“This is why we run cameras”: Cyclists share horrifying stories of assault after rider pushed off bike by man in passing van, as police label act as “despicable random attack”

Multiple cyclists have come forward to share their stories of having been assaulted on the road by drivers or passengers in motor vehicles, after a cyclist riding to work was pushed off his bike in Nottingham in March, but the perpetrators have gone unarrested by the police who described the act as a “despicable random attack” and a “nasty unprovoked assault”.

Nottinghamshire Police released footage captured by the cyclist’s rear bike camera at 4am on Saturday 9 March, which showed a silver Peugeot van being driven along Nottingham Road, catching up to the cyclist with a man hanging out of the passenger window with his arms outstretched, ready to attack the rider from a few metres away.

The driver seemed to time the movement of the van to make it easier for the man to shove the cyclist, who ended up suffering facial injuries, bruising to his arms and legs and a swollen knee following the incident. The handlebars, brake levers, and rear axle of his bike were also damaged.

The police said: “Officers have already explored several lines of inquiry as part of their ongoing investigation, including inquiries relating to the van driver and registered keeper.”

PC Jon Lingard, from Nottinghamshire Police, said: “This was a nasty unprovoked assault on a man cycling to work. It’s fortunate that he didn’t sustain more serious injuries following this despicable random attack.

“We are now in a position to release this footage as part of our investigation and would ask that anyone who recognises the man pictured to get in touch. We’d also ask that he contacts us if he sees this appeal.”

Anyone who recognises the man or who has any information was requested to call Nottinghamshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 137 of 9 March 2024, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

> Police appeal over "serious assault" that saw cyclist pushed from bike by car passenger

Following the release of the footage, cyclists, confused and angered, have questioned the police force’s swiftness in acting as well as many others shared their own stories of having faced such acts on the road, justifying why more and more cyclists feel the need to ride with cameras.

One cyclist from Nottingham commented under the police’s Twitter post: “I once got shunted into oncoming traffic at a roundabout by a car driver who resented I was in front of him. I did nothing to irritate them other than follow the Highway Code… scary. If I had not accelerated into traffic and wove my way through it, I would have been mashed.”

Another Nottingham cyclist wrote: “Similar thing happened to me, but it was lads in a car. They pushed me into some railings. They enjoyed doing it enough to turn back and come by again and spook me some more.”

Casey Adams said: “How does our system not have the ability to force the registered owner to identify the driver and the driver to name the suspect?” while Dr Kara claimed: “This is why more and more cyclists run cameras.”

Another Twitter account by the name of Ride Primary TVL, which aims to educate police on the law on behaviour around cyclists, wrote: “Why are you shocked? You spent years refusing to prosecute drivers for their offences against cyclists, making the offenders feel they can get away with anything. You caused this, own it!”

Several others also questioned why the police waited for six months to release the footage. The account Ride Primary TVL also said: “Hang on, f****** March, and now you feign interest. What exactly were you waiting for?”

One person wrote: “You have the plate numbers. Ask the driver, and hold them in contempt and interfering with police investigation if they stay quiet,” while another asked: “You waited until September to ask for help identifying someone from an assault that happened in March? You let this behaviour go unpunished for 6 months?”

road.cc has contacted Nottinghamshire Police for comment.

> “The only motive was idiocy”: Two men who pushed cyclists into ditches for “fun” handed a two-year suspended prison sentence

We have reported on several similar incidents like this in the past. In April this year, Kent Police launched an appeal and released a photo of a man they wish to speak to in relation to a "serious assault on a cyclist" last summer — almost a year later. The case appeared to be that of Katie Good, a female Ironman athlete and immigration lawyer who suffered a broken collarbone when she was deliberately shoved from her bike by a laughing car passenger.

In January 2023, a man was fined £200 by Kilmarnock Sheriff Court for leaning out of an overtaking vehicle and hitting a cyclist with a tub of hair gel, after becoming frustrated that the cyclists were not "moving fast enough".

Another recent case from across the Channel was brought to light when two men in France, whose "only motive was idiocy", were handed a two-year suspended prison sentence after a spree of incidents which saw cyclists pushed into ditches, apparently for "fun".