'Callous, careless' driver left cyclist for dead on Hamilton outskirts

John Boyles is resting at home after a hit-and-run left him with two broken vertebrae. Photo / Natalie Akoorie

Hit-and-run victim suspects ‘lowest of low’ motorist ‘must have had something to hide’.

A motorist who hit a cyclist and left him for dead has been described by the victim as "the lowest of the low".

John Boyles suffered two broken vertebrae and a gashed knee after the hit and run during an early morning training ride on the outskirts of Hamilton on Saturday.

The father of five had no warning as the silver Holden Astra veered towards the road's shoulder, hitting Mr Boyles from behind and flinging him and his bike into the air.

"I thought, 'Holy shit, this is going to hurt', and, 'what the hell was that?'"

The 40-year-old, who has been a cyclist for seven years and was training for his fifth Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge, said the impact from the car catapulted him and his bike into a mangled heap in the middle of the road. The accident happened on SH23's Whatawhata Rd, between the intersection of Bowman and Robertson Rds, and Cemetery Rd, about 7.40am.

By the time he oriented himself and stood up, the car was in the distance heading west on Whatawhata Rd and Mr Boyles could not see the number plate.

Mr Boyles said he could not believe the cowardly actions of the driver. "I'm just absolutely astounded that somebody could be so callous, careless and ignorant. To just not stop and keep going, that's just the lowest of the low. I could have easily been killed and they just carried on."

Mr Boyles broke the right wing mirror off the car when he was flung across it, which helped police identify the make and model. He believed the driver fled the scene because they had something to hide.

"My thinking is either the person was texting or on the phone and distracted, or they were drunk driving home. Because in my mind any sane, sober person would have stopped to see that I was okay."

Mr Boyles rang his partner from the side of the road as he waited for an ambulance. "I said, 'I've been hit by a car but I'm okay.' She was pretty shocked."

Senior Sergeant Pete van der Wetering said police had viewed dash camera footage from another motorist and believed the Astra might have come from a driveway or nearby road immediately before the incident. He urged anyone living in the area to "do the decent thing" and come forward if they saw the car.