Impatient driver ignores marshals and cones and then speeds across roundabout - where he narrowly avoids hitting Velo 2019 cyclists
- Driver 'in 20s or 30s' was in black Mini at roundabout in Quinton, Birmingham
- He moved cones away but spectator put one back in front of car, yesterday
- Driver then ignored marshal, headed for road opposite - also blocked by cones - so mounted kerb and sped across recklessly
- Velo 2019 - a tour, not race - sees 17,000 riders on two courses (100mile and 42mile) passing through West Midlands
An impatient driver ignored cones and marshals and ploughed through the Velo 2019 cycling course in front of speeding riders.
The dangerous manoeuvre came as cyclists in the 100-mile event - which has 17,000 participants - went past a roundabout in Quinton, Birmingham, yesterday.
The footage begins after the Mini driver has moved some cones. While he sits in the vehicle revving the engine, a spectator holding a baby brings one of the cones back and places it in front of the car.
A marshal then approaches the driver, who takes no notice, drives around the cone and tries to head off down the road opposite, as cyclists approach at speeds reaching 30mph.
However, it too is blocked by cones - so barely hesitating, he mounts the kerb and races off.
The driver of the Mini hesitates at a roundabout in Quinton, Birmingham, during the Velo 2019 event on Sunday. The route had been blocked off to vehicles - something he chose to ignore
After moving cones out of the way, he watches as a spectator puts one of them back in front of the vehicle - while he revs his engine
The driver, said to be in his late 20s or early 30s, refuses to listen to a marshall and manoeuvres around the lone cone
Meanwhile, riders travelling at speeds of up to 30mph can be seen approaching the roundabout on Ridgacre Road
Miraculously, no one at the roundabout, in Ridgacre Road, was involved in a collision with the driver, said to be wearing a tracksuit and baseball cap by witnesses.
Hannah Mitchell, 27, saw the events and recorded them on her mobile.
'We were at the roundabout in Quinton which is about ten miles from the finish line and it is all blocked off on multiple exits,' she told BirminghamLive.
She added: 'The Mini driver pulled up to the cones and then just sat there in his car for a while. He got out and moved all of the cones out of his way.
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'People were shouting at him and there were even some people physically standing in front of the Mini trying to stop him driving forward.
'Someone even put down another cone right in front of his car again and instead of moving it, he pulled straight out around it. Cyclists were coming down the road really fast - there were a lot of them around at this point.
'After he pulled out, the other side of the road he wanted to get to was blocked off too, so he mounted the kerb where everyone was spectating and drove straight down on the footpath.
Putting lives at risk, the driver tries to head down the road opposite, which is also blocked by cones
He then dangerously mounts the kerb while a marshall looks on in disbelief. A video of the incident has been sent to West Midlands Police, where it is being reviewed
'We just didn't know what to do. We couldn't really stop him because we were the other side of the road where the cyclists were coming down so you couldn't just run over. It was really scary.
'My partner went and stood down the road slightly and waved to the riders so that they knew something was going on. I think he caught their attention but the cyclists didn't stop - I don't think they could really see.'
The driver is believed to be a white male in his late 20s or early 30s and witnesses said he was wearing a tracksuit and cap.
The video has been sent to West Midlands Police and a spokeswoman told BirminghamLive that it was being urgently reviewed.
The Birmingham and Midlands Velo - which is a tour, not a race - saw 17,000 cyclists set off from Birmingham city centre yesterday morning.
Riders departed in waves from High Street Deritend to get the cycling event underway.
Despite the early start, small crowds of spectators had gathered along the starting straight to cheer the riders on. The cyclists were also encouraged by the warm weather as well as music playing over loud speakers as they waited to cross the start line.
Fast-track cyclists set off at 6.30am. They were followed shortly by riders completing the 42-mile course.
The first waves of riders taking part in the 100-mile event started departing at around 7am and the last rider crossed the start line just after 8am.
Among those taking part in the event, there were even some tandem bikes spotted heading to the start line to tackle the course.
The 100-mile route starts and finishes at the Bullring in Birmingham city centre and the 42-mile route starts at the Bullring in Birmingham and ends in Coventry.
The longer route takes riders on an undulating course through Coventry, Solihull, Warwickshire, Dudley and Sandwell and involves around 1,500 metres of climbing.
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