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In an episode reminiscent of the Matthew Parris furore at the start of last year, TV chef James Martin has incurred the wrath of cyclists following an anti-cycling tirade in his column in The Daily Mail.
In the piece, Martin said: “God, I hate those cyclists. Every last herbal tea-drinking, Harriet Harman-voting one of them.”
The article, concerning Martin test driving the Tesla Roadster, added: “Twenty minutes into my test drive I pulled round a leafy bend, enjoying the birdsong – and spotted those damned Spider-Man cyclists. Knowing they wouldn’t hear me coming, I stepped on the gas, waited until the split second before I overtook them, then gave them an almighty blast on the horn at the exact same time I passed them at speed.
“The look of sheer terror as they tottered into the hedge was the best thing I’ve ever seen in my rear-view mirror. I think this could be the car for me.”
The Saturday Kitchen presenter has been blasted by the cycling community for his comments. On Twitter, the CTC is encouraging cyclists who have been run off the road by Martin to contact their Accident Helpline. A Facebook group has been created criticising the chef and reportedly Martin’s Wikipedia page has been tampered with.
A number of pro riders have vocally objected to Martin’s comments, including Bradley Wiggins.
