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Cycling 'extraordinarily safe activity' - CTC director

CTC director Kevin Mayne moved to reassure people by describing cycling as an 'extraordinarily safe activity' following the terrible incident in which four cyclists died when a car ploughed into them.

The tragedy happened as 12 members of Rhyl Cycling Club were out near Abergele in North Wales on Sunday 8 January.

One of those killed, 61-year-old club chairman Maurice Broadbent, was a qualified cycling coach.

Police described the deaths as a 'tragic accident'. A Toyota Corolla travelling in the opposite direction skidded on ice and spun into the riders.

The cyclists had just set out on a 60-mile round trip to Great Orme when the crash took place on a notoriously dangerous stretch of the A547 Rhuddlan Road. In September 2005, the A547 in this area was named by police among the 11 most deadly roads in north Wales.

North Wales Police chief inspector Lyn Adams said the car driver had lost control on a gentle left hand bend because of ice. "There is no indication to suggest that this is down to something like excessive speed," he said. "Our best estimate at the moment is that the car was driving at something like 50 miles per hour. On a road like this, that isn't excessive speed."

Conway councillor Darren Miller contacted the chief highways officer as soon as he heard about the incident to ask why the road was in such poor condition. "I understand it was treated at 17.30 the previous evening but I personally don't feel it was acceptable given the condition of the road that morning," he told BBC Wales.

CTC director, Kevin Mayne, said: "Cycling is an extraordinarily safe activity and the excellent safety record enjoyed by clubs makes this incident all the more shocking.

"I am sure I speak for anyone who has ever enjoyed a club run that it is almost impossible to comprehend such a result from an activity that brings so much pleasure to so many."