A cyclist who thought he was being garroted when he rode into an extendable dog lead has urged owners to use them carefully on shared footpaths.

The 48-year-old from Deal, who has asked not to be named, was knocked off his bike when a long, thin cable choked at his neck during a bike ride along Sandwich Quay at lunchtime on Friday.

The fall has exacerbated an existing neck injury, and he sustained a graze to his knee, aches and pains. It has also ruined his cycling leggings.

An extendable dog lead, of the type that hurt the cyclist

He said: “It was ridiculously long and really thin. I was just riding along minding my own business and, then, wallop!”

He panicked, thinking the cable was going to slice through his neck, but he fell to the ground.

The man said: “Someone did come to help me but the man who was holding the lead walked away. No apology or anything.”

“If I’d been travelling any faster it could have been lethal” - Cyclist

He says is not looking to make a claim, he just wants to remind dog owners to be more considerate. The man is a member of British Cycling and takes the sport, and all the safety aspects of it, very seriously.

It happened when he was making his way on to the green from the Quay car park, where he planned to rest on a bench before heading home to Deal. His GPS sat nav recorded he was cycling at 2.4mph at the time.

“If I’d been travelling any faster it could have been lethal,” said the man.

He is calling for all dog owners to be responsible on shared paths. Extendable leads pose the threat of tangling in spokes.

Dogs off leads can run into a cyclist’s path or attack. He is not sure why the lead was high enough to choke him.

Gary Holmes, vice-chairman of Deal Tri, said: “Whilst riding in mixed environments cyclists should always be vigilant, but I share this man’s concerns about dogs and extendable leads and appeal to owners to be aware of the risks to other cycle path users.”

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