. I am truly sorry for anyone I may have offended ... and please everyone share the road and be very aware of bicycle riders everywhere.”

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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26 comments

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notfastenough | 9 years ago
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"Holding me up!" as he then drives round them without so much as a pause. Weirdo.

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Dr Livingstone | 9 years ago
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If not cyclists then black people/women/disabled people etc. This bloke is just mr Angry with an inadequate life looking for someone to take it out on

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Dr Livingstone | 9 years ago
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If not cyclists then black people/women/disabled people etc. This bloke is just mr Angry with an inadequate life looking for someone to take it out on

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pd500 | 9 years ago
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Please section this idiot  14

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durrin | 9 years ago
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What is completely absurd is that in none of the incidents videoed is the driver actually delayed. The oncoming lane is empty each time, and, there is in two cases (i think) a car ahead of the driver that limits his speed anyway, even if he did have to wait a few seconds before passing.

I frequently wonder why it is that drivers like this have reactions like this. There is no reason for the hatred.

I really feel that some countries/US states need to have a "sentenced to n months bicycle commuting" law. It would be infinitely more useful in the long run than putting people in jail or fining them as it would allow/force them to see the other side.

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dafyddp | 9 years ago
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Given the video's widespread publicity, you can be sure that somewhere in Alabama, there's a cyclist is perfecting this technique...
http://www.imfdb.org/images/d/d3/TrueGritSAA-5.jpg

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ch | 9 years ago
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> It's a serious but sad fact, that in some America states you will find cyclists having conversations about whether they should be carrying when they go for a ride. As always "for protection".

The extra weight on a hill climb would be punitive, but firing backwards might give one an extra push up the hill, not to mention clearing out any competition trying to tag along on the KOM.

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eurotrash | 9 years ago
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It seems he's under the impression that the cyclists are riding for sport, which is why he's moaning about them being on the road during the hours when motorists are trying to get to work. And I assume the bike trails he references are dirt trails and not fit for a road bike.

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Flying Scot | 9 years ago
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The fact he is a fully paid up moron is one thing......but he thinks he is getting held up??? How far out from the city does he live?

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Flying Scot | 9 years ago
0 likes

The fact he is a fully paid up moron is one thing......but he thinks he is getting held up??? How far out from the city does he live?

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Flying Scot | 9 years ago
0 likes

The fact he is a fully paid up moron is one thing......but he thinks he is getting held up??? How far out from the city does he live?

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Flying Scot | 9 years ago
0 likes

The fact he is a fully paid up moron is one thing......but he thinks he is getting held up??? How far out from the city does he live?

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Flying Scot | 9 years ago
0 likes

The fact he is a fully paid up moron is one thing......but he thinks he is getting held up??? How far out from the city does he live?

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FluffyKittenofT... | 9 years ago
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When are the BBC going to give him a show?

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Beaufort | 9 years ago
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You life, their hands. Be careful who you piss off behind the wheel, on a bike you're in no position to argue.

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bikebot replied to Beaufort | 9 years ago
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Beaufort wrote:

You life, their hands. Be careful who you piss off behind the wheel, on a bike you're in no position to argue.

It's a serious but sad fact, that in some America states you will find cyclists having conversations about whether they should be carrying when they go for a ride. As always "for protection".

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WolfieSmith | 9 years ago
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On an average training ride I will have 2 or 3 bad motorists out of the 200 I meet on Lancashire Lanes on a 50 mile Sunday ride. Having ridden in London, Essex and Hertfordshire regularly in the past I'm lucky to live now in what I consider to be a lower risk area.

Out of those that pass too close, or overtake on blind bends, are going too fast for the road or pulling out in front of me - I would say 70% are in a hurry and don't want to share the road. 25% are just bad drivers and don't realise they've even been dangerous. The last 5% are the characters reported on this site: utter sociopaths who would take pleasure in running me over and leave me for dead on a quiet road if they had no witnesses.

It's why I don't bother giving the finger anymore. If they don't come back for me they'll only take it out on the next cyclist they find.

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bikebot | 9 years ago
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I'm a bad person, I found that quite inappropriately funny.

I think we can safely say he has issues. If that were in the UK, I think we'd skip the road use issue and jump straight to mental health.

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MKultra | 9 years ago
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I believe Alabama is one of those states that permits the carrying of side arms. It's good the police had words of advice with him before he used his car as a weapon against some one who decided shoot back.

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Gordy748 replied to MKultra | 9 years ago
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Umm, I think you'll find pretty much all of 'em do.

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gazpacho | 9 years ago
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1 word. 2 syllables. Redneck.

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Big Softy replied to gazpacho | 9 years ago
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The PC Police have decreed that the term "redneck" is offensive.
The correct term nowadays is "Country music fan".  21

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MKultra replied to Big Softy | 9 years ago
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Big Softy wrote:

The PC Police have decreed that the term "redneck" is offensive.
The correct term nowadays is "Country music fan".  21

Is there a shortened version of that starting with C?

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SB76 | 9 years ago
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Obviously it is road.cc's duty to highlight this things and yes, it does not exactly help as it makes these things look common place BUT things arent as bad as it seems!

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Leodis replied to SB76 | 9 years ago
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SB76 wrote:

Obviously it is road.cc's duty to highlight this things and yes, it does not exactly help as it makes these things look common place BUT things arent as bad as it seems!

Tell that to the shite who nearly killed me the other day and the one just before that, one a few days ago and the one after that.... etc...

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Bob's Bikes | 9 years ago
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Losing my faith in humanity one car driver at a time.

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