Today's “daily outrage” comes from Australia, where several cyclists in a pack of 50 slammed into the back of a car after the driver passed the group then stopped abruptly.
The hit-and-run driver later called a talk show to give his version.
Among those in the bunch cycling in Sydney were Olympic cyclists Ben Kersten, Michelle Ferris, Matthew White, Kevin Nichols and daughter Kate Nichols, who was injured in the 2005 car vs. bicycle crash in Germany that claimed the life of Amy Gillett and injured other members of the Australian cycling team.
That tragedy sparked the creation of the Amy Gillett Foundation, aimed at making bicycling among cars safer.
Four cyclists were injured when they crashed into the back of the car. Kevin Nichols, a gold medallist at the 1984 Summer Olympics, told ABC News:
“We were riding over the rise near the golf course and a driver was harassing the back of the bunch. He then came past us really close and pretty fast and cut off the guys in front.
“Once he got in front he slowed down and I thought 'here we go' and took note of his registration number and called out to the bunch to 'watch out'.
“The bunch slowed a bit but as we got behind him, he slammed his brakes on and the front of the group went straight into the back of the car.”
A fellow by the name of “Jason” called an Australian radio talk show to give his side of the story. In the interests of fairness, you can check his version here. The 9-minute broadcast includes a heated exchange with cyclist Kersten, who said that his excuse was “a lot of bull.”
The worst thing is that motorist stupidity against bicyclists happens everyday. It happens to you and it happens to me. This is notable only because it involved so many at once.
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