Why do motorists hate cyclists?; Shocking cycling crash; First major race in the UK for over a year; Roglič’s coach gives honest race review; Santander Cycles’ 100 millionth hire; RoboCop polices Belgian race; New pop-up lane + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
89-year-old cycles to Covid vaccination
This week, 89-year-old Mrs. Wester cycled from her home in Zoetermeer to ADO Stadium for her second COVID-19 vaccination.
The 8-kilometre, 30-minute journey was definitely worth it: “Soon I will be allowed to go to The Hague again. That was so long ago!”https://t.co/OzJza47p4X pic.twitter.com/vVLyVuULhO
— Dutch Cycling Embassy (@Cycling_Embassy) March 12, 2021
An 89-year-old from Zoetermeer in the Netherlands has made headlines in her home country by cycling to her vaccine appointment. We’d have thought that was standard practice over there, but maybe not at 89-years-old. Omroep West followed Mrs Webster on her five-mile route and she told them she’s looking forward to being able to ride to The Hague, ten miles away via segregated cycle lanes of course, in the near future…
Imagine if we lived in a world where people of any age, even 89 used a bike. It’s possible if you ditch your car. #strollermvmt https://t.co/eQcWwWBDjR
— The Stroller Movement (@strollermvmt) March 12, 2021
Shocking cycling crash caught on dash cam
This shocking crash in Petersham, Sydney, was caught on a motorist’s dash cam. The cyclist crosses the road, filtering through the first lane of stationary traffic, but doesn’t see the oncoming vehicles in the next lane. After colliding with the car the rider is sent flying but thankfully can be seen getting to their feet. The video was shared in Dash Cam Owners Australia Facebook group where the cyclist has been blamed for the incident.
However, Helen Angell came to the cyclist’s defence, with some local knowledge. “What you can’t see in this footage is that there is a pedestrian island in the middle of the road that is very unsafe,” she explained. “It’s actually not wide enough for people or bikes to wait safety and has not been upgraded despite many complaints and safety concerns raised about it.”
The clip has also started a debate about helmets…Martin Zazvonil commented: “That 370Z owner would be fuming. This is a great example of why you may as well not even bother with a helmet if you don’t strap it up.” The Australian Daily Mail even picked up on the video, sharing it under the headline ‘Why you should always check your helmet’.
Santander Cycles hit 100 million hires
It was a milestone weekend for Santander Cycles with the 100 millionth journey made using the scheme on Saturday. The number equates to more than ten rides for every Londoner during its ten-year history and follows a record-breaking month in February. Saturday 27 February was the scheme’s busiest ever winter day with 52,000 hires followed by 31,000 hires on the Sunday.
The scheme’s free cycle hire for NHS staff and key workers has also now been redeemed more than 100,000 times by more than 18,000 people. TfL’s Head of Cycle Hire, David Eddington, said the milestone shows that demand for cycling in London continues to rise.
RoboCop polices Belgian race: E3 Saxo Bank Classic to use robot to count spectators
E3 Saxo Bank Classic introduces new barriers and a robot to count spectators and tell them to wear a mask pic.twitter.com/oicUvOdoHC
— José Been (@TourDeJose) March 15, 2021
New pop-up bike lane opens today in Cardiff city centre
🚴 The new ‘cross city’ pop-up cycleway opens tomorrow! 🚴
🚴 The new route will run from Cathedral Road to Dumfries Place linking to other cycleways in the cityFor more info, please visit: New ‘pop-up’ Cardiff cycleway to open on Monday, March 15 (https://t.co/EhfyNtKIoL) pic.twitter.com/apw5miPXHO
— Cardiff Council (@cardiffcouncil) March 14, 2021
A new pop-up cycleway connecting Cardiff city centre opens today. The cycle lane will initially run from Cathedral Road to Castle Street and Dumfries Place with plans in place for more lanes soon. Work is also underway to extend the cycle route to Wellington Street, Newport Road and Adamsdown. The other planned routes currently being installed or consulted on include one in the south of the city centre.
Councillor Caro Wild, cabinet member for strategic planning and transport believes “there is a real desire for better cycling infrastructure so we are bringing forward our plans to develop cycleways to help people move around the city as the restrictions are eased.
“In the main, the new routes will be separated from other traffic on the road, making cycling safer, easier and a far better experience. We want to make Cardiff the best cycling city in the UK.”
"We fucked this up ourselves, nobody else to blame": Primož Roglič's coach gives honest assessment of Sunday's Paris-Nice disaster
Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Congrats to @MaxSchachmann and @BORAhansgrohe. We fucked this up ourselves, nobody else to blame. pic.twitter.com/ZOm9nYQQ7k
— grischa niermann (@grischaniermann) March 14, 2021
No excuses from Jumbo-Visma coach Grischa Niermann about yesterday’s disaster for his team at Paris-Nice. Primož Roglič confirmed after the stage that he suffered a disclocated shoulder in the first of his two crashes on stage eight. The Slovenian led Max Schachmann by 52 seconds going into the final stage but found himself detatched from the peloton without teammates and suffered a long, lonely ride to the finish.
Roglič haemorrhaged three minutes by the end, enough to see him drop to 15th in the general classification as Bora-hansgrohe’s Schachmann defended his Paris-Nice title in unusual circumstances.
“It’s not the stage we were hoping for,” Roglič said. “I did some mistakes today. With the first one I dislocated the left shoulder and then one more time. I just gave it all but unfortunately couldn’t catch the first guys anymore. It’s a little pity but we’ll go on.”
First major race in the UK for over a year announced
The Cyclone Festival of Cycling takes place in the beautiful and quiet NE of England over 2-4 July. Entries are now open for six public rides of between 10 and 108 miles – https://t.co/Z07iw5se5p pic.twitter.com/DILm4MlgTG
— Cyclone Festival (@CycloneFestival) March 8, 2021
The North East’s biggest cycling festival has been given the green light to spearhead the return of racing in the UK. The Cyclone Festival of Cycling is now preparing to host the first major road races to be held in the UK for over a year. The Curlew Cup (women’s race) and Beaumont Trophy (men’s race) will mark the end of a three day festival of cycling on Sunday 4 July. Both races, are part of British Cycling’s HSBC National Road Series.
In addition to the pro races, there will be a family event along the River Tyne on the Friday and four challenge rides ranging from 34 miles to 108 miles around Northumberland National Park on Saturday 3 July.
Last month British Cycling cancelled several National Road Series events including the Tour of the Resevoir, Alexandra Tour of the Resevoir and the Stockton Cycling Festival Grand Prix. The Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix scheduled for May 9 has also been postponed.
Velocio's #RideToTheStart Challenge
Velocio is running a virtual challenge from March 12-21 to share routes, favourite climbs and lesser known roads to make the best of a start to a season still disrupted by lockdowns and cancellations. They are asking riders to upload rides to komoot and tag Velocio to share their rides and be in with a chance of winning prizes from Wahoo, ENVE, Velocio and komoot. With no group rides, sportives or races allowed just yet, hopefully the challenge will mean we’ll all have some new roads and climbs to explore in the meantime…
Simon Carr crashes at Tirreno-Adriatico
Scary crash for Carr. Eurosport NL rightly notices that, especially on these local laps, they should have haybaled that island. He’s back on his bike! #TirrenoAdriatico pic.twitter.com/JIqUF84rGM
— ednl 🇪🇺 (@ednl) March 15, 2021
Ouch, ouch and more ouch for EF Education-Nippo’s Simon Carr. Shades of Cav’s crash at Milan-San Remo a few years back…The young Brit has impressed already at Tirreno-Adriatico, finishing eighth on Saturday’s summit finish. He’s now proved he’s hard as nails too…No fuss, roll the stretcher away, puts his shoe back on and away he goes.
🇬🇧Simon Carr for @EFprocycling has just proved how tough cyclist really are #smash #crash #bang pic.twitter.com/Yue8p9k2c4
— Chris Bowes (@bowesy_bowesy78) March 15, 2021
Mads Würtz Schmidt wins stage six of Tirreno-Adriatico
🇩🇰@MadsWurtz of 🇮🇱@TeamIsraelSUN wins stage 6 of 🇮🇹@TirrenAdriatico #TirrenoAdriatico (📺@RaiSport) pic.twitter.com/H4OyQ9VuPT
— World Cycling Stats (@wcsbike) March 15, 2021
The breakaway survived on stage six of Tirreno-Adriatico with Mads Würtz Schmidt of Israel Start-Up Nation winning the five-up sprint. As well as being the Dane’s first WorldTour win, it is the first win for a female directeur sportif at a men’s WorldTour race. Schmidt beat young Belgian rider Brent Van Moer, Simone Velasco, Jan Bakelants and Nelson Oliveira in the kick to the line. Behind, Mathieu van der Poel’s teammate Tim Merlier won the sprint for seventh, 30 seconds after the final man from the breakaway, Emils Liepiņš, crossed the line. Deceuninck-Quick-Step’s Davide Ballerini, Cofidis’ Elia Viviani and Max Kanter of Team DSM rounded out the top ten.
No changes on GC means that Tadej Pogačar will take a 1:15 advantage on Wout van Aert into tomorrow’s individual time trial, the final stage of the race.
Why do motorists hate cyclists?
One of our forums got lots of attention over the weekend so we’re bringing the topic here to get some more input from you lot…If you’ve cycled for any period of time you’ve probably had a negative experience with a driver: something shouted at you, a punishment pass, or worse…Whatever it may be there’s an underlying question to be asked. Why do motorists hate cyclists? But why are road rage incidents so common? And why is it that one of the times when we feel the most hostility in our lives is probably when we’re out on our bikes?
Of the replies we’ve had so far, here’s a couple of popular suggestions for starters: road rage drivers are angry about everything on the road (traffic jams, traffic lights, other drivers etc.) so cyclists are just another victim of their rage. Secondly, motorists incorrectly perceive cyclists to be holding them up…Anyone got any more suggestions?
Fantastic scenes in the Israel Start-Up Nation team car
GOT IT!
ISN’s @MadsWurtz just WON #TirrenoAdriatico 6th stage !
The emotions ? Right here ! pic.twitter.com/TMf7tojWtF
— Israel Start-Up Nation / Israel Cycling Academy (@TeamIsraelSUN) March 15, 2021
15 March 2021, 09:03
15 March 2021, 09:03
15 March 2021, 09:03
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@FionaJJ "I’d say that being visible is still very useful in a lot of locations where effort has gone into safe systems (like railway tracks). " Indeed ... but while we *do* operate a "safe systems" approach in the railways (and indeed in shipping and air transport) we don't do this in the same way on the roads. So unfortunately what should be the final backstop - given we've also addressed hazards at higher levels - ends up getting promoted as a first line safety measure. And of course safety is mostly out of cyclists' hands * so it's something people *can* do themselves. * After deciding whether to cycle at all, route choice (can I avoid roads altogether / what are the quieter routes), basic road skills. Individuals can't change road layouts and rules, so we simply have to hope that drivers do their part...
Some places are just getting on with it though. I visited Bristol again after about a year and while it's a slightly unlikely cycling venue (very lumpy, the motor traffic is terrible) they really seem to be making an effort. Roads and streets are being redesigned to accommodate cycling and pedestrians. A bit rough and ready? Missing links (especially outside the centre)? Certainly, but I saw loads more parents cycling their children places than Edinburgh and even kids cycling places on their own.
@FionaJJ perhaps. Perhaps the last transport secretary (that didn't get going) would have been "too bold" and brought down bikelash? And with the fact that motoring is built into the culture and (literally) to planning and infra, the overwhelming power of the motoring-related industry lobby etc. And that cycling - at a very low level - has existed despite all that, in the gaps as it were. On the other hand, as the likes of David Hembrow point out the "wrong kind of compromise" has been the norm here. Asking for too little ("it's the best we can hope for") and getting less. Leading to stuff which might even set things back overall ("nobody uses it... waste of money and space"). Plenty of impossible "take it or leave it" choices... So far I think Chris Boardman has found a good way: heavy on local engagement, lots about children's journeys / people doing basic tasks / nicer places. This does seem to end up being mostly "crossings" and quieter streets - pedestrian and public transport measures with cycling a quiet addition. Is that enough? Not sure.
I've often said in debate with drivers that a pedestrian should be able to complete their journey safely even if they are a complete idiot and entirely ignorant of the rules of the road. I can't then say that this doesn't count if the result of their error is that they are hit by a bike. There's a responsibility here for everybody to take the duty of care that they have over vulnerable road users seriously. As cyclists we want drivers to be alert to our presence and to take precautions that, even if we do something they don't expect us to do, they will not hit us. We must apply that same responsibility to ourselves and pedestrians. I have one question. Did any one of the cyclists in that group observe the lady approaching the road and ring their bell?
@mdavidford Yes. There's plenty of evidence, well known to the advertising and sales industries, that once people have decided they want to buy something, they will dismiss new negative information on the item while embracing positives. It's why so many organisations persist with, and get away with having additional 'hidden' costs that appear once you've already decided you want to buy those tickets. I'm sure most of those who still wanted to buy an SUV despite the added dangers to the rest of the population were convincing themselves those stats only applied to the bad drivers, but not them because they are good drivers etc. But also a little voice telling them that the bad drivers out there causing havoc confirms they need one too. Education about the dangers of SUVs needs to come before people are thinking of buying them, or possibly more realistically, needs to focus on the issues with the worst offending SUVs. Rather than 'SUV drivers are out there killing people', it should talk about the consequences of different bonnet height and shape, as well as the weight and power. Lots of people just want an SUV so they can get into and out of the car without it hurting their knees. Explain they can get that without buying a tank and they are less likely to go on the defensive. I'd also tax the worst offenders, and introduce speed limiters for the most powerful ones. See how many people who need one to tow a caravan once a year are put off if they can't speed on the motorway. I'd also suggest that in the case you are involved in a serious collision, that your choice of vehicle is considered an aggravating factor in allocation of blame and any sentencing. If you don't have a good reason for driving around in something big, heavy, and powerful with terrible close-range visibility, and go on to kill or seriously injure an eight year old, when they probably would have survived with just minor injuries if you were in a Fiesta - that's a consequence of a choice you made just as much as deciding to get behind the wheel while drunk, or to look at your phone. The only difference is time scales. Most people would at least try to come up with a justification for needing their personal tank, but it might at least make a few more people think about the potential negative consequences for them.
@chrisonabike I get the impression that Heidi is a true believer when it comes to the benefits of cycling and active travel, but she's also a moderate and team player when it comes to temperament, and will co-operate with the PM of the day, and will compromise according to what is assumed to be electorally popular. That's not necessarily a bad approach, especially if you hope to stay in power for long enough to get sustained change, or if you are happy to get on with making useful changes when the attention isn't on you.
@chrisonabike I agree that PPE is always the last line of defence, and having safe systems is always more important. But I'd say that being visible is still very useful in a lot of locations where effort has gone into safe systems (like railway tracks). Proper H&S 'hi-viz' will include reflective bits appropriate to the work and setting. What's right for improving visibility while cycling will depend on when you are cycling, where you are, what conditions are likely. What Heidi is wearing looks adequate to me, assuming her full route is in good light. I don't know much about the Reading end, although I'm sure I spotted a segregated cycle path, but London has a lot of good routes, and crucially, most drivers there know to expect cyclists. Her block of bold red will stop her from blending into the background, and as that's the bit of her that's moving, that's a great way to help the subconscious brain notice there's a human up ahead. Her hair, feet and sandals are all light, so help to catch the eye against dark backgrounds. I suspect the light coloured rim of her helmet is reflective, and I've got spoke reflectors and stickers on my bike, which is an easy way to add reflectivity regardless of what you are wearing. Particularly useful in Winter when there are a lot of competing lights. I favour using running lights all year to keep me a bit more visible when going through areas of shade and in the hope drivers will register that there is a bike ahead. But I also live in an area where most drivers are not expecting to see someone cycling, so it's more important to announce yourself here than in London. Anyway - good for Heidi. The complaints about not wearing hi-viz will only help to get the video seen by more people, and a great reminder that cycling isn't just for men in lycra.
Could we get some updates, the glove world hath changethed.
Google is broken. Even if they are forced to roll back on the made up summary (a German court said it was original content so they're liable), it will still be a front page of SEO slop. Images full of geometry nightmares. Another vote for switching search to DuckDuckGo. You can turn all the crap off in Settings. Ah, bliss.
24 thoughts on “Why do motorists hate cyclists?; Shocking cycling crash; First major race in the UK for over a year; Roglič’s coach gives honest race review; Santander Cycles’ 100 millionth hire; RoboCop polices Belgian race; New pop-up lane + more on the live blog”
My wife and I cycled for ours
My wife and I cycled for ours. We aren’t as old as this young lady but we both have dutch bikes. Needless to say we were the only ones on bikes.
My wife and I walked for ours
My wife and I walked for ours 🙂
Rode for mine, just as well
Rode for mine, just as well as the car park was rammed and the queue was into the street out side. Strange as where I live you could choose which centre to go to and it meant that no one was more than a mile away.
Harrogate is using the
Harrogate is using the Yorkshire Showground for vaccinations.
There is normally a greenway through the Showground, but now it is full of MGIF/MGVaccinated drivers, who are ruining it.
I cycled to Knaresborough for
I cycled to Knaresborough for mine
Only bike there.
I cycled to mine on Saturday,
I cycled to mine on Saturday, mainly to get 14 miles in beforehand (didn’t want to go too far in case of mechanical). They advised me to wait for 15 mins befoehand but I couldn’t be bothered being as I was less then 1/2 mile from the house.
AlsoSomniloquism wrote:
The recommendation to remain on site for 15 minutes after a vaccination (any vaccination) is incase you have an (albeit very rare) extreme reaction. If you are on your own when this happens, it doesn’t really matter if you are half a mile away from help or 50 miles away from help. Actually further would probably be better as there is more chance that you’d still be travelling and someone might come to your aid.
jh2727 wrote:
Got mine on Saturday and after the jab, the doctor asked if I’d driven and as I’d walked (like 10 minutes from my house) she said I was free to leave.
I cycled for both mine,
I cycled for both mine, nobody asked how I travelled so had to wait 15 mins each time.
That’s half an hour of my life I’m not getting back!
Both?? Not many can claim
Both?? Not many can claim that yet.
In fairness to the Welsh
In fairness to the Welsh Government, there’s over 250,000 of us now.
Not bad in a population of 3m!
They sent me straight out
They sent me straight out after the jab. Just said wait 15 mins before cycling but as I was two mins from home and didn’t feel any different I felt it was easier to just go. My arm now feels as bad as the TB injection did all those years ago but no other issues.
York’s centre in the south of
York’s centre in the south of the city has a prominently signed pedestrian and cyclist entrance. We cycled there for our jab and were allowed straight out afterwards because we were on bikes – car drivers were asked to stay for quarter of an hour.
My jab is on Friday. Given
My jab is on Friday. Given the sketchy location I could ride, but would probably be walking back, so will take the car instead.
I cycled to mine, which
I cycled to mine, which caused all kinds of confusion. First of all I wasn’t allowed to take the Brompton in. Not a big hassle given that the guy at the door said he’d keep an eye on it, but a little odd.
Then I got asked by every one of the five or so people who processed me going in whether I had driven. If I did then I’m to wait 15 mins after the jab in case I have a reaction. Each time i say no, I cycled. “OK, fine”
Until I get to the post jab window where they hand you the card and papers. “Did you drive here?” “No, I cycled.” Cue complete bafflement. Oh! What do we do for that? It isn’t in the instructions. Consultation with colleague ensued, who clearly had no idea and no interest in giving an answer. After much dithering I was instructed to wait anyway “in case”.
But was then dispatched after 5 mins anyway ..
“However, Helen Angell came
“However, Helen Angell came to the cyclist’s defence, with some local knowledge. “What you can’t see in this footage is that there is a pedestrian island in the middle of the road that is very unsafe,”
It’s certainly not safe if you’re going to just bomb across a road without looking. Completely the cyclist’s fault, and there’s no defence at all.
Not sure about the “filtering through the first lane of stationary traffic” line, either. Filtering is when you’re travelling in the direction of the slow/non-moving traffic, not when you’re just cutting perpendicularly across them.
So: “it’s filtering, Jim, but
So: “it’s filtering, Jim, but not as we know it”?
I think it’s generally referred to as “crossing the road”, and it would appear to me that the cyclist hurried across and in between the first lane of stationary cars but didnt wait to check if anything was then travelling in the next lane.
The non strapped helmet thing
The non strapped helmet thing looks to me a total red herring given he walked away. It could be argued that it done its job and broke away without causing a rotational injury. The real question to me is why? Why did the bloke crossing the road need to take such a chance ?
Can’t defend the person on
Can’t defend the person on the bike much, central refuge or not. If he could see there was a car coming, he should have waited; if he couldn’t, he should have checked.
But – camera angles aside, it looks like the car was carrying on at a brisk pace, given that he was passing stationary traffic. it took a bit of time to brake after the collision, too. That suggests to me he was driving too fast for passing a line of stationary traffic on the inside, and didn’t anticipate having to brake. Too much proceed-entitlement. There are all sorts of opportunities for conflict when passing on the inside: cars turning, pedestrians crossing, and, perhaps even somebody on a bike (although these are, of course, disposable in Oz).
In these situations a sports
In these situations a sports car is preferred to a SUV.
They had abandoned the 15
They had abandoned the 15 minutes wait by the time I had mine in Lancaster Town Hall in early February, and I was obviously a cyclist.
Sunday’s stage of Paris-Nice
Sunday’s stage of Paris-Nice was rather exciting, I have to say.
Amazing that, after road rash on both hips after crashing twice and a dislocated shoulder (Aaargh?!?), Roglic could chase hard for so long, most of it solo, and still only lose 3 minutes. That’s despite Bora, Astana and a couple of other teams were drilling it on the front and other riders attacking most of the way after the second crash (his DS said that they waited after the first).
Abolutely nails, that man.
Abolutely nails, that man. Honestly, I know the Ex Duris Gloria thing is a bit overcooked, especially if you’re just going for a Sunday pootle, but my goodness Roglic’s effort was extraordinary. Chapeau!
Tried the Cardiff ‘pop-up’
Tried the Cardiff ‘pop-up’ cycle lane this morning out of curiosity. There are dedicated signals so that cyclists have a phase of their own. Unfortunately, the cyclist phase appears to be demand-based using sensors, and the sensors don’t appear to be calibrated to recognise cyclists, so the cyclist signal remains red while the motor vehicle phases continue around you. Should be an easy fix, but you’d think it would have been tested before opening.