British pro says Specialized helmet visor saved his eye; Cyclists urged to be careful after woman injured while walking pet goat; Cav to ride Tour of Britain; Atlético Madrid find rival for Pog; Wiggle named UK’s best place to work + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Cyclists urged to be careful after woman injured while walking pet goat
A Wigan goat walker has urged cyclists to be more careful when riding on shared-use paths after she was injured when her pet pygmy goat bolted as a pair of riders passed. Donna Charnock told Wigan Today that she regularly walks her goats on The Lines, a gravel three-metre-wide bridleway, but was left with a £120 bill for her broken glasses and some injuries after the recent incident.
“We were alongside Standish High School’s playing fields when two cyclists – a man and woman who appeared to be in their 20s or 30s – passed us at speed abreast,” the goat walker recalled. “This caused Porthos, a powerfully-built animal, to bolt. I lost my footing and was dragged along the gravel surface for several yards. I had to release Porthos, who galloped off leaving me on the ground, and my husband had to leave me to sprint after him.
“The cyclists failed to stop, though they would have had to be stone deaf to be unaware of the accident they had caused, as I was screaming, and my husband was shouting after them. Fortunately, a lovely lady saw the incident unfold and came to my assistance. I was dazed, bleeding and in considerable pain; the lenses of my glasses were broken and the frame had cut into my forehead just above my left eye. My right knee had taken much of the impact, as had my head and face.”
The 60-year-old was told to visit the hospital by her GP, who feared she had broken ribs. X-rays showed no breaks but she did have to spend £120 on a new pair of glasses. Asked whether she’ll continue to walk Athos (presumably named after her favourite Specialized ride…minus the e), Porthos and Aramis on the bridleway, Donna said she would and stressed she believes it was probably a one-off as people are normally keen to stop and ask about the unusual pets.
“Be careful. You see people on The Lines with their children out of the prams and if we take the goats, these little toddlers just want to rush over. When I think of that, cyclists could take anybody out – an elderly person out with their dogs or a child. They need to be aware that animals could be there. We are in charge of our responses as humans, but animals respond differently.”
Strangest pets you’ve ever seen out on a ride? The viral clip of the man walking an emu springs to mind…do we have a higher bid?
Bahrain Victorious pro Gino Mäder pledges €1 to an environmental organisation for every rider he beats on each stage of La Vuelta
Each rider I beat on every stage equals 1 euro that I‘ll spend to an environmental organisation.
To decide where the money should go, write in the comments where it‘s best invested! The comment with the most likes at the end of the three weeks get‘s chosen.
— Gino Mäder (@maedergino) August 15, 2021
This is pretty cool from 24-year-old Swiss star Gino Mäder. Not least because he’s a super strong rider with a Giro d’Italia and Tour de Suisse stage win on his palmares for 2021. He’s already up to 282 euros after the opening two stages…
Sussex Police day of action sees more than 70 bike bells handed out to cyclists
Sussex Police hosted a day of action in Brighton where they spoke to cyclists and pedestrians to give safety tips on using shared-use paths by the seafront. More than 70 bike bells were fitted and pedestrians were reminded that they are used as a warning, not a challenge. The Argus also reports that dog walkers were asked to keep leads short near cycle paths and shared spaces. No word on if any goat walkers were spotted.
Sergeant Andrea Leahy of the central neighbourhood policing team said: “Sussex Police encourages all users of the seafront, including cyclists and pedestrians, to behave responsibly and help make our shared public spaces safe for everybody.”
Back in January a picture of a mobbed shared-use path on the seafront and empty road running parallel caused a fair bit of discussion, with some questioning why the segregated lane that had been handed over to cyclists after the first lockdown has since been removed. If memory serves me from when I was down there a few weeks back, there is still the very busy shared-use path and a cycle lane segregated with wands, just not a full lane of the A259.
Coming to a town near you...Mark Cavendish is racing the Tour of Britain
It’s happening! @deceuninck_qst‘s @MarkCavendish is the first rider revealed for this year’s Tour of Britain 🇬🇧#TourOfBritain 🔴🔵⚪
— Tour of Britain 🇬🇧 (@TourofBritain) August 16, 2021
Cav’s back! We’ve spent most of the summer saying that. Your Monday morning might be boosted by the news that everybody’s favourite sprinter is coming back to the Tour of Britain for the first time since 2019. A stage win will surely be on his mind, a feat Cav surprisingly last achieved in 2013. A home race win would top off a stellar year for the 36-year-old who added another four Tour de France stage wins to his palmares and now shares a spot at the top of the stage wins table with Eddy Merckx.
“It is always an honour to race on the home roads of the Tour of Britain. It is a race where I have always enjoyed success and I am really looking forward to racing with what I know will be a strong Deceuninck – Quick-Step team. It has already been a special year for me and riding the Tour of Britain will be a great way to see so many of the people that have supported throughout,” Cav said.
There's a new Slovenian sheriff in town...watch your backs Rog and Pog
Watch out, @TamauPogi, @rogla & @matmohoric! 🇸🇮
There’s new competition coming your way 🚴♂️😉 @oblakjan pic.twitter.com/jqsGSglWk6
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) August 16, 2021
The next big star of Slovenian cycling?
Fred Whitton releases new app allowing riders to take on notorious Lake District route whenever suits
The Fred Whitton is a bit of a bucket list event for those of us who enjoy filling our free time with savage gradients and long days in the saddle. At 113 miles and taking in all of the Lakes’ toughest clibs, the Fred Whitton is one of, if not the toughest sportive in the UK. Consequently, it’s popularity can mean part of the struggle is getting a place in the annual ballot.
To give riders more freedom about how and when they ride the route, Fred Whitton has teamed up with Macmillan Cancer Support to create a new app, the Macmillan Four Seasons Fred Whitton Challenge. The app allows people to ‘officially’ ride the route in their own time, whenever they please, over one or more days.
All riders have to do is download the app, pick a date and fundraise for Macmillan or one of their other charities, start at one of the eight locations on the route and clock out as a champion at the same point 113 miles later.
Wiggle named UK's best place to work
Wiggle has been named the UK’s best place to work by employee satisfaction portal Glassdoor and retailing publication Retail Week. Cyclingindustrynews reports the online retail giant scored 4.7 our of five in the rankings, edging out other top performers Gymshark, Jimmy Choo and Sweaty Betty.
“We’re excited to announce that Wiggle has been voted number one in the Top 20 Retailers to work for on Glassdoor, as voted for by our colleagues,” a post on the brand’s Linkedin page said.
Part of Wiggle’s success is said to be its willingness to listen to employees, holding monthly ‘townhalls’ where staff can raise concerns or suggest areas for improvement. Wonder if they get unlimited free Haribo too?
"I move mountains": Zlatan Ibrahimovic continues knee injury recovery with some mountain sessions
He’s never been short of confidence that Zlatan…here he is proclaiming he moves mountains on a stunning bike ride somewhere we’d love to be too. Add Jan Oblak and Ibra to the footballers who like cycling XI. Although at this point we’re probably up to a full 23-man squad plus some reserves…Foster/Oblak in goal, Lee Dixon, Geoff Thomas, Alan Shearer, Michael Owen, Ibra…not a bad start. And of course Neil Warnock in the dugout.
Vuelta a España Stage 3: Picón Blanco and first summit finish of the race
Today’s final climb of Picón Blanco – a regular test in the Vuelta a Burgos but one being used for the first time in the Vuelta. It’s foggy and cold up top #LaVuelta21 pic.twitter.com/GY6o6Mgltj
— Felix Lowe (@saddleblaze) August 16, 2021
This is what we came for. It’s what the Vuelta is all about. Stage 3 and we’ve got a summit finish up a brutal slog of a climb. Picón Blanco is a perennial challenge for riders at one of the Spanish Grand Tour’s final warm up races – Vuelta a Burgos.
Having said that; it wasn’t used as a summit finish this year, possibly due to its Vuelta inclusion just a couple of weeks later. Romain Bardet won the stage that went over the climb. Last year at Burgos, Remco Evenepoel blew away the field, taking a stunning summit finish victory ahead of riders like Mikel Landa and teammate João Almeida.
Other past winners here have included Iván Sosa as well as two of the climbers racing today: Landa and Miguel Ángel López. Primoz Roglic is the big pre-stage favourite, but we’re most interested in seeing how the Ineos boys go…will Egan Bernal be up to speed? Can Richard Carapaz hold his Tour de France and Olympics form? Where’s Adam Yates at after a light schedule all year and yesterday’s crash? Questions we’ll hopefully have answers to in a couple of hours time…
The climb is 7.6km at 9 per cent but spikes at 18 per cent and has three kilometres north of 10 per cent. Tasty.
British pro rider Cameron Jeffers boosts iron levels by 77 per cent by switching to a meat-free diet
Ribble-Weldtite pro Cameron Jeffers swapped out his standard diet for a vegan nutrition strategy for a one-month trial in a bid to boost his performance. The 24-year-old had health advice and support from Medichecks and underwent an Endurance Fitness blood test to measure his biomarkers before and after the diet change.
Jeffers’ iron levels increased by 77 per cent, while his cholesterol levels reduced. Vegan Food and Living notes the result is particularly interesting considering iron deficiency is often one of the main concerns people have when transitioning to a vegan diet.
“I was raised on a farm and have eaten meat since I was young, but I was interested to see if a plant-based diet could benefit me and my performance levels,” he told the vegan news site. “I went into it with an open mind and found the transition quite easily. Will the vegan approach help give me an extra edge? – yes massively.”
Jeffers has since added meat back into his diet, however his weekly meals are now 50 per cent plant-base. Any vegans here noticed any cycling performance improvements/changes since ditching meat?
Old block of Glasgow toilets turned into a 'cyclists paradise'
Kustom Kruizers created this cycling centre from an old block of public toilets in Robertson Park, Renfrew. The project includes hosting classes for young people aged 13-21 often from disadvantaged backgrounds, and teaches them how to strip, build and restore bikes which are then sold on.
The hope is that youngsters can then gain work experience, mechanical skills and qualifications in the new workshop and coffee bar. After a delay due to the pandemic the centre is finally open for riders to get their bikes fixed and pop in for a coffee.
“It is so exciting but also surreal to finally have the workshop open. It’s turned out 100 times better than we expected. We didn’t realise how big the space would be until everything had been taken out,” Kustom Kruizers founder Dave Neill told the Glasgow Times.
British pro rider says Specialized helmet visor saved his eye
“Because in a split second, it’s gone” #alwayswearahelmet pic.twitter.com/oURNaZlQS2
— Benjamin Turner (@benjeturner) August 16, 2021
British pro rider Benjamin Turner has said his helmet visor saved his eye after he crashed during the prologue of the Tour de l’Avenir, the top U23 race in the world. In a statement on Twitter, the Trinity Racing youngster thanked Specialized for his TT helmet visor, which he says “100 per cent” saved his eye.
Turner crashed hard on a downhill corner during the short TT and collided with a sign, fracturing multiple bones on the left side of his face and breaking his nose. Without the visor, Turner says he “would have 100 per cent lost my eye […] and probably had a brain injury #alwayswearahelmet”.
The 22-year-old shared a photo of him lying in a hospital bed bashed up after the fall. He said he hopes to be back on the bike “at some point” but is just relieved to have not suffered worse injuries.
Søren Wærenskjold took the prologue win in Charleville-Mézières as Ethan Vernon was the best of the Brits, finishing 6th, seven seconds back. The Norwegian won Sunday’s opening road stage too.
16 August 2021, 08:08
16 August 2021, 08:08
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86 Comments
Latest Comments
I'm sure the pink trousers count as high vis but I thought German infantry helmets were banned after Brexit!
@Pub bike People might even be tempted to leave them on if they were halfway competent, a courtesy car I had recently insisted that a 3t weight limit sign was a 30mph sign.
@mattsccm Can you be a bit more specific, is that 955 worldwide since the invention of the motor car?
I think we have to be realistic. It appears that the pedestrian was at fault and thus the cyclist should have no blame what so ever. Indeed they should be compensated, ideally from the pedestrian house insurance and if not through the MIB which exists for similar purposes. Equally motorised vehicle users should not be penalised for the stupidity of people. I recall, but sadly cannot prove it, evidence that something like 955 of all car/pedestrian collisions were the pedestrians fault and yet drivers are penalised by having to have ridiculous "soft" panels on cars which serve little or no purpose when linked to cars hitting road users. Think also 4wd bull bars being banned for no legitimate reason.
I’m sorry for the Mr Griffith’s loss but it was widely reported at the time that his mum stepped into the road without looking and around 2 metres from the approaching cyclists. Had the cyclists been a car she would have likely been run over and killed and the story wouldn’t even be reported as “news”. Likewise had she stepped out, knocked over and killed the cyclist it would likely not have been “news” worth reporting. The root cause of the death was failure to look before stepping out into the road.
Unfortunately (at least in the UK now) you just have to expect the unexpected around pedestrians *. Just slow down and be prepared for sudden odd moves - or indeed the opposite, people freezing when you "appear out of nowhere" (despite sporting hi-viz, daylight running lights, ringing bells / running spokey-dokeys...) Annoying but ultimately to your benefit as well as theirs... * And indeed drivers...
Your reminder also that "penalties as deterrents" for road crime is ... very questionable. For those affected - one is too many. But cyclist-caused deaths stand out by their rarity AND because we have normalised - well, minimized protests about - deaths due to motor vehicle drivers. How to stop deaths in the first place? You can't go wrong with a "sustainable safety" approach, instead of the UK's one which has leant heavily on reducing the number of vulnerable road users out and about and invoking the law as a backstop. While impossible to know why she stepped out here I suspect in cases like this one it is simply "not expecting cyclists" or "being unfamiliar with the speed cyclists can attain". And alas the only thing that really changes that is having *more* cyclists and enough "practical learning"...
Your reminder that there is nothing to stop cyclists being prosecuted for causing death by the manner of their riding - indeed there are (are they in use?) new laws on this. ...and indeed cyclists have been prosecuted and convicted. How *easy* this is - that's another thing. Hard to gauge given how uncommonly this occurs.
@the little onion Hit the deck because a pedestrian crossed the road while the light was green for road traffic. I shouted "watch out!", she froze then reversed while I was riding around her from behind. Bang! A pedestrian collided with me and my bike while crossing the road when it was forbidden. Crikey!
And there would be no discussion about "dangerous and speeding cyclists" which has yet to be defined.
86 thoughts on “British pro says Specialized helmet visor saved his eye; Cyclists urged to be careful after woman injured while walking pet goat; Cav to ride Tour of Britain; Atlético Madrid find rival for Pog; Wiggle named UK’s best place to work + more on the live blog”
“When I think of that,
“When I think of that, cyclists could take anybody out – an elderly person out with their dogs or a child.”
Why would anyone come to that conclusion ?
Perahps they should have stopped although how were they to know it was a goat or would bolt ? Given the description ‘ Porthos, a powerfully-built animal’ it does not seem very sensible to take a goat on a lead. What other things do goats bolt at ?
Quote:
Is a goat pushing the shared bit of shared path too far? Maybe that section of path needs a warning sign for farm animals?!
Animal calamity: part of me
Animal calamity: part of me thinks “if you can’t control your animal, don’t take it out in a confined space”, but another part thinks “ride carefully on a shared path or around animals anywhere”.
Sounds as if both parties could have done better here.
I ride carefully around dogs
I ride carefully around dogs because they could take me out. I would not expect to spook a dog by riding by. It doesn’t say the relative directions, but it reads as the cyclists overtook, so would it look like a dog from behind at a quick glance ?
Lucky you that you never
Lucky you that you never spook a dog from behind. I’ve spooked dogs cycling on the road and them being on the pavement when going past. The difference is a spooked dog might attack rather then run, but it depends on fight or flight. The issue here is not what type of animal it is, it is being considerate on shared paths.
It would seem the only way to
It would seem the only way to be considerate is not to use the path when she is on it.
How would you have been considerate and do you know what spooks goats?
Do horses spook goats? Is this near a road and do loud m/cs spook goats ?
Dogs really shouldn’t be
Dogs really shouldn’t be cycling on the road – pretty clever dogs though
.
.Was she sure that it’s a goat, because it sounds more like a battering ram
hawkinspeter wrote:
buttering ram?
wycombewheeler wrote:
It was on a rampage
So a sixty years old woman
So a sixty years old woman takes a goat on a walk in a public space, and then complains because something in that public space startles her “powerfully built” animal that she is unable to control/hold back…?
(edit) agree with the Billder – perhaps the cyclists should have ridden more carefully, but OTOH pedestrians don’t often have a very good idea of how fast or how close a cyclist is riding, so I think I’d probably take her testimony on that with a pinch of salt.
That was my thought too
That was my thought too brooksby.
I am also a bit sceptical about some accounts on shared use paths of “cyclists passing pedestrians at speed” for a lot of people anything faster than a gentle jog pace is passing at speed.
What would happen if the powerful goat was spooked by a barking dog that was being walked along the shared use path and the woman was pulled off her feet…. that would barely be newsworthy would it. But because it’s a cyclist she ran bleating to the newspapers
Heh-heh… “bleating”. I see
Heh-heh… “bleating”. I see what you did there 😉
brooksby wrote:
or anyone really.
I remember being berated by a horsist for passing their horse too fats even though we were blatently slower than the car we were following which illicted no response at all.
Cyclists are going to fast if you are
cyclists are going to slow if you are drving behind them.
Even though the cyclist’s speed is likely higher in case 2
wycombewheeler wrote:
This is exactly it….. I tend to find that no matter what situation I am in as a cyclist my speed is always wrong
TriTaxMan wrote:
I suspect that to many pedestrians and motorists (and horsists? who knows) it is your existence which is wrong.
brooksby wrote:
I think more to the point, human brains are irretrievably programmed to react with fight/flight response if something moving relatively fast comes unexpectedly past them.
Even a cyclist going quite slowly is likely to get a jump from somoeone who isn’t aware that they’re there. So while I agree that pedestrians don’t necessarily have a great idea of how fast/close a cyclist is, that’s not necessarily their fault. We’re built to react in scenarios like that, not to make calm, measured judgements of speed/proximity.
It is also true that cyclists aren’t necessarily very aware of how their relative speed will appear to pedestrians. It “feels” slow to them, just like driving through a 30mph zone feels slow after you’ve just driven an hour on the motorway – but it can still “feel” very fast to the walker.
Pedestrians as witnesses are
Pedestrians as witnesses are notoriously bad. After the accident pictured here the other day in central Oslo, a pedestrian was asked by a journalist to estimate it’s speed before the collision with a static building, (It was even behind high-vis temporary barriers due to road works)
The pedestrian, who was roughly ages with the woman with a goat stated quite without fear of being wrong that the car had been doing “At least 200km/hr” . . in the centre of town, and the driver survived ?????
They were possibly both at
They were possibly both at fault but of course, only one story has been presented here.
And goat walking? Really? Goats that are strong enough to drag a human along the ground and which you can’t control?
We all know the score, they could’ve been riding at walking speed and still they were going too fast. #standard
I always remember being told
I always remember being told I was riding too fast on a shared path, when Id actually come to a complete stop to let some mothers with pushchairs who werent remotely interested in ‘sharing’ the path past me. I was still far enough away from them when I stopped they had to shout to even be heard.
I almost had an ‘Alliston’
I almost had an ‘Alliston’ moment a couple of days ago when a woman crossed the road in front of me without looking, on the exit of a blind bend.
No probs I thought, I’ll just go round the back of her. But as she got to crossing the centre line she suddenly stopped, did a sort of weird arm-flailing-leg-thing, and worried she would step back, I had to take a really wide line.
I can just imagine her getting home and telling the story of how a speeding cyclist nearly crashed into her! Truth is, the speed some cars go round there, if it wasn’t a bicycle, she would probably have ended up over a bonnet.
I reviewed my rear camera afterwards and she just made it over to the other side before a car rounded the bend. I reckon if I had braked and we had done the old, ‘after you’, ‘no I insist, after you’, we would both have been over a bonnet.
Haha, I got a finger-wag and
Haha, I got a finger-wag and a “slow down” from some grumpy woman on zebra crossing in London.
This was after I had stopped before the zebra crossing to wait until she had crossed.
I said “I’ve stopped!?” She just repeated herself. I’m afraid some people’s brains actually just disconnect from reality when they see someone on a bicycle …
Maybe you stopped too quickly
Maybe you stopped too quickly?
remember when they are
remember when they are walking anything over 10kph is ridiculously fast, then they get in their cars behind you and you’d bette be able to do 30mph and not hold them up.
Also had abuse from a pedestrian when I stopped at a pedestrian crossing, because others had gone through before me (on orange)
Whilst I appreciate that we
Whilst I appreciate that we only have one side of the story, from the Mrs Charnock’s account it does sound like the cyclists were at fault. On shared use paths it is important to slow down, warn other path users of your presence, and to give plenty of room. Doubly so when there are animals or small children present.
I’m thinking of the occasions
I’m thinking of the occasions when walkers have spread across a path, and I’ve had to get their attention just to be able to ride past in single file, as they carry on oblivious to the possibility of other people approaching faster from behind. In some instances, they have a dog skipping back and forth, sometimes on an extending lead, while they pretend to themselves that it’s “under control”. Never a goat, though.
And I’m also aware of the parallels that we get from drivers as we ride abreast in “the middle of the road”. We need to be careful of creating hypocritical perspectives.
However, on the road, cyclists riding abreast are usually occupying a lane, not the whole path/road. And it’s not the cyclists stopping the driver from overtaking safely, it’s oncoming traffic.
And while cyclists are required to give way to pedestrians on a bridleway, they aren’t expected to control somebody else’s dog, goat or anything else.
With all that in mind, it would be interesting to hear more about the goat walkers’ manner on the 3m wide path before the goat bolted.
Children and goats? What
Children and goats? What could possibly go wrong?
Mungecrundle wrote:
That’s certainly given me something to ruminate on
People who try to reduce
People who try to reduce serious subjects to a punning contest really get my goat. (I’m kidding).
Im sure this lady doesnt want to be the butt of anyones jokes.
Secret_squirrel wrote:
I remember cycling past St Werburgh’s City Farm (Bristol) and saw a worker trying to connect a tank of helium to a goat’s behind. It seemed a really strange thing to do, but you know, whatever floats your goat…
I’m amazed that this woman
I’m amazed that this woman takes a goat on shared use path. If this goat bolts due to cyclists how does it react to dogs?
Surely she expects to see dogs on the shared path. The fact that the goat bolted and she was dragged along suggests she was never in control of her animal at all.
Might as well walk down the path with an elephant on a tiny piece of string. “it’s all right he’s under control ona lead”
I happened to be a pedestrian
I happened to be a pedestrian in Brighton yesterday (for a change) and it was almost impossible to use the cycle lane along the seafront. It was rammed with people completely oblivious to it being there.
road.cc wrote:
I’m not convinced that
I’m not convinced that handing out bells to cyclists is worthwhile if they also have to “remind” pedestrians that bells are a warning and not a challenge. Maybe it’d be easier to get cyclists to just use their voice instead, which can range from a polite “excuse me please” to an abrupt “Oi! Get out of the fragging cycle lane!”
I thought that it wasn’t a
I thought that it wasn’t a legal requirement to actually have a bell anyway (only to have the bell fitted at the point you buy the new bike, but legally you can take it off as soon as you’ve paid).
I also agree with you – not sure how to get around how pedestrians take a bell as a challenge (‘get out of my way’) rather than a warning (‘be aware that I’m here’).
I wonder if the problem is that that is how many motorists use the horns fitted to their cars…?
I’ve got a tiny bell fitted
I’ve got a tiny bell fitted to my bike, but it’s a bit crap and I just never bother using it these days.
What works for me when approaching peds it to slow down (crucial point as it makes you less threatening and gives you more time to allow them to do their ped stuff) and then speak to them when you’re close. If you’re not prepared to slow down for peds, then shared-use paths aren’t for you (and that’s why I prefer to stay on the road).
Or ping/ring your bell much
Or ping/ring your bell much further away, so all that you’re doing is making a noise and they have time to look around and see you… If they decide to be arses about it, it also gives you plenty of time to decide how to deal with it…
brooksby wrote:
That can work, but it depends on the peds reacting in a sensible fashion (or at all). I’ve just found speaking to be much more effective and it creates less animosity (it identifies you as a person on a bike rather than one of “those rude cyclists”).
I treated myself to a
I treated myself to a fabulously expensive Spurcycle bell which seems to be audible from a very long way off. I may be imagining it, but I’m sure I have seen pedestrians spin around, prepared to be annoyed at me, then realise I am actually still 200 yards away and just giving them plenty of warning.
hawkinspeter wrote:
Especially when so many of them are wearing headphones.
Maybe if I had all 70 of
Maybe if I had all 70 of those bells attached to my bike the bellend runninng on the cycle path with the earphones in who then decided to have a go at us despite my GF having rung her bell repeatedly may have heard us. As it happens, I actually broke the clapper off my bell earlier that ride while trying to stop an old dear crossing the road infront of me time for the claxon horn I think.
Shared paths (including ones
Shared paths (including ones with a notional divide) are a bit crap. Who knew?
That article truly is the
That article truly is the greatest of all time
A couple near me walk goats,
A couple near me walk goats, also on a shared use path, they should switch to more docile sheep. They both hold the lead with two hands (one at the end and one half way along, short leash) but she is not strong enough to control a single goat, they are powerful things: If you call out a warning it bolts and drags her, if you ring your bell it bolts and drags her, if you hop onto the road and cycle passed at all near the kerb it bolts and drags her. PTSD from other cyclists is possible. They have been doing this way before the pavement was shared use and widened. Another score for the uselessness of shared-use paths.
One wonders what the point of
One wonders what’s the point of walking a goat, or indeed any creature that lives outdoors. Is it for the benefit of the animal or for the benefit of the person walking it? Maybe because they love being the centre of attention?
There’s a family in my
There’s a family in my village, who walk a ferret on a lead.
How many children has it
How many children has it bitten ? !
None, AFAIK.
None, AFAIK.
(my dog didn’t even recognise it as being an animal…)
Our cat used to come for a
Our cat used to come for a walk with our two dogs when I were a lad.
Secret_squirrel wrote:
https://metro.co.uk/2016/10/20/this-guy-has-adopted-a-red-squirrel-and-now-spends-four-hours-a-day-walking-him-on-a-lead-6203509/
I can’t be the only person
I can’t be the only person thinking that squirrel looks like it’s lost its gimp mask…
brooksby wrote:
I’m pretty sure it’s just you.
hawkinspeter wrote:
No, that was first to my mind too
Quote:
It’s not clear which element caused the powerfully built goat to bolt. Was it that they were on bicycles, that they went past, the speed, or that they were abreast? Or maybe just a mistaken case of post hoc ergo propter hoc?
Incidentally, is it just coincidence that those who take issue with cyclists being abreast are almost invariably abreast themselves, as here?
A timber trail bell is best
A timber trail bell is best for busy shared paths, it rings constantly from the bike vibration in a non challenging manner. The problem with using a standard bell on a busy path is that you would never have enough distance to ring the bell without the pedestrian being startled and claiming you are aggressively demanding they move out your way. Nice to see the police in Sussex putting some effort towards improving cycle safety. They could have chosen to run a close pass initiative, or speeding clampdown, but they went for the cyclists because they cause the most injuries and death on the roads.
I sense the force of irony is
I sense the force of irony is strong in this one
bobbinogs wrote:
I’ve been using one of these
Muddy Ford wrote:
That is true. I have read countless times that cyclists cause many accidents due them weaving in and out of traffic and under the new highway code, this will go up as drivers will rear end other vehicles when a driver in front gives way.
Just get a noisier freehub,
Just get a noisier freehub, works a treat.
But whilst I know the article mentions the police,and gives then a quote,I think this was actually a council initiative not a police run thing.
Which is in itself interesting as it looks driven by the councils decision to remove the cycle lane along Old Shoreham Road, with one councillor offering to go along with a tin of paint to help remove it more quickly.
Surely that would be
Surely that would be ‘criminal damage’ !
Indeed it would
Indeed it would 🙂
Taking their goat for a walk?
Taking their goat for a walk?!!
Ffs, whatever next.
Do they keep it in the house, like a pet?
Some people are beyond stupid.
They tried milking a dog but
They tried milking a dog but they didnt like the taste.
Secret_squirrel wrote:
Was it a male dog?
Owd Big 'Ead wrote:
No dafter than keeping a dog or cat. What’s the problem?
Pet fascist.
Pet fascist?
Pet fascist?
Guilty as charged.
I’ve never got the idea of animal lovers wanting to own pets. I personally think pet ownership isn’t the best way to care for animals. Must be a carnivore thing, like wearing leather shoes or sitting on leather seats.
Wiggle hasn’t been voted the
Wiggle hasn’t been voted the best place to work.
It’s been voted the best retailer to work at.
The clue is in the article.
Crap journalism.
Owd big and bad mannered.
Owd big and bad mannered. Back to your little internet hole.
My granny used to say if you have nothing nice to say, p&%s off to another website and ride your bike and perhaps you will loose some of the ‘big’ and gain some of the manners
Whereas telling someone to
Whereas telling someone to piss off is the height of manners?
Grow up youth.
Grow up youth.
That photo of Cav is some
That photo of Cav is some really bad editing.
So in his twitter post
So Benjamin Turner twitters this picture #alwayswearahelmet
I’m guessing he meant always
I’m guessing he meant always wear a helmet when riding, rather than on the turbo as he clearly is there?
“At 113 miles and taking in
“At 113 miles and taking in all of the Lakes’ toughest bergs, the Fred Whitton is one of, if not the toughest sportive in the UK.“
Bergs? Passes, surely?
If Yorkshire had cols then
If Yorkshire had cols then Cumbria can have bergs.
I think the Yorkshire ‘cotes’
I think the Yorkshire ‘cotes’ were so named for their involvement in the Tour de France though, no? Not sure if those names have stuck? All of the major climbs on the Fred Whitton are known as passes, e.g. Kirkstone, Whinlatter, Newlands, Honister, Hardknott, Wrynose.
Cotes. You are quite right
Cotes. You are quite right. My comment was tongue in cheek. No, I doubt they have stuck beyond the Tour de Yorkshire.
Quote:
Which way was the goat running? If I found an out-of-control, “powerfully-built animal” galloping after me, I don’t think I’d be too keen on stopping either.
mdavidford wrote:
You’d be right, too.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3978376/Ram-raid-Angry-sheep-tries-knock-cyclist-bike-CHASES-terrified-man-car.html
My better half has just
My better half has just finished this 1000 piece Tour de Yorkshire jigsaw puzzle.
Which for some reason, no
Which for some reason, no matter which way up I save it, appears upside down???
I just assumed she was
I just assumed she was Australian.
She’ll just have to start
She’ll just have to start over then!
Send the jigsaw back, it’s
Send the jigsaw back, it’s clearly broken – they should check at the factory that it’s printed the right way round.
I slow down for anyone on
I slow down for anyone on shared path and never encountered anyone walking a goat. But you probably should not own a goat if you need to walk one and cannot control it on a lead.
I find pedestrians take
I find pedestrians take little notice of my bell, but luckily I have got cheapo cable discs that make the most horrendous screeching/howling noise more or less at will and it really has the desired effect. On another matter, oddly this very morning I was astonished to see 5 wild boar run across the cycle path (with no 60 year old trying to control them) about 5 miles from the city centre.