Derbyshire cyclist experiencing ‘much more abuse’ since lockdown started

Cycling is one of the three examples of daily exercise the Government advises people to engage in during lockdown.

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Kate Wilkinson Cross, who lives in the Hope Valley, told the BBC: "Since lockdown I’ve experienced much more abuse than I have ever had while cycling in the valley.”

The lecturer said she and her partner cycled together to deliver food to a friend locally – and a driver in a pickup truck shouted abuse telling them to ‘go home’.

“The ironic thing was he was less than 2m away from me when it happened,” she said.

“I feel vulnerable going cycling on my own.

“I’m well within my rights to do so, but I don't want to have to respond to abuse like this.

“It’s making me think twice about where I cycle.”

As previously reported, Bradwell resident Iain Greenhalgh criticised members of Sheffield’s Sharrow Cycling Club for ‘finding themselves too important to stay at home and instead choosing to ride out through Bradwell and the Hope Valley’.

The club said in a statement: “Everyone is permitted one form of exercise a day, and unsurprisingly the majority of members choose to cycle. Many live within 20 minutes of the Hope Valley and can therefore comfortably complete a ‘local’ route within an hour from home.

“No areas, Peak District included, are off limits to people able to easily access them by riding a relatively short and reasonable distance from home.”

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