With all the anti-4×4 sentiment around, I wanted to relate this tale of what happened to us on Saturday. We were visiting my family in Wales, and we decided to spend some of Saturday exploring the Brecon Beacons national park. There’s a lovely drive from Pant, near Merthyr-Tydfil, across the hillside emerging in Talybont-on-Usk, and a nice stop near some waterfalls along the drive.
As we’re heading up this road, we come up on a group of cyclists straining up the hill. I pull wide (as wide as I can on a road that barely allows two cars to pass), and drive carefully past. When one of them pulls out in front of me to overtake another cyclist I hit the brakes and give him the benefit of the doubt. I’m sure he must have heard a Td5 Discovery uphill, but it’s a nice day and I’m being generous.
We pass the cyclists, and I miss the car park I wanted to stop at. Bugger!
Heading down the hill the other side at between 15-20mph because it’s too steep and twisty to go faster, I spot an access to a gate that’s perfect to turn around. I stop. I check the road is clear, and reverse into the gateway. As I get back, two cyclists shoot past the front of my car, one of them yelling what I generously choose to assume was a warning to the folllowing cyclists, and not abuse at me.
I complete the maneuver, and start to drive back up the hill. Now, I know the cyclists are coming. I’m doing 10mph, hugging the grass and risking a £500 (or more) repair bill on every corner if I hit the stony hillside that’s inches from the car. Before I’ve gone 200 yards, from around the bend in front of us comes another cyclist, doing 40mph or more, on a trajectory that will barely miss the car. I brake. We see the handlebars wobble.
The next thing I’m aware of is seeing him, in my rear view mirror, in the air, going over both the handlebars and the bank at the side of the road. I simultaneously swear and hit the brakes. We stop. I make sure the car is secure while I explain to Yvonne what happened before running back down the road, expecting to see him wrapped around a tree or worse.
No, the ground levelled out about 6 feet below the road, and Mr. Cyclist. was picking himself up and catching his breath. Not a scratch. Bike in working order. He was sodding lucky to have not gone a few feet further and landed on a barbed wide fence, or a few feet beyond that and slid down a tree. I was seriously expecting to be sending Yvonne back to the car for the first aid kit.
He apologises profusely for scaring us, we ensure he’s not injured, and then head back to the car which is causing problems for other motorists.
As I said, there’s a lot of anti-4×4 sentiment around, so I’d just like to point out that I knew the cyclists were coming, I did everything I could to not impede their way, and when one of them came off I stopped and went to help.
Most 4×4 drivers are kind, helpful people. The 4×4 enthusiast community is one of the friendliest I know. Don’t tar us all with the same brush – the one I reserve for the driver of the Mercedes ML estate driving down the hard shoulder of the M4 this evening to avoid a traffic jam. I don’t know who you are, but you’re the kind of person that gives 4×4 drivers a bad press, and I hope you got caught!