What do you do if you're a cyclist who Jeremy Clarkson has accused on Twitter of "point-making" because you took the lane to protect yourself from being passed dangerously? You take to the internet and set the record straight in great detail.
That’s what a user of the forums over on mountain bike site Singletrackworld did when Clarkson posted a snap of him behaving perfectly legally on Twitter last week.
Here's Clarkson's intitial post:
It's middle of the road point-makers like this who make car drivers so angry about cyclists. pic.twitter.com/4vCcK548t1
— Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) January 10, 2014
Unsurprisingly, a few cyclists responded that he was using a mobile phone to take a picture while in control of a vehicle and therefore possibly committing an offence himself.
Many also responded that the narrowness of the road meant the rider was doing exactly what Bikeability, the Institute of Advanced Motoring and even Transport for London recommend: taking the lane.
.@JeremyClarkson Also, have you never seen this image? From TfL, but just as applicable in the rest of the UK. pic.twitter.com/NwUdhVyzZd
— CyclingMikey (@CyclingMikey) January 10, 2014
Clarkson implied that the rider was making a point because he'd sworn at drivers who tried to overtake him:
Ti be clear, the cyclist I tweeted about earlier rode constantly right in the middle of the lane and hurled abuse at anyone who overtook.
— Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) January 10, 2014
Your usual Twitterstorm ensued, with Clarkson's more petrolhead followers wishing death to anyone on two wheels while cyclists tried to point out that the rider was doing nothing wrong. As usual it got heated.
Discussion spread to the always-lively forums on Singletrackworld.com, where user Itsme posted this lengthy account of what happened:
Right then, from the horses mouth so to speak…….
I was riding home from work (this is one of my regular routes) down Sloane Avenue in Chelsea towards Sloane Square. As I approached this island at the junction of Ixworth Street, a Range Rover over took me, because he had to veer left to avoid hitting the island I got pushed owards the kerb.
Sloane Ave
There was no point to this pass as there was slow moving traffic a little bit further down the road.
Now I was pretty cheesed off with this and most of you will know a close pass starts pumping adrenaline. Sloane Ave is a nice flat road and it's really easy to keep up with the trafic and just past the island I was keeping pace with the Range Rover, the driver was looking in his N/S door mirror giving the 'stare'. I admit that I was fairly vocal at this point and shouted 'What? you f*****g c**k, f****** knobstick' not much of an insult but I was too riled up to think straight.
As we approached the junction with Cadogan Street the traffic started slowing so I moved to the middle of the road to overtake. As I passed the Range Rover the window started to come down and a few words were exchanged by both of us as I passed (I can't remember what, I don't think it was as bad as the first reaction though as I tend to calm down fairly quickly). I then kept up with the traffic for the rest of Sloane Ave, and then in to Draycott Place which is quite narrow for a two way road.
Draycott Place
Keeping up with the traffic in Draycott Place is easy as well, and as I approached the crossing at the end someone was waiting to cross so I stopped (I always do this, and stop at red lights as well believe it or not!), before it, and not on the crossing as some have suggested.
The junction
I was turning right at this junction to go down to Sloane Square, so as I moved off I was positioning myself for this.
At the junction I looked behind me and saw Jeremy Clarkson just pulling up behind me with his head and arm out of the window, holding his phone and shouting 'gotcha' and looking well smug with himself. He was driving, and there was nobody else in the car. I got off my bike and pushed it back to his car and pointed out that he was overtaking me going in to a hazard, and made me change course. He just kept shouting increduously 'you were four feet from the kerb, but you were four feet from the kerb, I'm a cyclist and you were four feet from the kerb!'.
After a couple of attempts to explain to him why I thought he was wrong I gave up as he just kept shouting, I then rode off. Throughout this exchange I stayed reasonably calm.
At no time did I abuse any other road user or pedestrian on my journey home.
What JC's pic on twitter doesn't show is how much traffic was about at the time. Before I stopped at the crossing the junction was busy, and the traffic was queing all the way down to Sloane Square. I was probably well on my way to Parliament Square by the time JC got through Sloane Square. The ambulance wasn't parked either, it was moving.
Thanks for your patience reading my longest ever post!
Among the many who responded to Clarkson was Radio Two presenter Jeremy Vine, who pointed out: "He has every right – you muppet".
This morning the Daily Mail posted an essay by Vine on the dangers of cycling on London's roads, and the Twitterstorm he online argument he and Clarkson sparked. The permanently angry attitude of many drivers is a very real problem, he says.
Vine writes: "On Twitter such a spat is entertaining. But take that hostility on to the road — put that angry mind in charge of a metal hulk on four wheels or even 12 — and it becomes a threat to the life of any cyclists."
66 thoughts on ““Point-making” rider hits back at Jeremy Clarkson”
How exciting!
Not the story
How exciting!
Not the story but the fact I used to live on that road :))
Super Domestique wrote:How
Are you a bajillionaire? 😕
eurotrash wrote:Super
Are you a bajillionaire? 😕— Super Domestique
He didn’t say it was in a house 🙂
Ush wrote:eurotrash
Are you a bajillionaire? 😕— eurotrash
He didn’t say it was in a house 🙂— Super Domestique
A mere and humble studio flat. Plus we are talking about 15 years ago.
B-)
Have the police been in
Have the police been in contact with Clarkson yet?
Jesus, thats a rather
Jesus, thats a rather detailed reply… :))
Has anyone, like the Police,
Has anyone, like the Police, for instance, questioned Clarkson and asked him how he managed to take that photo while he was driving? The EXIF information would be able to identify the device used in case of any doubt.
BarefootBrian wrote:Has
Good point.
Twitter strips EXIF data from
Twitter strips EXIF data from the photograph so the police would have to do a bit more digging, tbh.
I’m disappointed in Clarkson. I love watching Top Gear but I doubt I’ll find it quite as entertaining now that we have proof he’s a massive dickhead.
Jeremy Clarkson is moron –
Jeremy Clarkson is moron – Shocker
its a shame the Cyclist didnt
its a shame the Cyclist didnt have a helmet cam, then we would have been treated to a video of Clarkson being a knob…. oh wait, thats what his TV show is for =))
I am a keen car enthusiast &
I am a keen car enthusiast & cyclist & I am disappointed in Jezza. He did take to two wheels recently & I would have thought the experience would have made him slightly more sympathetic towards cyclists in London. It’s a shame as it has just enraged a load of car drivers instead. What we need is someone like Jez giving a good word or two towards cyclists. The whole two tribes road tax rubbish really does upset me, most of us drive & are peds as well <:P
Who really cares. I don’t.
Who really cares. I don’t.
Jamespalmer100 wrote:Who
Devastating irony laden intellectual killer suckerpunch of the week.
Not that I care.
Excellent witty & clever
Excellent witty & clever response to someone deluded enough to think they’re witty and clever. Wish I’d written it.
Who really cares. I don’t.
Who really cares. I don’t.
Why are some motorists, even
Why are some motorists, even when you’re ‘taking the lane’, so hell bent on getting past, often overtaking dangerously. Often you end up overtaking them again shortly afterwards and wonder why they bothered. I guess if they never cycle they ‘don’t get it’.
We were in a work team meeting today and the subject of lack of parking, queues etc came up. The cyclists just collectively shrugged their shoulders and grinned!
I wouldn’t care were it not
I wouldn’t care were it not for the fact there are an awful lot of petrol head automatons who hang on his every word. You only have to look at the time line of that tweet to see some of the ridiculous bile foaming from the mouths of his followers. The number of times I encounter “get out of my way” drivers in London is just downright dangerous and depressing and this just reinforces their one eyed view.
He has had the offer of cycle training and it might help if he publicly took it up.
There will always be people
There will always be people that don’t understand why you are taking the lane or are out from the curb. Probably because when I went to school back in the sixties and seventies cycling proficiency courses told you to stay close to the side of the road. In fact when my lads did cycling proficiency 5 or 6 years ago they had issues with an instructor that didn’t like them being more than 2 feet from the pavement. BTW the oldest who was already cycling with a club was told to put his saddle down to the level where he could put both feet flat on the ground and still sit on the saddle. It was bonkers. I digress.
The point is not to be intimidated by numpties like Clarkson into not taking the lane. One of the reasons why they think ladies suffer more accidents is that they may not be so assertive in their riding. Idiots like Clarkson don’t help. And I think the Police should go and make an example of him “pour encourager les autres”.
Meh. Professional angry man
Meh. Professional angry man displays his ignorance/lack of knowledge of riding a bike by being a dick.
FWIW, if the cyclist is turning right, where else does a car driver expect him to be. Hugging the kerb until the last minute then making a 45 degree surge across the road? Looks totally normal behaviour to me. I assume he’d signalled before the picture was taken by the velcro-haired Greenwoods menswear patron? Beware angry men in slacks.
(No subject)
=)) =)) =)) =)) =)) =))
Ignorance is a major cause of
Ignorance is a major cause of conflict. Drivers perceive some kind of wrong doing and use it to lambast the poor person on the bike. This is a perfect example, but it often happens with riding two abreast as well, or riding on the road and not on a cycle path. Typical symptoms include spouting non-existent highway code rules or going on about non existent cycling proficiency.
When you pair ignorance with aggression things get even worse. You get someone in a car who uses their belief of being “in the right” (due to incorrectly perceived wrong-doing by a cyclist) to justify dangerous behaviour such as a close pass, failing to concede right of way, or a mouthful of abuse.
The media often reports cyclists as being verbally abusive and agressive. I can understand this as when subjected to a potentially lethal episode of road-rage the adrenaline starts pumping. However you have to remember that the person is simply reacting to a situation caused by someone else. You don’t see cyclists (even the lycra louts) riding along effing and blinding at everyone they see in a car.
Here’s a couple of examples I’ve experienced;
– Riding in bus/cycle lane stopped at traffic lights in primary position. Minibus pulls up behind me and gets on the horn. I turn round and get told to “get out of the f***ing way” as I shouldn’t be in the bus lane. I point to the sign (4ft away) with a large bicycle symbol on it. He gets on the horn again. The minibus
was privately owned and had no right to use the lane.
– Riding up the outside of a queue of stationary traffic. The road has a single lane but 300m ahead it splits into two lanes. A woman with her phone to her ear pulls out of the queue, causing me to swerve violently to avoid her. She drives on the wrong side on the road causing oncoming traffic to move out of her way so she can join the queue in the second lane. As I catch up with her she winds down the window and says (unprompted) “You ought to be more careful, you’ll get yourself killed riding like that.”
– A group of drunk men are stood outside a pub, smoking. As I ride past (on the road, at about 20mph) one of them yells at me that I should be riding in the cycle lane (which they are standing in and totally blocking).
– Riding on a shared use path (cycles on one side, pedestrians on the other, big solid white line painted in the middle at an attempt of some sort of segregation) I see that I am approaching a woman walking here dog. She is on the “cycling” side. I slow and give a friendly whistle. She turns round and tells me not to whistle at her like she’s some sort of dog, then launches into a tirade of abuse. I point out that she’s walking on a cycle path. She says she’s not and that bicycles aren’t allowed on the pavement. I point at her feet and ask her to observe the large white painted bicycle symbol that she is stood on.
qwerky wrote:Ignorance is a
Absolutely right. Non existent highway code regulations are always highly amusing. One woman stopped her Range Rover last year to tell me that the white line running along the side of the road was for cyclists to make sure they weren’t in anyone’s way. This aparrently was in the Highway Code and I was advised to read it. I think it comes as a shock or at least gives pause to a lot of drivers that most cyclists do have driving licences. I even own three quite nice cars. I just like cycling as well.
As for the perception that cyclists can be agressive. That’s probably stemming from the same idea that cyclists must be poor, low status people that won’t answer back. There is a Transport Research Laboratory report that alluded to a hierachy that many drivers used. The bigger, more expensive your vehicle the more rights you were perceived to have. I have both a large powerful Saab and a Smart FourTwo. My own very unscientific research is that the TRL report holds true. If I drive at the speed limit in the big Saab then no bother. If I do the same thing in the Smart Car then I get hooted and flashed quite a few times. Lower status see.
It’s not all that helpful but may be worth bearing in mind.
all of those would be funny,
all of those would be funny, if they weren’t so pitiful.
“taking the lane” is for
“taking the lane” is for safety, not controlling other cars because you, in your own opinion, “can keep up with traffic”. Complete non-story because we only have one side of it…
AyBee wrote:”taking the lane”
Keeping up with traffic is not a matter of “opinion”. You’re either moving at the same speed as the other traffic, or you’re not. And taking the lane is absolutely for safety BECAUSE it is a method of controlling the behaviour of following traffic; the two are not mutually exclusive.
seven wrote:AyBee
Of course it is, I’ve sat behind people who sit in the middle of the lane because they think they’re keeping up with traffic only to get annoyed because they’re holding me up (I’m talking cyclist vs cyclist here). There’s a fine line between taking the lane for safety and holding up traffic, I can’t see JC getting annoyed with a bike that had a car infont of it because he’d have had nowhere to go once he’d got past (JC isn’t stupid) and the article quite clearly (from the rider’s view) states that JC was behind him down all those roads he named. Sounds very much to me like he was “taking the lane” when it would have been perfectly easy to move over and let him through. Let’s face it, cycling is so much quicker than driving in London so let him overtake and then go past with a smug face when he gets caught up in traffic.
AyBee wrote:cycling is so
Except on my daily route cycle where cars always overtake me – despite me assertively taking primary – on a small uphill after a traffic light.
What’s really annoying is 50 metres later the road narrows, parked cars on both sides, modern cars too wide for our roads means the car that just revved past me is now stuck while he gingerly squeezes past the equally stuck oncoming traffic. The oncoming traffic can’t move until the next sequence of lights so Mr Impatient has cost me five minutes for insisting on overtaking me.
I got beeped today while
I got beeped today while driving in the outside lane of a dual carriageway just above the speed limit of 50 mph … why would someone beep their horn and flash their lights at me when they would be illegal if driving faster? People just don’t like being held up, regardless of whether or not they would be breaking the law by going faster. I can understand why Clarkson got annoyed even if the cyclist is legally within his rights to take the centre of the lane (not something I would normally do), but it would have been simple to pull in/slow down and let Clarkson past, then the whole episode could have been avoided.
As you’d expect, Vine’s Daily
As you’d expect, Vine’s Daily Mail article comments are something else.
Even some of the Pro-cycling lobby are right of Farage “This environmental claptrap has been one of the most significant reason that many men don’t cycle – who wants to be motivated by limp-wristed reasons like that. Cycling is about keeping fit, going fast, getting somewhere, saving money and starving the tax-grubbing government of its iniquitous parking fees and fines, and its beats jogging.”
dafyddp wrote:As you’d
I couldn’t agree more with the main point and the promotion of cycling. People’s interest in being environmentally friendly is massively over-rated. They pay lip service to it but very few are committed enough to make any lifestyle sacrifices for it. I commute to work on a bike. 20 miles each way on nice days or bike and train from just over half way if I’m pushed for time and it’s grotty. People are interested in the fact that I mostly cycle when I have perfectly nice cars to drive. I really don’t care that it is good for the environment. That just happens to be the case and it’s great of course. But I’d cycle if it was bad for the environment because I like cycling.
OK so some people might not like cycling quite as much as me. I’ll tell you what impresses people is cost. My trip costs nothing if I cycle all the way both ways. It’s £4 for half way on the train. Time wise it takes me around 1hr 15min each way on the bike or 45 – 50 mins if I bike and train. Driving it takes around 50 mins to just over the hour because of all the traffic and it’s quicker to come the longer way on the A roads so that’s 50 miles round trip in the car. My Saab does about 30mpg and at £5.80 a gallon that’s £9.50 in petrol. Even in my Smart car thats a gallon so about £5 in petrol there. But that’s not the end of it. HMRC calculates wear and tear and maintenance for claimed mileage at 45p a mile and I doubt that’s massively generous. So, tyres, servicing, depreciation etc etc. I even get cheaper insurance for lower mileage. Using that figure I’d be doing 12,000 a year just to work. and at 45p a mile that’s £5500 of cost. If I took the train every day rather than just some days (£960 per year) I’m saving nearly £5k.
Now that makes people interested. Particularly the ones that drive to work and pay for gym membership as well.
BTW this is also a good argument when your wife or partner questions spending money on bikes and new gear. My wife drives (it really is the only option) so that’s game set and match on the new bike.
Let’s face it, a lot of
Let’s face it, a lot of people are seriously fucked up in the head. There are two solutions I can think of – one, a new kind of fascism where we round up everyone with a below average IQ and intern them in camps, or two, at least don’t allow them to drive cars.
userfriendly wrote:Let’s face
=)) *googles IQ* =))
I’ve been a huge fan of
I’ve been a huge fan of Clarkson for years; saw his show live as a kid, and defended every comment he’s ever made that’s landed him in trouble in the media.
I’m actually really disappointed because all it takes is for him to show all this on Top Gear, mocking it in his usual manner, in doing so will create thousands of cyclist haters.
Has anyone asked why Clarkson
Has anyone asked why Clarkson needed to use such a wide, lane hogging vehicle to transport just himself around London? If he’d been on something sensible for a single adult, like a bicycle for example, he would have had no problem. Its just his fixation on lugging three tonnes of metal and five empty seats around with him when he’s on his own that is causing his problem.
Tony wrote:Has anyone asked
That goes for most drivers to be fair.He looks like he could use some exercise for sure.If he’s mate Dave wins the next election Clarkson and he’s super rich mates will be the only one’s driving which should help.He is a complete Knob for sure but I come into contact with he’s type on a daily basis.When fuel is £5 litre I’ll have great fun dropping all these types when they have been priced off the road. 👿
Tony wrote:Has anyone asked
Please tell me you’re joking?! We all love bikes here which is why we’re on here, but JC lives in the Cotswolds, riding a bike into London is not practical from there. Think before you type stupid things!
AyBee wrote:Please tell me
What about his place on the Isle of Man? Does he not live there?
What about the penthouse he owns that he uses when he is in London for filming?
Or the flat he bought after he got caught cheating on his missus?
What about perhaps using one of his other vehicles?
Hmmm.
AyBee wrote:Tony wrote:Has
No but the train service from Cheltenham, Bath, Morton are all fine for getting from the Cotswolds into London. As for why a 4×4…. well living on the edge of the Cotswolds, most people except the Londoners and their country homes, and farmers use normal cars….
As for his Isle of Mann home, there is a scheduled plane service from Cheltenham/Gloucester and a bus that takes you a couple hundred metres from the train station…
Incontrovertible evidence of
Incontrovertible evidence of mobile phone use while driving, nuff said!
I wonder what would have
I wonder what would have happened if you were an off duty policeman – would plod be all over him by now? “Taxi driver who deliberately swerved into cycling policeman could face jail”
Its not an argument about
Its not an argument about cyclists & car drivers, its about people. Some people are stupid & have no moral judgement or understanding of others safety or life. Some actually give a shít about you and have patience and understanding! Until we all understand this we’ll never get along. And anyway, who’s re-tweeted or forwarding JC’s pictures and comments to the Met police? He’s clearly committed an offence which should warrant a fine or points on his licence…..
Clear case of road rage by
Clear case of road rage by both parties. I genuinely think the cyclist, for the sake of all cyclists, needs to chill out on the bike and just let the faster cars go then pass them quietly when they get queued up. Defensive riding I agree with but aggressive riding has no place.
As for Clarkson, not quite a dickhead but amazing behaviour for a supposedly intelligent person.
I’m a cyclist by the way.
Guyz2010 wrote:
I genuinely
I genuinely think that you have got not even the beginnings of a clue. Nowhere in this story is there the suggestion that there were cars “queued up” behind the rider.
Placing yourself clearly in the primary position as this cyclist did in a narrow lane is not aggressive. It’s defensive and assertive.
LOL. That’s apparently exactly what Clarkson said. Evidently he, like you, has never taken a Bikeability course or equivalent. You should try some training like that… seriously.
And to lambast other
And to lambast other cyclists….passed a cyclist on Dartmoor stopped in the middle of the lane on the brow of a hill next to an off road parking area swigging a drink. So inconsiderate and foolish I couldn’t believe it.
Same morning I struggle to pass two cyclists on their Sunday ride the first was ok but his mate on a level road, was more interested in chatting whilst careering over more than half the lane at about 5mph. He didn’t appear to be considering any other road users.
Last night, cyclist dressed head to foot in black with poor lighting, no reflective trim at all, out for his road ride in the country. I could barely see him myself from my bike, from a car doing sixty he wouldn’t stand a chance.
Come on folks we don’t need to give motorist an excuse!
Guyz2010 wrote:And to lambast
I’ve no doubt you’re a cyclist but trust me it is very different cycling in London to Dartmoor (yes I have done both). Clarkson has thrown fuel on the “us and them” divide which makes him more than a bit of a tool given his position of influence, which at the end of the day is tax payer subsidised, courtesy of the BBC.
I do sincerely hope he comes under a lot of pressure to do some cycle training in London and then perhaps he might not be such a sanctimonious twitter twat.
So Boris’s network of
So Boris’s network of quietways aren’t so great.
So the odious JC has
So the odious JC has committed a traffic offence, using a cellphone while driving, and publicised it. Umm, perhaps Stumpy or the Cycling Silk can let us know how this offence can be reported to the police.
I was overtaking another cyclist this evening and was overtaken by a prat in a van who then cut in, forcing me to swerve. I continued taking the lane and slowed to make a right turn, with the car driver behind me then beeping his horn. So I had two drivers in quick succession who had no idea of what they’re supposed to do and why what I was doing was right. I’d have caught them both up at the next set of lights if I’d continued on the main road, because there was a long queu. That’s the problem with so many dickheads inc ars, they don’t see all they’re doing is rushing to get to the same place in the end of the queue a bit quicker.
I ride a bicycle (well, 3 actually), I drive a car and I’ve got two motorbikes.
Ahhh, things must have been
Ahhh, things must have been quiet for our Jezza. Posting a pic taken whilst driving, publicising it. Ohhh he must be relishing in all that free publicity and oxygen we’ve given him. The man is no fool. He has cleverly manipulated a situation to his own narcissistic ends.
When will we learn not to stoke his ego. I suggest a total media ban on all things Clarkson. That should sort him out.
Peter Walker in the Guardian
Peter Walker in the Guardian has penned a fine analysis of the situation: it’s about the safest position on the road for cyclists, not some numpty that happens to present a t.v. program:
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2014/jan/13/jeremy-clarkson-cyclists-taking-the-lane
Taking the lane has dangers
Taking the lane has dangers where ever you ride and no matter how assertive you are (and after 30 years of motorcycle riding, I can ‘do’ assertive).
I live on a hill, in a seaside town in the South West of England. To get into my road I have to make a right turn from a busy 30 mph feeder road into a housing estate.
Despite ‘taking the lane’, and at times riding more or less on the white lines, due to parked cars on the left, I have lost count of the number of times I have been overtaken by cars, even when I have my right arm out to indicate my intention to turn right.
Too many drives in too much of a hurry and completely ignorant of what I am doing and why.
hmmm, Jeremy seems to be in
hmmm, Jeremy seems to be in need of a publicity boost for some reason, suckered everyone into shouting his name again.
solkanofastera wrote:hmmm,
There’s a football chant that’s particularly appropriate to Jeremy Clarkson.
“You fat bastard, you fat bastard, you ate all the pies.”
I know I’m not really contributing to the discussion this time, I just felt like saying it.
OldRidgeback wrote:”You fat
😀
And probably scoffed while driving… and tweeting… and goodness knows what else.
A complete and utter knob.
Opinions opinions opinions.
Opinions opinions opinions. Course riding on Dartmoor isn’t like London. Did I ever say it was. Step outside the box for minute….I’m saying as a cyclist some cyclists are overtly aggressive. Bit like the road raging big mouth who shot off at Clarkson.
Guyz2010 wrote:Opinions
What else are you expecting to get on an internet forum ?!
I think you’ll find a greater frequency of aggressive encounters in London than on Dartmoor, predominantly caused by impatient road users and volume of traffic.
i think cycllists become more
i think cycllists become more aggressive the longer they ride in london. after all, if you get your life threatened on a dailiy (or every other day) basis your gunna start fighting back and snapping at people more quickly. enough is enough. one day, through no fault of your own you might be dead. so why not take the lane and get a few beeps while you are at it, at least u aint dead!
Here’s why drivers are so
Here’s why drivers are so angry with cyclists http://bit.ly/1afpA79
Fireworkboy wrote:Here’s why
Great article, articulate, intelligent and well thought out. Some posters on here should take note. =D>
Oh and Clarkson is a massive
Oh and Clarkson is a massive Cock!
SevenHills wrote:Oh and
Well no I think that is his problem he has a very small Cock :))
Mr Clarkson can be
Mr Clarkson can be amusing…. but amusing in the same way as a chimp at a tea party!
Perhaps cycling commuters should post pics (with registration number) of every car driver making a highway code violation with a hashtag #amdoingaClarkson. After all there no such as bad publicity is there.
Clarkskn’s reached that point
Clarkskn’s reached that point in middle age where the jeans are getting tight and smoking’s taking it’s toll. He knows full well that running isn’t an option anymore but cycling…Hmmm. Maybe he can be turned to the path of the right?
I hold a balanced view about Clarkson on the whole. He’s a clever man and makes some good documentaries – he just needs to engage his brain and his fame for good for a change – instead of chummying up to the likes of Cameron and pretending that the bicycle for city transport shouldn’t take priority over cars.
Clarkson can be a cock but let’s never forget that this is the man who punched Piers Morgan in the face. For that I, for one, will be ever gratefull.
Cyclists are bound to be more
Cyclists are bound to be more angry than car drivers because they are far, far more vulnerable. It’s not an equal situation. An arrogant tosser protected by a couple of tons of metal with a massive powerful engine v a man with no protection at all on two flimsy wheels, it’s hardly surprising the cyclist gets angry when so threatened.
ADDED my say on Twitter &
ADDED my say on Twitter & Tourdafarce.blogspot.com
Singletrackforum was entertaining until someone mentioned Media interest , then the peanuts joined in with crap on p.7 !
Based only on JC’s picture
Based only on JC’s picture (and leaving asside the prior altercation) the dude seems perfectly positioned; I think that this is where I would have been in the same situation.