Olympic medalist Victoria Pendleton is no stranger to the dangers we face cycling on the roadways. As sad as it is to hear that someone of her professional stature could be putting her livelihood, and even her life, at risk while anonymously riding on the public roadways, it’s good that someone as high profile as she is calling attention to a problem we cyclists are all too familiar with.
From the Telegraph:
Olympic champion cyclist Victoria Pendleton says Manchester road-hogs put her life at risk and shout abuse at her when she trains on the city’s streets.
Pendleton, who struck gold in the women’s sprint final in Beijing, said she found it ‘depressing’ that motorists would put her in danger at least once an hour.
“It is hard to deal with,” she said. “I am trying to do my training - it is my job. In Manchester when it’s fairly busy I can guarantee there will be one occasion per hour where somebody takes a stupid risk and basically puts me in danger. “You are not trying to hold them up. I don’t go out with my bike at rush hour just to **** people off, I wait until it is over. People are very proud, but I wish they were a little more considerate for our cyclists.
“It can get you down, it can get quite depressing when people are shouting abuse at you.” Pendleton, who is based in Wythenshawe and trains with the rest of the record-breaking British cycling squad at the Velodrome in Manchester, was speaking days after her stunning gold-medal winning victory over Australia’s Anna Meares.
Her comments will come as no surprise to brave cycling medallist Emma Davies-Jones, left with a broken back after being knocked off her bike on the way to the Velodrome in 2005.
The 28-year-old was millimetres from having to spend life in a wheelchair after the accident in Pottery Lane, which happened as she headed along a marked cycle path. Before the smash, she had been tipped for gold in the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, but was left in a back brace and unable to dress herself after a sliver of bone threatened to sever her spinal column. Davies-Jones spent weeks in the care of surgeons at Salford’s Hope Hospital before working her way back to fitness.
Against all odds, she won bronze in the Melbourne Games.
Manchester magistrates’ court was told she would never again be able to compete at the same level as before, couldn’t ride without strong painkillers and could face complications.
The motorist was convicted of failing to stop after an accident, failing to report an accident and careless driving. He was banned for six months and given a 12-month community order and 150 hours’ community service.
