Shocking vid as bike thief threatens bystander with angle-grinder; Fuglsang starts 2020 with bang; RNIB says e-scooters ARE dangerous; TdF stage winner Mercado linked to burglaries; Kid ‘doesn’t want to ride any more’ after hi-vis talk + more on the live
SUMMARY
Dooring Warning: "And if you’re a motorist wondering why that cyclist in front of you is taking up all of the road, this is quite often the reason why"
Just showed this to my youngest as a means of justifying why I constantly go on at him about not riding too close to parked cars.
And if you’re a motorist wondering why “that cyclist in front of you is taking up all of the road”, this is quite often the reason why 👍 https://t.co/dwaguHbJlm
— IronPhil (@PICollard) February 18, 2020
This scary clip shows why so many of us refuse to ride anywhere near car doors, and why infrastructure that puts cyclists near parked cars aren’t the greatest idea; we’re hoping the cyclist in the clip makes a full recovery.
Peter Sagan caught up in bizarre cryptocurrency scam
I categorically deny having any involvement, in any form, in what is mentioned in this article. I have never been in contact with any of the persons or companies mentioned and any allegation to the contrary is false. https://t.co/3togFYhKZ8
— Peter Sagan (@petosagan) February 18, 2020
The three-time world champion posted a statement in both English and Slovakian on his Twitter feed last night denying that he had any involvement with an article claiming that he was involved in a cryptocurrency trading scheme called ‘Bitcoin Revolution’ – full story here.
"My son doesn't want to ride his bike any more": Superintendent apologises after man claims his son was stopped by police for not wearing high-vis
Andy, sorry to hear this. We would certainly not ever want your son to be discouraged from #cycling. I’m away in Australia at the moment but have tasked one of my team to look into what happened and will update.
— Andy Cox (@SuptAndyCox) February 19, 2020
While it’s not a legal requirement to wear high-visibility clothing, Andy Evans claimed his son was spoken to by officers and handed hi-vis clothing to continue his journey despite already running lights and wearing “a bright red jacket”.
Pretty sure. This was the picture of him with his mum that the Police tweeted. This was after they’d been ‘talked to’ and dressed in ‘free’ hi vis but before they were sent on their way… pic.twitter.com/Txt1j80Er2
— Andy Evans (@AndyDEvans) February 18, 2020
Mr Evans also claims the police put an unsolicited photo on their Twitter feed to promote the operation, and now Superintendent Andy Cox of the Met Police has apologised and said he will task his team with looking into the incident.
Recently the Met Police denied a scheme carried out by its Cycle Safety Team in which hi-vis vests were issued to cyclists was “victim blaming”, with Superintendent Cox saying there is “some evidence” hi-vis can reduce risk; Mark Hodson of West Midands Police, one of the officers behind their renowned close pass operation, was among those to criticise the move.
Sofiane Sehili destroys field at inaugural Atlas Mountain Race (on just over 2hrs sleep)
The remarkable Frenchman completed the 1,145km route in three days, 21 hours and 50 minutes, conquering over 20,000 metres of elevation on the brutal off-road course. At the time of writing, only three other riders are within 100km of the finish line according to the live tracker.
Our very own ultra expert Jo Burt has been informed that Sehili managed the feat on just 2 hours and 15 minutes of sleep (now confirmed by the Atlas Mountain Race official Instagram page). In the last hour, Sehili have also posted on his own Instagram page to confirm his victory.
In the last hour, two-time Transcontinental Race winner James Hayden has finished 2nd in a time of 4 days and 9 minutes – you can dotwatch the rest of the race and get live commentary on dotwatcher.cc.
Two-time Tour de France stage winner Juan Miguel Mercado linked to a spate of burglaries in Granada
Granada Today report that the 41-year-old, who won stage 18 at the 2004 Tour de France and stage 10 in 2006, is been investigated by police for his alleged involvement in a criminal gang that have carried out at least 16 violent burglaries in and around the Spanish province of Granada.
Mercado has been named as part of Operation Zaletasuna, which is been conducted by the Spanish Civil Guard to dismantle criminal gangs terrorising the Granada Metropolitan Area. It’s reported that at least 16 robberies took place between December 2019 and this month with more than 120,000 euros stolen, plus vehicles, sports equipment, musical instruments and electronics, and three people have already been arrested. Force was said to have been used in many of the robberies, with numerous traders and homeowners assaulted.
The investigation remains open, however some of the victims reported that those who allegedly committed the robberies were back on the streets within 24 hours of been arrested, and wanted them to be detained. Other Spanish media have reported that Mercado chose “the wrong path” after retiring from professional cycling, according to Sporza.
Don't try this at home (or anywhere for that matter): mtb'er takes leap of faith across canal
‘You don’t decide on building a bridge by counting the number of people who swim acro….’
Wait…never mind… pic.twitter.com/h7vRbWHnjx
— Cycling Professor (@fietsprofessor) February 18, 2020
We sincerely hope this stunt was achieved in one take, and wherever it is some adequate crossings are installed to prevent any less skilled riders trying it again…
Driver arrested in Australia after five cyclists mown down in hit-and-run
HAPPENING NOW: Forensic Crash Unit is on scene in Mount Louisa, where there’s been reports of a hit and run, with 5 cyclists injured. @9NewsNorthQld pic.twitter.com/jx3cEQTwce
— Lily Greer (@lilgreer9) February 18, 2020
A 28-year-old man has been injured following an alleged hit-and-run in which five cyclists were mown down in the suburb of Mount Louisa in Townsville, Queensland.
Police and ambulances were called at around 5:40am on Tuesday morning, with two of the cyclists hit initially described as being in a “serious condition”, reports ABC News Australia. An abandoned car was then found dumped at a scrapyard nearby, with police establishing that the car wasn’t stolen or linked to any recent crimes.
One female cyclist is reported to have suffered leg and pelvic injuries while another has serious leg injuries. Two men are been treated for back injuries, and another woman was allowed to leave hospital after been treated for minor injuries.
Police have charged the driver from Mount Louisa with four counts of dangerous driving and causing grievous bodily harm, and one count each of dangerous driving adversely affected by an intoxicating substance, and failing to remain at the scene and render assistance.
The President of Townsville Cycling Club told ABC: “To see what happened to these five people this morning was just deplorable.
“They’re very well known in the cycling community, have been involved for a long time in some of the larger charity rides around the place. Just very, very nice people — nobody deserves to get hit by a car.”
Police Minister Mark Ryan also commented: “My thoughts are with the victims of this senseless, heartless, cowardly attack.
“I have no doubt that this incident will hit Townsville’s cycling community hard.”
Leicester gets £1 million funding boost to promote cycling and walking
The city will take advantage of the £1.065 million cash injection from the Department for Transport’s Access Fund to extend a four-year programme of partnership work between Leicester City Council and Leicestershire County Council.
The programme has already led to notable increases in cycling and walking, claim Leicester City Council, with over 1,000 employees’ bikes getting free services and 40 business getting travel grants to provide secure cycle parking, showers and electric bike fleets for staff.
More than 30,000 schoolchildren have also taken part in activities to encourage cycling to school in partnership with Sustrans. Deputy city mayor Councillor Adam Clarke commented: “We’ve already done a lot of work to promote walking, cycling and other sustainable transport across the city, and it’s very encouraging to see that this work is paying off, particularly in the impact it’s having on children walking to school. These successes have been instrumental in our securing a further £1 million to build on this work.
“We’re facing a climate emergency which requires urgent action at every level – individually, by local and national governments, and internationally. Everyone can play their part and we will be using this money to make it easier for us all to take action and make a positive impact on our local environment.”
Bloody cyclists, jumping red lights...
I find it amazing how much driving like this there is, when you start opening your eyes and seeing how people actually drive… pic.twitter.com/faYymv0r7w
— Rory Meakin (@rorymeakin) February 18, 2020
NorthRoad cycles on the perils of a sweaty headset
This, ladies and gentlemen, is what sweating over your headset does to it. Even if you’ve covered it and wiped it down please check before taking the bike back out on the road. pic.twitter.com/ptDwiZd8t3
— NorthRoadCycles (@NorthRoadCycles) February 18, 2020
Apparently the damage done here is almost exclusively due to corrosion from sweat… if you’re a fan o the turbo/smart trainer, make sure it’s covered!
Have e-bikes 'divided Britain'?
A Telegraph article published today has claimed that electric bikes are fast becoming polarising to the point of dividing the country, with one half in the ‘cheating’ camp and the other in the ‘bloody good way of getting around and very useful and good for the planet’ camp, it seems.
With e-bike sales on the rise and set to outsell all other electric vehicles by the mid-2020’s, are e-bikes really dividing Britain? We asked road.cc and eBikeTips founder Dave Atkinson for his opinion:
“No”, he said.
Royal National Institute of the Blind contact road.cc with statement on e-scooters, saying they are "dangerous for blind and partially sighted people"
Our article yesterday – regarding a new report from the International Transport Forum that says concerns surrounding the safety of e-scooters are overemphasised – has prompted the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) to get in touch to warn of the dangers of e-scooters around blind and partially sighted people.
The RNIB’s Policy and Campaigns Officer Zoe Courtney said in a statement: “E-scooters are dangerous for blind and partially sighted people as they are hard to hear and capable of reaching high speeds. The rise of silent vehicles such as e-scooters, but that also include electric and hybrid cars, is making it harder for people with sight loss to make independent journeys on foot as they are no longer able rely on sound to detect these vehicles.
“Despite it currently being illegal to do so, RNIB are aware of a rapid increase in recent months of e-scooters being driven on pavements and public walkways. Footways are vital for blind and partially sighted people to access transport hubs, essential services such as healthcare and education, and get to work. When footways become inaccessible, blind and partially sighted people lose their independence. Instead they must rely on expensive and polluting private hire vehicles to get around.
“If there is to be a change in the law relating to powered transporters, such as e-scooters, these safety concerns must first be fully addressed. We can only support the legalisation of powered transporters on public roads if the safety of blind and partially sighted people can be guaranteed.”
How do you think the safety concerns (if you think there are any) should be addressed? Do e-scooters need their own trademark noise so we know when they’re coming through? Answers on a postcard, or in the comments below ideally…
Shocking footage of bike thief lunging at bystander with angle grinder
This footage emerged today on social media of the shocking moment a bike thief who had just cut the lock on a Brompton in London Fields in Hackney lunged with an angle grinder at a bystander who had tried to intervene.
It comes on a day when a senior police officer said that thieves “have become brazen, greedy and lazy” due to the slim chance of being caught as forces divert resources away from bike theft towards violent crime.
Meanwhile, in Hackney pic.twitter.com/UIvhTyyf1w
— Fuckoffee Bethnal Green (@jonestowncoffee) February 19, 2020
Fuglsang starts 2020 with a win after denying Ferrari link
Among potential Grand Tour contenders, Astana’s Jakob Fuglsang was the standout rider in the first few months of 2019 – and he’s kicked off his 2020 season and defence of his Tour of Andalucia title today, winning the opening stage.
The Dane, who has recently vehemently denied training last year with banned Italian doping doctor Michele Ferrari, followed up his win in the early season Spanish race last year with podiums at Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico and all three Ardennes Classics – including victory at Liege-Bastogne-Liege – by the end of April.
One swallow doesn’t make a summer, and one stage doesn’t make a six-stage race, let alone a spring campaign … but following those allegations, he’s bound to be one of the more closely watched riders right now, and not just by fans and the media.
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I'll counter that by saying the Bryton 750se I have drives me nuts at times. Inconsistantly picks up on routes created on Komoot and the app re-syncs every few seconds when trying to set up the device and sends me back to the home screen. The most infuriating one is that I turned live track on. Once. It now won't turn off and repeatedly flags up the live track is starting, and then disconnecting every few seconds whilst riding. I haven't timed it but it wouldn't suprise me if 10-20% of the time the the screen is covered with an error message. That's been about 6 weeks now. Other than that it's great :/
RE: Police launch road safety operation... by clamping down on cyclists using footbridge Meanwhile in Glasgow, Police Scotland are riding their motorbikes over the pedestrian and cyclists only bridge. https://x.com/FietserGlasgow/status/2065106152917012523?s=20
@Paul J Van Schip certainly seems a bit of a dick, but he's a European and multiple World Champion on the track, pretty sure you don't get there without having some talent in your legs.
Poor Vincent cannot get over the simple fact that given the choice people prefer dedicated cycling spaces, rather than pretending to be cars like vehicular cyclists.
What is the point of the fancy air sensor if it can't account for changing weather conditions?? If all you care about is a delayed approximation of aerodynamic watts in steady conditions, you don't need any special sensors for that. Just your speed on a decently flat course is enough to approximate rolling resistance and drivetrain losses. And the rest must be aero. If you assume a less aero body position at the same watts, your speed will drop while rolling resistance also drops, which means approximated aero watts goes up. And that's enough to demonstrate what you've shown in your testing protocol ("I sat upright and the number went up a little while later").
Your correction is accurate - it's almost always been "the (lack of) thought that (doesn't) count". "Massive" - less than a billion a year spent on active travel (trying to catch up / building a network across the entire country) Not massive - 6 billion every year (2026-2030) spent on road *maintenance* of existing "already built, goes everywhere, very convenient" road network for inactive travel Ultimately the reason "cycle infra" is *needed* is those unbelievably colossal amounts spent every year (and for more than a century now) on making mass motoring not just viable but apparently the "best choice" for most journeys. As the Dutch and others have shown, the majority of people *are* prepared to cycle and even mix with very light, slow local motor traffic *if* cycling is also made safe and convenient for the whole of their journey (including secure parking at both ends). (The history of the financial drivers of the current situation are a complex topic but note that while people complain about "crumbling roads" and underfunded motor infra - with some reason - by us continuing the fuel duty escalator freeze (for example) we're actually helping motorists pay *even less* for that activity / subsidising more of the cost of driving than ever.)
yes, but people will still object - which was my point.
So ' Priority of Road Users' and 1.5 metre clearance at 30mph has been been reduced to 'sharing'? NCN route 2 here in South Hams is an absolute scream with white vans, tractors and total idiots who refuse,or are totally incapable,to reverse on high Devon banked lanes ...means you have to get off and pedal back to a passing place....could be at that all day...so I don't bother...
@MaxiMinimalist Agreed. The big problem I see now is today's parents grew up being driven to their schools, and therefore, see private motor vehicles as the only viable form of transport. The vast majority of UK infant and primary schools have a catchment area that is within easy walking distance from home to school. Yet, the traffic caused by pupils being driven to/from school is astonishing. Banishing the "School Run" should be a priority for all schools.
When I was a kid (that was during the previous millenium when phones were connected to a plug in the wall), I rode my bicycle to school, music academy, sport grounds, parties even during the winter. The government didn't have to spend, correct that, didn't have to think of spending massive amounts of money to build cycling specific infrastructures. Over the past 3 or 4 decades, cars have grown bigger, taller, safer (for their drivers) and faster. Meanwhile, motorists have become abusive, aggressive, hypersensitive to people moving on two wheels, aka cyclists. Spending billions upon billions on new infrastructure won't address the crux of the matter. Sadly.
20 thoughts on “Shocking vid as bike thief threatens bystander with angle-grinder; Fuglsang starts 2020 with bang; RNIB says e-scooters ARE dangerous; TdF stage winner Mercado linked to burglaries; Kid ‘doesn’t want to ride any more’ after hi-vis talk + more on the live”
The dooring definitely looks
The dooring definitely looks deliberate in both the manner of the opening, using the foot with force and suddeness, and the timing.
cbrndc wrote:
Let’s not get over paranoid here – even though their actions may look different, the majority of car drivers aren’t out to deliberately cause accidents. It was stupid, reckless and thoughtless, not deliberate. The fact that the car driver comes over to try and help afterwards – would he do that if he’d done it deliberately?
Roubaixcobbles wrote:
Do we know what happened? Did the police get involved? Seems like a pretty open and shut case (pardon the pun).
It’s also ancient –
It’s also ancient – previously reported on here in 2015 – https://road.cc/content/news/159991-video-doored-cyclist-falls-path-black-cab
quiff wrote:
OK, thanks – didn’t get that. And the answer to my question appears to be that no, the police didn’t get involved and nothing more happened…
Notice the final para in that article…
… did that ever happen?
Quote:
… did that ever happen?
[/quote]
Yep – very good and popular it is too!
I agree. It was just a
I agree. It was just a thoughtless action. He went over to help and hopefully apologised. Good on the driver for posting the video and the others who helped too. I hope this cyclist’s leg was ok.
‘there is “some evidence” hi
‘there is “some evidence” hi-vis can reduce risk’ – I’d argue there is a lot of evidence that banning cars from the roads can reduce risk. Maybe we should try that?
“My son doesn’t want to ride
“My son doesn’t want to ride his bike any more” Unintended consequences of the perceived punishing of perfectly legal behaviour, whilst not punishing the illegal behaviour of others. It is always better to treat the cause not the symptoms; perhaps someone could tell Superintendent Andy Cox.
The benefits of hi-viz are questionable, but the police are wasting considerable resources, apparently because they have assumed that they are highly effective, just like helmets. I’m utterly astonished that an organisation based on examining the evidence, doesn’t examine the evidence.
P.S. There is also the probability that telling everyone that cyclists must wear hi viz is conditioning drivers to only look for hi viz, thus making the roads much more dangerous for all the people who don’t. What next? police resources wasted on hi viz for pedestrians?
Truely amazing achievement by
Truely amazing achievement by Sofiane Sehili but as regards to these ultra endurance races in general…at what point do you say hold on, people are taking too many risks with their health and we need to stop this? 2 hours sleep in 3 days seems a bit extreme?
I don’t know the answers and couldn’t manage on 2 hours sleep for 12 hours ? but yeah, I reckon conversations need to be had if this is gonna be the standard now (I’m aware it’s always been this way to an extent, and maybe it’s just part of it, I dont know)
Totally agree, the endurance
Totally agree, the endurance scene is getting a bit silly now; time to mandate a daily minimun down-time for the riders, before someone loses their life.
23,000 KSIs on UK roads, most
23,000 KSIs on UK roads, most of whom were drivers or passengers in cars. Logically, therefore, to make a real dent in these figures, before focusing on cyclists, every motor vehicle should be painted in high-viz. They regularly travel at high speed, weight in excess of two tons and carry multiple passengers, after all. While we’re at it, drivers and passengers should wear helmets and rally standard safety harness. Or wouldn’t that be acceptable to voters?
Don’t forget HANS for neck
Don’t forget HANS for neck protection and Nomex fire suits, after all, if it saves just one life.
And all of the costs on our overstretched NHS.
Then there’s the risks associated with not being active…
I don’t think that RNIB
I don’t think that RNIB spokesperson could have actually read the article. Literally the first recommendation is to ban escooters from pavements and limit their speed.
The following recommendations all seem to be a positive benefit to the partially sighted and blind, such as creating segregated infrastructure, reducing access to cars and reducing speed limits where they are allowed.
So this thing with Juan
So this thing with Juan Miguel Mercado. Was he the getaway rider?
Leicester’s Access fund grant
Leicester’s Access fund grant – I believe this is for soft measures like drawing up travel plans for schools. It’s better than nothing, but only safe, convenient cycle routes will make a transformative difference.
In regards to the RLJ’g I
In regards to the RLJ’g I came across this earlier today.
Apparently 120k motorists across the UK have received a TS10 endorsement over the last 4 years for jumping red lights. As well as points and a fine, the TS10 is live on your licence for 4 years. This endorsement is only issued when a camera is triggered after 3 seconds on turning red. So I’m assuming the figure doesn’t include the sub 3 seconds or the amber gamblers at those particular lights.
Let’s not forget this figure doesn’t include lights that are not monitored so the figure is actually quite frightening especially when the motoring RLJers are accelerating through these junctions at excessive speed. I’ve estimated that the junction my flat overlooks some motorists are hitting 40mph. Compare that to the cyclist who creeps through at 10mph. Who does whom the most harm I wonder?
So the next time someone chucks the “all cyclists jump lights” you can bounce back that figure. I’ve added the link for more info – apologies for the cluttered page https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glasgow-news/glasgow-drivers-worst-uk-running-17430644
Also added a screen shot of the top 5. Glasgow and Edinburgh top it with figures heavily outweighing the rest of the UK.
Leicester; £1m/4yrs.
Leicester; £1m/4yrs.
Exactly my reaction. It’s a
Exactly my reaction. It’s a joke.
Last years GBBO winner seems
Last years GBBO winner seems to be coming up with popular cyclist snacks,
This is one for Malt Loaf-
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2020/feb/19/david-athertons-recipe-for-cyclists-malt-loaf
He also has recipes for fig rolls and flapjacks.