By Bernie Legg, Cycling Correspondent

Drivers who complain about “ignorant” cyclists hogging the road were today celebrating Team GB’s continued Olympic success in cycling.

Suffolk motorist Steve Walshe regularly moans about riders sharing his tarmac, and claims those on two wheels trying to improve their fitness and wellbeing are “a menace, a liability and they don’t even pay road tax”.

But this week Mr Walshe, 43, was trying to impress work colleagues with his cycling knowledge, describing how Matt Walls crushed the omnium even to win gold, and how delighted he was that Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald won the Madison cycling gold. Jason Kenney won silver and the women’s pursuit team won silver, too. More medals are expected.

Olympic Champion🙌🏻🇯🇵#Tokyo2020 #Olympics2020 pic.twitter.com/1gyV9CHOcf

— Matt Walls (@wallsey_98) August 5, 2021

“It really makes you proud to be British,” he said. “These men and women are showing total commitment to their sport of cycling, and years of hard training on Britain’s roads is paying off. We salute them!

“Hopefully all these Olympic medals will encourage more people to get out into the fresh air and take up the sport.”

Mr Walshe later got back in his car to drive the two miles home, and cursed as a cyclist wearing “ridiculous lycra” had the arrogance to use a public road at the same time as him.

“These people are a disgrace,” he shouted while shaking his fist. “I once saw one going through a red light, and I can hardly move in my car at weekends because there are so many of them.”

Meanwhile, local cyclist Lorraine Fisher, 34, said people like Mr Walshe were a danger on the road. “Unfortunately, he thinks paying road tax means he has priority over cyclists. He does not seem to appreciate that this is a tax on his car, not on him contributing to the upkeep of roads.”

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