Naked cyclist startles Suffolk speed gun volunteers

A man who startled onlookers by cycling naked through a village in Suffolk may have been protesting against speed checks being conducted by locals.

The cyclist, who was described as a slim, white and in his 20s, was seen in Waldingfield Road, Acton, near Sudbury, on Monday afternoon, according to the East Anglian Daily Times.

The newspaper added that it was unclear why the man chose to ride in the buff, although one school of thought among locals is that he was protesting regarding speed checks that have been put in place under a community Speed Watch project.

Vince Humphries, who is a member of Speed Watch and sits on the parish council in nearby Great Waldingfield, told the newspaper that the group he was with had seen a 4x4 with a canoe on the back passed by, and that around ten minutes later, the cyclist appeared, riding past with no clothes on.

“I thought ‘crikey, is he naked?’,” said Mr Humphries. “As he came towards us one of my colleagues asked whether the chap was naked. We then said ‘bloody hell, he is naked’.

“As soon as he saw us he was pedalling like mad. I think he might have thought our radar gun was a camera because when he got closer he sped up.”

He continued: “It made us laugh. We - three men and a lady - thought it was a prank. I thought he may be the same person as the 4x4 driver because both guys had dark hair.”

The Speed Watch team decided not to try and find out the cyclist’s exact speed due to the fact that the radar gun they use gives off a small amount of radiation.

Jenny Antill, who represents Acton on Babergh District Council, said: “We don’t have this sort of thing in Acton. People like the Speed Watch, it is low key and the aim is to deter people from speeding rather than to punish them.”

Police are reportedly now investigating the incident, and a spokeswoman said it was not clear whether the 4x4 driver was the naked cyclist, and she asked the driver, or anyone who knows him, to come forward.

In the meantime, just an idea, but perhaps they could check to see whether any Footon-Servetto replica kit has been bought by anyone living locally?