Triathlon shop owner killed in crash with tractor

A sports shop owner who was friends with the Olympic gold medal-winning Brownlee brothers died when he collided with a tractor as he overtook a cyclist on his motorbike.

Adam Nevins was well-known in the triathlon community for his role in charge of specialist retailer Triangle in Guiseley, near Leeds.

The 57-year-old had known Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee since they were children, and sold them some of their first triathlon equipment.

The inquest at North Yorkshire Coroner's Court heard Mr Nevins had died five days after the collision on 2 April 2023 with the coroner saying there was "nothing" the tractor driver could have done.

The keen motorcyclist, described as a "family man", struck the front of the farm vehicle and was fatally injured in the crash on the B6161 Leathley Lane, near Otley.

The tractor driver, farmer James Douthwaite, 32, told the hearing he was "not in a hurry" and had slowed down when he saw both the cyclist and Mr Nevins approaching in the opposite direction.

The cyclist, who was heading back towards his home nearby, said he initially believed nothing out of the ordinary would happen as the motorbike approached.

He told the court earlier on Tuesday: “The tractor appeared on the bend of the road and the bike went into the tractor.

"The front wheel struck the tractor head on and the motorcycle bounced straight backwards.

“I stopped and went over and the driver of the tractor just seemed extremely shocked.”

Mr Douthwaite said he drove tractors daily and often used the local roads.

He said: “I was on my side of the road and saw the cyclist and motorcyclist, so I had to go slow.

"I never really thought anything of seeing them until the motorcyclist started overtaking the cyclist and he just went straight into my front wheel.

“There was nothing I could have done to avoid it.”

Neither vehicle had any defects that could have contributed to the collision.

Senior coroner Jon Heath recorded a conclusion of death following a road traffic collision.

Mr Nevins, who lived in Menston, had been part of a group who cycled with the then-teenage Brownlee brothers before their Olympic successes.

After his death, Mr Nevins' family agreed a deal for Triangle, which he had run for 25 years, to be sold to J's Cycles and saved from closure.

A fundraising page set up in his memory said he had "travelled every inch of our beautiful Yorkshire Dales roads".

"He lived for his time riding on them on two wheels and shared his love of road cycle racing and triathlon through his profession as a cycle and triathlon shop owner, enthusing others, many of whom have gone on to compete at the highest levels," it added.

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