Team GB triathlete killed after van driver's 'catastrophic' overtaking error

Rebecca Comins, 52, was smashed off her bike by pub owner Vasile Barbu as she undertook a time trial on the A40 near Raglan, Monmouthshire.

Mr Barbu, 49, denied causing death by dangerous driving, but was found guilty after footage showed the cyclist was in his field of view for 18 seconds on that fateful evening in June 2022.

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The driver, who was jailed for four years, could not explain why he hit Mrs Comins and claimed he would ask himself that question for his "whole life".

Mrs Comins was described as "a fierce competitor" by Welsh Triathlon, while forensic collision investigator Sgt Cath Raine said she had done "everything that she could to be safe and visible".

"An innocent cyclist has paid for that misjudgement with her life," Sgt Cath Raine added.

The triathlete was killed on a bright summer Thursday evening, the first day of the Platinum Jubilee holiday weekend.

She was part of a group of cyclists taking part in a regular time trial event, covering 10 miles (16km) as fast as possible along a section of straight, flat dual carriageway.

Riding her specialist black Argon 18 TT bike, Mrs Comins hit speeds close to 30mph during the race.

She wore a dark-coloured helmet and navy blue clothing as she flew down the concrete road, her outfit contrasting with the light-coloured surface below.

For further visibility, Mrs Comins had a bright orange race number on her back.

While Mrs Comins was racing, Barbu had left his Abergavenny home in a Vauxhall Movano van crammed full of furniture, and was driving on the same section of road.

He told police he was driving between 60mph and 65mph in lane one when he saw cyclists gathered in the layby.

The fully-loaded van was half a tone over its permitted weight and Barbu claimed this meant he could not go any faster even if he wanted to.

Barbu said he checked his mirrors as he saw cyclists travelling on the road ahead and moved "half into lane one, half into lane two" to give them space as he passed.

He told officers he specifically remembered the red light on the rear of Mrs Comins bike as he gained on her.

It was set to daybright mode - which meant it was flashing irregularly.

Barbu was two metres behind the cyclist when he began to overtake. It was at this point he heard a "knock".

The van driver thought the noise was caused by the load in his van shifting, but realised something far worse had happened when he pulled over and climbed out of the vehicle.

After noticing his nearside headlight was broken, he then saw a damaged bike and injured rider on the grass verge, and dialled 999.

Mrs Comins was travelling at 21mph (33.7km/h) when her bike's rear wheel was struck by Barbu's van, data from her cycle computer showed.

A corresponding vertical mark was found on the front bumper of Barbu's van, which proved he was travelling in line with the upright bike at the point of the collision.

As part of their investigation, officers retraced Barbu's route using the same model of van.

They were able to calculate that from his elevated position in the cab, with the sun setting behind, Barbu could have seen at least 500m (1,640ft) of the long, straight road ahead.

This meant that Mrs Comins could have been within his field of view for 18.5 second whilst he was driving at 60mph.

But further details revealed that Mrs Comins was even more visible.

"Because we know that she's going uphill, because we know that she's accelerating, she must have been pedalling," Sgt Raine told the BBC.

"Pedalling, so biological motion, draws attention.

"It's one of the things that would have made it easier for any driver following her to be able to see that she was there."

After being presented with all this evidence, Gwent Police charged Barbu with death by dangerous driving.

Sentencing him, a judge said: "You could very easily have moved to the outside lane to overtake her as other drivers had.

"You could, and should, have given her far more space and yourself far more time."

As a result of this tragic incident, new guidance for overtaking cyclists has since been introduced in the Highway Code.

It advises leaving at least 1.5 metres (5ft) when doing speeds of up to 30mph.