Cricket great Shane Warne on Wednesday hit out at “antagonistic” cyclists after a road rage incident that he reported to police. In a Twitter rant late Tuesday, the spin-king said a cyclist had grabbed on to the back of his car for a free ride as he headed home from a training session at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Then at a change of traffic lights, he said the man rode past and hit the bonnet with his hand. “I yell, ‘hey buddy what the hell are you doing’?” Warne tweeted. The cyclist then pulled up in front of his car, halting traffic, and abused the cricketer, Warne said. The 42-year-old, who has called for mandatory registration for cyclists, told reporters Wednesday that he was fed up with the attitude of some riders. “Let me make it clear, I do not hate cyclists… I think what disappoints a lot of people is the attitude of the bike rider,” he said.
“Bike riders, please obey the road laws and stop antagonising car drivers.” The cyclist told a different story, however, accusing Warne of ramming his bike and damaging it so badly he was unable to ride home. The bike rider, who wanted to remain anonymous, sent an email to website cyclingtipsblog.com, which verified and posted it Wednesday, giving his version. The cyclist denied thumping Warne’s car and said it was the cricketer who was aggressive. “The driver lurched his car forward, forcing my bike wheel and almost my leg under the front of his car,” he wrote. “Dumbfounded at how overtly aggressive the driver had been and aware that we were now holding up the traffic, I pulled my bike from under the car and attempted to continue riding. “My wheel was jammed against the frame of my bike and the chain was tangled so I had to carry it to the footpath to fix it.” He said Warne never stopped to check if he was injured and said he had witnesses who could back up his story. Warne has come out of retirement to play with the Melbourne Stars in Australia’s Twenty20 Big Bash League.
