The chair of London Marathon Events, the entity behind RideLondon, has resigned from his board role following a conviction for careless driving after hitting a cyclist.
Terence Duddy, 69, struck a woman in her fifties as he turned right, across the road, in his car in Buckinghamshire in June this year. The collision left the cyclist with “serious injuries”, according to Thames Valley Police.
At a court hearing earlier this month, Duddy admitted to ‘causing serious injury by careless or inconsiderate driving’. He received an eight-month custodial sentence, suspended for 18 months, and an 18-month driving ban. He was also ordered to pay £272 in costs and told to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.
Sharing footage of the collision on social media, Thames Valley Police wrote: “The cyclist had right of way and a moment of carelessness from the driver, by not properly checking the road was clear to cross, has had a life changing impact on the cyclist.”
The constabulary told road.cc that the cyclist is “recovering” but does not wish to comment on her condition.
Duddy was appointed to the board of directors of the London Marathon Foundation and Events in 2020, and resigned last week following his conviction. The organisation has run the mass-participation RideLondon sportive since 2022, having signed a partnership through to 2031. The event, however, was put on “pause” in 2025 and did not run.
Following Duddy’s resignation, the London Marathon Foundation issued a statement: “The trustees of the London Marathon Foundation have accepted the resignation of Terry Duddy from the boards of the Foundation and London Marathon Events. We extend our sincere thanks to Terry for his commitment and contributions over the past five years.”
Duddy also resigned from a new role as chair of BBC Children in Need, to which he was appointed last month.
Children in Need also shared a statement: “On Tuesday 18 November, our new chair Terry Duddy informed us that he had been convicted last week of causing serious injury through careless driving.
"In light of this he offered his resignation, which the board accepted, agreeing he could not continue in this role."
Duddy previously worked as the boss of Home Retail Group, the parent company of Argos and Homebase. He is credited with inventing 'click and collect' catalogue ordering.
