May 08, 2008 CHAMPION cyclist Ben Kersten says a random hit-and-run road rage attack could have killed several riders - including Olympic Games gold medallists Graeme Brown and Kevin Nichols.

Kersten said if not for the quick reaction of a truck driver, a large group of cyclists would have died on the training run in Sydney.

The group of riders included Kate Nichols, a survivor of the horror 2005 German crash which claimed the life of Amy Gillett.

Kersten described the incident involving the driver of a green Commodore sedan and up to 60 riders as a "f***ing disgrace".

"This was one of the dirtiest examples of road rage I've ever seen," he said.

"This guy deserves to go to jail and I hope he does go to jail.

"But he's lucky he's not going to jail for killing 10 innocent people."

Kersten, bidding to ride in track sprint events in Beijing in August, said there was no excuse for - or forewarning of - the motorist's actions.

"It was clear light, clear traffic, everyone was doing the right thing," he said.

"Then this guy drives up behind us and starts going bananas.

"He then went up to the front of the group and, although I couldn't see because I was in the middle of the bunch, people up the front said he started swerving in and out.

"All of a sudden, he either brakes severely in the left lane or pulled on his handbrake, and people started flying everywhere.

"It was totally unprovoked."

Kersten said it was a miracle no one was killed.

"There was an older man from the Waratah Club who looked pretty bad," Kersten said.

"He just got missed by a semi-trailer. The truck driver must have pretty good skills because he jack-knifed it to make sure he didn't hit us.

"So many of us came down that we were spilling out of the left lane.

"When you fall you have no control of where you're going to land.

"If the truck had been there five seconds earlier, he would have gone straight over the top of people."

Kersten said had escaped with relatively minor injuries only three months before the Beijing Olympics.

"I came down in the middle of the group and ended up on my back with my feet pointing towards the back of the group," he said.

"I spent the whole time kicking wheels off me.

"People had nowhere to go. I was 10m from the front and everyone was on the ground.

"I've got ring marks all over me and a lump on my head.

"I'm just lucky to have got out of it alive."

Former Olympians Michelle Ferris, Matthew White and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Mark Renshaw were also involved in the accident.

Atlanta silver medallist Ferris said she hit the back window of the car.

"We we're doing about 40km an hour, there was no way for me to go and I went straight into the back of his car and other riders went into me," she said.

"My chin (hit) the back window and my bike was totalled."

Ferris said the group was concerned about the effect of the incident on Kate Nichols, who was heavily traumatised by the fatal training accident in Germany three years ago.

"We we're all very worried about her," Ferris said. "When I saw her, she was as white as a ghost still sitting on the ground."

Kate's father Kevin, a 4000m team pursuit gold medallist at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, said his daughter was at a doctor's surgery having some serious grazes treated. She also received a bad bump to the head, he added.

"Everyone's slammed their brakes on and slammed into each other," he said.

Another rider said: "There were broken bikes - wheels busted and wheels snapped - and people lying on the road."

Kersten said the riders were abused by passing motorists as they sprawled on the road.

"People were yelling out, 'Get off the road, sucked in and buy a car, tight arse' when we were on the road," he said.

"The law says cyclists are entitled to be on the road. We obey the rules, we were doing nothing wrong.

"It is our office, our workplace.

"But, because of the attitude of some people, we're risking our lives every time we go out there."