Grant Shapps’ dangerous cycling law “the wrong answer to a rare problem”, says Cycling UK; USADA catch another big fish – oh, wait: Amateur racer receives lifetime ban; Protection vs Paint; Astana pro tests positive; MTB Pidcock + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Grant Shapps’ dangerous cycling law “the wrong answer to a rare problem”, says Cycling UK
Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps has announced plans to bring in a new offence of ‘causing death by dangerous cycling’. But if government is to go ahead with this law, it must address the bigger picture. We’re calling for a wider review of road traffic offences and penalties. pic.twitter.com/dwwrPVQWzk
— Cycling UK (@WeAreCyclingUK) August 10, 2022
Over the weekend, we were greeted with the news – via the Daily Mail’s typically bombastic front page – that Transport Secretary Grant Shapps plans to introduce a new ‘causing death by dangerous cycling’ law, as part of his Transport Bill which will begin its passage through Parliament later this year.
The new law would see bike riders who are found guilty of the offence face the same punishment as drivers convicted of causing death by dangerous driving, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Currently, cyclists involved in crashes in which a pedestrian is killed or injured can face prosecution, under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, for causing bodily harm through wanton or furious driving, which carries a maximum penalty of two years’ imprisonment, a legal situation Shapps described as “archaic” and a “relic of the horse-drawn era”.
> Government to crack down on “reckless” riders with causing death by dangerous cycling law
Of course, the campaign for a new law concerning dangerous cycling is not new. In 2016, 44-year-old mother Kim Briggs was killed after being hit by London cycle courier Charlie Alliston, who was riding a fixed wheel track bike with no front brake at the time of the fatal collision.
After being prosecuted for manslaughter and wanton and furious driving (and being found guilty of the latter), Alliston was sentenced to 18 months in a young offenders institution out of a possible maximum two-year sentence.
Since the cyclist’s conviction, Briggs’ husband Matthew has campaigned for new legislation and told the Today programme this week: “It’s never been about the degree of punishment… it’s been about the complication, the chaos and the hurt and the confusion that comes along with the fact that there are no (specific) laws which apply to cyclists.
“It is rare, but it keeps happening. And it needs to be sorted. It is a very simple clarification, a tidying up of the law.”
However, charity Cycling UK has said this week that, while parity between motoring and cycling offences can be achieved, it must be done through a much wider review of road traffic offences and penalties, and that “you cannot have the former without the latter”.
“We made it clear that we have no objection in principle to seeking greater parity between cycling and motoring offences,” says Cycling UK’s Policy director Roger Geffen.
“But the Government’s proposed solution – namely to copy-and-paste the existing offence of ‘causing death by dangerous driving’ to create an equivalent cycling offence – was the wrong solution to a problem that only arises a couple or so times per decade.
“The right solution, by contrast, would involve tackling a much wider problem which causes terrible distress to hundreds of seriously injured or bereaved road crash victims every year.”
He continued: “Specifically, Cycling UK has long argued for new laws to clarify or revise the distinction between ‘dangerous’ and ‘careless’ road traffic offences, including their variants involving causing death, causing serious injury, driving under the influence, driving without a licence or insurance, or driving while disqualified.
“Road crash victims still regularly face the double injustice of absurdly lenient sentencing – try Googling ‘driver spared jail’, and you’ll see what I mean.
“This is often because the driving which caused their injuries or death has been dismissed by prosecutors or the courts as being merely ‘careless’, despite having caused ‘danger’ that surely ought to have been ‘obvious to a competent and careful driver’.
“Cycling UK has always been clear though that its desire to clarify the distinction between ‘careless’ and dangerous’ driving is NOT because we want to see more drivers locked up for causing death or serious injury – even though that is evidently what Shapps wants to happen to cyclists.
“On the contrary, we have long argued for less reliance on custodial sentences, and greater use of driving bans. Most (though not all) drivers who kill or maim through ‘dangerous’ driving are not dangerous people, who need to be locked up for public protection. A much fairer and more effective remedy is to ban them from driving for a suitable time-period, and only allow them to resume driving once they have passed an extended re-test.
“Long prison sentences, by contrast, should be reserved for those who have driven so obviously recklessly, or who have already flouted past driving bans, so that imposing (or re-imposing) a ban would NOT provide sufficient public protection.”
Cycling UK’s full statement can be read here.
Protection versus Paint: a tale of two videos
Let’s play a game of ‘spot the difference’ while we’re all having our mid-morning cup of tea…
First, we have this charming example of the Dutch school run:
Protected cycle tracks are needed so parents can safely cycle to school with a their children along main roads pic.twitter.com/I0h9eNGXE9
— Hackney Cyclist (@Hackneycyclist) August 10, 2022
Followed by the American model, which feels decidedly less welcoming, for some strange reason I can’t quite put my finger on:
You mean that’s better for kids than painted bike lanes like this one in my US city? https://t.co/6ZhfuEQ4Nq
— Stephen Hardwick (@Nonfinality) August 10, 2022
Lest we forget, of course, the infamous murder str- sorry, school road cycle lane, installed by Hull City Council earlier this year:
We had the chance in #Hull only @Hullccnews unable to design came up with this👇👇👇and for #School #Children too… They apparently didn’t want to upset drivers…🤷🤦 pic.twitter.com/gwB46fxENC
— RANDOMoriginals… (@RandomOriginals) August 10, 2022
They’re all exactly the same, aren’t they?
USADA catch another big fish – oh, wait… - Lifetime ban for weekend racer
Believe it or not, but it’s been ten long years since the Lance Armstrong empire was toppled by the “Reasoned Decision”; a watershed moment for professional cycling that resulted in that interview with Oprah, a plethora of (mostly decent) books and (mostly shoddy) films, and Brad Wiggins’ head scratching ‘Santa tripping on his sleigh’ analogy (or something along those lines).
In the decade following the long-awaited demise of “the most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping programme that sport has ever seen”, the United States Anti-Doping Agency has – quite understandably – focused its mighty attention on the most illustrious dopers, cheaters and scoundrels of the American Cat 4 peloton.
The latest of these weekend warriors to be crushed by Travis Tygart’s long arm is crit botherer Jackson ‘Huntley’ Nash, who has received a lifetime ban from USADA for multiple anti-doping violations.
Nash, who came to the attention of the anti-doping agency in December 2021 after a tip from a whistleblower, has been found guilty of seven different violations, including possessing and using, or attempting to use, the banned substances testosterone, clenbuterol, oxandrolone, and anastrozole.
He was also deemed to have trafficked and administered banned substances to another athlete, including human growth hormone and clenbuterol, and encouraged another athlete to take banned drugs. According to USADA, Nash retaliated against the investigation by “filing a meritless petition for a protective order against an individual based in part on the individual’s report to USADA of Nash’s anti-doping rule violations”.
Nash, a former pro motorbike racer whose best results in recent years include wins at a Cat 1-3 criterium in Dahlonega, Georgia, in 2019 and two ‘Spin the District’ Cat 2-3 crits in 2018, has been banned for life from cycling, backdated to 30 June 2022, while all of his results since 15 December 2021 – the day evidence was first collected for the investigation – have been stripped.
For most of last year, he raced for Aminorip Factory Racing, a team sponsored by a nutritional supplement company distributing products to help amateur athletes “aim higher and push their limits.”
“This is yet another case that demonstrates the power of investigations in the shared fight to protect sport and athletes’ rights,” said USADA’s CEO Travis Tygart in a statement.
“As always, we will thoroughly investigate and act on evidence of doping violations, and greatly appreciate the assistance of those who come forward on behalf of clean sport.”
> New Zealand national road race champion Olivia Ray admits to using banned substances
Weekend racer Nash’s case does have implications, however, for the world of professional cycling. Last month, his former partner, New Zealand national road race champion Olivia Ray, admitted to taking banned substances, which she claimed owed to pressure from Nash.
PhotosportNZ/SWpix.com
Ray was dropped by Women’s World Tour team Human Powered Health earlier this year and is waiting for USADA’s final decision on a ban, which if imposed will last for four years.
“I took stuff from about November to December, just the month of November,” Ray told the New Zealand Herald.
“I wasn’t racing. I wasn’t going to have anything in me for when I raced. I thought in a way it was acceptable because I wasn’t affecting the race, I wasn’t cheating. I was doing it in a safe space on my own to see what it was like.
“In my head it was, I didn’t hurt anyone and I did it when I wasn’t racing, I wasn’t tested, I’ve never tested positive, I will have it out of my system before I get tested again.”
“Cycle lanes aren’t just for cyclists”
Wait for it…
Cycle lanes aren’t just for cyclists 🛼 pic.twitter.com/bnOq3PMnPg
— CycleGaz™ (@cyclegaz) August 11, 2022
Top-notch reply here (it’s what we were all thinking, wasn’t it?):
Bet they aren’t insured or even pay road tax!
— SonicTheHaggis (@SonicTheHaggis) August 11, 2022
Oh god! That felt good saying that!!! 😂😂😂
— SonicTheHaggis (@SonicTheHaggis) August 11, 2022
I couldn’t see anyone. I’ll bet they weren’t wearing HI-VIZ jackets.
— CuriousDuck (@Wil_bike) August 11, 2022
Tom Pidcock back on the mountain bike for European Championships
Olympic mountain bike champion, world cyclocross champion, Tour de France stage winner on Alpe d’Huez…
Tom Pidcock has certainly proved over the past year that he can do almost anything on almost any kind of bike.
Well, next week, fresh from a few weeks of R&R following his spectacularly successful debut Grande Boucle, the 23-year-old will dust off the old MTB as he aims to add a European Champion’s jersey to that rapidly filling trophy room.
Pidcock will be joined in the mountain bike cross country event at the European Championships in Munich, where the track and BMX events get underway today, by national champion Cameron Orr, while Isla Short will compete in the women’s race.
Alex Broadway/SWPix.com
After a few weeks off since the Tour – and a birthday in between for good measure – it’s little wonder the Ineos man was taking every opportunity he could get, whatever the weather, to train on his mountain bike for next Friday’s race…
“Coming off the back of an incredibly successful Commonwealth Games, our athletes are ready and raring to go once again as they build towards their respective world championships later in the year,” said GB’s Cycling Team Performance Director, Stephen Park.
“Across the track, mountain bike and BMX freestyle park disciplines we have a fantastic depth of talent and I’m pleased to see a number of riders stepping up to the senior squads to make their debuts.”
‘Those snobby, urban, elitist cyclists with their – checks notes – cacti…’
This is the former principal transport planner for Hackney Council who thinks riding a bike and buying houseplants is minority elitism. No wonder the main roads of Hackney are so shit to cycle on with this level of stupidity embedded into the Council culture pic.twitter.com/CPpXwZSEcd
— Hackney Cyclist (@Hackneycyclist) August 11, 2022
Cheating like it’s 2007: ANOTHER doping story as Astana rider popped for stimulant
What is this? Two doping stories in one day? And one involving a team managed by Alexander Vinokourov? Have the Doc and I just travelled in the DeLorean back to the late 2000s?
(“It’s the neo-pros, Marty. Something’s gotta be done about the neo-pros!”)
Well, Astana’s Michele Gazzoli has allowed cycling fans to bathe in the murky glow of doping nostalgia, after the UCI slapped the 23-year-old Italian with a one-year ban for testing positive for Tuaminoheptane, which can be used as a stimulant.
Gazzoli, who signed for Astana at the start of the year after finishing fourth at last year’s U23 road world championships (behind winner and fellow Italian Filippo Baroncini, Biniam Girmay and Olav Kooij), submitted his positive test following the second stage of the Volta ao Algarve in February, a day after he placed fourth on the opening stage to Lagos.
Since then, he raced the spring classics for Astana, where he failed to finish Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Strade Bianche, Gent-Wevelgem, Dwars door Vlaanderen, and the Tour of Flanders, before taking on a diet of stage races, scoring two top 20s at last week’s Tour of Poland.
Before joining Vino’s boys, he raced for Team Colpack Ballan (alongside UAE Team Emirate’s 19-year-old sensation Juan Ayuso) and Kometa Cycling Team, the forerunner of Alberto Contador and Ivan Basso-led ProTeam Eolo-Kometa.
Gazzoli (right) poses with his bronze medal after the 2017 world championships junior road race in Bergen (Christopher Lanaway/SWpix.com)
In a statement released today, Astana said that the drug “entered the body unintentionally from the ingestion of a medication named Rhinofluimucil (a nasal spray for the treatment of rhinitis), purchased at a pharmacy independently without any implication of the medical staff of Astana Qazaqstan Team.”
According to the UCI, Gazzoli’s ban commenced yesterday, and he will be ineligible to race until 10 August 2023. His results at the Volta ao Algarve have also been annulled. According to the Kazakh team, the “unintentional” nature of the case saw Gazzoli escape a more severe ban.
Astana has also confirmed that they have terminated the 23-year-old’s contract with immediate effect, as a result of the squad’s apparent “zero tolerance policy” (which evidently doesn’t stretch to the team’s management), and emphasised that they had “nothing to do with this unfortunate violation of the anti-doping rules”.
Maybe it was simply all that rapping at the team’s pre-season training camp that turned the youngster to a life of doping…
“If you thought the cycleway through the Northern Quarter was s**t…”
You may remember, way, way, way back at the end of July, the live blog took a look at some of the criticisms surrounding the new cycling and pedestrian zone in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, with feedback ranging from “not ideal” to “absurd”, “awful” and “mind-boggling”…
Not to mention, that a few taxi drivers kept having to reverse out of the no-car area once they realised where they were…
Well, thanks to demolition works, things aren’t any better this week:
If you thought the cycleway through the Northern Quarter was shit…..well it just got shitter.@ManCityCouncil @Piccadilly_Lab pic.twitter.com/hXqjMXHrfm
— NQHQmcr (@NQHQmcr) August 11, 2022
“I’m never washing this bike again!”
Some happy #TDA22 fans 😃 pic.twitter.com/scC8BgVxbx
— Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team (@qst_alphavinyl) August 11, 2022
£500,000 Bikeability funding boost to teach children to cycle during the summer holidays
A £500,000 funding boost for Bikeability, Department for Transport’s flagship national cycle training programme, will enable teachers to provide cycling training during the summer holidays to thousands of children who receive free school meals.
The charity, as part of the government’s holiday activities and food programme, is supplying additional funding to its providers to help deliver courses that teach children how to cycle for the very first time, help them gain the confidence and skills needed to ride on the road, and how to maintain and fix their bikes.
The money will also be used to loan or buy bikes for children whose families can’t afford to buy one, with training providers given discounts to ensure that every child using the scheme has a bike to ride.
“The ability to ride a bike is a ticket to freedom,” says Active Travel England’s Chris Boardman.
“It’s a skill we believe all children should have. Cycling to the local park with friends is what the summer holidays should be all about, the kind of healthy cheap transport and independence that we want for everyone, but especially kids.
“That bikes can also be loaned to families who can’t afford them is wonderful. Well done to the Bikeability Trust for making it possible.”
Alongside cycle training during the summer, the extra funding will support Bikeability projects during the holidays throughout the academic year.
Remco Evenepoel: Tadej Pogačar is “still the best rider in the world”
The reports of Tadej Pogačar’s demise are greatly exaggerated, says another would-be Eddy Merckx, Remco Evenepoel.
Evenepoel, who watched the Slovenian’s unsuccessful defence of his Tour de France title from an Italian training camp, believes that Pogačar remains the rider to beat, despite Jonas Vingegaard’s game-changing July.
“In my eyes, he is still the best rider in the world,” the Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl rider told the media ahead of his debut at the Vuelta a España next month, the grand tour where Pogačar shot to fame with three stage wins and a podium place in 2019.
“We cannot talk about a ‘loss’ or a ‘crack’ with Tadej, and we should still show our respect because what he did is also phenomenal.
“The day that Jumbo-Visma attacked him on the Galibier was one of the hardest days of his life. If you can handle it like that and still try to make the best out of it, then you only earn respect from all the riders and everyone inside and out of cycling. We should not talk in a negative way about Tadej.
“He really didn’t crack, he just lost time two times, which can happen to anybody. I don’t think you can talk about a bad Tour. He won three stages, and was second on GC, won the white jersey.
“For sure, he is the guy that won the Tour twice in a row and also knowing that Jumbo-Visma is stronger and more stable than UAE. What Tadej did is still incredible. He did a lot of things alone in the last week.”
Evenepoel – who has long been touted as a potential rival to Pogačar at the grand tours – has prepared for the Vuelta (arguably his first true tilt at a three-week stage race following last year’s ill-fated, post-Lombardia crash Giro d’Italia) with a high-altitude training camp in Spain alongside Mathieu van der Poel.
The 22-year-old added to his maiden monument win at Liège-Bastogne-Liège in April with another spectacular long-range attack to take his second Clásica San Sebastián at the end of July.
While the precocious Belgian says it would be a “dream” to one day challenge Vingegaard and Pogačar at the Tour, stage wins – in theory – remain the goal at the Vuelta, which starts next Friday in Utrecht.
“If I can go out of the Vuelta with a stage win or two, then you can speak about a good Vuelta,” he says.
“The main goal is to win a stage, and everything GC-wise that will come will be extra. The start of the Vuelta is mainly with the focus on stage wins, especially stage 10 in the time trial and the team time trial in stage one.
“GC-wise, I cannot say anything, because it can go wrong on any day. Stage wins are the main goals.”
Chris Boardman, tackling fake news, one petition at a time
The 20mph saga goes on…
This is not true Lynn. https://t.co/EF3NY4pjJt
— Chris Boardman (@Chris_Boardman) August 11, 2022
It appears Lynn didn’t pay too much attention to our article on this story last month:
> Wales set to reduce default speed limit to 20mph in residential areas
You say in the first paragraph “The Welsh Government has plans to change every 30mph road in Wales to 20mph”.
That is not true. It is against @Change community guidelines to provide misleading information in petitions hosted on their platform.
— 🕹️ EᑎGᗩGEᔕᗷᖇᗩIᑎ 🎮 (@EngagesBrain) August 11, 2022
‘But, but, I need my car. How could I possibly get a sofa home on a bike?’
Massive shout out to @farroutdelivers for this epic #carryshitolympics
— Sasha Taylor (@CEO_BikeStation) August 11, 2022
Last year, ebiketips spoke to Farr Out Deliveries’ founders, who revealed that, as well as sofas, they’re pretty handy at transporting life-size plastic gorillas…
Brooksby’s 10,000th road.cc post
It was a landmark day on the live blog, as road.cc regular brooksby reached that iconic internet milestone: the 10,000th comment.
So, how was this grand occasion marked, I hear you ask? Well, with all the gravitas it deserves:
Now, I just need to make sure that it’s a serious and memorable comment, not just fluff.
(edit:) Dammit!
Here’s to the next 10,000! Although, maybe a hobby could come in handy…
“99.99 percent of the danger on UK roads stems from drivers, not cyclists”: Readers react to ‘dangerous cycling’ law
It’s a headline for the intelligentsia aka the “readership” of The Fail and Excess.
— Mark Bayliss (@Kent_Cyclist) August 11, 2022
There’s been plenty of – how shall I put this? – boisterous discussion in the comments section today concerning the merits (or political expediency) of Transport Secretary Grant Shapps’ latest attempt to raise the ‘dangerous cycling’ issue.
Martin73 was one of the few readers who disagreed with Cycling UK’s stance, writing: “‘This is a ‘rare problem’ is a stupid argument. Terrorist incidents are rarer than incidents where cyclists kill or seriously injure pedestrians. Should we not have terrorism offences either then?
“Cyclists killing pedestrians shouldn’t be a rare event. It should be non-existent given the relative speed and weight of a bicycle vs a motorised vehicle.
“The numbers are far too high. This law is needed. It should not worry anyone who rides with consideration for more vulnerable road users.”
HarrogateSpa, on the other hand, reckons that “the problem is government failure to tackle the big issue of deaths and injuries caused by drivers, but focusing instead on cyclists because it is politically expedient.
“This leads to days of headlines about ‘killer cyclists’, validating the hatred some people already have, and making us less safe.
“It isn’t true that there are no existing laws against killing someone while riding a bike.”
S13SFC said: “I doubt very many road.cc users are bothered by the new law as I’d suggest the vast majority of us know how to ride sensibly.
“We are, however, mightily pissed off that far too many drivers are simply getting away with killing people.”
BalladOfStruth concurred: “I (and I’m sure most cyclists) have no problem with the existence of dangerous cyclist laws.
“What we have a problem with is creating them for purely populist political reasons, drumming up more anti-cyclist bile in the media, and ignoring the fact that 99.99 percent of the danger on UK roads stems from drivers, not cyclists.”
11 August 2022, 08:52
11 August 2022, 08:52
11 August 2022, 08:52
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Latest Comments
I'll counter that by saying the Bryton 750se I have drives me nuts at times. Inconsistantly picks up on routes created on Komoot and the app re-syncs every few seconds when trying to set up the device and sends me back to the home screen. The most infuriating one is that I turned live track on. Once. It now won't turn off and repeatedly flags up the live track is starting, and then disconnecting every few seconds whilst riding. I haven't timed it but it wouldn't suprise me if 10-20% of the time the the screen is covered with an error message. That's been about 6 weeks now. Other than that it's great :/
RE: Police launch road safety operation... by clamping down on cyclists using footbridge Meanwhile in Glasgow, Police Scotland are riding their motorbikes over the pedestrian and cyclists only bridge. https://x.com/FietserGlasgow/status/2065106152917012523?s=20
@Paul J Van Schip certainly seems a bit of a dick, but he's a European and multiple World Champion on the track, pretty sure you don't get there without having some talent in your legs.
Poor Vincent cannot get over the simple fact that given the choice people prefer dedicated cycling spaces, rather than pretending to be cars like vehicular cyclists.
What is the point of the fancy air sensor if it can't account for changing weather conditions?? If all you care about is a delayed approximation of aerodynamic watts in steady conditions, you don't need any special sensors for that. Just your speed on a decently flat course is enough to approximate rolling resistance and drivetrain losses. And the rest must be aero. If you assume a less aero body position at the same watts, your speed will drop while rolling resistance also drops, which means approximated aero watts goes up. And that's enough to demonstrate what you've shown in your testing protocol ("I sat upright and the number went up a little while later").
Your correction is accurate - it's almost always been "the (lack of) thought that (doesn't) count". "Massive" - less than a billion a year spent on active travel (trying to catch up / building a network across the entire country) Not massive - 6 billion every year (2026-2030) spent on road *maintenance* of existing "already built, goes everywhere, very convenient" road network for inactive travel Ultimately the reason "cycle infra" is *needed* is those unbelievably colossal amounts spent every year (and for more than a century now) on making mass motoring not just viable but apparently the "best choice" for most journeys. As the Dutch and others have shown, the majority of people *are* prepared to cycle and even mix with very light, slow local motor traffic *if* cycling is also made safe and convenient for the whole of their journey (including secure parking at both ends). (The history of the financial drivers of the current situation are a complex topic but note that while people complain about "crumbling roads" and underfunded motor infra - with some reason - by us continuing the fuel duty escalator freeze (for example) we're actually helping motorists pay *even less* for that activity / subsidising more of the cost of driving than ever.)
yes, but people will still object - which was my point.
So ' Priority of Road Users' and 1.5 metre clearance at 30mph has been been reduced to 'sharing'? NCN route 2 here in South Hams is an absolute scream with white vans, tractors and total idiots who refuse,or are totally incapable,to reverse on high Devon banked lanes ...means you have to get off and pedal back to a passing place....could be at that all day...so I don't bother...
@MaxiMinimalist Agreed. The big problem I see now is today's parents grew up being driven to their schools, and therefore, see private motor vehicles as the only viable form of transport. The vast majority of UK infant and primary schools have a catchment area that is within easy walking distance from home to school. Yet, the traffic caused by pupils being driven to/from school is astonishing. Banishing the "School Run" should be a priority for all schools.
When I was a kid (that was during the previous millenium when phones were connected to a plug in the wall), I rode my bicycle to school, music academy, sport grounds, parties even during the winter. The government didn't have to spend, correct that, didn't have to think of spending massive amounts of money to build cycling specific infrastructures. Over the past 3 or 4 decades, cars have grown bigger, taller, safer (for their drivers) and faster. Meanwhile, motorists have become abusive, aggressive, hypersensitive to people moving on two wheels, aka cyclists. Spending billions upon billions on new infrastructure won't address the crux of the matter. Sadly.
36 thoughts on “Grant Shapps’ dangerous cycling law “the wrong answer to a rare problem”, says Cycling UK; USADA catch another big fish – oh, wait: Amateur racer receives lifetime ban; Protection vs Paint; Astana pro tests positive; MTB Pidcock + more on the live blog”
Not specifically related to
Not specifically related to Shapps interview, but commuting home last night (past a burnt out verge and field) I did think about trying to sell a story to the Daily Heil “Drivists Cause Countryside Chaos throwing Fag Buts out of cars”.
What do you mean that’s not right for the Daily Heil’s demographic and besides there’s no collective responsibility for Drivists (unlike cyclists).
Glass bottles are also a
Glass bottles are also a culpret in the fire starter sense – magnifying the intensity of the sun.
I’m a firestarter, twisted
I’m a firestarter, twisted firestarter.
Samtheeagle wrote:
[citation needed]
andystow wrote:
[citation needed]
— SamtheeagleFire Service spokesperson today?
andystow wrote:
[citation needed]— Samtheeagle
London Fire Brigade on Twitter: “Fires caused by sunlight can happen all year round, so keep mirrors, glass & reflective objects out of direct sunlight at all times. That was the advice after sunlight refracted through a glass bottle ignited cardboard packaging in #Bow #thisweek
https://t.co/qVh6huEMvm https://t.co/SQJTiR1r7p” / Twitter
Racist cyclists !
Racist cyclists !
Carnival organisers have apologised after Saturday’s parade in Maldon was gatecrashed by a trio of blacked-up cyclists.
Onlookers were shocked as the cyclists joined the procession wearing costumes and ‘blackface’.
They also had ‘War” written on their backs.
https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/20612625.men-appear-blackface-maldon-carnival/
Comments seem worse than the incident.
Maybe Nigel cycles after all.
Maybe Nigel cycles after all.
Did they get confused about
Did they get confused about which side of the culture war they are supposed to be on?
For reference Cyclists = Woke Warriors in tabloid speach.
Typical distraction
Typical distraction anouncement that baits the masses and draws attention away from more serious issues like how much its costing them to drive their cars, rising energy costs, rising food costs and illegal entry into the country – need I go on…
I was surprised Pidcock cried
I was surprised Pidcock cried off the CWG Mountain Biking. Thought it would have been right up his street and would have added to the aim of being Olympic, World, etc.
Vuelta prep.
Vuelta prep.
AlsoSomniloquism wrote:
He did put in an extraordinary shift at the Tour for a debutant, so I imagine the extra week was welcome, plus – no disrespect to the Commonwealths and others may disagree – I’d say a European title is a more prestigious thing to have on one’s palmares than a Commonwealth one.
Geraint was at the games AND
Geraint was at the games AND entered two events whilst the other two GB entrants raced in the games for their home nations. He would have been racing in front of a home crowd as well. The decision was obviously taken by him and Ineos a few months earlier (not sure what the cut off date for official enty lists are) but as I said, it was a surprise.
AlsoSomniloquism wrote:
But he was going in for events that he had been racing anyway, i.e. road race and TT. Maybe TP and/or INEOS felt there wouldn’t be time for him to transition from road to MTB?
Did cycling UK ask where the
Did cycling UK ask where the Careless Cycling offences were coming in. Afterall drivers seem to be offered and allowed to take Death by Careless Driving even when charged with Death by Dangerous Driving and get the option to have jail terms massively reduced or suspended when they do. It seems that cyclists will not have the same options offered.
It would also be interesting what constitutes the law for dangerous cycling as well. A driver can be doing 40 in a 30 and only be charged with Careless Driving, a cyclist doing well under 30 and be charged for Dangerous Cycling.
I posted this yesterday
I posted this yesterday without seeing the other story where a driver pled guilty to Death by Careless Driving whilst he was using his phone, speeding and on drugs, and got 21 months (only three more then alliston who had one contributing factor). All three were dangerous in their own right, not careless, so why was he allowed to plead on the lower sentencing and get potential years off.
We are told by the media AND the government that the current Wanton and Furious is archaic and not fit for purpose. Do we think, as it doesn’t mention “causing death”, the courts will allow cyclists to take the lesser plea?
And again, what will be classed as dangerous cycling. Full blast on a pavement or through red and hitting someone*? Then why do some people only get Careless for that? Speeding, what is too fast for a bike to travel? And again drivers only get careless for that. Reaching for a water bottle? Using a mobile phone? Neither are specifically crimes for bikes. Only having one usable brake? Again cars who don’t have MOT’s are probably guilty of that.
*These two I wouldn’t be too arsed with being charged for under the new law as I do consider them to be dangerous anyway.
“Shapps described as “archaic
“Shapps described as “archaic” and a “relic of the horse-drawn era”.”
Sure he wasn’t just talking about the Tory party?
Rapha Nadal wrote:
Of course he wasn’t; far too modern.
https://www.theguardian.com
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/aug/11/manhattan-congestion-pricing-charge-transportation
I imagine there are very good
I imagine there are very good reasons why cycling a cactus might be a minority pursuit.
mdavidford wrote:
I imagine that’s quite a grippy saddle…
Fairly unlikely to try the
Fairly unlikely to try the superman pose on that…
brooksby wrote:
One to go!
I know. Now, I just need to
I know. Now, I just need to make sure that it’s a serious and memorable comment not just fluff.
(edit:) Dammit!
Tarantara!
Tarantara!
I came to road.cc for the reviews and stayed for the comments. Brooksby, yours are always worth reading and you often make me smile. Thank you, and here’s to the next 10,000.
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Have a slice of cake to
Have a slice of cake to celebrate!
I was a fan until that last
I was a fan until that last one. Boo! Next!
Congratulations – your
Congratulations – your subscription has now gone up in recognition!
You know, I never did get a
You know, I never did get a pair of free road.cc socks… OTOH, I did become an article on the live blog 😀
Will Grant Shapps be
Will Grant Shapps be including the option for cyclists to attend an educational course instead of prosecution?
I let my cactus ride home
I let my cactus ride home alone, but it kept getting punctures.
How about the police start
How about the police start enforcing traffic laws for all road users, cars, taxis, scooters and cyclists?
Here in Cambridge I see delivery riders on illegal electric mopeds all the time, drivers blocking pavements, cyclists jumping red lights, vehicles/cyclists with defective or missing lights.
That’s crazy talk. Go down
That’s crazy talk. Go down that route and we’ll be bankrupt in a week. Plus a chunk of the council and the odd mp will be in jail. Heck – the police would have to start arresting themselves…
Surely the cycleway through
Surely the cycleway through the Northern Quarter has been designed for the thirsty, caffeine deficient cyclist to grab a latte from an unsuspecting coffee drinker’s table, pedalling off, refreshed, energised and unscathed.