Tony Blair’s former protection officer is killed while competing in French cycling race

Tony Blair’s former protection officer is killed while competing in French cycling race when he is hit by a support car just 200 metres from the finish

 

•  Ian Bashford, a former PC, died in the 35th Duo Normand cycle race 
•  He was sprinting towards the finish when his bike collided with a car
•  The 61-year-old once worked protecting VIPs such as ex-PM Tony Blair 

According to Dailymail, a retired British policeman died when he was hit by a car just 200 metres from the finish line of a cycle race in France.

Police are investigating the death of former Police Constable Ian Bashford, 61, after a support vehicle in the 35th Duo Normand race allegedly swerved into his path.

The keen amateur cyclist, from Croydon, was peddling at around 35mph as he sprinted to the finish line in the town of Marigny in Normandy.

 The 27-year-old driver of a van, which was supporting one of the other teams, was taken to hospital suffering from shock, while attempts to revive Mr Bashford failed.

It is understood the van driver was from Guernsey in the Channel Islands.

Mr Bashford was a retired Metropolitan Police officer whose job involved protecting high profile politicians, including Tony Blair.

He was a member of the Old Portlians Cycling Club, which was founded in 1921 as a club for former pupils of Portland Road School in south-east London.

Julian Hutchings, the secretary of the Old Portlians, said Mr Bashford had been a member of the club for around 20 years and had taken part in the Duo Normand at least six times before. 

Mr Hutchings said: ‘Ian and his partner Peter were coming into town, they were about a quarter of a mile from the finish. Having headed downhill they would have been doing 30mph to 35mph.

‘A van – which was following a pair of cyclists coming towards them – swerved to the left, probably to overtake some other cyclists and catch up with their own cyclists.

‘There are cones, but the cones are spaced widely enough so that cars can go through, so the van swerved left on to Ian and Peter’s side of the road.

‘Peter and Ian tried to avoid it. Peter went to his right, into the gutter.

‘He crashed and came off but wasn’t badly hurt, but the vehicle crashed into Ian.’

Mr Hutchings, who arrived on the scene 15 minutes after the incident, said emergency services worked for half an hour to attempt to resuscitate Mr Bashford.

He said there had been accidents on the same stretch of the course in previous years but never a fatality.

‘There are questions to be asked about the organisation of the event, in the sense that you have cyclists going back and forth on the same stretch of road, with cars able to travel on that stretch of road and overtake on that stretch of road,’ said Mr Hutchings.

He described Mr Bashford as a ‘passionate cyclist’ who ‘would help anybody’.

Mr Hutchings added: ‘He was the best cyclist in the club and he was well-known, well-liked not only by everybody in the club, but an awful lot of people in the cycling community in south London, southern England, and beyond.’

The Duo Normand is a time-trial race, on a 33-mile circuit in Normandy, and has been won three times by Britain’s Olympic champion Chris Boardman.

The organisers said that, after a discussion with Mr Bashford’s friends, it was decided to complete the race, which was won by Antony Bleasdale from Guernsey.

The Foreign Office has been in contact with local authorities and will provide assistance to his family.

British Cycle Sport tweeted: ‘Our thoughts with the wife and family of Ian Bashford killed while taking part in the Duo Normand team time trial (France).’