“A few bikes show up and it’s the apocalypse”: Angry locals fume after “swarms” of hire bikes “dumped” on streets during Boat Race – but cyclists say, “Imagine if they all drove cars instead” + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
It’s finally here… and it’s Pogi-approved
> Colnago unveils V5Rs: lighter, faster, and Pogačar-approved – is this really “the ultimate all-rounder road racing bike”?
Elisa Longo Borghini set for surprise racing return at Brabantse Pijl – just under two weeks after suffering concussion in heavy Tour of Flanders crash
Italian champion Elisa Longo Borghini is set to make an unexpectedly early return to racing on Friday at Brabantse Pijl, just under two weeks after suffering severe concussion in a heavy crash at the Tour of Flanders.
The UAE Team ADQ rider, aiming to secure her third Ronde title, was one of a number of riders, including Puck Pieterse, involved in a mass crash in the early stages of the Flemish classic, as the peloton approached the first cobbled section.
She initially got back on her bike but was forced to abandon not long after, UAE later confirming that she was experiencing concussion symptoms after sustaining a “heavy blow to the head”.
“The diagnosis confirmed a significant concussion,” the team said after the race, revealing that Longo Borghini was being monitored by the neurology staff at Ghent’s University Hospital. “At this stage, no signs of internal bleeding have been detected. However, as a precautionary measure, the medical staff has decided to keep her under close observation for at least 24 hours.”
However, despite her concussion, UAE Team ADQ announced this morning that Longo Borghini is set to return to action as early as Friday at Brabantse Pijl, the Belgian semi-classic she won last year in a solo attack, 41 seconds clear of Demi Vollering.
“After recovering from a concussion sustained at the Tour of Flanders, Elisa will be back racing this Friday at Brabantse Pijl,” the team said.
Symptom-free, cleared by our medical staff, and full of motivation to return to competition.”
“The desire to return already for Friday’s race came from the fact that my health allows me to move smoothly back to training and I feel ready to race,” the Italian champion said in a statement.
“The Brabantse Pijl will be my comeback race, also to understand how I feel in a real racing situation. It’s clear that I come into this race with no pressure or responsibilities – just the desire to race and test my sensations.”
After making her comeback on Friday, Longo Borghini is set to take on a full Ardennes classics campaign, racing Amstel Gold, Flèche Wallonne, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, before building up to a busy summer of stage racing at the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France.
The cycling spectator bad behaviour news keeps rolling in, as ‘fan’ who spat at Mathieu van der Poel during E3 identified by police and set to be fined up to £300
> Spectator who spat at Mathieu van der Poel at E3 Saxo Classic set for £300 fine, but escapes further punishment
Car-brained comment of the month? “You need to brush up on your Highway Code”: Motorist claims “cycling on the road is illegal if it impedes traffic” and cyclists can’t blame drivers for close passes if they “take up a quarter of his lane and don’t stop”
On Monday’s live blog, you may remember, I happened to stumble upon what I reckoned, at the time anyway, must be the most car-brained comment posed on social media this month, or even this year.
Responding to Jeremy Vine’s assertion (who else?) that Wales’ 20mph speed limits have made the country’s roads safer, self-proclaimed ‘critical thinker’ Sean Magee hit back at the broadcaster on Twitter, arguing: “The main purpose of roads isn’t road safety, it’s transport. Since the lower speed limit was imposed, the roads have become dramatically less effective.”
I know. But I think I may have already found something even more car brained.
Over on Threads, cyclist Ryan (no, it’s not me) posted a video of a wince-inducing close pass he experienced from a Range Rover driver while out riding his bike last week.
“It’s funny how within 30 seconds you can go from exchanging thumbs up with a courteous driver and nearly getting clipped by a wing mirror,” Ryan wrote.
So, how did fellow Threads user Jose respond to Ryan’s near miss video? By posting this bizarre rant.
“Cycling in the road is illegal when it impedes the normal flow of traffic or creates a hazardous situation,” he claimed.
“If you are slow on the bike, you should stop, let cars pass and then keep going. If you don’t do that and the car has to swerve near you because you are taking a quarter of his lane, then you shouldn’t blame him for being close.
“I as a driver shouldn’t interfere the opposite lane with my vehicle. Basically the cyclist is always at fault if he doesn’t apply the same rules.”
Yep, they really do walk (or more worryingly, drive) amongst us.
“I think you may need to read up on what constitutes illegal versus a minor inconvenience,” noted Ryan, while Tim told Jose that he needs “to brush up on your Highway Code”.
“You know on the motorway sometimes you see a car driving 50mph but it’s a motorway, so they should be doing 70mph? That’s not illegal either.”
Mathieu van der Poel chills after third straight Paris-Roubaix win… by channelling his inner Rory McIlroy and taking to the golf course – and almost bagging a hole-in-one
Well, they say golf is the new cycling, after all (at least I think they do, anyway).
So, it’s no surprise then that, as police hunted down the Visma bottle thrower and lawyers began drafting statements (more on that in a second), Mathieu van der Poel decided to spend the day after his third consecutive Paris-Roubaix triumph chilling on the golf course, naturally.
After presumably watching Rory McIlroy finally secure that elusive Masters win on Sunday night, the Dutch superstar – a big golfer, who was even awarded a set of personalised balls after winning E3 a few weeks ago – rocked up in his Lambo to Kapellen’s Royal Antwerp Golf Club on Monday to loosen up after a day in Hell (are we sure he’s not a footballer in disguise?).
The brutal pavé and his epic, if abruptly interrupted, battle with Tadej Pogačar did little to harm Van der Poel’s swing, however, as his playing partner Sébastien Guinée posted two videos of the 30-year-old channeling his inner McIlroy.
The first shot showed Van der Poel deliver a deft wedge shot from the rough onto the green, short play even the Northern Irish grand slam winner would have been proud of, before almost bagging a hole-in-one with a perfectly executed Par 3 tee shot which landed just a metre away from an ace.
Seriously, is there anything MVDP can’t do? I’m not sure he’d swap one of his cobbles for a green jacket just yet, though…
Bristol – the new Paris of the southwest?
Look, I’m not saying Bristol is quite like Paris yet. But I AM saying that the comparison occurred to me as I walked past the central BRI hospital today. Brand new cycle lanes springing up! BSBs! Cycle foot resting space. Cycle space next to traffic lights! (ASLs).
— Cllr Emily Kerr 💚 (@emilykerr36.bsky.social) April 15, 2025 at 4:00 PM
“He’s not at all a cycling hooligan”: Lawyer of Paris-Roubaix bottle thrower says his client is a “good man” who has “been in sackcloth and ashes since Sunday”
Yesterday evening, we reported that the Paris-Roubaix spectator who threw a water bottle at Mathieu van der Poel as he soloed to a third consecutive victory at the Hell of the North has penned an open apology to the Dutch star, admitting he “really ashamed” and will “take legal responsibility”.
The 28-year-old spectator, a labourer from Waregem in West Flanders, apologised to Van der Poel and his Alpecin-Deceuninck team, as well as the wider cycling public, for his “extremely foolish impulse” and said he “had a bit too much to drink” when he chucked the Visma-branded bottle at the former world champion’s face, an action he claims he immediately regretted.
And now, the spectator’s lawyer says he hopes the potential charges against his client – a police investigation is currently underway in France focusing on “violence with a weapon” – will be softened, insisting that the 28-year-old is a “good man” and “not at all a cycling hooligan”.
“My client WD has been in sackcloth and ashes since Sunday,” lawyer Peter Desmet told the Belgian press.
“He is a good man who just got married, works, bought a house, and wants to make something of his life. He and his friends are not at all cycling hooligans. My client himself does not understand what he did along that cobblestone strip last Sunday.”
Speaking after the race, Van der Poel described the bottle throw, which took place on the Templeuve-en-Pévèle sector, as “attempted manslaughter” and demanded the perpetrator face legal action.
“Of course that is not legally correct”, Desmet continued. “But I understand Van der Poel. He made that statement when he was full of adrenaline, just after he had crossed the finish line and was asked the question.
“What he had been subjected to before that also plays a role of course. But in my opinion this is about inflicting blows and injuries – even though Van der Poel was fortunately not injured.”
After the bottle thrower handed himself into police on Sunday night, the West Flanders public prosecutor’s office has since announced that the case has already been transferred to their counterparts across the border in Lille.
French prosecutor Carole Etienne has also confirmed on social media that an investigation is underway concerning “violence with a weapon”.
However, Desmet said: “The investigation will reveal the true facts. Hopefully the charges will then be softened.”
Pizzeria owner slams dough awarded to new cycle lanes after profits sliced up – but council insists scheme delivers for locals
Excuse the pizza puns…
> Pizzeria owner demands bike lanes ripped out and car parking reinstated, despite £6m active travel project to boost “café culture and night-time economy”
Late attacker Ivo Oliveira makes it two from two for rampant UAE Team Emirates at Giro d’Abruzzo
While their main man continues to rip the script in northern Europe, down in Italy things are going perfectly to plan for UAE Team Emirates.
After Alessandro Covi claimed yesterday’s opening stage of the Giro d’Abruzzo, his UAE colleague Ivo Oliveira got in on the act in Penne, launching a perfectly timed attack on the long drag to the finish with 1.4km left – blowing Georg Zimmermann away in the process – to win comfortably by four seconds at the line.
And speaking of going two for two, VF-Bardiani CSF’s Filippo Fiorelli led the group home to take his second consecutive second place of the race – which was enough for the Italian to overhaul Covi and take the race lead.
See, finishing second all the time does pay off, in stage races at least.
Glasgow set to host finish of 2025 Tour of Britain Women, as race “breaks new ground” with first ever visit to Scotland and four “completely new” stages
The Tour de France is heading to Scotland for the first time ever, and so too – in just over seven weeks’ time – is the Tour of Britain Women.
With 50 days to go until the start of the revamped stage race, now in its second year under the organisational umbrella of British Cycling, the governing body this afternoon announced the host towns and cities for the 2025 event.
Taking place in the north-east of England before crossing the Tweed into Scotland for the first time in the race’s 12-year history, the four-day Women’s WorldTour race will start on Thursday 5 June and feature stages in the Dalby Forest, the North York Moors National Park, Tees Valley, and the Scottish Borders, with the final stage set to emulate the 2023 world championships with a city centre circuit in Glasgow.
Stage one will start in Dalby Forest, crossing the North York Moors National Park before finishing in Redcar, which has hosted two stages of the Tour of Britain Men in recent years.
(Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)
The second stage, starting in Hartlepool, will also be familiar to the peloton’s British contingent thanks to its finish in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, the host town for the last two British road race championships (both won by Pfeiffer Georgi).
The coastal town, of course, is home to the iconic, hairpin-laced, 300m-long, 15 per cent climb up Saltburn Bank, which will be tackled twice during the stage, including up to the finish. Mark your calendars – this one will be a cracker.
Heading into the weekend, the riders will take on the hills of the Scottish Borders in a stage starting and finishing in Kelso – another staple of the men’s race and where Paul Magnier won last year – before heading up to Glasgow for Sunday’s final stage in the city.
(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
The Tour of Britain Women’s first ever visit to Glasgow on 8 June will feature ten laps of an 8.4km city centre circuit, starting and finishing in Glasgow Green. Will Lotte Kopecky, last year’s Tour of Britain winner, who claimed her first world title in Glasgow in 2023, be back for more glory in Scotland?
In a statement marking the announcement of this year’s host towns, Jonathan Day, managing director of British Cycling Events, said: “We are excited to once again be breaking new ground with the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women with four completely new stages for the race.
“We have first visits for the race to Dalby Forest and the North York Moors National Park, from where we will race through North Yorkshire and into the Tees Valley to visit Redcar, Hartlepool, and Saltburn. We know Redcar and Saltburn well as past men’s Tour of Britain and national championships venues, and I am sure Saltburn Bank as a stage finish will prove very popular with fans.
(Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)
“Then we take the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women to Scotland for the first time and two exciting stages. We know what a great town Kelso is to host a combined start and finish in its picturesque market square, and that the Scottish Borders roads make for great racing, while being able to finish the race overall in the heart of a major city like Glasgow will be a great way to round out this year’s Tour.
“We are delighted to be bringing some of the world’s best teams and riders to our communities this June as a part of the UCI Women’s WorldTour and to showcase the very best of their character and terrain on what will be four challenging stages.
“On behalf of British Cycling Events I would like to pay thanks to our partners across the four stages for supporting the hosting and delivery of this summer’s race and enabling us to bring another memorable and action packed four days of world class racing to their communities, spreading the joy of cycling along the route and inspiring more people to get on a bike and live healthier lives.”
“This wins the internet”
There’s been a lot said about that bottle incident at Paris-Roubaix over the past few days, but this image – created by cycling artist Fette and shared by Eli Iserbyt – sums it all up rather nicely:
Home hero Milan Fretin wins chaotic sprint at Ronde van Limburg… while riding teammate’s bike after late puncture
It’s one thing to win a big race on home roads, in front of your friends and family. It’s another thing entirely to do so while sprinting on your teammate’s bike.
But, as the Belgian classics season shifts back into gear post-Roubaix, that’s exactly what happened to Cofidis sprinter Milan Fretin, who powered to his third win of the season at this afternoon’s Ronde van Limburg in Tongeren, just down the road from his hometown of Genk.
Amid a chaotic finale – which saw several riders get caught on the wrong side of the barriers, with some crashing, during a frenetic fight for position in the final kilometre – 24-year-old Fretin, racing on his local training roads, was forced to sprint on Cofidis teammate Stanisław Aniołkowski’s bike after a late puncture prompted a quick, improvised swap.
But Fretin still looked at home on his Polish colleague’s machine, launching early and fending off the fast-charging Alpecin-Deceuninck sprinter Simon Dehairs on the tough drag to the finish to secure a very popular victory for the local hero.
‘Low cycling neighbourhoods’… The UK’s latest infrastructure trend?
> “The only way is to lift my bike over my head”: Cyclist slams “anti-bike” gates creating “low cycling neighbourhoods” instead of low traffic neighbourhoods
Remco Evenepoel shows off scar from ‘dooring’ crash, as Olympic champion’s father says: “I didn’t recognise Remco for three months”
The ‘Remco returns’ hype is real.
Ahead of his long-awaited racing comeback at Brabantse Pijl on Friday, earlier this week double Olympic champion Evenepoel posted an emotional essay detailing the “hardest battle of my life so far”, following the serious injuries he suffered in a crash when a postal worker opened their van door into his path during a training ride in December.
And in an altogether more upbeat video posted by his Soudal Quick-Step team, featuring the Belgian star and his teammates in full training camp mode, set to a buzzy techno soundscape, Evenepoel even showed off the scar on his shoulder stemming from his ‘dooring crash’.
“What do you think of my new scar?” he asked, pointing to his right shoulder and showcasing the not insignificant physical reminder of his six months off the bike.
Meanwhile, speaking to the Dan le Peloton programme on Belgian TV, Evenepoel’s father detailed the psychological strain that training crash has inflicted on the world time trial champion.
“The most important thing for me is that Remco’s head is back to normal,” Patrick told the RTL show.
“Because to be honest, we didn’t recognise Remco for two to three months. The uncertainty gnawed at him, because no one could say when he would be recovered.
“These have been exciting weeks for everyone – there were days when [Evenepoel’s wife] Oumi was studying downstairs, while Remco was upstairs in bed watching Netflix the whole time.”
Netflix-binging days hopefully behind him, Evenepoel will return at Brabantse Pijl on Friday, his first race since Il Lombardia in October, before taking on a full Ardennes campaign. He will then race the Tour de Romandie and the Critérium du Dauphiné as he builds his forms ahead of another crack at the Tour de France in July.
“What happened to Mathieu will get in his head”: Cyclocross spectator who threw beer in Eli Iserbyt’s face gets away with warning, as “disappointed” Belgian rider asks, “Who cares about a symbolic slap on the wrist?”
It’s been quite the week for news related to unruly spectator behaviour at bike races, hasn’t it?
We’ve seen the Roubaix bottle thrower promise to take responsibility for his “shameful, impulsive” attempt to give Mathieu van der Poel a Visma-branded black eye, while another beer-swilling ‘fan’ who spat at the Dutch phenom at E3 last month is set to be fined up to £300.
But while those two MVDP-related incidents have led, or are at least expected to lead, to some form of punishment, Eli Iserbyt has hit out at the West Flanders public prosecutor’s office after it was announced that the spectator who threw a beer at the cyclocross star during a race has got off with just a warning.
Iserbyt was drenched in beer by a spectator during November’s Koppenbergcross, a few weeks after the 27-year-old stamped on rival Ryan Kamp’s rear mech following a tetchy coming together.
The beer chucker was immediately identified and charged by police with assault and battery, as the race organiser declared that such behaviour “has no place at a ‘cross”.
However, despite early indications that the ‘fan’ could end up in court over the incident, Iserbyt confirmed this week that the public prosecutor had informed his Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal that the spectator has instead been handed a warning for his conduct, a punishment the former Belgian champion described as a “slap on the wrist”.
“Sending the right signals… Promising a lot in the press, but when push comes to shove…” Iserbyt posted on Instagram yesterday, alongside a photo of the warning letter.
“More than angry, I am mainly disappointed,” the 27-year-old told Het Nieuwsblad, reflecting on how the case was handled.
Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
“First about the way in which it was done: we had to hear through the grapevine that the case had apparently been settled, without us knowing anything about it. Our lawyer had to inquire about it himself. I think that is a shame.
“And then the content of that statement. Two dry sentences, nothing more: the facts have been proven, but they limit themselves to a warning. I think that is very poor.
“I don’t need to get money from that beer thrower, but a strong signal, a hefty fine, that would have been nice at least. If only to deter other people.
“But now, a warning? A symbolic slap on the wrist? Who cares about that? What bothers me most is that the whole debate takes very little account of the weakness of the rider in these kinds of situations. Yes, it was ‘just’ beer. But when I passed there in the Koppenbergcross, I kept thinking ‘what will it be now?’”
He continued: “Mentally, it’s tough. It takes you completely out of focus. Even afterwards. With every subsequent race, you start to worry somewhere. Only as a rider, you don’t have much choice, you’re busy with the race, you have to get to that finish. You can’t defend yourself and you’re completely powerless. That’s the most annoying thing of all.
“Rest assured that it won’t be any different for Mathieu. My jaw dropped when I saw what happened to him. What he experienced on Sunday will definitely get into his head. Don’t underestimate that. As a rider, you’re very vulnerable.”
“It’s nuts”: Lime bike ‘logjam’ filmed after Boat Race
Here’s a video showing the extent of the “Lime bike logjam” in Hammersmith following Sunday’s Boat Race – though it must be noted that the final third of the video is devoted to streets lined with parked cars…
Oh, and credit to Reddit user Judd for coming up with my favourite comment of the week during a debate on the Boat Race’s cycle parking situation.
“It’s like a quiet, green, hipster Quadrophenia,” he said. Brilliant.
“A few bikes show up and it’s the apocalypse”: Angry locals fume after “swarms” of hire bikes “dumped” on streets during Boat Race – but cyclists say, “Imagine if they all drove cars instead”
Quick, someone find Timothée Chalamet – there’s a new Lime bike parking social media controversy kicking off in London this week.
While the rest of us were glued to Paris-Roubaix, apparently there was another big annual sporting event taking place in south-west London on Sunday.
Yes, it may have completely passed me by, but the Boat Race – that annual lung-bursting, nation-captivating battle for bragging rights between the same two representatives of a tiny proportion of the population – took place at the weekend (I hear Cambridge won both the men’s and women’s races).
And, it seems, many of the race’s spectators flocked to the Thames, not in super-expensive off-road 4x4s, but by hire bike (the times they are a-changin’). And the locals weren’t happy.
“We live just a street away from the river and a whole bunch of people came to see the race on rented bicycles, which they dumped at the end of our street. Thanks, everyone!” Fulham resident Ken Wilson, after posting a photo on Threads of the Lime bikes (as well as some other rival hire bikes) parked up by Boat Race spectators.
“That’s shocking!” said AM Wilson in the comments. “How can so many people be so inconsiderate? Apart from anything else imagine if the emergency services had to gain access!”
Meanwhile, Rob Waller spotted his own flock of Lime bikes a few streets down from Ken:
However, not everyone was outraged by the plethora of hire bikes.
“This is kind of a bad take, don’t you think? Tristan Schendel, a New York-based architect and urban designer, replied. “What a minor and temporary inconvenience as a result of people making smart, safe, and environmentally conscious mobility choices.”
“Charing Cross hospital is less than half a mile from here (eight-minute walk from Petley Road), so everyone complaining about ambulance access is ridiculous,” noted Matthew.
“It’s a closed off crossroads (so reduce congestion from cars and make cycling/walking safer), so this point can be easily accessed from all four sides.”
Elsewhere, the Wandsworth Beat community page on Facebook criticised the “swarms of Lime bikes blocking the roads in Putney, likely left by spectators of the Boat Race”.
“If you’re travelling my Lime, please park in an appropriate place,” the group said.
Meanwhile, back on Threads, Julian said: “It’s one day a year FFS. Lime will clear them tonight or tomorrow. You’ll be fine.”
“Unless you need an ambulance or you’re disabled and need to get past them on the pavement,” replied Vishy, who also argued that Lime bikes are a “f***ing menace” and that Transport for London “should be picking up and melting down every single one of these things and charging Lime for the privilege”.
That particular exchange prompted Len to hit back with: “But there are never any cars parked on the pavement?”
“Arrgh! I’m also seeing cars parked with wheels on pavement, blocking the road too. Which is worse?” asked Steven.
“Yes, but… look how many people got there! That would be maybe three cars parked taking up the same space. Maybe 12-15 people tops. But more likely three. Kudos to people using bikes!” said Scotty.
“Imagine if those bikes had all been private cars parking in your streets. Would be 1,000 times worse for locals,” concurred Steelymann.
Meanwhile, JB (sarcastically, I’ll point out) wrote: “I live a stone’s throw away from the Thames, and during a once-a-year event some inconsiderate attendees parked their bicycles at the end of my road, that may have inconvenienced a couple of neighbours trying to get by.
“No suffering compares to my first world problem, and this highlights the scourge of environmentally friendly transport.”
“Leaving the bikes here is a little selfish, true,” Graeme, rather diplomatically, added. “But key difference to cars – anybody can move them. And it’s an annual event, so not an endless problem.
“I used to live near Epsom racecourse. On Derby day the traffic was horrendous. Nose to tail. Would much rather the cars had been Lime bikes.”
The rather less diplomatic This Is Me also concluded: “This is absolutely brilliant. Think of all those cars that the bikes helped get off the road, more of this please!”
However, not everyone in the comments was joining in on the criticism of Ken’s NIMBY take.
“This is unhinged, who leaves a bike in the middle of the street, and who comes into the comments defending it?” asked Emily. “Incredibly selfish, short-sighted behaviour, WTF is wrong with all of you?”
“Then have the city put in more proper bike parking,” said Koder. “Imagine if they all drove cars instead.”
“We love bikes, what can we say?” Stephen also replied. “Look around at all of the empty cars taking up urban space by the hundreds of thousands every day. That problem may seem invisible to you, but it’s worth asking why that is.”
“There is no better example to show how much cycling needs to be accommodated in cities,” London-based repair and custom build shop Frequency Cycleworks said of Ken’s complaint.
“When people drive cars, they get a huge paved area to park. But when they choose bikes, nobody on the councils thinks to create spaces to allow people to store them at a destination.
“If every one of these visitors arrived by car, this would be an article on the national news.”
But at least the social media debate has made it on to the live blog, eh?
What do you reckon? Are the Boat Race’s hire bike-using fans “inconsiderate” for leaving their bikes where they did? Or, like Frequency said, the images posted at the weekend evidence that London needs to rethink its approach to cycle parking?
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I often wonder why they don't wear cooling arm sleeves and cooling hats under their helmets. At a guess it's probably something to do with 'the rules', as this is road racing. Headsweats caps and similar make a big difference to how hot you get and you avoid getting your head sunburnt through the gaps in your helmet.
It's good going to keep the Vanquish price at £485, especially if you can still get a discount through Cycling UK or British Cycling, or maybe a cashback site (I've seen 10% via Complete Savings before). Shame Halfords didn't change the cassette as road.cc suggested in their review last year though.
Plenty of distinguishing features to identify the place including "Dubai, UAE" right at the top of that Insta post. And using a mobile phone while driving is illegal in Dubai and across the UAE.
The Guardian isn’t a source of scientific data It's a much better source than climate change denying nutters!
Given that he is holding his hand on the steering wheel while controls on the central panel, including the driving mode selector, are illuminated, it is highly doubtful that the car is parked with the engine off.
This is over-simplistic and false. The Guardian isn't a source of scientific data.
Seeing as his car is probably a gold wrapped Hummer or G Wagon, it would appear that his taste mechanisms have been out of action for some time.
At the very top of the hierarchy would be separation of cyclists and motor vehicles, or reduction of car journeys. Safety features fitted to cars, while better than PPE, could fail or be override.
Yeah, the updated site isn't exactly an improvement.
34 thoughts on ““A few bikes show up and it’s the apocalypse”: Angry locals fume after “swarms” of hire bikes “dumped” on streets during Boat Race – but cyclists say, “Imagine if they all drove cars instead” + more on the live blog”
Based on the way they are
Based on the way they are ridden around London, the following would work well on the game show Jeopardy: Answer: A way of telling the world you are an ar5ehol3 without saying it. Question: What is a Lime bike?
Is part of the problem not
Is part of the problem not their charging model? Even with a ride pass you are basically paying by the minute. So if you wait at a red light patiently & play nice with traffic regs, peds stepping out in front of you etc. you still get charged for the privilege (either directly on the PAYG model or out of your allowance of minutes if on a pass). Even short journeys, with the unlock fee under the PAYG model included, can get pretty expensive.
I’m not condoning poor riding & inconsiderate parking of the bike but you can see why some people may be motivated to act like a d1ck.
Thanks for the insight, I
Thanks for the insight, I didn’t know the charging model. So, similar issues to delivery riders.
That’s always been my issue
That’s always been my issue with their charging model. At some lights you can be waiting for a couple of minutes in central London while nothing passes through the junction (such as at Bank), so the users will just power through. Time is indeed money! Never used one myself mind you and don’t really plan to.
The irony of those photos of the badly parked Lime bikes is that you can see the streets lined on both sides with parked cars. Amazing how normal that is now – not that long ago a road I cycle home on was resurfaced and I went down it shortly after it was reopened to traffic. With no cars parked on both sides the street looked beautiful. Sadly it was back to just being a large car park the next day.
Precisely on point about the
Precisely on point about the parking. There’d be almost no issues if all the space allocated to car parking was provided for bike parking instead. You’d also almost always be able to park in a correct space, basically at your destination, if it weren’t for cars taking up all the public space they do.
momove wrote:
Slight edit. I’ve heard of traffic evaporation, but I think there might be *some* issues if you simply said “this is now bike parking”.
I take your point that there
I take your point that there “might be some issues”!
But currently we have to store our bikes on/in our private property and can store cars on the public street. Now imagine if that was reversed.
Yeah, I agree. Of course we
Yeah, I agree. Of course we don’t have to store bikes on private property, but if we want them still to be there in the morning it’s probably advisable. I have a cargo bike with a kickstand which is physically capable of being left on the roadside (for e.g. a short shopping trip) but it’s surprisngly hard to shake the psychological habit that that’s where cars park (that, and the fear that someone will reverse into it / move it when they want the space for their car).
I think the bike users should
I think the bike users should have been more considerate. What is wrong with leaving the bike half a mile away and walking the rest? I wouldn’t have been too thrilled to find dozens of bikes on the pavement / road outside my house. A handful – not a problem.
Maybe the hirers need to provide more info on more suitable drop off locations.
Agree. I like to think that
Agree. I like to think that even if I’d arrived to find that pile, I would have found somewhere more appropriate rather than just adding to it.
I also think the “but just imagine if they all drove there” comments are missing the mark – I suspect very few of these people would have driven there before Lime, and that hire bikes have instead taken more modal share from public transport than private cars.
What’s wrong with drivers
What’s wrong with drivers parking their cars in car parks half a mile away and walking the rest of the way? Oh, I forgot, it’s impossible for a driver to walk further than across a pavement, that’s why city streets are chockablock.
A classic example of not
A classic example of not seeing the forest for the limes:
“I put the Lime in the cul-de
“I put the Limes in the cul-de-sac, stacked them all up…”
You may be finding carbrained
You may be finding carbrained comments but I think I have found the most out of touch comment from a UK based cycling journalist
“While the rest of us were glued to Paris-Roubaix”
redimp wrote:
Do you really require somebody to explain what self-deprecating irony is?
Rendel Harris wrote:
I used to be good at that sort of thing.
I know the Limes made a mess,
I know the Limes made a mess, but my inner self sees a bicycle commuter porn image.
The Lime bike pile up is less
The Lime bike pile up is less than 100 m from my house, down at the end of the road. People often leave bikes there which makes it very difficult for my wheelchair using son to go for his daily walk to the river when they’re inconsiderately dropped right in the middle of the pavement. It would have been impossible on Sunday! We weren’t there this weekend, but it’s an ongoing problem – when Fulham are playing at home it’s the same situation. Part of the problem with the Lime bikes is that they are so precisely point to point that people take them all the way to the end of their journey, and drop them there. Other bikes already left there makes people think that it’s a good place to leave them. I’m very pro then in general, but selfish parking is a constant issue. They ought to be parked in the road, not the pavement.
Given this is a regular
Given this is a regular problem, next time there is a big event is it worth moving/getting the first few to arrive into a Boris bike formation on the road (pointing at the kerb) ie where cars would be parked?
(It would also highlight space saved by bikes v cars, which we already know.)
This would hopefully then prompt the next arrivals to do the same in an orderly fashion.
Then take pics of the, hopefully, tidy layout and campaign the local council to paint road markings indicating where Lime users can park considerately?
You’d be helping out a lot of people in the long run.
Edit. Just seen the Youtube clip. Some of them were parked in the way I’m suggesting.
mitsky wrote:
Sure, that would be nice. But doesn’t excuse ignoring the existing road markings. This is where one of the piles of bikes was left – “Emergency Fire Path, Keep Clear” https://maps.app.goo.gl/uKrXAyryeX1FpdDy5
Many drivers (especially of
Many drivers (especially of large cars) park inconsiderately for years, everywhere.
Nothing.
Cyclists do it rarely and… people lose their minds [Joker meme]
That Lime bike apocalypse is
That Lime bike apocalypse is a lot less bad than the scene every day at almost every school, with drivers parking anywhere and everywhere, endangering everybody.
But hey, they’re in cars, so that’s ok.
TBF, I’m pretty sure the
TBF, I’m pretty sure the residents of streets near schools have been known to complain about parking too.
You’d have thought the people
You’d have thought the people who came by bike would have left by bike. Odd really
racyrich wrote:
In my experience of events these days that attract significant amounts of entitled poshers – cricket at Lord’s, Boat Race, internationals at Twickenham and so forth – many tend to arrive by Lime, get incapacitated and leave by Uber.
Having attended events at
Having attended events at Lords,Twickenham and Henley in recent years, my impression is that the spectators come more from different areas of society these days. (I am an ex-comprehensive school pupil myself). The spectators were overwhelmingly well behaved, with a minority getting inebriated. I have seen much higher levels of drunkenness at Headingley tests and at top football matches.
Inconsiderate people come from all social backgrounds.
We must be in different parts
We must be in different parts of the stands then, in my experience (state school boy myself, by the way) of Lord’s and Twickenham they are still very much dominated by the upper middle classes and above (not so much at the Oval, we are more ecumenical south of the river!). My comment wasn’t intended to criticise people for drinking, by the way, I very much enjoy a few pints myself at sporting events, I was just putting it forward as one of the reasons why people who arrive on Lime bikes don’t leave on them and I think that’s a good thing, since the advent of ebike hires there are far too many people riding them inebriated as it is.
ETA looking at my first comment I realise it might have sounded more judgemental than I intended, poor choice of language – by “incapacitated” I meant not fit to ride a bike, not falling down drunk!
I enjoy a few pints myself,
I enjoy a few pints myself, at these events. It is part of it being a social as well as sporting day out. It is good that people are cycling to these events. And as it almost certain that most of them will have a few drinks, or some may not fancy riding home in the dark, it is up to the venues to provide adequate bike drop space.
That would be ideal and very
That would be ideal and very handy for the hire companies as well, e.g. if instead of having to roam around St John’s Wood looking for all the bikes that have been used to ride to a test match or ODI they could just go to a pound inside the gates and pick up all their bikes they would surely appreciate that. I know someone who works at Lord’s, I might suggest they put it up to the management (although given the speed at which the MCC work we’ll probably have hire electric hoverboards before they get round to doing anything…).
Regarding the Lime bikes,
Regarding the Lime bikes, defending blocking roads and pavements by saying that cars drivers too is missing the point. Nobody should be doing it. I complain about bad driving and bad parking just as much as you cyclists do. The difference is that many, and I include this publication, never criticise cyclists behaviour. You make excuses. You say it’s no worse than what cars do. And that is exactly the point. It is the same as cars do. So criticise the behaviour exactly as you would a car!
You mean a driver & what
You mean a driver & what drivers do. Not cars.
Schroeder’s (Lime) bike at it
Schroeder’s (Lime) bike at it again!
Nobody cycles except when everyone cycles and it’s a bad thing.
I think that those who
I think that those who complain about scores of dumped bikes do have a point. It’s all very well saying “What if they were drivers” but drivers don’t simply abandon their cars for others to collect. Dumped Lime bikes are a real problem in London and it’s time that Lime and the London Mayor’s office tackled it.
I don’t think the dockless
I don’t think the dockless bike model ultimately turns out to be a good one for several reasons.
I’m also pretty sure everyone can show you examples of drivers – sometimes lots – abandoning their cars more or less antisocially, every day. True, they eventually come back and collect them… after they’ve got in the way of people. (A good thing as otherwise it would be really expensive to deal with all the vehicles).