British Cycling has been criticised for releasing a video showing a ‘distracted’ coach who was driving while celebrating Zoe Bäckstedt’s victory at the World Championship.
Clearly thrilled by the win, former professional cyclist-turned coach Emma Trott can be seen at the wheel of the car watching the action on a screen, while celebrating enthusiastically and taking both hands off the wheel.
British Cycling shared the clip, which has now been viewed over 38,000 times, on its Twitter feed after the race, and people were quick to ask if the organisation thought it sent the right message.
Us too @EmmaTrott1989, us too ??
? sound on.#GBCT ?? pic.twitter.com/rdROO0DRsS
— British Cycling (@BritishCycling) September 25, 2021
Cycling Mikey, who regularly films his encounters with road users driving poorly or using their phone at the wheel, said: “Why are you endorsing such shitty driving?
“I spend far too much of my spare time catching bad drivers and reporting to the police, and now I see a cyclist/driver doing this, and I’m disgusted.”
> Number of ‘distractions’ inside Trek-Segafredo team car at Giro d’Italia branded ‘insane’
Another user Pompey Cyclist, added: “Yeah I don’t get why everyone’s alright about this.
“We rightly chastise drivers sitting still looking at their phones. This is… mad.”
Others questioned whether it was a good idea to publish a video of a person driving while watching a race on a screen, while some questioned why teams don’t recruit someone to drive so that coaches can concentrate on the race.
Stuart Baillie said: “Operating a motor vehicle while watching a video stream on in car screen?
“Driving without being in full control of the vehicle, I understand she’s happy, but this kind of outburst at the controls of a powerful vehicle is extremely dangerous.
“Cyclists want drivers to be careful.”
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A British Cycling spokesperson told road.cc: “The team car was travelling on closed roads as a race support vehicle.
“Emma was rightly delighted by a landmark win for a group of promising young women she coaches.
“Spur-of-the-moment celebrations like this are part and parcel in men’s and women’s sport and the whole team shared in the victory.”
British Cycling also posted a number of YouTube links alongside the statement showing other teams in similar situations, a few of which can be viewed via the links below.
> Davide Bramati Emotional After Matteo Trentin’s Win
> Paris Roubaix | BMC Team Car Celebration
> Giro d’Italia 2020: INEOS Grenadiers celebrate Tao Geoghegan Hart’s win on Stage 20
60 thoughts on “British Cycling criticised for video showing ‘distracted’ team coach driving while celebrating win”
A British Cycling
A British Cycling spokesperson said: “The team car was travelling on closed roads as a race support vehicle.”
Well, that’s ok then, because no cyclist has every been hit by a team vehicle being driven by someone who wasn’t paying attention; much.
No apology, no expression of regret, no promise to do better.
“Spur-of-the-moment celebrations like this are part and parcel in men’s and women’s sport and the whole team shared in the victory.”
Well they damn well shouldn’t be, not while they’re driving a car. Such incredible recklessness and no condemnation from BC, just bland statements excusing the inexcusable. But then, BC is all about winning, not utility cycling on ordinary roads by ordinary people. Posting vids of other idiots being idiotic as some sort of defence for your own idiot doing it, isn’t a defence and is the height of hypocrisy.
I’m sure the next cyclist run over by a driver watching a screen will feel comforted that BC has their best interests at heart. Shameful, just bloody shameful; and grossly irresponsible.
EDIT; don’t UCI rules prohibit drivers from being able to see the screen?
Do get back in your box. If
Do get back in your box. If this was a Road Race on open roads you would have a point. It isn’t; it is a major event on closed roads and every team car will have had similar TV arrangments. The team in the car were there to do a job part of which is monitoring the race situation.
Risk assesment is part of the UCI’s job; if in a sporting environment this is deemed to be a risk then it should be stopped. Blaming BC for this is classic BC bashing BS!
Legin wrote:
Sorry, I’m not in a box, and I’ve no idea why you think I’m in one. Anyway, puerile comments notwithstanding, there have been quite few incidents of team cars running over cyclists, and what about the example it sets? Utterly crass for a so-called cycling organisation to condone this and not issue a grovelling apology immediately, totally condemning the reckless behaviour which put cyclists at risk.
The driver has one job, one job only, and it isn’t to monitor the race; it’s to drive the car, safely. If BC think that it’s ok for drivers to watch tv screens, take their eyes off the road and hands off the wheel in the presence of cyclists, then there is no hope for them, and they could hardly better demonstrate their contempt for ordinary cyclists.
Legin wrote:
at the end of the clip the driver barely misses a pedestrian, so much for “it’s all OK it’s closed roads.”
If the whole team will celebrate the vistory as part of parcel of the sport, then they need a neutral disineterested driver who can focus ont he task at hand.
People have been hit by cars
People have been hit by cars and m/cs in the TdF
I guess lessons have not been learnt.
Legin wrote:
Are you suggesting that support drivers need not show the same level of risk awareness and safety as average drivers on the road? Interesting….
Captain Badger wrote:
They are on a dedicated race track. Are you suggesting that Formula 1 drivers need to show the same level of risk awareness and safety as average drivers on the road?
Legin wrote:
Oh sorry, I though it was a support car on the cycle racecourse. or is your analogy a little askew….?
And neither should a support or safety car on an F1 track be driven by a distracted driver btw…..
Legin wrote:
are you suggesting that operators of industrial machinary don’t need to concentrate on the task at hand because they are not on the public highway? In fact LOWER standards are tolerated on the roads than in any other workplace. If we were to apply the usual health and safety at work considerations to the behaviour shown in the video it would fail.
Magistrate – can you explain how you came to hit the victim with a forklift?
Defendant – well I was watching the company presentation on business performance at the time, and as the results were good and we were all getting a bonus, naturally I spontaneously celebrated.
Magistrate –
well thats OK thencompletely unacceptable, guiltyPeople need to appreciate that motor vehicles are dangerous machines, and need to be treated with more respect.
Legin wrote:
I would bet good money that even the worst F1 driver has a much better level of risk awareness than the average driver on the road.
highlights again the DS/team
highlights again the DS/team coach shouldnt be the one driving the team car around, its not a good look however spontaneous the celebration was, I am surprised they havent properly apologised for it, whilst we know it happens alot in cycling, that doesnt make it right for sure.
and how come TeamGB have a left hand drive car anyway 😉
The team cars are provided by
The team cars are provided by the UCI from their sponsorship deal. Even GB pro teams like Ineos have left hand drive cars cos that’s how it works on the continent. The celebration was in the finish chute after coming off the course.
yes Im aware cycling pro
yes Im aware cycling pro teams who spend alot of time on the continent use left hand drive cars, thought my emoticon might have hinted I wasnt necessarily posing a serious question
but heres the thing, whenever we go around this why is it the DS/team coach the one who drives loop, the answer is usually along the lines of because they are the ones who talk to the riders, and on the continent the rule is the cars have to stay on the right hand side of the road and can only approach riders on their right hand side, in the UK its actually the left instead, so theyll often say the reason the DS/team coach cant possibly sit in the passenger side and not drive is because theyd be on the wrong side of the car to talk to the riders.
but what if you were to use a right hand drive car instead…? 😉 (rhetorical question)
But then the mechanic would
But then the mechanic would be coming out of the left hand door causing mayhem.
Mechanic normally sats in the
Mechanic normally sats in the back, so has a choice of doors.
rct wrote:
Mechanics normally sit in the back holding a couple of wheels. In the UK they service on the left; meaning they jump out on the left on the continent the right. Them’s the rules
Awavey wrote:
Or sit in the back seat.
JohnnyRemo wrote:
— JohnnyRemoHow do you know that? And what about the pedestrian shown at the end of the clip, and I doubt he was the only one. It isn’t just the actual danger caused, although that is reason enough to condemn it, it’s the incredible attitude of BC in seeking to excuse it for the juvenile reason of “other people do it as well” that smacks of hypocrisy and arrogance.
Where else would the team car
Where else would the team car be at the end of a road race?
JohnnyRemo wrote:
So you don’t actually know that, you’re just assuming it. And even if it was there, it’s the message it sends that it’s alright to watch tv, take your hands off the wheel, eyes off the road while driving. Exactly opposite to what any responsible cycling organisation would be saying. The fact that BC management didn’t realise that shows that they haven’t got the faintest idea what most cyclists have to put up with; grossly irresponsible.
eburtthebike wrote:
What it actually says is you need to get back in your box. Your comments are just an excuse for an attack on BC.
Legin wrote:
Where is this mythical box of which you speak? Is it real? Or is it some kind of obscure insult that you seem to think conclusively proves that you’ve won your argument? I’m baffled, please enlighten me. The only reason I’m attacking BC is because of their crass, arrogant, out of touch behaviour.
What position do you hold in BC management exactly? And is it in a box?
eburtthebike wrote:
If I knew where the box was; you’d be put back in it. Exactly what mythical BC management post do you think I hold?
Legin wrote:
Excuse maker in chief? Head of distraction? Last desperate attempt to stop criticism of the indefensible Manager? STFU, it’s BC so stop attacking them Vice CEO? Managing director of blaming other people?
Go on, tell us what your real job is for BC; assuming it isn’t one of the above.
Oh look – team cars going
Oh look – team cars going into finishing chute at about 25 seconds. https://www.eurosport.co.uk/cycling/world-championships/2021/road-world-championships-2021-gb-what-a-team-zoe-backstedt-seals-sensational-gold-at-world-championships_vid1549449/video.shtml
JohnnyRemo wrote:
Thanks for posting that, but the main point remains; BC are happy to post videos of drivers driving dangerously, and not only not condemn it, but to excuse it; crass, arrogant, stupid. Not the behaviour of any responsible cycling club.
I’ll tell you the only reason
I’ll tell you the only reason I can see it was the diversion for motors only after the finish line, the turning circle of the car, the lack of fans and the fact that there is a video of the motors being diverted… https://www.eurosport.co.uk/cycling/world-championships/2021/road-world-championships-2021-gb-what-a-team-zoe-backstedt-seals-sensational-gold-at-world-championships_vid1549449/video.shtml?fbclid=IwAR3ktDig3aq-kgt-wOFYw4Riw1qUkQn6lKoohwgtTvgJay9EddI1EAEPk44
JohnnyRemo wrote:
How else would we want the controller of 2 tonnes of metal to behave, regardless of location?
That it was during a closed
That it was during a closed road race is irrelevant.
Poor show from BC for releasing it, and poor show from the teams and governing body that allow the drivers to be so active in tasks other than driving.
What kind of message does it send out?
Can’t use a mobile phone while driving, but *they* can use a handheld radio (not allowed in the UK); we can’t send a text while stationary at a traffic light … but *they* can watch a full video stream?
The haters ain’t going to care that it’s closed road; it’ll just be another hammer to hit is with.
You do realise that we also
You do realise that we also see cyclists littering, pissing on the side of the road, racing through red lights, cycling on the wrong side of the road and much more, on live TV.
Is it irrelevant that it is during a closed road race ? Should they set an example and follow the same rules as commuters cycling to work ?
I agree that the ds who is driving shouldn’t hand out bootle, hold a radio, etc.. But saying that it’s irrelevant that it was during a closed road race is just stupid.
The majority of comments condemning the video are from cyclists, not from the anti cycling mob.
kettlenorth wrote:
Aaw dude, that was great! Tell us another one do
Happy you liked it!
Happy you liked it!
kettlenorth wrote:
Aaaw yeah, top trolling.
I am sure your response is
I am sure your response is genuine, and you mean what you said.
But in the off chance it is sarcasm, could you please explain to me what you didn’t like about my response?
kettlenorth wrote:
Not at all, loved every bit!
kettlenorth wrote:
We shouldn’t see the first two – disposal of waste outside of designated zones, and urinating in public view are both race offences that are punishable with fines and, as a last resort, being booted from the race.
Regulations relating to normal use of the road, such as traffic lights and lane markings, will have been suspended by the order closing the road, so those are irrelevant.
“racing through red lights,
“racing through red lights, cycling on the wrong side of the road”
And, unlike in the video clip, it’s totally obvious that the road is closed.
What with the barriers, Marshalls or police cars across junctions, and not to mention the squadron of motorbikes calling around like flies.
If you watched a cycle closed-road race on TV , and could honestly think that it’s an open-road event then there’s no hope.
As for the pissing in public, I can’t *quite* remember that being released as a celebratory video. Happy to be wrong though.
The point i am trying to make
The point i am trying to make, is that its a closed circuit, so the road rules (ie not phone while driving) also dont apply to the ds driving the car.
“That it was during a closed road race is irrelevant”
You can’t say that it is irrelevant just for drivers and not for cyclists. You can’t have it both ways.
kettlenorth wrote:
But no-one was arguing that it was illegal. The debate was over whether it was advisable, acceptable, responsible, or to be commended.
You don’t think maybe that
You don’t think maybe that there is a policy/code of conduct/duty of care/race rules which they all sign up to ?
kettlenorth wrote:
Feel free to show me in that clip where it says “closed road”.
Take your time, I’ll go get a brew on while I’m waiting.
Ok, so the anti cycling mob
Ok, so the anti cycling mob can go on the velon youtube channel, take a random video filmed with on board cameras, use it to describe anti social cyclist behaviour (racing on the full width of the road), and when asked about it being a race, respond with “feel free to show me in that clip where it says ‘closed road'” ?
I’d love Chris Boardman to
I’d love Chris Boardman to weigh in on this debate. You can rely on him for a sobre assessment. And I’m not taking the piss.
Expect no less from British
Expect no less from British Cycling.
Find them to be useless and totally woke, and a CEO who wrote back to me in an extraordinarily patronising manner.
Joined CUK today – hoping for better.
Flintshire Boy wrote:
How is this story in any way ‘woke’?
Steve K wrote:
Expect no less from British Cycling.
Find them to be useless and totally woke, and a CEO who wrote back to me in an extraordinarily patronising manner.
Joined CUK today – hoping for better.
— Steve K How is this story in any way ‘woke’?— Flintshire Boy
It could be, but then, nobody I’ve asked has been able to define “woke” to my satisfaction anyway.
Doesn’t woke mean that you
Doesn’t woke mean that you have some awareness and understanding of social issues outside your own experience so that you can avoid upsetting other people due to ignorance? I’m not really sure how it is an insult.
On local paper websites where
On local paper websites where there are disagreements I have seen it used an insult eg ‘typical woke reaction’, ‘you must be woke if you think that’.
It means whatever someone
It means whatever someone wants it to mean.
Seems to be more of an insult currently.
Think this YouTube comedy
Think this YouTube comedy video covers it pretty well: https://youtu.be/Ev373c7wSRg
Flintshire Boy wrote:
Is it the push for gender equality, an anti-racist position or the openness towards LGBT people that irritates you so much?
Even if being ‘woke’ is so dreadful I am at a loss to understand how anyone can link this incident with an organisation’s policy. Do you think women shouldn’t be allowed to drive? If a male rider is spotted having a mid-ride pee in a hedge do we go and burn Manchester velodrome because everyone at BC is therefore a flasher? FFS.
It’s because the Daily Mail
It’s because the Daily Mail keep repeating it so often that its eroded his cognitive abilities to evaluate the actual meaning of the word.
Golly gosh, what a LOT of
Golly gosh, what a LOT of straw men!!
You are are very good at imputing non-existent thoughts! Well done.
Not sure I can agree with you, however, on your contention that the head of an organisation does not in some way represent it. That’s certainly a new one on me.
Flintshire Boy wrote:
Really? Or are you using that as a way to side-step the obvious question: what’s so bad about an organisation or individual being ‘woke’?
Maybe the idea of BC trying to make cycling more accessible and more welcoming to women, non-white and non-binary people is a problem for you.
In my experience, the sort of
In my experience, the sort of people that trumpet the issues you highlight, are quite happy to be very disrespectful about issues they disagree with.. woke? maybe; arrogant, obnoxious hypocrites? definitely.
grOg wrote:
It’s difficult to parse your meaning here, but it seems to boil down to two points;
That you believe that people who “trumpet” (I presume that you mean dislike, rather than endorse) about racism, sexism, homophobia et al, are “arrogant, obnoxious hypocrites? definitely.”…. Illuminating…..
In addition you believe they “are quite happy to be very disrespectful about issues they disagree with”. Do you mean that , say, racist views should be treated with respect?
The driver drives, the DS
The driver drives, the DS sits in the passenger seat. Simple. Driving requires full attention; not radioing riders, watching the TV screen, etc I’m not sure when the sport is going to get this. It’s just a poor look – It matters not a jot that it’s a closed circuit.
Wasn’t a rider knocked over in the Giro this year due to a driver not concentrating?
remember the Tour de
remember the Tour de Yorkshire https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbec9vnqEdE
or La Vuelta https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l9eApjmN0A
lucky there was no one in the way on these closed circuit roads at the time
BC’s own rules don’t allow
BC’s own rules don’t allow their officials to drive themselves on open or closed roads roads. Why is this not extended to BC teams?
Indeed why despite several high profile instances in major races do the UCI still allow this?
Well the Womens Tour have
Well the Womens Tour have come up with a solution to this, just dont bother having live TV coverage, then theres nothing the DSs can watch,except maybe Bargain Hunt or repeats of the Saint to get their fix.