Bicyclist Beaten By Driver During Ride

Wed June 21 2006
Posted Jun 21, 2006
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Police Call Case Road Rage POSTED: 5:51 pm CDT June 21, 2006 DES MOINES, Iowa -- Des Moines police said a bicyclist was injured in a road rage incident. Authorities said a cyclist was attacked by a driver who was apparently agitated about having to share the road. David Lippold of Des Moines is on his bike more than he's behind the wheel, peddling an average of 300 miles a week on his racing bike. As an experienced completive cyclist, Lippold said he knows the rules of the road. "We could hear a car approaching from behind," Lippold said. Police said that as Lippold and a friend rode their bikes north on Polk Boulevard this week, a driver in a black SUV passed the cyclists, yelled out his window that they should ride on the sidewalk, then pulled right in front of the two and slammed on his brakes. "He got out of his truck and just came at me. I get my bike down and he hit me," Lippold said. The bicyclist said he estimated that the driver punched him in the face and head at least six times before taking off. Lippold was stunned by the viciousness of this driver, but it's not the first time a driver has told him or a fellow cyclist to get off the road. Police said Lippold has the same right of way as a driver, and in fact is required to stay off the sidewalk when riding faster than eight miles per hour. "Most bicyclists that do some serious riding are going to use the city streets or the public highways. And they have every right to do that," Des Moines Police spokesman Sgt. Todd Dykstra. "I ride a lot, I ride pretty fast, nobody wants me on a bike trail going 30 miles per hour," Lippold said. He was not seriously injured in the incident. Police said the driver took off. The other cyclist gave police what he thought was the license plate number. Police are working to track down that driver. Video can seen seen on KCCI's site