Bradley Wiggins slammed for saying Sam Bennett could be “considered British”; Speeding drivers doubled risk for London cyclists during lockdown; Confusion over new govt rules for cyclists; Peloton launch Bike+; 45g 9-in-1 multitool + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
First there was the Road Tax Bot, now there's "Stupid shit people say on Facebook about cycling"
“What is the carbon footprint of bike manufacturing? Who makes bikes? the folk who made Corona Virus?”
— Stupid shit people say on Facebook about cycling (@AntiCyclingFB) September 4, 2020
“How am I supposed to drive my car in that little gap between the verge & the cones whilst all of you eco warriors use MY road that I have paid for using MY money on road tax, dont try to give me any evidence that road tax doesn’t pay for roads, that you have no right to ride on”
— Stupid shit people say on Facebook about cycling (@AntiCyclingFB) September 9, 2020
“Cyclists ARE the most dangerous and ignorant people on the road. They do NOT give a toss about rules or about the safety of others.”
— Stupid shit people say on Facebook about cycling (@AntiCyclingFB) September 3, 2020
“cyclist with there children toys, should not be allowed on the roads, until they are paying £420 a year road tax”
— Stupid shit people say on Facebook about cycling (@AntiCyclingFB) August 31, 2020
“A cyclist myself, I always pull over as soon as possible. Nothing more disconcerting than having vehicles behind. Cyclists do not pay any form of tax , so lets be considerate of those that do.”
— Stupid shit people say on Facebook about cycling (@AntiCyclingFB) August 28, 2020
After we discovered the Road Tax Bot yesterday, another Twitter account has popped up to expose untruths about cycling and cyclists, this time simply copying and pasting the comments with no further analysis needed. If you want road tax, “as a cyclist myself” and wild conspiracy theories, this is the place.
Sam Bennett on THAT interview after his maiden Tour de France stage win
Me being interviewed yesterday after @LeTour stage…. pic.twitter.com/PHMo81tdcm
— Sam Bennett (@Sammmy_Be) September 9, 2020
The Irishman was overwhelmed after winning stage 10 yesterday, and has finally held back the tears to provide some analysis in the form of a gif. If you missed it, here is the totes emosh moment again…
You’ve won Sam….YOU’VE WON!!!! 🏆🏆🏆@Sammmy_Be is é tusa buaiteoir an staid inniu!!
CHAMP!!! Táimid fíor-bhródúil asat 🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪@LeTour #TDF2020 @JOEdotie pic.twitter.com/RGqprOJlUP
— Spórt TG4 (@SportTG4) September 8, 2020
Government give red light jumpers free pass
Next time a driver tells me all cyclists jump red lights I’m going to say we only break the law in very specific and limited ways.
— Mark Roberts 🇪🇺 (@mmmcaffeine) September 8, 2020
Do the new coronavirus rules apply to cyclists?
Once again, people are finding themselves slightly confused by the government’s new announcement that in England from 14th September, only six people can meet socially, indoors or outdoors, with fines of £100 dished out to those who don’t comply. Some exemptions are made, including ‘team sports organised in a way limiting the spread of coronavirus’, and we’re assuming that doesn’t mean social bike rides… so we’re also assuming group rides will only be legal if there are six people or less riding together. As we understand it the rules could also mean that sportive-type cycling events are off, even though British Cycling said such events that abide by government rules on outdoor sport and physical activity could resume from 5th September in their Way Forward document.
A full list of the changes will be published on Monday, so we’ll be checking for any exemptions that might apply to cyclists.
Peloton launch new Bike+, and drop price of original to 'just' £1,750
Peloton hasn’t really taken off amongst the endemic cycling audience, with many of us put off by the £2,000 price tag and 40 quid month subscription, when a top-of-the-range smart trainer is half the price and many training apps cost peanuts. There were also the cringey ad campaigns, including that one where a wife receives a Peloton for Christmas and proceeds to make a creepy video diary about it to please her husband, which was reportedly responsible for knocking $1 billion off their share value back in December.
Even so Peloton are hoping cheaper pricing on their original bike might be enough to tempt some more over before the new Bike+ arrives, knocking it down to £1,750. The Bike+ upgrades are outlined in the video above, including a new rotating touchscreen, automatic resistance adjustment and enhanced sound so you can “feel the energy through the speakers”.
The Bike+ will ship to the UK in December, priced at £2,295, or £59 a month on finance. This is on top of the £39 a month fee for a Peloton subscription to access virtual classes and workouts.
Coming soon: first ride on the new Basso Diamante SV
Someone’s gotta do it, so road.cc Liam and cameraman Matt have been sent to the Dolomites to try out Basso’s revamped Diamante SV. Video coming soon, or check out our Instagram stories for fooling around and general silliness.
Tour de France stage 11 is away, with a crash happening before the departe
🚩 The riders have set off from @Chatelaillon!
🚘 The view from the lead car
🚩 Les coureurs viennent de s’élancer de @Chatelaillon !#TDF2020 pic.twitter.com/xEm0nOFTaT
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) September 9, 2020
The 167.5 km stage from Châtelaillon-Plage to Poitiers will see the peloton move away from the coast, with the flat-ish profile making this one for the sprinters.
💥 We’re not yet at the départ réel but there’s already been a crash! The three riders are all ok.
💥 Chute sans gravité de 3 coureurs avant le départ réel !#TDF2020 pic.twitter.com/IyXYeTRC6k
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) September 9, 2020
There was also a crash before the race proper even started. The CCC rider looks like he’s had a different kind of accident there…
New rules on social gatherings: we're still none the wiser
We’ve asked Cycling UK and British Cycling for comment on what the government’s new rules on social gatherings in England will mean for cyclists and cycling events, with the former telling us that they are “trying to work out what it all means” and will be deciding on a policy soon.
As mentioned further down the page, it’s unclear if British Cycling’s reintroduction of non-competitive events such as sportives – permitted from 5th September – will be affected. Here’s what British Cycling say in their Way Forward document: “The greatest consideration for organisers is ensuring that groups riding together during the event do not exceed the size permitted by Government guidelines – which is currently (as of 20/08/2020) six riders. At no point in your event should groups exceeding this limit be riding together.”
It’s unclear if an event constitutes a gathering, or whether the event will be held under the guise that people will not mingle or ride together in groups of more than six.
For informal group or club rides, existing government guidelines allow gatherings of more than six from up to two households to exercise “providing members of different households can follow social distancing guidelines”; but the new rules appear to mean that the group mustn’t exceed six people at all from 14th September. Health secretary Matt Hancock said on BBC this morning: “In social settings, you can”t gather in groups of more than six. That’s it, [a] really super simple rule.”
Reader letter on "the lycra-clad" accompanied by photo of cyclists wearing coats and work trousers
“If the lycra-clad want their own freeways, then let them pay for them by way of tax.” @SheffieldStar @yorkshirepost Why do you publish this absolute nonsense. Would you publish “If the gas guzzling motorists want their own freeways, then let them pay for them by way of tax”? pic.twitter.com/xhEmvU1TVt
— CButton (@sheffbicycle) September 9, 2020
Not only is the photo not really the best choice to depict ‘lycra-clad’ cyclists, the reader letter is a load of old cobblers to boot.
Andrew Mercer writes in the Yorkshire Post: “Our hubristic Harrogate councillors who are planning to spend huge sums of hard-earned money on ludicrous, segregated cycle paths, to the disadvantage of the majority, motorist and pedestrian, should take note.
“Their obsession with cycling led to the horrendous damage to the Stray which has taken almost a year to remedy. If the lycra-clad want their own freeways, then let them pay for them by way of tax.”
Time for a motorway tax too then, Mr Mercer?
45g 9-in-1 multi-tool launching soon on Kickstarter
The Daysaver’s Swiss creators have partnered with PB Swiss Tools to get the super light tool ready for production, and will be launching a Kickstarter campaign in the next few weeks. It features a T25, 2,3,5, 6 and 8mm hex key sizes, a slot tool and an extra round bit that they say is “up to you” how it is used. Magnets ensure all the parts stay in place, and the shape means there will be no struggle to tighten your bolts in awkward places, as is the case with some bulkier multi-tools.
Prices are TBC, but you can check out daysaver.fun for more info.
Will Sam Bennett double up today?
⏪ The last TDF stage winner in Poitiers was Irish: Sean Kelly in 1978. Another Irish win today? ☘
⏪ Le dernier vainqueur à Poitiers était Irlandais: Sean Kelly. Un autre Irlandais va-t-il s’imposer aujourd’hui ? ☘#TDF2020 #TDFunited pic.twitter.com/TZRX8yx5V9
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) September 9, 2020
Funnily enough, Sean Kelly was the last Tour de France stage winner in Poitiers in 1978. He’ll be hoping for another Irish (definitely not British, Mr Wiggins) win on stage 11 today.
In favour of Low Traffic Neighbourhood schemes? All hell will break loose...
When you say you’re not in favour of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods in your local WhatsApp group.pic.twitter.com/dFsS4trWp8
— EJ Ward (@EJWardNews) September 9, 2020
Granted this was filmed in Groningen last Saturday as German and Dutch football hooligans clashed (why else would there be so many bikes?) but from some of the comments seen on some forums about the implementation of LTNs in London, we can see why the comparison has been made…
Prime Minister giving briefing on new coronavirus rules, banning gatherings of more than six in England
Accompanied by chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty and chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance, Boris Johnson is delivering a press conference on the new rules that come into force on Monday – you can watch live on the BBC.
Tour latest: Bennett wins intermediate sprint, two riders abandon
💚 Behind Mathieu Ladagnous, @Sammmy_Be wins the intermediate sprint in the peloton. @petosagan takes fourth place.
💚 Derrière Mathieu Ladagnous, Sam Bennett remporte le sprint du peloton. Peter Sagan prend la 4ème place.#TDF2020 #TDFunited pic.twitter.com/7LJ1mSCAN6
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) September 9, 2020
Bennett has tightened his grip on green, while Gregor Mühlberger of Bora-Hansgrohe has been forced out due to illness, and Jon Izagirre of Astana has abandoned after a heavy crash – Izagirre is conscious and receiving checks from medics.
"We could almost consider him British": Bradley Wiggins under fire for Sam Bennett comments, and mocking Sean Kelly's accent
THE FUCKING NECK. And then he comes back with another insult.
Sean should’ve decked him. pic.twitter.com/7QtmFoutfu
— Aidan (@onthenickel) September 9, 2020
Discussing Irishman Sam Bennett’s stage win on Eurosport’s “The Breakaway” show with Sean Kelly, the 2012 Tour de France champ appears to have offended most of Ireland with his comments, saying: “We can almost consider him [Bennett] British, I know that you lot won’t like that will you.”
Kelly did not look amused, telling Wiggins: “You’re not going to claim him”… and instead of apologising, Wiggins doubled down with a comeback mocking Kelly’s accent, saying: “We spoke to him [Bennett] at the Vuelta last year when he came on our show, and at least we can understand what he’s saying. We can’t really understand what you’re saying Sean, can we?”
Who is that moron!
— hate car thieves (@hatecarthieves) September 9, 2020
true brit absolute ignoramus
— Seàn de londra (@shanelan) September 9, 2020
Brad, honest question, what is it about Sam Bennett that makes you think of him as ‘nearly british’. Interested in what makes you or many British people feel this way about Irish sports people.
— Simon Rouse (@rightrousers) September 9, 2020
Social media was generally not amused, with one even calling the comments “casual racism”. Wiggins hasn’t addressed the backlash, instead just writing “what a day for Sam” on his Twitter account this afternoon.
Speeding drivers doubled the risk for London cyclists during lockdown, finds TfL study
Cited in the Evening Standard, TfL’s study found that cyclists and pedestrians were twice as likely to be killed or seriously injured in London during the lockdown because of a huge increase in speeding.
TfL recorded 38 deaths in London between 20th March and 29th August – including three cyclists – and found that while the total number was down, this was almost entirely due to a much lower number of pedestrian deaths, because there were far fewer people on the streets. They also reported that suburban areas were the most dangerous for cyclists, with injuries increasing in zones three to five.
The findings mirrors countrywide statistics from the early stages of the lockdown, which found that cyclist deaths were running at almost twice the national average for the time of year in April. While there could have been other factors at play, some road safety campaigners and experts attributed it to a sharp rise in dangerous drivers taking advantage of quieter roads, even though there were less vehicles on them.
9 September 2020, 08:39
Find out how the pros chow down while riding...
How do Tour de France riders eat on the move?
It takes a lot of calories to get through a stage of the Tour, and here's how the racers take them all on board
9 September 2020, 08:39
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Latest Comments
Agree: some things are just blockers, no matter "but I do so you can" or "look at the stats, it's really safe!" But the devil is in "can we get there from here?" (sometimes literally). Much of what supports mass cycling elsewhere is in the bigger picture. Like decisions about what traffic goes where made at the network level. Or getting decent public transport in so that it's easier to make that motor traffic evaporate.
@Kadinkski Interesting in a way off base sort of way.
@Surreyrider Agree. You see this a lot with people who only ride race bikes when they review endurance bikes.
@OnYerBike The two he lists are not endurance geometry. The Defy used to be but now it's almost a TCR. The Scott Addict never had endurance geometry.
Another one who rides race bikes all the time shocked that an endurance bike rides like...an endurance bike. The Giant Defy used to be endurance geometry but now is very close to a TCR geometry. The Scott never had endurance geometry. Learn your audience not your personal interests.
This isn't a cycle lane - it's a shared use path (a service track with permitted shared use).
@the little onion Absolutely, we must get out of the mindset of just gratefully accepting whatever scraps we're offered which then end up underutilised because they're unsatisfactory and so used as arguments not to build more.
I’m in agreement with the Greens here. We need to actively push back against cycle infrastructure that doesn’t consider personal safety. In West Yorkshire, millions have been ploughed into resurfacing canal towpaths as shared pedestrian/cyclist infrastructure, yet plenty of men, and masses more men, feel distinctly unsafe when commuting at peak hours in winter, when it is dark. Plenty of bits are dodgy in daylight!
@stonechat Why not? Isn't that a bit like drivers moaning about 20mph limits? Sure, if you're a racer in training that could be limiting, but then you shouldn't be using cycle tracks for that anyway. Most commuters, shoppers and leisure cyclists ride around 15 mph anyway and rarely exceed 20 mph on the flat; the path is 16 miles long, so the difference between 15 mph and 20 mph even if you're riding the whole length (which most people won't be, of course) is 64 minutes versus 48 minutes, not enough to make a big difference in anyone's day. My most regular ride of around 16 miles is to my mother's house on heavy-traffic roads across southwest London; due to congestion, traffic lights et cetera it usually takes me about 50-55 minutes. If someone offered me a completely motor-traffic-free path for the whole distance on condition that I took an extra 10 minutes for the ride I'd bite their hand off!
50 thoughts on “Bradley Wiggins slammed for saying Sam Bennett could be “considered British”; Speeding drivers doubled risk for London cyclists during lockdown; Confusion over new govt rules for cyclists; Peloton launch Bike+; 45g 9-in-1 multitool + more on the live blog”
This https://www
This https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/18706074.bcp-council-u-turns-road-closures-cycle-lane-bollards/
One of the schemes was essentially putting bollards up along an already wide road with an existing cycle lane. Preventing the handful of cars that park on the road when there is ample parking down nearby side roads. If they can’t even put cycling infurstructure in an area like this, what chance do we have?
I assume the council will now be returning the money they got from the goverment.
At this point I would take
At this point I would take the abolition of Vehicle Excise Duty and its replacement with an explicitly-named tax called Pollution Tax over any piece of infrastructure or (almost) any piece of other legislation you offered me. Sick to death of “road tax” idiots. The name VED doesn’t make it clear enough what the tax is for.
A pretty smart idea. I work
A pretty smart idea. I work for a local highway authority and I’ve regularly said they should spend the money they use on white lines, cycle symbols and sections of green paint on education campaigns instead.
It staggers me that a good chunk of people have been paying hundreds of pounds on this VED for years without knowing what it’s for, nor that they could reduce the amount they pay.
Zermattjohn wrote:
It staggers me that a good chunk of people have been paying hundreds of pounds on this VED for years without knowing what it’s for, nor that they could reduce the amount they pay.
— ZermattjohnMost car owners are very much aware of how much VED they pay. However, they care far more about how impressive their shiny new oversized vehicle looks on their driveway than anything else.
I’d be very happy for it to be renamed Pollution Tax (great idea, Luca!). Perhaps incorporate a vehicle kerb weight component, plus an additional fixed fee if a towball is fitted, to acknowledge that larger and heavier vehicles cause significantly increased damage to the roads.
However, as has been suggested many times before, it would be simpler, and maybe more effective, to scrap it entirely and put a dollop on fuel duty.
Increasing fuel duty won’t
Increasing fuel duty won’t work. Petrol and diesel vehicles are on borrowed time in Europe. Sales of new internal combustion engine vehicles will stop in Norway in 2025. Other countries in Europe are following.
EVs will be taxed and road user charging is likely to be introduced in coming years.
Replacing VED with a tax relating to the weight of the vehicle would also be easy. Road wear increases exponentially with weight. This new calculation could come straight from the vehicle’s V5 and you wouldn’t even need bands for emissions groups as it would correlate directly to the specific unladen weight of the vehicle.
Regarding emissions, I’ve just got the VED reminders for my two motorbikes. The little bike is a two stroke and produces far more emissions than the big bike. But I pay more for the big bike. As the little bike turns 40 next year, it’ll be a historic vehicle and therefore become exempt from VED.
OldRidgeback wrote:
I’ve been advocating increased fuel duty instead of VED for years. It would have the effect of taxing most those who pollute most. The point you make about the sales of EVs is a valid one but a large hike in fuel duty would accelerate the process, which can only be a good thing from the point of view of emmisions. The other effect it would have would be to discourage the use in general of ICE vehicles as the cost per mile would go up, encouraging car owners to look at cheaper alternatives such a cycling or an E-bike. The important thing in all this is that extra revenu raised through such a tax should be spent on active transport infrastructure. There are so many people who would love to cycle for local journeys but won’t if they have to share the road with cars.
I think taxing use rather
I think taxing use rather than ownership makes more sense (confession: I have 3 (old) cars but only drive 3000 miles a year in total) but any change needs to have considered rural and disabled drivers.
Fuel duty is really easy to vary and cheap to collect, but road pricing would help, so that driving from Torridon to Cape Wrath is free and you don’t have to wait for the bus (there isn’t one), but driving your gargantuan Range Rover in Kensington in rush hour is furiously expensive in addition to fuel. And of course exemptions that would be better policed than blue badges.
No need to cover the whole UK in sensors to do this either. Just urban areas and motorways, as the rest of the country can be zero rated.
I saw an interesting proposal
I saw an interesting proposal to tax cars based on miles driven with each car having a certain number of ‘tax free’ miles per year.
At the annual MOT the mileage would be recorded and billed accordingly.
Those living in rural areas could have more ‘tax free’ miles than those living in urban areas to reflect the necessity of rural private car use.
You could bring multipliers in for kerb weight in order to target the worst polluting vehicles.
The name of the tax should specifically reference pollution (and possibly pollution deaths) in order that drivers are clear why they’re paying.
I have to say that I find “as
I have to say that I find “as a cyclist myself” to be as offensive as “just following orders” or “policy, ain’t it”.
“I’m not racist but……..”
“I’m not racist but……..”
“Some of my best friends are
“Some of my best friends are …”
Quote:
Brilliant!
Quote:
brooksby wrote:
I know right, it’s outrageous!
*says me whilst considering a wattbike @ £1900 and zwift subscription @ £12pcm to go alongside my strava subscription @ £4pcm…
We should stop giving peloton a mouthpiece on this site, it’s not relevant for us cyclists any more than a gym subscription or boxercise class is relevant. (Their marketing is worthy of a chuckle from time to time though)
Quote:
BOO will be happy
Six people or FEWER!
Six people or FEWER!
As a cyclist myself who pays a zillion quid in road tax to drive via roads blocked with unused cycle paths stuffed full of lycra louts in black clothes who I can’t see to avoid and are in my way so I can’t stop in the distance I can see and on the pavement in huge swarms causing plumes of that covid virus that doesn’t actually exist with their total lack of proper lighting which dazzles everyone and not wearing yellow which I could have seen but the sun was in the sky and not wearing helmets so only themselves to blame when the law abiding hard pressed motorist runs them down on the way to Barnard Castle which is 3 minutes away on foot but an hour in the car because of the traffic…
I’m just grateful they didn’t mention wing mirrors.
I don’t understand the
I don’t understand the derogatory tone towards Peleton and its costs. It’s mentioned that a smart trainer costs half the amount of a Peleton bike… but that cost doesn’t include a bike! If you add the cost of a bike, plus a subscription to Zwift/TrainerRoad/Sufferfest and you’re looking at a very similar cost. Yes, you can ride your actual bike outside, but that seems like a lost art anyway.
And as BOOBOOJMMOJ stated, they’re not targeting cyclists. They’re targeting gym-goers who will happily pay £60+ a month to be a member of a gym to do spin classes.
All in all, it seems to me that there is a good argument to say that £1750 plus £40 per month is fair value for what appears to be a pretty decent product and service.
Agreed!. I think the snobbery
Agreed!. I think the snobbery towards peleton is nothing but naivety; there’s a market for it, just because you don’t belong to that market, there’s no reason to beat-down on it. The similarities are almost poetic with aggressive motorists complaining about how road cycling is sh1t! and only a tw@t would want to do it. Symptomatic of the “I’m right, and anyone who doesn’t agree is an idiot or the devil!” attitude of recent generations.
lbmxj560vr46 wrote:
That’s fair enough… have you tried a Peloton bike though? My personal opinion having done so is that it definitely doesn’t represent the same value for money as a leading smart trainer, £1000 bike and Zwift subscription combined, but understand their audience differs and plenty of people will disagree.
Re Peloton are doing very well: $195.6 million net losses in 2019.
And you’ve just proved my
-DELETED-
Jack Sexty wrote:
And you’ve just proved my point entirely.
Yes, I have ridden a Peleton bike, a number of times. My first experience was in NYC at 2 in the morning wide awake with jet lag. I thought it was genuinely excellent. I found a session I liked the look of, went on, and was soon competing with plenty of others to have the best numbers for the session. The 45 minutes flew by. I’ve had pletny of similar experiences afterwards. It’s also worth noting that the infrastructure behind Peleton is far superior to Zwift. It works, every time. That cannot be said for Zwift.
And, again, you’re comparing apples and oranges. It’s like saying “I don’t think spending £50 a month on the gym offers the same value for money as £20 a month on Zwift”. The value for money is in the eye of the beholder. For you, maybe it doesn’t offer value for money, but for 500,000+ (and growing) people it does. It’s not for you, or anyone else, to tell them it’s a waste of their money and only goes to aid the perception of cyclists being a ‘clique’.
And you clearly don’t understand how businesses like Peleton operate. It’s not about making a profit. It’s about market capitalisation. On that front, they’re doing amazingly. I seem to recall your beloved Zwift loses money had over fist, so perhaps quoting losses isn’t the best way to judge the success, or otherwise, of a business or its platform.
Yes, some of their marketing has been questionable. Hopefully they’ve learned from that. But they are getting more people riding, and getting more people fit, which is fantastic. Good on them and long may it continue
lbmxj560vr46 wrote:
I think maybe you missed the bits that said “That’s fair enough” and “My personal opinion…”.
lbmxj560vr46 wrote:
There are a lot of similarities between this and the way e-bikes were originally presented in the media towards roadies and so on. They (and Peleton) are for the most part aimed at totally different markets and there’s no reason for people to get enraged about them.
Just be happy that people are getting exercise 😉
Many people dislike Peloton
Many people dislike Peloton inc. because they’ve tried to take a word in general usage by cyclists and trademark it. To the point that they’ve actually treatened well known blogers like GPLama for using the word to describe a group of cyclists.
If their product isn’t aimed at cyclists they should stop trying to appropriate the culture of cyling and call their company something else.
Cycling clubs will be one of
Cycling clubs will be one of the groups that ignore distancing rules. They were doing it all the time in lockdown and simply not riding with club jerseys. Then again who is going to enforce it. Police were only interested in easy wins during lockdown and once the drunken hordes came back they were doing stuff like taking pictures of a problem and posting it on social meda……didn’t actually do anything about it though.
Rick_Rude wrote:
If they were riding incognito then how did you know they were clubs?
And just how many clubs or groups were caught doing this during lockdown?
All the clubs and individuals I know of – locally and through Strava and numerous online discussions – have been very conscious of their responsibilities and chosen to ride solo. But that won’t let that stop people spreading misinformation and hearsay based on Daily Mail-style ‘reporting’ of isolated incidents.
Same here. I have not seen
Same here. I have not seen large groups whilst out and aboyt and also strava stalk lots of people who are involved in clubs and they have either been done in packs of 6 or less or been cancelled for now (most Ive seen is 4). Of course there is always people who flaunt rules and travel across the country for an eye test or attend raves etc, but I suspect most officially sanctioned clubs would abide as they have the most to lose if caught.
Because 8 strangers people
Because 8 strangers people don’t randomly ride together all at the same speed.
Rick_Rude wrote:
This is the opposite of my experience for my local area, to the point of there being big arguments within my local clubs of whether it was acceptable to go out on your bike at all even on your own. That was too much of course, they were dickheads.
I’ve just sent out our club
I’ve just sent out our club newsletter over the race we’re planning. It is a team sports event, so it should be ok, I think. We will practice social distancing. Numbers are restricted also.
All the clubs locally to me
All the clubs locally to me seem to be complying. The BC guidance document was very clearly written and my club developed a protocol that we’re using successfully. Whether you’re in club kit or not, if you’re BC affiliated, then if you don’t follow BC guidance, you won’t be insured.
I noticed the same.
I noticed the same.
The same lads I normally see on club runs all out together but not in club kit.
To be fair it didn’t happen much right at the start of lockdown but within a few weeks it was pretty obvious.
Can only speak for my own
Can only speak for my own club (but not on behalf of). During the first stage of lockdown all club rides and activities were suspended completely. Solo riding for daily exercise only.
Laterly we have a maximum 6 per group and separated the meeting points per speed group. Still finish up at the same pub garden at the end of the ride but stick to different tables. No mixing.
I saw very few obviously unrelated cyclists in groups round my way during lockdown. If anything clubs are probably more disciplined than most about observing the restrictions.
Same for my club, 6 limit per
Same for my club, 6 limit per group, if you flout the rules don’t expect any of the assistance or insurances that normally come from club membership and please don’t wear club kit if you choose to ignore guidelines, just like you don’t just red lights in club colours. Pretty straightforward advice
This rang a bell:
This rang a bell:
I passed my first motorcycle test, partly because I didn’t run into the cyclist who decided to turn right without signalling. I like to think I would have been in the wrong if I’d ran [sic] him over though. 🙂
Wiggins does a Wiggins and is
Wiggins does a Wiggins and is vilified on social media in particular twitter where everything is taken to the n’th degree by people who think twitter is a good way to communicate…
Come to think of it, I also think of my Irish friends as ‘nearly British’ in the same way I think of my Welsh and Scottish friends.. I root for them all in various sporting events and would choose them over any other country to support. However all of that ‘nice and local’ English speaking kind of countries who I support, generally hate the English and wish we fall/fail at every sporting opportunity.. c’est le vie!
Welsh, Scots, Irish and N.Irish all have an axe to grind, often justified, twitter just helps them sharpen the blade.
Your Scottish and Welsh
Your Scottish and Welsh friends aren’t “nearly british”, they are british you absolute balloon knot
Nick T wrote:
LOL maybe I wasn’t clear.. I meant that I think of them all in the same way (which may sound a bit odd, but meh.. ) whether they are British or not.
100 points for ‘ballooon knot’, that’s a name I’ve never been called before!
You would do yourself a great
You would do yourself a great service by reading up on the centuries of conflict and oppression that makes your current assumption offensive to a great many Irish people, to begin with it’s worth noting that neither the RoI or NI are part of Great Britain. It’s akin to considering Ukrainians as “almost Russian” or conflating Bangladeshis as “one of the Indians”
its worth listening to the
its worth listening to the Bradley Wiggins show podcast,certainly the last episode, I think its fair to say he certainly didnt mean any harm by it.
Awavey wrote:
But he didn’t want to ‘claim’ Alaphilippe for his stage win yet France is nearer to Dover than Dublin is to Holyhead.
Typical English, assuming everyone around the world would be happier if they were subjugated by some toffs in London.
No he probably didn’t mean
No he probably didn’t mean any harm in it, but the tendency among some English people to “allow” an outsider to be considered “one of us” only when they do well at something is a fine example of how prevelant casual racism is
Nick T wrote:
That’s because Great Britain is the name of the island that England, Wales and Scotland are on – and the RoI and NI aren’t (last time I checked) part of the same island.
Richard D wrote:
That’s because Great Britain is the name of the island that England, Wales and Scotland are on – and the RoI and NI aren’t (last time I checked) part of the same island.— Nick T
I reckon we’re gonna need a diagram for this
Thank you for confirming my
Thank you for confirming my point that no part of the island of Ireland or its subjects are british
English sports fans have a
English sports fans have a long and noble tradition of cheering for the Welsh, Scots, and even the Irish sometimes, if there isn’t an English competitor or team to cheer. I remember how excited everyone was about Scotland in the “78 football World Cup, or Roche in the ’87 Tour.
It’s a bit of a shame that the Scots would rather cheer for anyone EXCEPT the English, but nobody ever accused them of being particularly generous.
Richard D wrote:
There might be a little bit of history involved there. There’s a reason that lots of films have English baddies.
Richard D wrote:
have you ever stopped to consider why they absolutely refuse to support the butchers apron?
What an arrogant and bigoted
What an arrogant and bigoted fool that wiggin is.
I’m in the market to add
I’m in the market to add indoor cycling training to my home gym. Personally I don’t.understand Peloton’s USP, then again I’m not really into “virtual studio” indoor training. I’d also be concerned about any proprietary/locked in/bundle if Peloton pulled their platform, be a very expensive door stopper for the bike, wasn’t so long ago they were offering discount for those unfortunate enough to have had one of their competitors bike who they successfully sued causing them.to go bust and bikes were skipped l, can’t remember the co name. Their “reduced price” bike as newer model is released, isn’t automation resistance so not as immersive as other cheaper alternatives. I’d much rather have a Neo or Wahoo smart bike or other spin bike like Nordic/proform with the IFit platform with multiple equipment such as treadmill and bike platform with IRL graphics. I currently have the IFit for the treadmill which will auto syc both pace and incline to the video session for 121 coaching and leaderboard as well as zwift for group/competition events. When I get the turbo trainer I could use my IFit and subscribe to xwift.
With my free trial gym membership I tried the live spin class which was completely different and much better than the virtual trainer l, even when in the same studio as others following the virtual video trailer, basically a commercial version of Peloton which doesn’t do it for me, I’d rather see some scenary whilst training indoors.
It’s not even though it’s “bundled” in one monthly payment or sup plus bike like mobile phone contract with “free” phone and retailers offering finance for the upfront cost of smart trainers/bikes