It was not exactly an ideal transition from taking part in the local kids ride to taking to the open road for a short try out.
He’s best known to us now as a Eurosport commentator, but in his day Brian Smith was one of Britain’s most successful exports.
The Scot was one of the few British riders to make it into the top flight of pro racing in the days before Team Sky.
And now that the former Motorola rider is back home in England he decided to bring his 8-year-old son out for a ride.
It was their first spin together riding out from home. But not long into their ride they got the fright of their lives when a motorist decided to close pass them at speed on Cudham Lane North in Kent.
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It was not exactly an ideal transition from taking part in the local Go Ride Bigfoot Club for the boy.
Smith said the local roads can be pretty dangerous, with this just one example of an encounter in recent days.
“We both got a fright,” former double British national champion and Olympian Smith told stickybottle.
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“I was angered by it. It happens to me almost on a daily basis.
“But you don’t expect it when out on a Sunday with your son. Do they not see a minor?”
Asked if it would deter him from taking his boy out for short rides on the open road he said he would perhaps drive to a quieter area.
But he added he felt the road they were on was quiet and ideal for bringing the boy out to get started after already getting to grips with bike handling in a more controlled environment.
Smith during his Motorola days.
“This was a country road on a Sunday," he said of the spot where the incident happened.
"There was a complete side of the road on the right but they never went over the white lines,” he said of the motorist.
“I was riding just out from him to protect my son. (The car) passed me with inches.
“What was his rush on a Sunday? Why did he not use the main roads if he was in a rush? I always try to avoid the main roads.
“He had an illegal number plate so obviously feels above the law. (Some drivers) want to do as they wish with no consequences.”
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