I lost my Strava KOM to someone who ‘cycled’ from London to Newcastle in six hours; New York’s viral number plate clearer helps more motorists; Epic adventures; “Dame Vivienne Westwood: designer, punk, cyclist” + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
New York's viral number plate clearer helps more motorists
I caught another REPEAT offender — so I committed some serious criminal mischief on Prospect Park West in tony Park Slope. Must-see CRIMINAL MISCHIEF against a plate-covering perp here. pic.twitter.com/9qrcQqeiWi
— Gersh Kuntzman (@GershKuntzman) December 29, 2022
Keep tuning in to our podcast for more from Gersh in the new year…
While we’re on the topic…
What consequence should you get if you’re caught with one of these?? pic.twitter.com/4J2pIft9xc
— Sam Balto (@CoachBalto) December 30, 2022
Epic adventures: Jo takes on the new North Downs Way Riders' Route by bike
"Dame Vivienne Westwood: designer, punk, cyclist"
Vale, Dame Vivienne Westwood: designer, punk, cyclist.
Her London office was close to mine so I’d see her all the time going by bike. I remember spotting her red hair from afar as she circled Berkeley Square, weaving around stationary taxis in an enormous tartan cape. RIP pic.twitter.com/yPvq0gsPf0— Strategic Cities (@StrategicCities) December 29, 2022
Just two of the many tributes to the pioneering British fashion designer who died yesterday aged 81…
— Bob From Accounts 🚲 (@BobFromAccounts) December 30, 2022
Top 7 Paid & Free Indoor Cycling Apps | Zwift alternatives compared
Wout van Aert: "The whole woke debate sometimes goes too far"
[📷: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com]
Wout van Aert sat down with Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad to answer some quick-fire questions on the year past… answering one on the most regrettable part of 2022?
“The whole woke debate. I sometimes see it going the wrong way. You have to be so careful with what opinion you express these days. Not even having an opinion is often wrong. You have to shout very loudly: I am woke. Otherwise you are almost by definition discriminatory. The best example is the Zwarte Piet discussion. I never used to associate that with oppression of anyone. It really bothers me that all this is being added nowadays.”
And who was Wout most annoyed by in 2022?
“That can be none other than Vladimir Putin? I already referred to it after my victory in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. A war in Europe, not even that far from Belgium. It is unbelievable that this is still possible in this day and age.”
BINGO!!!
It only makes life better for the cyclists, who pay nothing for insurance, registration, road tax, or fuel tax. https://t.co/M5ScoC7P8F
— CornishKeith 💙💙🇬🇧 (@cornish_keith) December 29, 2022
It’s a full house…
Your comments
I’ve reached out to Strava on some of their challenges, in one case, the top leader, had a multi thousand mile/kilometer ride, in one day ;)😂😜
— 𝐉𝕠𝕙𝕟 𝐑 𝐏𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕝𝕖𝕤 🏴☠️ 🚴 (@JohnRPerales) December 30, 2022
Grahamd noted the police might be interested in the top speed, while Fursty Ferret now wants to go give the KOM a try…
Confession time: my best was assisted by a conveniently timed slow-accelerating HGV as the perfect lead-out man… go flag me if you wish, I won’t be offended, and can give it a flat-out ‘natural’ effort once the Christmas fitness has shifted… despite the faux-outrage in my earlier post trust me, I won’t be losing any sleep over a Strava KOM…
General Zod: “It’s a complete pain in the arse. Half the segments on my ride to work have the top few slots taken by people doing three figure speeds. Constantly flagging them is a time-consuming exercise. Strava’s algorithm should easily be able to screen impossible segment times.”
2 Bikes 1 Wheelchair is complete — Francis and Justin reach LA 3,000 miles later... with more than £137,000 now raised for Get Kids Going!
How’s this for a finale to the series? Pretty perfect, I’d say…
The JustGiving page for the challenge is now at £137,767, at the time of writing… You can find out all the info about Get Kids Going! and donate here…
Muddy magic meme
Go on, have a meme, it is Friday afternoon after all…
— Benji Naesen (@BenjiNaesen) December 30, 2022
Police Scotland urge use of BikeRegister
Police in Scotland are just one of the forces using the Bike Register app to help return stolen bicycles to their owners and have urged riders to register their bikes with the website.
In short, it allows officers to run a VIN of any bike they find to establish the actual owner. Sergeant Carly Bryce, from Police Scotland’s Acquisitive Crime Team, told ITV: “Allowing us to help the public mark and register their bikes, but up until recently whenever we came across a potentially lost or stolen cycle, we would have to contact Bike Register directly and get them to check if the bike was on the database.
“Thanks to the development of the app for police mobile devices, we can instantaneously carry out a check ourselves and if the bike is registered and found to be in the possession of someone who is not the owner, we can respond swiftly and appropriately.
“We know that bikes are an expensive commodity and the last thing anyone wants to think about it their valued present, training equipment or mode of transport being lost or stolen, but should such an issue arise, it’s really important that the bike is registered on the database.”
We’ll leave it to you to decide if enough is done to stop bike thefts at source…
Wout wins again — more enthralling festive cyclocross action
Four in a row…
4️⃣th 𝐰𝐢𝐧 in a row for Wout van Aert 🥇
What a finish! 🤩
🥈 Mathieu van der Poel 🇳🇱
🥉 Tom Pidcock 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/N1mG2ZgqoN— Eurosport (@eurosport) December 30, 2022
Three Brits in the top ten, with Cameron Mason following Pidcock home in fourth before Thomas Mein took sixth, but the win once again goes to Van Aert…
Some more of your Strava thoughts
Now.
I’m not claiming that this is in anyway dodgy. But I will say that this #strava segment is directly under the flight path into Jersey Airport.
Poor Ian Clarke, and the other 119 folks that can do it faster than me. pic.twitter.com/cZQIEvmgNA— Lord Nick Allison (@NickEngineer) December 30, 2022
Keep writing to strava about it and the only solution is to flag.. This is passing the responsibility to the users (in my case paid user). They even have a limit in the number of flags/day. Honestly an algorithm automatically removing these doesn’t sound so complicated in 2022..
— Pakete207 🔻 (@pakete207) December 30, 2022
Back in September we asked Strava about the issue of KOMs being taken by people in motor vehicles…
We were told: “Being part of the Strava community is a commitment to respect: we respect each other, ourselves and the rules. When we all share mutual respect, we all win. Read our community standards here.
“That means that we rely on our global community to help us monitor the integrity of our segments and leaderboards. We ask our athletes to flag anything that doesn’t match our community standards – including mechanical cheating – which will be addressed.
“Strava values sportsmanship and fair play, and we want members of our community to earn spots on the leaderboards through clear and safe competition.”
I lost my Strava KOM to someone who 'cycled' from London to Newcastle in six hours
Humour me on this one please, I don’t have enough KOMs for losing one not to be a mildly traumatic experience…
So, once the initial shock of the dreaded Uh oh! email had faded I took a closer look, naturally, just to make sure… I mean it can’t just be that someone stronger did it faster, can it? That’s too logical, there must be something else at play…
Luckily for me, there was…
Having rung Dave Brailsford with a tip-off about a British-based rider who’d win the Tour (and every other big race) for the next ten years the conclusion was drawn that my KOM had not been stolen by the fastest person to ever ride a bicycle…
While we neither know (or suspect anyone cares what the mode of transport was here) we’ve been here before. Back in September we reported that Strava KOMs were being nabbed by motorcyclists clocking speeds as fast as 112mph, raising road safety concerns.
Strava confirmed: “The Ride activity type is for conventional human-powered bicycles (including recumbents) riding outdoors. Do not use this activity type if your activity includes data recorded while driving a car, motorcycle, pacing a vehicle, using an electric bike, or another electric-assisted vehicle, using a non-traditional bicycle with full fairings or aerodynamic modifications including velomobiles, or using a GPS simulator programme for virtual riding.
“Please note that motorcycle activities are not allowed on Strava and cannot use the Ride or E-Bike activity types.”
30 December 2022, 09:16
"What is it, the Tour de France? It's ridiculous"
The Sun blasts unopened cycleway claimed to put “kids in danger” … with photos of car-choked road outside school
“The traffic chaos is being blamed on cyclists. Of which there are none in any of the photos,” notes one Twitter user
30 December 2022, 09:16
30 December 2022, 09:16
30 December 2022, 09:16
30 December 2022, 09:16
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Latest Comments
@Rendel Harris you've painted a rather alluring picture of social harmony there, but unfortunately you've got my name wrong. I'm Jack, not Nigel. However, to return the compliment, I must think of a story for you. I imagine you sat outside a pub, real ale and pipe propped on the adjacent table, in a similar fashion to Nigel Farage at his populist best. You turn to your wife. "You know what dear? I think I've been a bit harsh in my time. I've shunned the politeness and wisdom of others for too long and want to change my ways.* "There there Rendel", says Mrs Harris. "You're not a bad old stick, it's just living in London that's emptied your soul of kindness and compassion. I've found a lovely new place where we can settle down in our later years. It's on a leafy cul de sac, surrounded by friendly neighbours and smiling faces. There's a guy a couple of doors down, a remarkable man. As well as his towering intellect and rapier wit, he's also a keen cyclist, holding severa local KOMs. Don't be perturbed dear - he'll ride with anyone provided they show other road users the kindness and courtesy they deserve." Rendel turned emotionally, voice shaking. "Oh my dear, thank you for this second chance", and with that the rest of the pub goers turned and applauded the couple, throwing garlands of petals in their wake. The end.
As a Councillor, Edward needs to be paying some attention to all that parking obstructing visibility and manoeuvres at the junction, and sorting out those radii.
Ed Hill was chucked out by Reform in 2025, though TBF to him it was about how to run it rather than ideology I think. He is now reportedly closer to Advance UK, which is distinctly more extreme than Reform. I'd call this Alan Amos style attention seeking.
Emily, thank you for such an insightful piece. I’m a man, but I enjoy watching the women’s races, possibly more than the men’s. The racing is so much closer, we rarely know who’s going to win. You painted a wonderful picture of how a true champion is able to ‘rise above’ setbacks and distractions, and focus their energy on the task in hand. ‘All’s fair in live and war -and sport, but always good to hear riders expressing their admiration for their competitors
@Nigel Garage ...and then everyone applauded my courtesy and I waved courteously to all the people who were courteously throwing flowers and cheering and courteously waving flags that said "Nigel is the best!"
The picture from street view clearly shows give way lines from the roads to the green painted cycle/pedestrian lane. The road user should give way (or must...) to the user of the green lane. This would of course apply to any cyclist on the roadway.
If I recall there is a cave or two along the route - perhaps they were sheltering from the heat in one of those having taken it for a Golf bunker?
“So if there’s a cyclist travelling down the cycle path at the moment, from this position I can’t see them because my blind spots are too big on the left hand side of the vehicle”, claims Hill. Well, there's your problem, right there...🙄
First impression from the headline that he's likely a twit. Then the detail he was expelled from Reform makes you suspect that failing even their low bar requirements he really is. Then he clearly explains his vehicle is unsafe for the highway because he can't see to give way when turning. Any collision he now has should have that video run out explaining he drove a vehicle he knew to be unsafe. Advice for motorists; instead of thinking that pedestrians and cyclists are low risk 100kg objects, imagine them as a 300 Tonne trains that will crush you and your vehicle if you cross into their paths. You'd give way to the train, so you equally can to the others.
I've had a brief look on Facebook, and Ed Hill (who now appears to be affiliated with Advance UK) seems to have taken some useful road safety improvements under his remit, including an initiative to help local pedestrians on unpaved roads, where the wider council won't help due to planning failures. Regarding the cycle path, I think this is linked to a wider misunderstanding about giving way at junctions and I'm afraid I cannot agree with Mr Hill's conclusion. Regardless of the suitability of the cycle path, vehicles should give way at the junction to both pedestrians crossing and cyclists. It seems to be a poorly understood rule among motorists where some believe they have priority at junctions like this, where they certainly do not. I once had a similar issue myself, while leisurely walking to Waitrose to buy some lunchtime fripperies. A driver beeped their horn as I crossed the junction, despite me having priority, and was shocked and apologetic when I explained I had priority. A polite conversation later, the driver departed, educated and updated on the rules of the road.
40 thoughts on “I lost my Strava KOM to someone who ‘cycled’ from London to Newcastle in six hours; New York’s viral number plate clearer helps more motorists; Epic adventures; “Dame Vivienne Westwood: designer, punk, cyclist” + more on the live blog”
This Strave KOM-thing is pure
This Strave KOM-thing is pure, unadulterated BS. If they can’t be bothered to filter out glaring impossibilities such as the one described above, go figure about all the rest. Just a marketing ploy. If you think you’re better than 99.5% of other riders, go ride competition. Hell, they’ll pay you to do it and throw in a bike. The Strava figures are on par with the other ploys that will take your cash and promise to make you stronger, younger, grow hair or increase the size of your reproductive organs.
Xenophon2 wrote:
Easy tiger, there’s no KOM lost here. The ride has been flagged, which means that it no longer appears on any segment leaderboards. The “rider” will be able to deflag the ride and reinstate it, but then if it gets flagged again, they cannot deflag unless they contact Strava support, where a human looks at the activity and makes a decision.
As for your other points, nah, Strava are not extracting my cash in exchange for the things you mention, I just give them 40-odd quid a year in exchange for using their platform for recording ride data. I even give VeloViewer another 20 for further analysis, not because I want to turn pro, just because it’s fun and I’m interested in improving myself.
It’s a complete PITA. Half
It’s a complete PITA. Half the segments on my ride to work have the top few slots taken by people doing three figure speeds. Constantly flagging them is a time-consuming exercise. Strava’s algorithm should easily be able to screen impossible segment times.
If it’s just segments on a
If it’s just segments on a commute, unless you’re top 10 every day, I’d consider just letting it go. Less anxiety and you’ll spend less time flagging pointless activities.
Agreed, I only look at my pb
Agreed, I only look at my pb’s on segments and how my times have changed across time on some leaderboards. Kom’s have been meaningless for years.
> Kom’s have been meaningless
> Kom’s have been meaningless for years.
Well if you had any KOMs then you would check when someone takes on off you to see if they were driving.
They are, I can’t be arsed
They are, I can’t be arsed flagging every ride that has someone averaging 12kmh on trails and then hits 72kmh to take a kom. If strava want my money, fix that shit. Lost one to a guy who drove on the motorway, he was doing 120 beside a road with a segment. Strava need to get their finger out
I’m 1st or 2nd most days and
I’m 1st or 2nd most days and 1st for 2022 on several, with top ten all time positions. It’s getting to the top three and KOM that the impossible times prevent.
The most KOMs I’ve ever seen
The most KOMs I’ve ever seen taken by a driver is 59, wonder how many this berk bagged up.
Meanwhile I think Strava are more concerned about false positives pissing off regular users with an autoflag system, than catching cheats. Otherwise it would have been fixed years ago. As usual if you see something dodgy flag it. #KeepStravaTidy
Perhaps Strava should just
Perhaps Strava should just create a separate category for motorbikes, cars, etc? After all, the motorbikers and drivers surely don’t think of themselves as in competition with cyclists.
Bmblbzzz wrote:
No, absolutely not. If you want to compete in a motor vehicle go to a circuit or closed course for that purpose. The public highway is for transport with due care and attention to the conditions on the day. That test is frequently failed by motorists of all types that we have to pay for education, enforcement, prosecution and incarceration.
The Strava kom is only tolerated because it doesn’t endanger other road users. That’s not to suggest that cyclists are more competent road users, just that the size, weight and construction of a bicycle are much less likely to cause harm than other vehicles.
Probably also because very
Probably also because very few of them would be over the legislated speed limit. So they are legal, where riding a motorbike (or driving a car) at 112mph is illegal enough to be in automatic bans and jail time territory
I know this is pathetically
I know this is pathetically childish but I now have an overwhelming urge to find this segment and try to claim the KOM myself.
You would just be taking it
You would just be taking it from the person who originally had it. Activity flagged so removed from leaderboards and previous placings reinstated.
Be my guest, I’ll give you a
Be my guest, I’ll give you a blog shout out when you do!
If you mean the ‘Up Bonsor
If you mean the ‘Up Bonsor Drive, Kingswood’ segment, then it’s just down the road from me, in Kingswood, Surrey. And I’m going to grab that KOM. I ‘only’ need to knock 50 seconds off my 1:46 time to equal Dan’s KOM… ?
Pele was quite famous for
Pele was quite famous for popularising a bicycle move in football if we are heading into adding tributes to famous people with tenuous links to cycling in the blog.
I think the Police should
I think the Police should investigate the Strava ride, 157 kmh max speed is somewhat excessive. Let the idiot who posted it explain that one.
Regarding the highly illegal
Regarding the highly illegal plate flipper from the USA; if he was getting $1,000 a week in fines, why wasn’t he banned? Hopefully, the local police will buy a device from him, get his details and then book him for breaking the law with the plates on his own car; and ban him for life.
That seems to be something to
That seems to be something to do with police attitude, and something to do with reluctance to enforce by non full-police-officers – when every car could have a person with a gun in it.
That seems to be something to
That seems to be something to do with police attitude
Pfff! NYPD appears to be a bit backward. All this plate-flipping stuff is unnecessary when Lancashire Constabulary’s radical Ignoratron is installed and officers become free to drive around all day looking the other way while immediately binning all reports of offences. Here’s an illegal plate which I have displayed before, but which festive revellers may have missed. Non-existent OM61 JAY is on a Cannon Run Mercedes- an organisation frequented by people so dreadful that you can’t believe they haven’t been banned by International Treaty. Climate-burning toffs in an identifiable illegal vehicle, you say? what’s not to prosecute?
Come to Lancashire, All is Forgiven!
I have, of course, no
I have, of course, no interest in fashion, but I am invigorated by these pictures of an affluent designer cycling in London in normal clothes without a helmet (I always wear a helmet)- these are the people we should welcome. Dame Westwood is a sad loss!
Regarding Cornish 20mph zones
Regarding Cornish 20mph zones:
‘It only makes life better for the cyclists, who pay nothing for insurance, registration, road tax, or fuel tax.’
This is great, I had no idea that cyclists were exempt from paying for their cars. Where do I sign up for free car insurance, road tax etc. for our cars?
It’s worse than that – by
Here in Scotland many folks would be envious of 20mph zones. As to the complaint – it’s worse than that! By paying tax, not owning a car, driving extremely rarely and avoiding main roads for many cycle journeys I’m simultaneously subsidising driving and making it more convenient for drivers while also trolling them with my lack of accountability, enjoyment of the ride and general smugness.
Cheaper more convenient driving OR knocking a MAMIL off their
cyclehigh horse – now there’s a dilemma!chrisonatrike wrote:
Having spent a little bit of time over New Year trying to solve the maze that is Edinburgh Cycle design standards, I empathise with that.
I’ve just renewed my vehicle
I’ve just renewed my vehicle tax £0 and they sent me the letter in the post to pay !
Also
“We’re pleased to reveal over 120,000 uninsured vehicles were seized across the UK this year! “
https://twitter.com/DriveInsured/status/1608843083067674625
Paying fuel tax on a bike is
Paying fuel tax on a bike is an interesting concept, one the moaners haven’t quite thought through…
That’s the VAT on your
That’s the VAT on your cornflakes.
The reason Wout van Aert
The reason Wout van Aert doesn’t associate Zwarte Piet with oppression is that he isn’t black.
“We’ll leave it to you to
“We’ll leave it to you to decide if enough is done to stop bike thefts at source…”
Living in Scotland I;d have to say nothing at all is done to stop anything at source. Which is the same pretty much across the UK. Telling people to use BikeRegister is just a gentler way of victim blaming.
Bike Register has a website
Bike Register has a website that will run on any device as long as there is amobile Internet connection.
So … what is the point in developing an app to talk to the Bike Register database?
Surely, the funds for this would have been better spent developing a web-based portal for video submissions, or a specific DropBox/WeTransfer/OneDrive account for videos instead?
Oldfatgit wrote:
Think you have the wrong end of the stick. If you reread the article it doesn’t suggest that ScotRozzer created it themselves.
On the Strava theme, did
On the Strava theme, did anyone notice the post sent out by Strava this week? Sent to every user, including subscribers, offering a massive 25% discount to new subscribers only, nothing for existing ones. You’d have thought they may have sent it out to all those on the free app, instead of pissing off pretty much most of their existing subscribers. many commentators were of the mindset that they were going to cancel their subscription, so Strava may well lose as many as they gain. Own goal, in my opinion.
KOMs are dead, mountain
KOMs are dead, mountain bikers seem to have claimed most the ones near me when they drive home. Average speed 12kmh, does 72kmh in a 50kmh zone, then joins the motorway for a bit. KOMs used to be great fun, I cancelled my subscription to strava because that was the fun part, all the fitness stuff I can get from polar
The number of comments
The number of comments blaming the cyclist in this video is, I regret, expected.
For those who don’t have twitter, a ped stepping between cars is hit by a motorcyclist and there are many comments about the cyclist not taking care !
I think this is down to the
I think this is down to the person on the motorbike, who admits he is filtering at 20mph down the middle of 2 lines of traffic. And is therefore unable to observe and adequately manage potential hazards.
10-12mph would be more appropriate.
IMO that would apply whether the person filtering is one a motorcycle or a bicycle.
Yes – the confusion of motorbikes and bicycles is not a surprise. Though the tweeter calling a motorbike a “bike” does not help.
mattw wrote:
Tricky one, I’d probably go for 50:50. The biker was filtering too fast to stop in time, but the pedestrian did just run into the road.
hawkinspeter wrote:
For those of you who don’t ride motorcycles, the Police Roadcraft publications, which experienced old school riders should know about and even have read, says that you should filter at 10-15mph quicker than the vehicles you’re passing. When I’m on my motorbike I tend to stick to about +10mph. At that speed, you can stop in time. On a motorbike you generally see over the cars and an aware rider travelling at a suitable speed would’ve seen the pedestrian stepping out and would’ve stopped. Whether or not thatw ould’ve been followed by a stream of anglo Saxon vocabulary would’ve been down to the rider of course.
It does amaze me that pedestrians often won’t hear a motorcycle approaching though.
Yes – agree perhaps on any
Yes – agree perhaps on any contributory negligence for a claim, but afaik the HC is fairly clear.
However. 2023 – onward and upward.
Just discovered that my old Replay HD Bullet Cam on my helmet can preserve clips by a button click, so I can run that as well as the bike cams that came for Christmas.
Which unfortunately means I will be back to the “brain outside the head” look, when I quite dislike helmets.
Now need to get to grips with the Notts and Derbys Operation SNAPs.
Now need to get to grips with
Now need to get to grips with the Notts and Derbys Operation SNAPs
Good! Let us know when you achieve a real success: points and a fine- as opposed to a NIP which they later bin for ‘insufficient evidence’ (no rear camera, no overhead drone footage etc. etc.) when they think you’ve forgotten about it