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news
Drawing Pins (picture copyright Tass Whitby).PNG“Hundreds” of drawing pins thrown from moving BMW into cyclists’ path – with car occupants filming aftermath
Occupants of a BMW car threw “hundreds” of drawing pins into the path of a group of cyclists in Worcester at the weekend, causing many to puncture – then reportedly returned to film the aftermath.
Worcester News, which says police are investigating the incident, reports that two groups of riders were targeted on Sunday morning.
Iain Buchanan, a member of Worcester St John's Cycling Club, told the newspaper: "There was 10 of us in the group out on the ride and the first incident happened at 9.45am, near Powick roundabout to Hanley Castle.
“A silver BMW was in front, and a handful of tacks were thrown out of the window. There were shouts of 'tacks' to warn others. Three of the riders suffered punctures."
He said that later on, he and his cycling companions encountered another group of cyclists who were on the roadside and had been targeted in similar fashion.
He said: "One of the cyclists had nine drawing pins in a tyre.
"They came back filming the cyclists. This was dangerous, no thought for the safety of riders.
“They might have thought they were having a bit of a laugh, but someone could come off a bike, and take out a group with them.
"In total they have cost hundreds of pounds in damage."
Another member of the club, Paul Sobczyk, said: "It is deeply concerning, hundreds of pins were thrown.
"We were travelling uphill when the tacks were thrown – it is every cyclist's worst nightmare to be going downhill at speed, and a tyre blow up.
"There was the potential for a serious accident. It was obviously premeditated and planned, they were driving round looking for cyclists."
The cyclists were able to note down the registration details of the vehicle and according to a post on the club’s Facebook page, while the DVLA website shows the vehicle does have a current MOT, it is also subject to a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) – meaning it is illegal to drive it on the public highway.
Club member Andy Turner wrote on Facebook: “Eight of us out on the 09.30 ride to Staunton today.
“An uneventful ride out via Eckington and Bredon Hardwick but first rain and then drawing-pin scattering cretins in a silver BMW somewhat marred the return journey via Upton and Kinnersley.
“Almost everyone in the group punctured and some, including myself, double-punctured. I picked six pins out of my front tyre and five out of the rear.
“The 09.15 ride had also been to Staunton and as they came up behind us they also suffered several punctures.
“Then the perpetrators drove past and filmed us but we were at least able to confirm their registration number and get a brief look at them.
“One can only wonder why these sad individuals would want to do something like this. Let's hope the Police can track them down because they need to be stopped.”
Last month, we reported how cyclists in neighbouring Shropshire had been targeted by someone putting drawing pins on the road in the village of Badger.
> Tacks strewn in road for cyclists in idyllic Shropshire village
Local newsletter, The Badger Bulletin, said: “On two occasions recently before weekends, drawing pins have been scattered across the lane in the village.
“They are presumably aimed at cyclists who come through the village, often in groups and sometimes (but certainly not always) far too fast.
“However, this is disgraceful, not to mention criminal, behaviour.
“Apart from cyclists, locals have found many pins in their tyres which, if the heads break off, could be hidden until they cause a puncture at speed. Let’s hope it’s not anybody from the village who is behaving in such a mindless way.”
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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22 comments
Probably a local bike shop owner or maybe the rep from Schwalbe having noticed a slump in Marathon sales.
This is dreadful.
Although I am getting hung up on the fact that three cyclists got punctures and it caused "hundreds of pounds of damage"
Do people pay a lot more for inner tubes than me or am i just being thick (distinct possibility) and missing something completely?
Well would you continue to trust a tyre that had picked up 9 drawing pins ? Maybe some were using tubeless, again how confident would you be of the repair. Certainly the punctures I've had,and some were no bigger than drawing pin size shards of flint/glass/sharp plastic have always ended up being tube and tyre replacement ultimately
The article is as clear as mud, but from what I can gather it was a group of 10, 3 got punctures and some got double punctures - so I'm guessing a total of 5 punctures. Maybe they felt the need to replace the tyre too? Or maybe the took it to Quickfit and found they also needed a new exhaust and battery? (as both were missing)
Donald Trump rides around in a stereotypical dealer-type car without plates. I reckon he did it to help get Boris elected. Nigel Farage put him up to it because he heard that cyclists are all immigrants and don't like road tacks.
The comments on the local newspaper's web site don't disappoint. It is admirable, in a way, that people can type through the pain of their knuckles being red-raw from dragging behind them on the ground all day.
Sorry, if that sounds elitist. I forgot, you can't call stupid and angry people stupid and angry these days. It's political correctness gone mad!
It's definitely time that the hate crime laws were updated to include cycling. It would be so much fun to be able to prosecute msm for their anti-cycling articles.
At the Tour of Cambridgeshire this past weekend 2 Policve motorbikes were taken out by tacks on the road, plus numerous other people got punctures. Then there was someone who poured oil or something similar along a great stretch of the road.
Unfortunately there are so many people driving around on false plates that these people are very difficult to catch and they know it
However we as cyclists can help by being nice and respectful, please when you need to urinate, guys find a loo, don't use the roadside. Don't drop your litter, keep it on you. I knew where certain mileage was on the ToC by all the gels wrappers that had been dropped.
Some people will never be happy but we can win over a lot of people by respecting their area.
I noticed some sand on the road on two corners and assumed it was an asshole. Didn't hear anything about tacks but then I was in the normal sportive and I'm assuming the initial race was hit and they, like the oil, was taken care of befoe the bulk came past. I'm pretty sure that about 200 yards up from there was a house with a cardboard "we protest about the road closures" or something similar written on it. I wonder if the investigation stopped by to ask questions.
where was this, as I ride around there, would be handy to know the location so I can avoid for a while!
Accident? Fuck off
Use a camera, folks. Especially on group rides when these muppets are most prone to target us.
I've had several clips actioned by the Police in the last year and several pending.
Fuck them in the ass with the footage.
For anyone who can't quite comprehend the depth of the anti-cycling hatred in this country, just take a look at the comments on this financial website https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/cars/article-7098527/Volvo-started-c...
'thisismoney.co.uk' - is that just a re-skinned clone of the Daily Mail? I was really confused for a few minutes, I thought I was looking at the Daily Mail, but I couldn't see the exposed flesh.
I'm not surprised. And the obligatory moron who mentions "road tax" without knowing what it is... depressing.
> “One can only wonder why these sad individuals would want to do something like this. Let's hope the Police can track them down because they need to be stopped.”
Track them down, or tack them down - with 6 inch nails?
I really wish people would stop calling things like this an accident. There's nothing accidental about incidents like these.
It's terrorism isn't it, deliberately targetting and wanting to harm others because of your hatred and political .
As the BMW has a Statutory Off Road Notification, I'd be hoping that the police locate and impound the vehicle (maybe scrap it too).
I have no idea what goes on in people’s minds . Live and let live . I’m just waiting for someone to somehow make it Donald’s ( he’s the what , president ,I meant puppet ) trumps fault or perhaps Nigel ( he so well connected it’s unreal) Farage will blame it on immigration
So they got the registration, the car belongs to someone so the police should do their job and go sort it out or are they to busy stop people for pedantic reasons and treating them like they have killed someone . Police hope your reading this , do your f£&*ing job .
Sadly, not as simple as that. There is another Saab driving around my home city masquerading as my car with my registration number, and starting to rack up parking fines. Fortunately it is a different colour and version and the council marking attendant took some nice, high-res shots of the imposter which are now in the hands of the police, but this apparently is a widespread problem.
Whether that vehicle having a SORN declaration against it makes it more or less likely to be cloned, I have no idea.
In London, it's now quite common to see cars and bikes without any plates at all. I helpfully advised a Just Eat rider on a moped that his number plate had fallen off when I drew level with him at some lights (he was in the ASL, natch). He replied that he didn't need a plate, as his moped was electric. The stereotypical "dealer" type cars (old, black BMWs, with limo windows and massive chromed wheels) now routinely go without plates. The worst that happens is, they get stopped and told to fit one.
Utter scum.