A north-east cyclist hit out yesterday claiming he was knocked off his bike on a country road by a van.
Colin Bruce was riding along the A947 Banff to Turriff road yesterday afternoon when he claims he was clipped by the vehicle as it drove past.
He said the motor clipped the former construction worker’s bicycle and the wing mirror on the vehicle broke off.
Mr Bruce, who lives near King Edward, claims the man then got out of the van and confronted him over the broken piece before driving off.
The 64-year-old reported the incident to police and was left with a “stinging backside” after the accident. He also has the wing mirror from the vehicle he claims knocked him over.
Mr Bruce believes the van involved was a white Citroen van and it had the word “finance” written in red letters on the side.
The grandfather-of-three said he was wearing a bright yellow high visibility vest and also had a flashing white and red on either side of his bike.
Mr Bruce branded the whole incident “atrocious”.
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He said: “My friend who lives in a house nearby heard the guy ranting and raving.
“She came out to see what the score was and came out on to the road and saw me and my bike and the guy jumped into his van and took off.
“When I came home I called 101 and they said we’ll put a message out for the car.
“My bike is okay. I have a big mirror on it to see what is coming up behind me, but I didn’t notice this guy.
“To hit me on the backside on the bike doesn’t bare thinking about how close it was to me.
“You are supposed to a give a cycle a bit of clearance, but this was just atrocious.”
Mr Bruce’s daughter Lenise ,40, said the accident had left her “disgusted” and she said she believes the motorist involved should have been more concerned with her father’s condition.
She said: “Drivers really need to be vigilant.
“Dad wears hi vis every time he is out so that he can be seen.
“I am disgusted and shocked that the man got out of his van and actually shouted instead of ensuring that my dad was not injured.”
Last night a police spokeswoman confirmed officers were investigating the incident.
She said: “We received a report of a collision involving a cyclist and a van between Macduff and Turriff at 12.25pm.
“Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to contact police on 101.””
