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Live blog: British Cycling boss hails “turning point” as Ride members surpass Race ones for first time, Phil Gaimon’s 10 ‘new rules of cycling’, Geraint Thomas replies to Geraint Thomas + more
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Tue, Jul 31, 2018 14:23
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Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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Latest Comments
Rendel Harris 9 minutes ago
@yodhrin A brilliant story told by one Ed Solomon: he was sitting in a café in LA and he heard two young ladies arguing over a point in the original Men in Black movie. "I can help clear that up for you," he said to them. "Thanks," came the reply, "we don't actually need an explanation from a middle-aged white guy to tell us what to think." "Okay, no problem," said Solomon and went back to his coffee. Ed Solomon wrote the screenplay for the original Men in Black movie.
flowboy 23 minutes ago
Yes all the post war clearances & developments with the car centre stage is / was pretty universal. I think it helps that the NL is pretty flat & easy going so historically has very many cyclists from all ages & walks (or should it be rides) of life, who wanted to keep pedalling & presumably built up a lobbying force to save what they still had & build it back up. I notice the flatter UK towns have far more cyclists than much of West Yorkshire, although York's not too bad. If I lived in a flatter place I would cycle more; I dont mind hill climbs but you always arrive at your destination with a sweat on! The hilly nature is probably still a physical barrier for many resulting in fewer cyclists & lower use of cycle lanes - to be fair most of the lanes are on easier gradient routes, more likely to be used. There's none on the steep climb to our area which as its a dual carriageway is not much fun & feels a lot safer on the footpath. Overall it seems to be more of a sport activity here, rather than mum or dad or gran popping out for a quick shop or kids cycling to school. There are some pretty fierce climbs in most directions. Also the "broken" routes where C lanes stop & start awkwardly, usually at junctions, means you cannot just flow along, you have negotiate some tricky bit of kerbed channel with tight bends or something. All there with safety in mind I'm sure but not good cycling. Its easy to see why some cyclists who just want to crack on with their ride, don't use them. (Not just the freestyle lads who cycle thru every set of lights or diagonally across busy junctions regardless). The C lanes are always subservient to cars, I think largely for economic reasons; so many have to travel miles to get to work & for all its faults the car does the job but of course there are many counter arguments. I heard the NL have experimented in a few smaller towns with removing all kerbs & signage (?) etc so cars no longer have priority. I dont know how successful it has been. I've been in Indian towns where few rules were followed & seemed like an insane free for all, virtually constant gridlock, which I'm not convinced was an improvement! Even with a million pound cycle lane in the park, with all the best intentions, how much difference will it make, given human propensity to do what suits us best regardless of others. Who is going to police it, presuming that the current / previous free for all presumably was not policed? (This obvs is a wider issue) Have there been a spate of cyclist - pedestrian accidents that raised the notion of formal laning? Was it pedestrians who wanted to reduce cycling risks for themselves or the reverse? Is it a minority pressure group/s getting their way when the general park using public actually have other concerns such as better lighting & personal safety & actually arent bothered about the cycling issue either way? I should read up on it I guess!
ROOTminus1 32 minutes ago
@eburtthebike The normalisation of lifetime bans would be a good start to changing perception back to the pre-war understanding that driving is a privilege, not a right. And then a reinforcement of Sentencing guidelines can get underway, with a focus on "does the offender pose a continued risk to society?" In the case of the 15y/o's, their parents may not be culpable for the life changing injuries, but they are responsible for neglecting their kids to give them access to such egregious weapons on two wheels. CPS just needs to look further than ends of their noses and i doubt they'll fail to find substantive evidence of negligence.
mitsky 60 minutes ago
@lesterama Thats even better.
Bungle_52 1 hour ago
@qwerty360 Thanks for this info. I've had two failure to identify in my reporting "career". One got away with it completely as it was a hire car through two different companies and they ran out of time to prosecute and one got points and a fine. The latter was NMOTD 946. I won't put a link in or you may never see this comment. If I've had two it must be quite common occurrence. Yet another loophole condoned by the legal system for the well off and unscrupulous.
Bungle_52 1 hour ago
@stulemanski wrote It depends on the situation but generally I prefer to stay on my bike as it takes up less room than walking by the side of it with pedals ready to catch the ankles of other pedestrians. If it's a no cycling area then it's get off and walk unless it is completely deserted. As for driving in cycle lanes be prepared to be pissed off and be prepared for the police to take no action when you report it with video evidence.
Homebaker 2 hours ago
Yes I'm managing to avoid it. Living 60 miles away really helps there... The change to pedestrianisation happening when there isn't a plan for the large number of cyclists in London is really regressive.
Peterjbdk 2 hours ago
@mitsky KSIs are not "usually accidental"; they are preventable. Even the Government's Road Safety Strategy says that - Vision Zero.
SecretSam 2 hours ago
NGL, it's quite easy to avoid Oxford St. I mean, who on earth wants to ride through iPeds and their zombie ilk? I say let it go.
SecretSam 2 hours ago
Poor Tom, forever remembered for one Code Brown.
27 thoughts on “Live blog: British Cycling boss hails “turning point” as Ride members surpass Race ones for first time, Phil Gaimon’s 10 ‘new rules of cycling’, Geraint Thomas replies to Geraint Thomas + more”
Gaimon talks a lot of sense
Gaimon talks a lot of sense (more so than some around here.) No shaming others, helmet freedom. I like his cheeky attitude too. Despite saying you needn’t co-ord his cookie kits are very tempting. Might look quite fly next summer. Maybe help support his early retirement. Very entertaining.
Organon wrote:
And yet he contradicts himself by coming up with rule 7 which is bullshit and makes no sense whatsoever. if you want to ride why should be forced to choose, who does this interfere with or make less safe? He’s obviously a helmet wearer because he wouldn’t say that if it was the other way around!
‘Sorry mate but you can’t wear your helmet on this ride, if you choose to wear your helmet then you can’t ride with us’, that’s what Gaimon has said except in reverse.
BC, sportive organisers, charities, cycling groups/clubs do this all the time and I mean ALL. Basically do as we tell you/wear what we tell you to otherwise you are excluded, forcing others out for simply wanting to ride a bike but not wanting to conform to some unecessary garment rule is utter crap and is part of the massive problem of getting people onto bikes and people taking greater risks/crashing more due too coonforming to that dumb rule!
“Rule #7: If you’re not into helmets that’s your decision, but do respect the policies of who you’re riding with. We don’t helmet shame (adult) strangers we see without them, but don’t show up on the group ride like that if that’s not how everyone else does it”
As for waving, just lol, I’ll give a nod /maybe raise a hand if I get a glance or a hi/on your right if passing/being passed, to moped users, wtf.
Rule #10 – Don’t be a dick.
Rule #10 – Don’t be a dick.
If only this rule was adopted by a few contributors on this very site…………..
I like
I like
However, I’m guessing that
is something that only works if hardly anyone rides a bike, though. I have never ever been waved at by another cyclist (could just be a British thing…).
brooksby wrote:
Seriously ? I’m a wee bit surprised i’ll admit – you ride around/near North Somerset/Bristol don’t you ?
Not necessarily, I see quite a few waves and nods (around Bristol and, mostly, W/SW of it) – maybe an urban thing ? (which would make sense I guess)
fukawitribe wrote:
Seriously ? I’m a wee bit surprised i’ll admit – you ride around/near North Somerset/Bristol don’t you ?— brooksby
Yeah: between central Bristol and Portishead are my usual stomping grounds. Maybe I’m just scary and unapproachable… 🙁
brooksby wrote:
Just pop a squirrel top on and i’ll give you a holler if I see you down PortZ or simlur.
fukawitribe wrote:
But if I did that I’d be afraid of ending up as one of hawkinspeter’s memes…
brooksby wrote:
Blimey, where do you ride? Even in deepest Norfolk, cyclists wave, nod or hail each other. Try going North or West and you might get overwhelmed by the greetings! (City riding excepted for obvious reasons.)
I definitely approve of those
I definitely approve of those rules, but I think the waving rule should only apply outside of cities as otherwise you just spend all of your time waving.
hawkinspeter wrote:
When riding in China I had to rein in my natural urge to wave.
What is it with the waving?
What is it with the waving? Do you wave at fellow pedestrians (etc.) when passing?
I might pass several dozen cyclists and wonder if they’re all being waved at.
Passing someone in the pissing rain on a sketcky climb/descent will get a nod of respect, but waving at all and sundry. Not a chance…
And if I don’t wave back, it’s not because I’m a miserable sod, it’s because I’m thinking of something else, or maybe I haven’t seen you or I’m choosing not to because it’s generally a bit silly and on the odd ocassion it’s because I’m a miserable sod.
I give the odd nod to
I give the odd nod to regulars on the commute, and often people out and about in the countryside who look like they’re havin fun because generally I am when i’m there and in a good mode – not much of a ‘waver’ but if someone else does I respond in kind if I see it. Unless they’re a miserable sod 😉
I tend to Good Morning,
I tend to Good Morning, Afternoon or Evening myself, to everyone on the offroad bit, a nod or a smile to any cyclist coming the other way on the road.
I wave at cyclists at the
I wave at cyclists at the weekend, but not so much on the weekday commute.
I cycled up ramsbottom rake (25%, hell on earth) the other week and there were a couple of cyclists sat having a rest at the top. I punched the air when I got to the top and they said well done, which was fun.
I fink that….. The wave
I fink that….. The wave density does significantly vary by region. If someone will fund me I’ll do a proper study wiv graphs and everyfink…..
Most of my miles are done in a 50 mile radius around Bedford and in my experience a wave, nod or discreet finger raise is the norm (& heaven help you if you get stopped by a puncture – the number of passers by who stop with offers of help can get embarrassing). A while back I found myself trundling around Surrey & Kent’s North West frontier and any acknowledgement was rare.
And… Are there certain items that act as ‘triggers’ in the acknowledgment? I found myself wondering this when I borrowed my partners Bromoton. I was wearing a T shirt, every day shorts, sandals – and – (with due apologies to those with strong feelings on the matter) my helmet, a Kask Protone. I was surprised at the number of acknowledgements I got from the wearers of Lycra. Was it the helmet that triggered the reactions?
Geraint Thomas waved at me a
Geraint Thomas waved at me a few years back. He lived in Altrincham and trained on the Cheshire lanes.
It amused me to be acknowledged by an Olympic gold medalist while being ignored by club hacks.
Back in the 60’s club groups
Back in the 60’s club groups would wave at each other and pais or singles would say hi.
I thought it WAS a UK thing as it doesnt happen in Australia. Must be a Generation thing.
All doing 40kph pus instead of enjoying the scenery.
I am a grinning bufoon that
I am a grinning bufoon that waves at/to all and sundry.
I get miffed by the ‘1000 yard stare’ folks that believe themselves to be elite cyclists and no-one else matters…there are a few, but not too many down my way.
…and I’m not on about those who may be lost in thought or have familial burdens to ponder upon…just the absolute arrogant types that feel it is below them to acknowledge other road users…especially cyclists being friendly.
I never tyre (pun intended) of waving at people…I’ve even been known to wave/nod/shrug the shoulders at club members coming the opposite direction on our TT nights…I’m never gonna set the world alight with my times, but may as well enjoy the pain and suffering for that half hour or so…
BTBS: Let us not start
BTBS: Let us not start another helmet debate!
It is worth noting though that clubs with affiliations to governing bodies will be forced to include policies that stipulate riders wear helmets when participating in club organised rides. This is for insurance purposes which are obtained with the affiliation.
As noted let’s not get bogged down with another helmet debate. I’m merely advising of the reasoning behind clubs insisting on helmet use.
It is also worth saying that if people have their own governing body membership, which would likely include a 3rd party insurance and possibly legal assistance, they should check the small print. It could be the case that no helmet use invalidates that element of legal cover in the event of an accident.
Alas the governing bodies have to pander to the demands of the insurance industry when offering cover to their members and clubs have to pander to the demands of the affiliate governing body when drafting policies for participation.
Obviously feel free to ride with a club that does not affiliate to a governing body but this does raise other discussions that probably should not be explored on this thread.
Martyn_K wrote:
But simply going for a ride on UK roads means that any affiliation has no bearing on attire, what you think a group/club ride means you have to wear a helmet, I don’t think so, this isn’t racing!
He’s basically contradicted himself by saying wear what you want but if others are wearing X (helmets in this case) and that’s what they normally wear then you should be forced to do so also otherwise yu can’t take part.
Why is that? Why is it that helmet wearing groups/clubs force others to bow to their will or be excluded, it certainly isn’t the other way around as I pointed out and as I also pointed out it’s a big issue with participation because the wearing of helmets signifies a dangerous activity.
So, why do groups/clubs who want to wear helmets exclude others who wish not to, how/why is that something they cannot tolerate, it’s certaoinly not insurance is it!
It costs nothing to wave and
It costs nothing to wave and / or nod at fellow cyclists.
Unfortunately common decency is rather quickly becoming a thing of the past in many walks of life.
Waving, nodding etc is alive
Waving, nodding etc is alive and well in north Northamptonshire, I can confirm. Although a chap in all black blanked me this morning.
spacedyemeerkat wrote:
If the chap all in black looked like this (see below) – count your self lucky that he ignored you!
Rules according to don simon
Rules according to don simon in reverse order.
#2 Ride bike
#1 Enjoy riding bike.
#0 numer of fucks given to what others think.
You do mean ride bike with
You do mean ride bike with consideration to be more precise, any berk can ride a bike but there’s a significant number who don’t/won’t consider others safety or simply show a bit of courtesy that often goes a long way toward the former and makes life a whole lot smoother for everyone.
BehindTheBikesheds wrote:
I’ve managed to obtain actual footage of Don cycling (sorry, Don):