Ribble Countdown Clearance – Off-Road Deals Edition

Oh no, I just found out that Rod "Piano Wire" Liddle has passed away. Commiserations to any of his family or friends, but cyclists may feel slightly safer without his horrible maliciousness.

Well according to the cyclingnews article it was announced at the pre-tour directors' meeting, so... They suggest it's because hardly anyone qualifies for it as an U23 competition.

@pete_247 This isn't something I have an issue with honestly. I don't think that really puts the onus on cyclists, it just warns them that its dangerous to be getting close to this vehicle when its moving. That danger is never going to disappear. Its like the argument that cyclists shouldn't be told to wear helmets because its victim blaming. Perhaps it is but I would rather that than people die. These aren't the core issues with cycling safety, its driver behaviour and attitudes. Perhaps these little things contribute to that in a small way but they wouldn't negatively effect anything if attitudes towards cyclists weren't so shitty.

@pete_247 But a significant influence could be the signs on the back of trucks and buses that put the responsibility for their safety on cyclists ttps://upride.cc/incident/sk19evu_stagecoach42_closepass/

Yes! Shortly after winning P-R, an emotional Pogacar announces project TPTPTT 28. A dedicated focussed bid to win both an Olympic medal in the team pursuit, followed by the World Championships Individual TT title. (Actually I'm not sure which comes first. If the Olympics are later it would be TPTTTP28.) He will start working on this immediately after the 2027 TDF, using the 2027 World Champs TT as a sounding board. After completing his TPTPTT28, a more tearful Pogacar announces his retirement from cycling to concentrate on his golf. His cycling commitments have prevented him from getting his handicap lower than plus 1.

"...AND IF YOU *CAN* SEE MY MIRRORS I PROBABLY CAN'T SEE YOU ANYWAY AS I'M NOT LOOKING"

@pete_247 Personal bugbear, "IF YOU CAN'T SEE MY MIRRORS I CAN'T SEE YOU!" Should have an addendum, "SO REST ASSURED I WILL BE DRIVING WITH ULTRA-EXTREME CARE AND ATTENTION AND WHEN I GET BACK TO THE DEPOT WILL REFUSE TO TAKE THIS VEHICLE OUT AGAIN UNTIL MY EMPLOYER HAS FITTED IT WITH ALL SUITABLE SENSORS AND OTHER AVAILABLE SAFETY MEASURES."

Daniel Smith has now said: "... and there was a cyclist in front, and they’re going really slowly." and "... the psychological thing during a test, that you want to keep getting on with it. Then when something slow moving is in front of you, you’re going to feel that pressure." So I will revert to my original comment: " 1) If the student (edit to add: ANY DRIVER) is frustrated at a cyclist, what is their response when stuck in queues of slow moving/stationary drivers/motor traffic? 2) If this is the instructor’s attitude, they need to lose their teaching qualification and attend re-training to prevent instilling such a negative attitude in learners. “Painfully slow that is”… If THAT speed is painfull, what about going even slower (or being stationary) behind a queue of drivers? “Do you think he has any idea he has a trail of cars behind him?” A trail of cars that is MOVING. What about when a trail of cars is stuck moving even slower or stationary in rush hour traffic?? "

Presumably, given the username, you're more familiar with the former?

@the little onion On my, driving test, my very good instructor actually said 'hazards' are a time to show you understand the Highway Code (206, 205, 125 & 126) - ": He advised to slow down significantly below the speed limit when passing children, particularly in residential areas, near schools, or close to stationary buses and ice cream vans etc. The suggestion to drop your speed to 15–20 mph in a 30 mph zone when hazards (like children) are present is a core defensive driving technique taught by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA). https://www.rospa.com/siteassets/images/road-safety/road-safety-information/driver-safety/speeding/top-10-tips-for-staying-in-limit-factsheet.pdf This instructor's 'nightmare, nightmare on test' remarks, and, remarks on only doing 15mph + 'does he know of the cars behind ' - seems to put him at odds with the RoSPA and the Highway Code.