Retired pro cyclist slams “homicidal maniacs on the road” after driver says he’d “ram” him for passing cars in traffic

Former professional cyclist Phil Gaimon has urged “sane motorists” to be aware of “homicidal maniacs on the road” threatening the safety of vulnerable road users, after one driver responded to a video showing Gaimon and a group of friends riding past slow-moving traffic on a Californian motorway by warning the cyclist that he would “turn the wheel to the right and ram you” in the same situation.

Former Garmin pro-turned-popular Strava KOM-hunting YouTuber Gaimon posted the clip, captioned ‘Passing cars on the Interstate in SoCal’, to Instagram following a two-day ride from Los Angeles to San Diego, which included – out of necessity – a brief spell riding on the hard shoulder of Interstate 5, California’s main north-south route connecting the United States’ borders with Canada and Mexico.

While cycling on the Interstate and other motorways is generally prohibited in the US, cyclists can legally ride on around 1,000 miles of California’s freeways due to there being no other suitable alternative for people on bikes.

In Gaimon’s case, his group’s planned cycle route was interrupted by the US Marine Corps base at Camp Pendleton, rerouting them onto the highway, a scenario the retired pro described as “not ideal but fine” thanks to “bike route signs and a big shoulder”.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Phil Gaimon (@philgaimon)

“Rode LA-San Diego over two days with friends, took Amtrak back to LA. The ride was about 60 percent bike path, but for a few miles we had to take the interstate,” the 37-year-old wrote on Instagram.

“I was worried about safety of cars flying by us, but it was the other way. Highly recommend the trip.”

> “When I'm killed” – ex-pro Phil Gaimon’s powerful YouTube film about vulnerability of cyclists

However, despite the legality of the cyclists’ actions, one motorist appeared to take grave offence to the sight of the former Garmin pro and a few friends cruising past three lanes of slow-moving and stationary cars on the Interstate.

Under Gaimon’s post, the social media user matt_mkm121 commented: “You ain’t gonna be passing us no more when I turn the wheel to the right and ram you.”

Sharing the motorist’s unsavoury interjection on Twitter, Gaimon wrote: “Sane motorists should know about the homicidal maniacs on the roads. This is why we’re freaked out sometimes.”

Sane motorists should know about the homicidal maniacs on the roads. This is why we’re freaked out sometimes pic.twitter.com/2WdzMZhMZA

— Phil Gaimon (@philgaimon) January 4, 2024

The American’s condemnation of “homicidal maniacs” in cars isn’t the first time he has spoken out about the dangers faced by cyclists on the roads.

In 2019, Gaimon released a YouTube video titled ‘Share This When I’m Killed by Someone Driving a Car’, in which he detailed the growing list of cycling fatalities on America’s roads as well as his own close call with a dangerous driver who almost hit him while speeding and overtaking another motorist on a blind bend.

Gaimon signed off the hard-hitting video with the sobering conclusion: “I know how I’m going to die. It’s going to be something like this.”

> Phil Gaimon and American pro riders almost hit by speeding drivers overtaking on blind bend

And in December 2021, he shared footage of another strikingly similar incident on the same stretch of road, which saw two speeding drivers, seemingly racing down the hill, driving straight at and narrowly missing a group which included Gaimon and then-EF Education pro Alex Howes and Trek-Segafredo’s Kiel Reijnen.

Gaimon’s latest plea to “sane motorists” also came just hours after a 77-year-old motorist, driving on the wrong side of the road and allegedly “well above” the speed limit, crashed into a group of cyclists in Florida, killing one and injuring seven others, two of whom remain in critical condition.

> Cyclist killed and two critically injured in shocking Florida collision which saw group ride hit by driver of SUV

In shocking footage of the crash obtained by road.cc, the cyclists can be seen riding two abreast in Gulf Stream, a beach town in Palm Beach County, Florida, on a two-lane road with no hard shoulder and a 35mph speed limit, when a driver – described by police as disoriented for “unknown reasons” – collided head-on with them, before continuing without slowing down.

A cyclist from Florida also told road.cc that the roads where this week’s incident occurred are “super popular” amongst cyclists, especially for group rides. However, given the state’s history of dealing with similar fatal collisions, the cyclist said they didn’t expect the driver to be charged with anything more than a minor infraction such as ‘distracted driving’.