Welcome to Wednesday’s live blog, with Jack Sexty, Simon MacMichael and the rest of the team.
Bernie Sanders – ex-pro cyclist Phil Gaimon’s woes show flaws in US healthcare system; Lachlan Morton slo-mo hair toss (before it is shaved off for charity); Pony trike for sale; Peloton parody + more on live blog
All today’s news from the site and beyond…
Tue, Jan 21, 2020 21:44
SUMMARY
21 January 2020, 21:44
Ok Peloton...
We’ll kick off today’s blog with this tempting offer. Unfortunately we’re not sure where it’s listed or how much it will set you back, but presumably a bit less than the two grand the Peloton bike of today will cost you…
21 January 2020, 21:44
Council approve £19 million plans for new cycling and walking network across Cornwall
Plans for four multi-use trails for cyclists, horse riders and walkers have been backed by councillors in Cornwall. The Saints Multi-Use Trails will cost £19 million to build, and will link Newquay, Perranporth, St Agnes and Truro.
The first trail will link Perranporth and Newquay directly, another will run from St Newlyn East to Carland Cross, one will be from Idless to Trispen and the last from St Agnes to Truro. The council hope that as well as people using them for leisure, the trails will also encourage commuters to ditch their cars.
Negotiations with land owners are still taking place, but cabinet member for transport Geoff Brown says that discussions have been positive and no compulsory purchase orders have had to be made yet.
Councillor Paul Wills said: “These are not just for cycling, it will be for horses and walkers as well. It can only be a wonderful thing.
“Once this scheme has been completed could we extend it further? Newquay to Padstow for example, or Padstow to Bude.
“The more we can encourage people to get out and enjoy our countryside on dedicated routes will be good for our people, our economy and our environment.”
21 January 2020, 21:44
Tour Down Under stage 2: Caleb Ewan wins in sprint finish
The number of riders contending the sprint was greatly diminished due to a huge pile-up a few kilometres out from the finish, and Ewan’s victory was quite textbook with Daryl Impey coming in second.
21 January 2020, 21:44
$16k, and they can't even put the brake on the right way around...
Front brake on backwards? https://t.co/v6dh9QNV9q
— Elisabeth Anderson (@velobetty) January 22, 2020
Maybe you need to fork out a bit extra for a working front brake…
21 January 2020, 21:44
For the child who has everything?
Here’s a gift for sale on eBay that would make Veruca Salt blush… it’s only a vintage Bobbins kids’ bike plated in 24k gold with an asking price of $16,000 (about £12,250). The seller Leoget077 says: “This 12’’ classic vintage-style bike by the famous ‘Bobbins bike’ has been 24k gold-plated by Alpha Gold UK giving the ultimate child’s bike, with stabilisers, chain guard and a reupholstered leather seat. Even the bell inside is gold-plated! The perfect bike for the perfect Prince or Princess in your life for Christmas.”
As we’re now into January we’ll assume the bike didn’t sell in time for Christmas last month, but if your nipper has a birthday coming up and you have 12 grand lying around then why not make an offer? Strangely the seller appears to be based in Holt in the United Kingdom but postage is specified to the US-only; they’ve also listed a gold-plated stunt scooter for £6,500 if that’s all your child is worth to you.
Anyone who does splash out is also welcome to get in touch with us for a free pair of road.cc socks as well to sweeten the deal… for everyone else though, check out our guide to the best kids’ bikes that don’t cost into four and five figures.
21 January 2020, 21:44
Viviani assesses his wounds
In his first major race for new team Cofidis, the Italian crashed hard on stage two of the Tour Down Under and managed to avoid any broken bones. Simon Yates and Richie Porte were amongst the other riders to go down, with Yates left nursing a severely gashed left knee.
21 January 2020, 21:44
Trek-Segafredo now using Pirelli tyres
Mads Pederson and team will use Pirelli’s P Zero Velo tubular tyres for racing, with Pirelli saying: “The technological aspect is at the core of this partnership with the Trek-Segafredo team, as it will also see a continuous technical development on the product, with particular emphasis on the new P Zero Velo tubulars, ultimately giving amateurs an increasingly performing product.”
With Trek-Segafredo announcing a complete switch to disc brakes in late 2019, we did wonder if this committal to innovation might extend to tubeless tyres; but it appears they’re sticking with the tried and tested for now.
21 January 2020, 21:44
Froome confirms he will return to racing at the UAE Tour
Good news! I’ll be back racing at the @uae_tour pic.twitter.com/nR8lfw5YNr
— Chris Froome (@chrisfroome) January 22, 2020
Froome’s first competitive race since his horror crash while recceing the Dauphiné time trial back in June will be at the UAE Tour, which starts on 23rd February.
“Training’s been going really well over here in Gran Canaria, so I’m really happy to announce that I’m going to be starting my season at the UAE Tour next month starting in Dubai. It’s a race I missed out on last year so it’s a great place to start my season this time around”, says Froome – full story here.
21 January 2020, 21:44
When your truck painting lines for a 'cycle lane' needs more protection than the actual cyclists
@KovBlog @trafficanxiety Cycle lane line being repainted by Morrison’s Binley the council believes extra protection is needed to be put in place to paint the lines. But no extra protection is needed to use the ‘cycle lane’ how does that work then pic.twitter.com/9yh8QEmXyN
— The Lord Glencoe (@jmac69) January 21, 2020
You can’t help but recognise the irony in a truck needing the protection of cones to paint lines for a cycle lane where there is no protection… maybe they should leave the cones out permanently?
21 January 2020, 21:44
London's going Dutch
If you’d told me 10 years ago that Blackfriars Road would have a wide segregated bike lane, wide pavements, dozens of hire bikes, lots of bike racks, ‘continental’ outdoor seating and planting, bus stop bypasses…I’d have said dream on. Well…… pic.twitter.com/UHf5X92mOD
— jamiewallace (@jamiewallace) January 21, 2020
Blackfriars has seen quite the transformation in the last decade, and we can only hope the rest of the city goes the same way…
21 January 2020, 21:44
“You’ll love the puddle of sweat that soaks into your designer carpet”
“Why pay $200 for a bike that can take you places, when you can pay $2200 for a Peloton that doesn’t take you anywhere?”, asks Youtuber JP Sears in this latest takedown of the spin bike corporation.
He also says Peloton can give you a sense of belonging to mask childhood abandonment issues, and the added cost “reaffirms that you’re getting a boutique fitness experience, which is what you want as a well-off white person.”
21 January 2020, 21:44
One-of-a-kind 'pony trike' for sale for £4,500 ONO (ponies not included)
When the little one is sorted with a 12 grand gold-plated bike and your spouse is happy inside with their Peloton (see further down the page), how about treating yourself to a pony trike? Far from an object of pure indulgence, this contraption that owner Emma Massingale claims is probably only one of its kind in the world is actually seriously impressive, and well worth the £4,500 asking price for someone who needs to carry some serious cargo and their equine friends. It can haul two ponies, 250kg of cargo and has multiple shelving decks depending on your needs… looks like great fun until you need to go uphill!
Ms Massingale is a horse trainer and documents her adventures on her Instagram page and Youtube channel. In summer she took the trike and two ponies on a 1,034km adventure across Europe, raising thousands for working horse charity The Brooke – check it out below.
Ponies not included unfortunately!
21 January 2020, 21:44
If you get offered a Tacx Neo under a bridge for 40 quid...
I keep having strange thoughts of a shady character under a bridge saying “Ere mate, ya wanna buy a direct-drive smart turbo trainer?” whilst pointing to a Tacx Neo in a half ripped box that looks like it has been thrown out of the back of a lorry. https://t.co/uFj9Hu4Q1x
— Mike DF (@MikeyDF27) January 22, 2020
…just say no. Why these thieves are going for gear that’s probably more difficult to flog and a whole lot heavier than actual bikes we don’t know, but you can read the full story here in any case.
21 January 2020, 21:44
Silca launch Nastro Cuscino bar tape... at $50 a pop
The tape from luxury tools and accessories brand Silca is just 3.5mm thick, but they claim it provides comfort equivalent to a 4.5mm thickness thanks to the ‘Cuscino’ texture, inspired by F1 tyre technology. You can also wrap the tape in a moderate or high texture so you can tune your level of grip. Silca have also developed a fully adhesive ‘butterfly’ back of the tape to better cover the back of the lever clamp area without adding bulk.
You also get aluminium expanding bar end plugs thrown in, and at $50 we’d expect so too. There’s no word on UK availability yet, but you can check it out on Silca’s US website here.
21 January 2020, 21:44
Loving this video of a school cycling bus from Ireland
Lovely glimpse of a different, healthier, better Ireland… and the car-hell we live in now. https://t.co/AcPyR4TS2s
— Cathal Mac Coille (@CMacCoille) January 22, 2020
21 January 2020, 21:44
Phil Gaimon's medical insurance woes flagged up by US presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders
Phil Gaimon’s ‘Worst Retirement Ever’ got even worse last year when he was saddled with a six-figure medical care bill after a velodrome crash … and now, Bernie Sanders, who is hoping to get the Democratic nomination for this year’s US Presidential election, has flagged it up as an example of what is wrong with the country’s healthcare system.
Sanders was citing this article, which explains how Gaimon, who was paying $500 a month for his medical insurance, still ended up with a bill for $250,000.
No big deal, that’s just @philgaimon’s story of post-crash debt being used by @BernieSanders campaign as an example of the flaws in the American for-profit health insurance system pic.twitter.com/shV0jye4iW
— Neal Rogers (@nealrogers) January 21, 2020
21 January 2020, 21:44
Lachlan Morton tosses his curls one last time before having them chopped off for Aussie bush fires fundraiser
Before Lachlan Morton cuts off those curls for bushfire relief charity, we had to get a SLOW MO HAIR THROW https://t.co/be5DXy5v9L
— The Peloton Brief (@pelotonbrief) January 22, 2020
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Jack is group editor across road.cc, off.road.cc and ebiketips, overseeing all three sites in the F-At Digital group to make sure everything’s up to scratch. He’s been writing about cycling and multisport for over a decade, arriving at road.cc via 220 Triathlon Magazine in 2017. He worked across all areas of road.cc including tech, news and video, and also contributed to ebiketips before being named editor of road.cc in 2021 (much to his surprise). Jack has been hooked on cycling since his student days, and currently has a Trek 1.2 for winter riding, a beloved Bickerton folding bike for getting around town, and an extra beloved custom Ridley Helium SLX for fantasising about going fast in his stable. Jack has never won a bike race, but does have a master’s degree in print journalism, and two Guinness World Records for pogo sticking (it’s a long story).
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Latest Comments
chrisonabike 55 minutes ago
I believe "hi-vis" isn't actually worth that much - certainly not compared to eg. the value of "reflectives" as soon as it gets darker. But even those are still just PPE though - this is the lowest rung (least effective) on the hierarchy of health and safety hazard controls. And "visual aids for drivers" do nothing if drivers don't do their part, no matter how much is worn...
60somethingcyclist 57 minutes ago
Not the best timing, but not the major issue he's trying to turn it into either. Fitness amongst young people is a problem when it comes to armed forces recruitment, as many are having trouble with the requirements needed to pass the tests because of their inactive lifestyles. This investment will help deal with the problem.
chrisonabike 1 hour ago
Seemed pretty visible to me - and she was sporting light-coloured hair, bag, footwear and bright trousers. What if she'd been approaching a motorist "out of the sun", or passing a field of oilseed rape or stand of autumnal trees later in the year? If you think that's flippant, note that "sun" and "tree leaves" have been advanced as defense / mitigation in court despite cyclists following guidance ('should'). Frankly she's already done the best preaching possible: been a "normal person" riding a bike.
Rendel Harris 1 hour ago
@60somethingcyclist Looks like you've stepped straight into silly comment mode without looking at all at the actual facts of the case. It has nothing to do with shared paths, the cyclist was on a public road on the vehicle carriageway, the pedestrian was standing on a traffic island waiting to cross. Evidence from independent witnesses shows that the pedestrian stepped out into the path of the cyclist without warning when he was around two metres from her. Much has been made of the fact that he was possibly riding at 5mph more than the motor vehicle speed limit for the road but he could have been riding at 10 mph and he still would have had no chance of avoiding her. The pedestrian was solely responsible for the incident and no amount of "mutual consideration and respect" would have changed that. Suggest reading the articles and evidence in future before commenting with such nonsense.
60somethingcyclist 1 hour ago
@yodhrin I should know, I was one.
chrisonabike 1 hour ago
@60somethingcyclist hmm... that's a good lesson, but perhaps not one to draw from this case where someone stepped out in front of and close to an oncoming cyclist. There may be other lessons from this case - eg. how do we best train people to expect cyclists, understand that cyclists can move unexpectedly quickly, and educate cyclists that speed awareness matters for them also (even if not explicitly in law). And perhaps what places it's appropriate for cyclists to train / exercise in (and provision of such places if there's sufficient demand but they're lacking)? But it's hard to extrapolate that from even a handful of incidents, never mind one.
60somethingcyclist 1 hour ago
Good to see the Secretary of State practicing what she preaches, especially adhering to DfT advice on wearing a helmet. Usual keyboard clowns having a dig. One valid point though, the Highway Code advice on cycle wear clearly states "Daylight & Poor Light: You should wear light-coloured or fluorescent clothing (such as neon yellow, orange, or pink) to help other road users see you" Some form of hi-viz would have been a good example.
belugabob 1 hour ago
“I agree near schools and places like that but all these road [sic] elsewhere are ridiculous,” Leon began. “You had cars in the 80s that had no power steering, ABS, all manual cars, and 30 mile an hour limit. “Now you have cars with every gadget under the sun, stops on a dime, and they wanna drop it to 20mph." I feel that this is part of the problem... modern cars are, if anything, too refined. They accelerate more quickly, are more comfortable at speed, have aircon, airbags, power steering and decent radios - all of which make the driving experience more relaxing and requiring a little less input/attention from the driver (who doesn't really realise how fast they are going, or how quickly they got there) The "stopping on a dime" argument is particularly worrying, as all this means is the the driver's false sense of safety, so they can tend to push things further. As for the "cars weren't designed to do 20 mph" angle, design aims and capabilities are not mutually exclusive...in fact, I'd say that modern cars are better, in this respect, due to engine refinements.(and how many older cars are there, nowadays, in this leading age that we live in?)
60somethingcyclist 2 hours ago
I think this case is a lesson for us all, cyclists and pedestrians to be careful and mindful of others when we're out and about, especially on shared paths. Both groups have as much right as the other to be there. Mutual consideration and respect will help a lot.
captain_slog 3 hours ago
I’d say that colour was more like fuchsia (and coming soon to a Rapha Pro Team jacket near you).
21 thoughts on “Bernie Sanders – ex-pro cyclist Phil Gaimon’s woes show flaws in US healthcare system; Lachlan Morton slo-mo hair toss (before it is shaved off for charity); Pony trike for sale; Peloton parody + more on live blog”
The truck with cones to
The truck with cones to protect it in the cycle lane is almost as ironic as Boris the Liar demanding that other people take lie detector tests.
eburtthebike wrote:
Oh give it a rest, I look at cycling stuff to get away from sweeping comments about politics or politicians. We had an election, if you don’t like the result then the good news is that you get to vote again in a few years time.
Bobbinogs wrote:
Well said Bobbinogs, some people don’t know when to stop. Why on earth would you bring Boris into a story about painting a cycle lane?
biker phil wrote:
Tory derangement syndrome has obviously evolved from Trump derangement syndrome for poor Burt. Maybe it’s part of that new virus that has killed a massive 9 people so far, meanwhile in China I bet a lot more than 9 cyclists have died.
biker phil wrote:
I was comparing irony levels, which I think was entirely justified, but I can understand why tory snowflakes might not like it being pointed out that their leader is a liar, cheat, hypocrite and coward.
Since more people voted against the tories than for them, I don’t like the result because it isn’t democracy. Getting a massive majority under those circumstances shows that our system is utterly broken, and Boris the Liar doesn’t have a mandate, let alone a claim to be the people’s party. Why is he hiding the report into Russian interference in our elections?
The cones are there for the
The cones are there for the protection of motorists. They could be injured in a collision with the truck.
Mungecrundle wrote:
They should replace cones with councillors.
Mungecrundle wrote:
Or they could be woken up if they’re having a crafty nap.
hawkinspeter wrote:
Hitting the cones serves as a useful haptic notification for drivers that they’ve veered off the highway to save them having to look up from their instagram feed.
Mungecrundle wrote:
Came to say exactly this.
The pony trike: I think I
The pony trike: I think I know someone who might be interested as they have complained that they currently can’t cycle as they need to muck out the horses.
Who says it ‘has’ to be for
Who says it ‘has’ to be for Ponies.. why don’t we lock close passing drivers in there and leave it on the hard shoulder of the motorway.
As someone who spends most of
As someone who spends most of their working day at the side of the road, I can assure you we are treated with the same contempt as cyclists. Having signs, cones, beacons and hi-viz means you can speed past with impunity apparently.
I wonder what surface they
I wonder what surface they will use for the Saints Multi use Trails? I can’t see horses getting along with tarmac, but if they aren’t paved they will be useless for transport cycling, which seems to be one of the main ways they have sold the project… I wonder if it’ll be the usual sustrans crap or something decent.
The image used with the
The image used with the ‘Saints Multi-Use Trails’ blog looks like is a bridge in Winscombe (North Somerset) over the Strawberry Line (part of route 26 of the national cycle network) and for the vast majority of it is gravel/dust/mud, apart from the nicely tarmacked section through the tunnel
Ok now bend over, that’s nice
Ok now bend over, that’s nice, bit further, nice, now caress the tyre, nice nice, ok that’s a wrap!
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Bernie Sanders has a good
Bernie Sanders has a good point. But of course he won’t win, because changing the US sickness exploitation industry into a healthcare system would require people to make a mental effort to imagine a better world, and then pay a couple of extra cents per dollar in taxes. Too many are far too stultified by lives spent travelling from one box (their home) to another box (their workplace) in a third box (their car) to ever conceive of making such an effort. It’s much, much easier for them to believe some Facebook advert that says he’s a communist. They’ll only ever vote for one of two things: either more of the same, or to shit on another group in order feel better about themselves by comparison.
handlebarcam wrote:
Ugliness which has now crossed the pond to us. This is the first time I’ve felt ashamed to be British, with PM who has no morals whatsoever, has already broken election promises, will sell the country to the highest bidder and has an adviser who is in contempt of parliament. And so many people gullible enough to believe them.
If someone had written this as a novel, no-one would have published it because it would be too fantastic.
Test
[Never mind.]
Loving the new ‘blog format
Loving the new ‘blog format page!
@Burt please stop bringing your biased political leanings into ‘any cycling article’. In the words of Princess Elsa, wise beyond her years ‘let it go’.