A GROVEDALE cyclist has been robbed of his dream ride by a “lunatic” driver in a callous hit-and-run road-rage attack.

Dr Iain Rossiter was thrown from his bike and left in the path of oncoming traffic on 13th Beach Rd, Barwon Heads on Wednesday afternoon.

The cycling enthusiast and Cadel Evans supporter was training for this month’s Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race.

For years, Bike Safe Geelong and Barwon Coast Committee have called for an upgrade of the popular but narrow road, which will feature in all four competition circuits in the inaugural race.

“He’s absolutely gutted,” wife Gemma Rossiter told the Geelong Advertiser from Iain’s hospital bedside.

“He was really looking forward to the ride and had been training for so long.

“He was wearing his BMC (Evans’ racing team) gear which had to be cut off.”

Mrs Rossiter, a nurse, said her husband expected to have surgery on Monday to repair a “nasty” fractured collarbone.

“He’s flown off on to the sand and luckily missed the posts along the roadside, but he’s bumped his head and his helmet split,” she said. “There were three cars behind him which he could have gone under. We’re really grateful for those who came to his aid.”

While the couple feel lucky the injuries weren’t much worse, the impact of the crash will still be felt for many months to come as Dr Rossiter’s GP training is put on hold.

“He’s going to be off work. Financially, it’s going to be quite difficult,” Mrs Rossiter said. “It’s going to be a long ­recovery.”

Mrs Rossiter said her husband recalled admonishing the driver of the silver utility after he passed too closely as they headed towards Barwon Heads around 3pm on January 14.

“Iain estimates he (the driver) was doing 100km/h, then he’s braked about 50m up the road, stopped and waited for Iain. He’s threatened to knock him off, Iain has said ‘leave me alone’, ‘go away’ and he’s driven into him. He’d bumped into Iain’s back wheel a couple of times before that too.”

The couple added their ­voices to calls to upgrade the road.

“He’d had a few people do the same thing — coming close at high speed — before, but nothing like this,” she said.

Members of the Barwon Coast Committee, which has long called for changes to 13th Beach Rd, came across Dr Ros­siter moments after the crash.

General manager Bob Jordan said they had already been successful in lowering speed limits and now the “extremely popular route” needed shoulders or off-road trails for ­cyclists.

Bike Safe Geelong pres­ident Ash Patten said there were incidents between cyc­lists and motorists every year on 13th Beach Rd because it was too narrow and the road surface was poor.

“It has been on Bike Safe’s hazard road list for the past five years and we’re concerned it will become worse; it requires a commitment now,” he said.

City of Greater Geelong city services interim general manager Jenny McMahon said council was concerned about the incident.

She said while the road was regularly maintained, council would do what it could to ensure it is was safe for the race.

Lisa Neville, MP for the seat of Bellarine, which was recently changed to include Barwon Heads, said while 13th Beach Rd wasn’t on the government’s list of pre-election commitments, she was aware of the issue.

Police are seeking witnesses to the crash and anyone who may have information on the driver, described as male, 25-40 years old, with brown hair and wearing high-visibil­ity gear. Phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or Bellarine Police on 5256 2698.