Driver’s naked contempt for tandem pair
CYCLING au naturel across Britain for charity, Colin Unsworth and Sadie Tann thought the only challenges they’d face on their light-hearted stunt would be fending off midges and saddle soreness.
But the pair were left bruised and shaken when they were deliberately knocked off their tandem bike by a car on their ride from John O’Groats to Land’s End.
Police are investigating the collision on Monday near Bridge of Earn, Perthshire.
It was captured on camera by Miss Tann, 31, who had been filming a live video when the car swerved into them. Someone in the vehicle also shouted abuse. The unclad couple escaped with scrapes and bruises after being flung into the road.
Mr Unsworth, a joiner and mushroom forager from Adlington, Lancashire, said: ‘It’s really shaken us up. On the live video you can see the driver pass us in the opposite direction and then they’ve turned round and come steaming back down to catch us up and it’s taken a swing at us.
‘I’m quite a skilful cyclist, I’ve been glued to a push bike saddle all my life, and I managed to avoid the first swerve. But as I slammed the brakes on to come to a stop he swerved again and hit us that second time. He knocked us to the floor.
‘We weren’t injured as such, just a few bruises and scrapes. At the time I just got back on my feet and thought it’s fine, we’re not injured, but that night I didn’t half have a sleepless night thinking about it.
‘Something like that has a big impact on you emotionally. We are very, very vulnerable, being naked on a bike.’ Mr Unsworth, 52, and Miss Tann, a student from Sheffield, are doing the ride to raise money for Rewild Britain and Mind, and send a message of body positivity. They set off last week and are using bespoke merino sheepskin saddle covers to protect from chafing.
Mr Unsworth said they had not been able to do the entire ride naked due to Scottish law. Public nudity is not a specific offence, but they were asked to cover up after a complaint. They also had to get dressed after being ‘mobbed’ by youths on motorbikes.
He added: ‘In my mind when we planned it all I had this image of a nice hot glorious summer like we’ve had in past years, and that we’d cycle completely naked all the way... with nothing but smiles and waves and cheers off the public.
‘I was dreading the midges but we’ve been bothered hardly at all. We’re absolutely knackered and our bums are killing us.
‘It’s also been a bit of a personal challenge for us both getting over that body shape thing and challenging ourselves to be comfortable without any clothes on.’
A Police Scotland spokesman said: ‘Police inquiries are ongoing after a 52-year- old man and a 31-year-old woman who were riding a tandem bike were deliberately driven at and struck by a car on the A912 near to Bridge of Earn at about 2pm on Monday.’