EXCLUSIVE: Furious middle-aged male cyclist caught on camera calling a terrified mum ‘fat’ and ‘blind’ as he tried to stop her filming him is an Olympian and a high-flying executive who lives in a sprawling $3.6M mansion
- A mother shared footage of her arguing with cyclist Tony Lally in Sydney’s north
- The video shows him accusing her of pulling in front of him on the busy road
- Mr Lally is an Olympian and independent chair of an investment company
- The incident has sparked calls for cyclists to require registration to be on roads
- Do you know more? Contact us on [email protected]
High-flying executive and former Olympian Tony Lally is pictured with Australian cycling legend Cadel Evans
A cyclist who launched a furious tirade against a female driver is a renowned Olympian and has been an independent chair of a Sydney investment management company.
Single mother Monique was driving along Pittwater Road in the city’s northern beaches last week when she was confronted by Irish cyclist Tony Lally, who accused her of cutting him off in traffic.
Concerned about the altercation, the mother pulled out her phone to film the 68-year-old cyclist, who opened her driver’s side door and began yelling at her.
‘You f***ing c***,’ Mr Lally yelled, as he leant into her car and appeared to try and swat the phone away.
‘Are you f**king blind, you fat c***. You cut me off, you pulled right in front of me! You nearly knocked me off!’
Mr Lally then pulled out his own phone to start filming Monique, saying ‘it takes two to tango’. Monique screamed back at him, before he rode away.
Daily Mail Australia can now reveal cyclist Mr Lally is a high-flying executive who has worked at some of Australia’s top financial and superannuation firms.
A mother has shared footage of a furious cyclist reaching through her car door in a road rage incident
According to Mr Lally’s LinkedIn page, he is the Independent Chair for Equity Trustees Superannuation Limited.
‘Tony has a strong professional network across the financial services sector,’ the LinkedIn page said.
‘He has extensive experience in the superannuation industry, both as the CEO of a major fund, as well as non-executive director and non-executive chair of the major superannuation industry representative organisation. He is a strong promoter of business relationships and member benefits.’
Single mum Monique was driving along Pittwater Road in Sydney, when she was approached by cyclist Tony Lally (pictured), 68, who accused her of cutting him off
Mr Lally was previously the CEO for industry fund Sunsuper, which recently merged with QSuper to become Australian Retirement Trust.
Mr Lally also represented Ireland at the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games, competing in the individual cycling road race event.
His cycling talents have been highly-sought after since, with Mr Lally’s LinkedIn once listing him as a ‘member of the coaching commission’ for Cycling Australia.
Cycling Australia said Mr Lally was no longer linked with the organisation.
‘Our message for all road users is to show respect and care for others, regardless of vehicle or transport type,’ a spokesman said.
Mr Lally regularly shares his cycling routes to fitness app Strava, with the tracking site showing he rode 100km on the day of the altercation.
Multiple sources confirmed that it was Mr Lally in the video. He owns a luxurious, five bedroom home on Sydney’s north shore.
When Daily Mail Australia knocked on his door, he shot the reporter a death stare and slammed the door.
Mr Lally lives in a bespoke, $3.6million ‘Hamptons-style’ home featuring a gourmet kitchen with a ‘farmhouse sink’ that opens out into the entertainer’s backyard
The footage ended when Mr Lally rode away from the scene while both he and the mother threatened to call police.
‘The day after it happened, I just fell apart,’ said Monique, who insisted she gave Mr Lally plenty of room and indicated as she turned.
‘I was shaking. I couldn’t drive. It wasn’t safe to drive.’
The incident has reignited calls for cyclists to require registration to be on NSW roads.
‘There’s nothing you can do because there is no registration plate, there is no identification – there is nothing,’ lawyer Sam Macedone told Seven News.
Debate on whether cyclists should require a licence has remained a contentious topic in NSW over the past few years, with most Australians weary and the number of laws and rules already imposed on them by three separate layers of government.
Monique (pictured) was driving along Pittwater Road when she was approached by a furious male cyclist who accused her of cutting him off in traffic
Mr Lally is pictured standing next to a painting of himself in Dublin in 2019
Mr Lally was also once the CEO for industry fund Sunsuper
Peter McLean, CEO of Bicycle NSW, the state’s peak advocacy body for cyclists, told Daily Mail Australia previously that the debate is complex as it poses questions about whether the licence should apply to the rider or the bike, or both.
He said while his association consulted with the government about such measures, he believed increasing safety for bike users and motorists was a matter of education.
Mr McLean said the majority of cyclists also have drivers licences and were aware of road and bike rules.
Monique was driving along Pittwater Road (pictured) in Sydney’s north when the man approached her car
Tony Lally is seen above winning a stage of the Irish cycling race Rás into Clonakilty in 1981
Mr Lally is pictured at the finish line of the Niagara cycling race in Canada
Mr Lally represented Ireland in the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow for road cycling
‘Bicycles need to be considerate of drivers, and drivers need to be considerate that cyclists take up less space on roads.
‘Education and awareness needs to be a fundamental process to change the culture in Australia and we need to be more considerate of everyone else using roads.’
In 2014, NSW Roads Minister Duncan Gay pushed for a cycling licence to be introduced to combat road deaths after an explosion in deaths and other accidents, partly caused by the rise in men and women taking up the past time in middle-age.
However, instead of a licence, Mr Gay dramatically increased fines for cyclists caught breaching road rules from March 2016.
Fines for cyclists in NSW were magnified to match drivers, taking the penalty for not wearing a helmet to $330; running a red light to $439; riding negligently, furiously or recklessly to $439; and failing to stop at a pedestrian crossing to $439.
Do you know more? Contact us on [email protected]
ROAD RULES FOR CYCLISTS IN NSW
SPECIAL RULES FOR BICYCLE RIDERS:
- You may perform hook turns at intersections unless prohibited by a sign posting.
- You do not need to give a left or stop signal, or signal when making a hook turn.
- You may ride 2 abreast but not more than 1.5 metres apart.
- You may overtake two other bicycle riders who are riding side-by-side.
- You may travel in a Bus Lane, Tram Lane, Transit Lane or Truck Lane but not in a Bus Only Lane.
- You may ride to the left of a continuous white edge line.
- You may overtake on the left of stopped and slow moving vehicles.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF BICYCLE RIDERS:
Bicycle riders have a number of responsibilities when riding on and off the road.
Bicycle riders must:
- Sit astride the rider’s seat facing forward with at least one hand on the handlebars
- Wear an approved bicycle helmet securely fitted and fastened on the rider’s head
- Keep to the left of any oncoming bicycle rider or pedestrian on a footpath, shared path, or separated path
- Use the bicycle lane where available unless it is not practical to do so
- Wait in the storage box area at traffic lights when available
- Give way to any vehicle leaving a roundabout when the rider is in the left lane of a multi-lane roundabout and is turning right.
Bicycle riders must not:
- Ride a bicycle without at least one working brake and fully functioning bell, horn, or similar warning device
- Ride a bicycle at night or in hazardous weather conditions unless the bike displays:
- A flashing or steady white light visible for 200 metres from the front
- A flashing or steady red light visible for 200 metres from the rear, and
- A red reflector visible for at least 50 metres from the rear of the bicycle when light is projected onto it by another vehicle’s headlight on low beam
- Carry a passenger who is not wearing a securely fitted and fastened helmet
- Carry more people on a bike than it is designed for
- Ride on a crossing except where there is a green bicycle light
- Be towed by or hold onto another moving vehicle.
Source: www.nsw.gov.au
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