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Man arrested following New Zealand 'bike rage' incident captured on film (+ video)New Zealand MTB rage YouTube still

Man arrested following New Zealand 'bike rage' incident captured on film (+ video)

Mountain biker's alleged assailant tracked down after footage posted online...
by Simon_MacMichael
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 11:01
33

A mountain biker in New Zealand who set out to capture his ride on video is getting a few more views on YouTube than he might have expected after becoming the victim of an alleged assault carried out by another rider. Police have subsequently arrested a 45-year-old man in connection with the incident after footage was put online in an attempt to try and identify him.

According to 3 News, the cyclist filming his ride, Jordan Brizzell, had riding on the Flying Nun trail above Christchurch when he caught up with a slower rider ahead of him (around 1 min 20 secs into the video, posted to youTube with the byline 'My First Project').

Although the rider ahead apparently told Brizzell that he was okay to ride past, each time he attempted to do so, he had the door slammed shut on him.

“Trail etiquette says you pull over to let faster riders by,” explained Brizzell. “I was polite at first, but then got less polite as he refused to stop, but I certainly wasn't asking to be attacked. I never swore or abused him, just basically said he was inconsiderate.”

It’s at 5 minutes into the video that things start getting heated. As the riders slow down at the end of the trail, Frizzell tells the other cyclist, “That was really rude of you,” only to be met with four-letter words as the man approached him and apparently pushed him over.

As he walks away, Brizzell shouts out that he has captured the incident on video and that the other rider could face arrest – whereupon he turns round, comes back, and launches a second attack.

“He tried to strangle me with my helmet while he was trying to steal my camera, and when I started yelling for help he put his hand over my nose and mouth,” continued Brizzell. “It was like he'd done it before. I was getting pretty fearful for my life by that stage so I did the only thing I could do without letting go of the camera, bit down on his finger.”

3 News has since reported that a 45-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the incident after Brizzell posted footage to Reddit.

 

New Zealand
bike rage
Assault
Simon MacMichael

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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33 comments

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Simon_MacMichael | 12 years ago
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I assumed that was just the way the trail was and that the slower bloke had taken a shorter path which allowed him to rejoin ahead of the other guy when the two routes converged again?

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dodgy | 12 years ago
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Interesting that the faster rider when he comes to the fork in the track and he makes his first off bike encounter with the other rider, did anyone else notice that at first he appeared to ride away from the 'nutter', then thought better of it and rejoined in order to catch him again?

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bauchlebastart replied to dodgy | 12 years ago
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dodgy wrote:

Interesting that the faster rider when he comes to the fork in the track and he makes his first off bike encounter with the other rider, did anyone else notice that at first he appeared to ride away from the 'nutter', then thought better of it and rejoined in order to catch him again?

I thought this myself, why once you have passed the slower rider, would you go back round only to be behind him again?
Heared the faster rider also threaten to run the slower one off the trail at one point. Basically he antagonised the situation and got his ass kicked! Not that it excuses the violent actions of the slower rider though, who obviously has anger management problems. 14

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