A cyclist caught on video using misogynist abuse in an ugly road rage incident against a Sydney woman is reportedly a former Olympian.
Tony Lally, the former road-racing cyclist who represented Ireland at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, was filmed last week going on a misogynistic tirade against a Sydney resident identified only as Monique.
The video, filmed by Ms Monique, was handed over to the police by her. The cyclist was later identified as 68-year-old Mr Lally, according to The Daily Mail.
Mr Lally has not yet commented on the video that has been shared widely on social media.
In the video, a cyclist can be seen opening the driver-side door of Ms Monique’s vehicle and unleashing a torrent of verbal abuses while also trying to reach for her phone.
The incident took place on Pittwater Road in Sydney where the woman was driving. She said she had indicated to the cyclist that she was turning off the road.
“I looked back... just to check that he (the cyclist) hadn’t caught up, I was pretty sure he hadn’t but I wanted to double-check and then I consciously indicated because again I wanted it to be very clear to the cyclist that I was going to be turning,” she told Australia’s 7News.
As she continued driving, she heard a loud yell. She parked her car as the cyclist approached her and whipped out her phone as she realised everything was “not OK”.
“Are you f***ing blind,” Mr Lally can be heard saying in the video.
“You fat c***. You cut me off, you pulled right in front of me. You nearly knocked me off.”
The cyclist can also be seen trying to reach for her phone as she filmed the outburst.
Ms Monique can be heard asking the cyclist to stop hitting her. “I’m calling the police, you can’t hit me,” she said. “I was indicating, and I turned... it was perfectly safe.”
Video of the road-rage incident allegedly involving the former Olympian has renewed calls for the country’s cyclists to register before cycling on roads.
The Australian Cycle Alliance spokesperson was later quoted as saying by local media that the cyclist “doesn’t represent cycling any more than he represents people that live in Sydney”.
“It would cost just as much to register a bike as it does to register a car in order to make it financially viable.
“The cost of the system would far outweigh the benefit of the system,” the alliance added.
Mr Lally has been living in Australia after his cycling career and has since become a businessman.
