“You get what you invite”: Incredible London cycle commuting scenes; More ‘mixed’ responses to Labour plans for Brighton seafront; 100s queue for Raleigh Chopper relaunch; Pogačar approves of (borrowed) “Urška’s boyfriend” headline + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
The best way to deal with a silly headline... Tadej Pogačar edition
Urška Žigart’s Tour de Suisse efforts got some attention in the Belgian press, just one small problem…
‘Pogačar’s girlfriend’ is her name apparently, something GCN commentator and cycling journalist José Been questioned: “Isn’t it great when a female athlete who almost wins her first UCI world tour race loses her own name and only goes by ‘girlfriend of Pogačar’?”
We pointed out on Tuesday’s live blog that we might have to wait a while for any headlines describing Tadej as “Žigart’s boyfriend”; but to our surprise Canadian Cycling Magazine went there just hours later…
Tadej approves, although disappointingly he hasn’t dropped into the comments on road.cc to praise the original suggestion from my esteemed colleague Mr Mallon. Maybe he’s just a lurker, or actually our mysterious forum contributor Secret Squirrel?
G targets Vuelta return
Geraint Thomas’ second Grand Tour of the year will be at the Vuelta a España, he told his Watts Occurring podcast. That, along with the World Championships in Glasgow will be his main targets for the remainder of the 2023 season, and follows on from second at the Giro last month.
No Tour for G for only the second time since 2012 as the Welshman looks to complete the Grand Tour podium set by bettering his 69th place on his only previous Vuelta start, back in 2015. Egan Bernal, Tom Pidcock and Dani Martínez look set to headline the Ineos Tour team.
Hundreds queue for relaunched Raleigh Chopper
The Nottingham Post reports that 550 excited fans queued outside the city’s Raleigh store to be the first to get their hands on the bike brand’s relaunched iconic Chopper. Fans queued from 6.30pm on Monday night for the following day’s launch, even though many had booked an online ticket meaning they had guaranteed purchase of a bike.
> Back to the future: Raleigh relaunches iconic Chopper (again)
The Post noted a large portion of the crowd was “men of a certain age”, some taking time off work to buy the £950 Chopper. Mike, who travelled from Lincolnshire having interrupted his family holiday to get in line, said: “We had a VIP pass to get in a bit earlier. What brings me here today is the love of the bike and the joy it brings. I was about five or six when I had one. My grandad got one from the pub or tip or something.
“I used to ride around at my nanna’s at the weekend. I loved it then and I got into the scene when I realised there was such a following for these things. It’s so iconic. It brings people together, look how many people are here today.
“It’s how unusual it is – there’s nothing else like it. Many have tried to copy it but you always call it a Chopper, whenever you see a bike that looks like it. I think people have some fond memories of them. We all want to take a step back into our childhood and the past and I think this helps people do that. This place will be pumping for hours. Everyone’s just talking about it all day long.”
It looks like some predictions about the price tag (compared to around £32, or £350-ish adjusted for inflation) putting Chopper fans off were unfounded, then! If you weren’t lucky enough to bag one, here’s some Chopper nostalgia for you instead…
> Reminisce about the iconic Raleigh Chopper, the ultimate Christmas gift of the 1970s
For those at the back: paint is not protection!
Paint is not protection. If families won’t use your cycle lane, it’s not worth the road it’s painted on pic.twitter.com/b9tEy0YSSz
— Greenwich Cyclists (@GreenwichCycle) June 22, 2023
More comments on Brighton and Hove Labour proposals for famous seafront
As we reported yesterday, Brighton and Hove Labour announced “exciting new proposals” for a redesign of the A529 seafront road. The new Labour administration in the city says it had asked officers to review and redesign the scheme that was ok’d by the previous Green Party council.
“The redesign will address three key concerns,” says a press release.
“Firstly, where possible the cycle lanes in both east and west directions should be next to each other and not separated by footpaths, in line with national standards. Secondly, that the scheme keeps traffic flowing. Thirdly, that the cycle lane ‘loop’ around King Alfred is removed in favour of a continuous two-way cycle lane along the seafront road.”
While Cllr Trevor Muten noted “cycle lanes are hugely important to our city” while also adding that the “seafront is an arterial route into and across our city for motorists”, it was council leader Bella Sankey’s comments that caught the attention of cycling Twitter: “Our announcement today has the potential to be a win-win-win for pedestrians, cyclists and road users. We passionately believe in promoting walking and cycling in Brighton and Hove and delivering the highest quality, permanent, active travel infrastructure.”
Hold the phone… aren’t pedestrians and cyclists also road users, even if not all of the time?
“Road User” Eh? I’m pretty sure I cycle on the road. https://t.co/YblCSnSOAN
— Cllr Damian Haywood 💙 (@bigdamo) June 21, 2023
Apparently the Labour party over at Brighton haven’t read the highway code.
Road users include pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders, car drivers… https://t.co/CQ9zLdFv3i
— Sustainable us – them potatoes are still growing (@Havant_Enviro) June 21, 2023
Why on earth does @bhlabour think that cyclists and pedestrians aren’t road users? https://t.co/p7HghDkS0g
— Cleo rides 😜 (@CleoRides) June 21, 2023
It’s a fair point, and after the responses we had yesterday it’s one we’ve just put to Brighton & Hove Labour to get a little more clarification on Cllr Sankey’s comments, and what the redesign might look like.
What do you think, will Labour’s plans be good for one of Britain’s most celebrated seafronts?
Ineos exodus: Tao Geoghegan Hart rumoured to be joining Lidl-Trek in 2024
Just two days after reports emerged that promising youngster Ben Tulett could be on his way out of the Ineos Grenadiers – and into the all-but-confirmed arms of Jumbo-Visma – the British team appears set to lose another of its homegrown talents, with 2020 Giro d’Italia winner Tao Geoghegan Hart rumoured to be joining the newly-rebranded Lidl-Trek next season.
That’s according to cycling’s very own Fabrizio Romano, Daniel Benson, who tweeted this morning that Geoghegan Hart, who crashed out of last month’s Giro while sitting third overall, has been shopping in the middle aisle for a new contract, and that a three-year deal with the American squad “is happening”.
Sounds very much like Tao Geoghegan Hart to Lidl-Trek is happening/done deal. 3-year-deal. 🛒📝🇺🇸🇬🇧
— Dnlbenson (@dnlbenson) June 22, 2023
With the 28-year-old Londoner – who appeared in fine grand tour form before his race-ending crash at the Giro – following 21-year-old GC prospect Tulett out the door, Ineos’ much-talked-about rebuilding job could require a few more bricks in time for next season.
Maybe Sir Jim is just planning on using the freed-up funds as part of his bid for Manchester United?
“It’s going to cause unspeakable damage”: Cycling campaign slams Aldi and council for putting cyclists and pedestrians in danger and “only thinking about drivers”
“The whole thing is really dangerous,” Norwich Cycling Campaign’s Derek Williams told road.cc of the soon-to-opened Aldi at Longwater Retail Park. “There’s a school and a college nearby, this area is supposed to be a safe route for children and teenagers. But the council didn’t do any investigations, no public consultations.”
Even though a crossing on William Frost Way was agreed during the planning process, it is still absent just a week before the supermarket giant opens its doors, and Williams believes that Aldi is “trying to avoid their obligation” to build it.
Sam Bennett left out of Bora-Hansgrohe Tour de France squad… again
After a super Giro d’Italia courtesy of Eddie Dunbar and Ben Healy, Irish cycling fans were handed some bad news this morning, as Bora-Hansgrohe announced their Tour de France squad… with former green jersey winner Sam Bennett a notable absentee.
It’s the second year in a row that Bennett has been left out of the Tour lineup since returning to Bora-Hansgrohe – the team he has spent the majority of his career with – at the start of 2022.
Incredibly, Bennett’s last appearance at the Tour was way back in 2020, when he took two stage wins, including the unofficial sprinters’ world championships on the Champs-Élysées, and secured the green jersey classification, while riding for Deceuninck-Quick Step.
🇫🇷 #TDF23
Here is the first part of our line-up for the @letour 2023. The 8th rider will be one more climber and decided on the weekend. pic.twitter.com/WF4a7zb7zO
— BORA – hansgrohe (@BORAhansgrohe) June 22, 2023
However, with the 32-year-old Irishman currently struggling through an inconsistent, out-of-sorts season (his only victory so far this year came in his first race day of 2023, at the Vuelta a San Juan), Bora-Hansgrohe have opted for Jordi Meeus as their designated fast man, in a team that will likely revolve around 2022 Giro winner Jai Hindley’s GC bid.
But it’s not all bad news for Irish fans. Bennett’s omission from Bora’s Tour squad means that the sprinter will almost certainly line up in Dungannon for this weekend’s national road race championships (something Ryan’s pretty pleased about).
Every cloud and all that…
“And that’s not even a cycle lane”: More London cycle commuter scenes from this morning
Good morning London 👋 pic.twitter.com/aiaaUYikn5
— London Cycles (@London_Cycles) June 22, 2023
And that’s not even a cycle lane. The segregated lanes are jammed with bikes (clearly the solution to that congestion is to build more lanes 😉). It’s great to see so many people – like my wife – riding along in their ordinary clothes as well.
— Rob McIvor (@rob_mcivor) June 22, 2023
"You get what you invite": Incredible cycle commuter scenes in London
Fantastic footage from the Evening Standard’s transport expert Ross Lydall here…
Ludgate Circus, 9am: North/South cycle superhighway.
I’m normally at my desk long before 9am so rarely see how rammed the main cycleways are at peak times. This is how London rolls… 🚴 🚴♀️🚴🏻♂️ pic.twitter.com/qFdaptTqnb— Ross Lydall (@RossLydall) June 21, 2023
Anyone manage to count the bikes? Like that advert where you have to count the basketball passes and completely miss the moonwalking bear, I got 44 here, but presumably missed a pancake-flipping giraffe in the process. Any advances on 44?
Jon Burke shared the footage too, alongside a quote from Danish architect and urban design consultant Jan Gehl… “If you invite more cars, you get more cars. If you make more bicycle infrastructure you get more bicycles. You get what you invite.”
Elsewhere, on Kensington High Street where the cycle lanes were famously ripped out, London Cycling Campaign’s Simon Munk noted… “The difference could not be more stark. A handful of giant SUVs crowding (not quite as) huge numbers of cyclists to bump along kerb, dodge between cars and vans and buses, most looking desperately stressed.”
Food for thought…
Tributes paid to “amazing” cyclist who died while taking part in his 24th London to Brighton charity ride
Tributes have been paid to cyclist David Cooper, who died on Sunday while taking part in his 24th London to Brighton charity ride, just days shy of his 70th birthday.
The father-of-three and grandfather-of-six was riding alongside family and friends when he took ill in Smallfield, near Gatwick, just before 10am.
On his JustGiving page, raising money for event organisers the British Heart Foundation, the 69-year-old from Battersea said that the BHF “probably saved my life in 1998, when I had to have major heart surgery. Because of this I have taken part in this fantastic event almost every year since 2000. This year I am being joined by lots of family members and friends, so it should be a great day.”
Paying tribute to her father, David’s daughter Louisa Necib said in a statement: “Our dad first took part in the London to Brighton Bike Ride back in 1999 when he began cycling after a quadruple heart bypass. He loved taking part every year and it became a real family day out for everyone with more people joining him at every event. This year alone ten members of our family and friends were taking part alongside him.
“Dad was an amazing person who would do anything for anyone. He was a massive Chelsea Football Club fan, he loved his family and loved supporting the BHF and other charities and doing what he could for other people. He was just days away from his 70th birthday and we were all due to go on holiday together to celebrate. We are devastated.
“On behalf of our family I would like to thank everyone who came to our dad’s aid. Especially those on the scene and the emergency services. We are so grateful for all your efforts.”
> Cyclist dies during London to Brighton charity ride
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, chief executive of the BHF, added: “We are devastated by the news of David Cooper’s death while participating in the London to Brighton Bike Ride. The event is such a special one and knowing that David rode in every ride since 1999 just shows what an inspirational fundraiser he was.
“His 24 years of support for the BHF will have made a huge difference to the lives of heart patients across the UK and we are so grateful for his almost quarter century of support.
“It is clear from David’s family what a loving father and grandfather he was and how much they will miss him. Our thoughts are with his heartbroken family at this terrible time.”
Officers from Surrey Police are continuing to investigate David’s death and have appealed for witnesses.
David’s JustGiving page remains open, and has been flooded in recent days with donations, raising almost £3,800 at the time of writing.
Why don’t cyclists use the cycle lane? Part 4,290
More fun on Leith Walk today…
This morning we have a bus unable to offload disabled passengers due to a pickup and trailer on the bus stop, and cyclists forced into pedestrians due to a van. Bollards? @on_lothianbuses @TramstoNewhaven pic.twitter.com/nOai9vzY8j
— Edward Tissiman (@edtiss) June 22, 2023
And people wonder why it has a reputation…
Just Lionel Messi on his mountain bike
Messi cycling in Rosario with his family 🇦🇷🚴
— All About Argentina 🛎🇦🇷 (@AlbicelesteTalk) June 21, 2023
Well, it looks like the Messi vs Ronaldo debate has been well and truly settled then… at road.cc Towers at least!
The World Cup (and lots of other cups) winner was spotted riding with his family in his hometown of Rosario according to Messi Xtra, and took the time to give a quick wave to a passing motorist.
Futuristic 'carbon neutral' NEOM City in Saudi Arabia rumoured to be interested in being new Jumbo-Visma headline sponsor
With the Dutch supermarket giant Jumbo set to end its sponsorship of Jumbo-Visma by the end of 2024, a controversial mega ‘smart city’ being built in Saudi Arabia could be the new main sponsor of the team according to WielerFlits.
The source told WielerFlits that the NEOM project “takes cycling very seriously”, and that the city will be fully carbon neutral with little space for cars.
It’s estimated that NEOM City will be near to completion by 2039, and will cost in excess of $500 billion to cook up. Think Telford but a bit bigger, hotter and with fewer chavs… and with significantly more baggage surrounding its construction, with Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, the welfare of those involved in the construction of the mega city and accusations of forced evictions of native tribespeople just some of the issues cited so far.
Jumbo boss Richard Plugge insists it’s the first he’s heard of this particular sponsorship rumour, but says the team are “currently in serious discussions with several international parties, but there is nothing concrete yet.”
Being Dutch, Jumbo wouldn’t have to search too far from home to find a cycling city, so it would perhaps be a little ironic if they were to be named after one located in a nation not exactly world-renowned for active travel. Although we doubt the folks at city hall in the likes of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Delft would be able to throw quite as much cash at a professional cycling team…
The boys are back in town: Old lead-out supremo Mark Renshaw reunites with Mark Cavendish at Astana (as a “sprint consultant”) for one last crack at the Tour de France
I’m not crying, you’re crying…
At the Tour de France, we’re all going to be partying like it’s 2011 all over again, thanks to the news that legendary lead-out man Mark Renshaw is returning to his buddy and namesake Mark Cavendish’s side for one last crack at that damn stage win record.
But don’t get too carried away – the 40-year-old sprint train specialist won’t be lining up in Bilbao in Astana’s colours, at least not on his bike anyway (though Cav did once coax Alessandro Petacchi out of retirement to lead him out, so nothing’s impossible I suppose).
No, Renshaw is instead joining the Kazakh team as a “sprint and lead-out consultant”, in a bid to wrestle Astana’s ragged group of rouleurs into shape and mould them into a stage-winning unit worthy of the old HTC days.
Glory days at HTC-High Road…
And there’s plenty of expertise to be handed out to Cees Bol and co, thanks to Renshaw’s envious record as a lead-out man during a career in which he guided the Manx Missile to 23 of his 34 Tour wins, and lots of other victories besides, for High Road, Quick Step, and Dimension Data.
(Though he might be best advised to leave the video of stage 11 of the 2010 Tour at home…)
“I am really thrilled to return to the Tour de France with Astana Qazaqstan Team and Mark Cavendish as a sprint and lead-out consultant,” Renshaw said in a statement today. “After discussing the possibility to join Astana Qazaqstan Team with Alexandr Vinokurov and my ex-teammate Dmitriy Fofonov, I am really looking forward to bringing my skillset to help the team chase success.
“Our goal is to secure victories in the sprint stages, and I am eager to share my knowledge and experience gained as a lead-out rider and teammate of Mark Cavendish.
“Mark’s recent victory in the Tour of Italy is proof that he still possesses the speed, power, and determination needed to win grand tour stages.
“With the support of Astana and the talented riders selected for the race, I am confident that he has what it takes to win in this year’s Tour de France. I cancelled other jobs in July which shows my confidence in him. As we prepare for the important sprint stages, I am excited to work with the team’s Sports Directors to develop effective tactics and strategies, analysing and breaking down sprint stages is something I absolutely love to do.
“Mark’s career is already a big success, but I am excited to have the opportunity to help Mark finish his career on an absolute high and chase his 35th victory in the Grand Boucle.”
Cavendish was equally effusive about brining his old mate back into the fold, writing on Instagram: “Sooooooo buzzing about this… Apart from so many years together, so many victories, and so many memories, the analytical view that Mark Renshaw has on sprinting is ridiculously valuable.
“With the added bonus of knowing firsthand how both my legs and mind work. Myself and everyone at Astana are proud and excited to have you on board mate.”
And the excitement just keeps building for No. 35…
Urška Žigart and her boyfriend become Slovenian time trial champions
The newest Slovenian National Champions in #timetrial are @urskazigart and @tamaupogi 🥳 Congratulations to both and we are looking forward to Sunday’s road race at National Championship in @RadolcaSlovenia 💚 #ifeelsLOVEnia #julianalps @kolesarskazveza pic.twitter.com/HOdYCaE5bV
— Feel Slovenia (@SloveniaInfo) June 22, 2023
Tadej Pogačar. 29:43!
Tri leta nazaj 31:10
Novi državni prvak Slovenije v vožnji na čas za leto 2023. Tretjič v karieri. Po Ljubljani 2019 in Pokljuki 2020 zdaj Pokljuka 2023. #kolesarstvo pic.twitter.com/yQxGmhl2JS
— Toni Gruden (@duledoz) June 22, 2023
Quick, someone at Het Nieuwsblad find out that young man’s name. He could make it big, you know…
22 June 2023, 08:11
Marcel Kittel and Tony Martin launch “the most visible – and therefore safest – bikes for children and youngsters” at Eurobike
Are these new li:on kids bikes from Marcel Kittel and Tony Martin the safest ever?
German bikes feature oversized lighting system integrated into the frame and glowing paint
22 June 2023, 08:11
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Latest Comments
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.
Obree had some actual talent in his legs though, in addition to his bike/aero engineering talent.
Малко като опит за доказване е излязло... Никой няма нужда от толкова голям въртящ момент и мощност на шосеен велосипед с тънки гуми, които дори трудно ще предават тази мощност върху пътя. А ако има и ограничение от 25 км/час е още по-безмислено.
Not sure how informative that is. I imagine for all most of us know it could be Europe's only 'volumetric modular building'. 🤷♂️
Yes, but they're copying the adults of today...
Indeed - but alas I think this is an effective argument for very few folks indeed. As for push-back, what else could we expect *? I think there are ways of selling this but we're far more likely to see headlines about the problems, while the successes are relegated to footnotes, because at that point it just works and there's nothing to see... * Given that this time there aren't politicians being persuaded to overlook thousands of deaths and the demolition of property by the billions from the motoring trades (and the excitement of being able to drive out with the bright things for a party at a roadhouse). Nor are we as tolerant of "accidents". (And noting that publicity about the cases of a handful of people killed by cyclists continues to reach the media; deaths related to motor vehicles not so much).
That rather ignores that the children of today are the adults of tomorrow.
@belugabob Arguably it's easier this way - we don't actually need to do anything to the streets except stop drivers driving down every scrap of tarmac. Where I live, a few well-placed bollards would make walking/cycling/scooting the quicker option and safer, while maintaining 100% vehicular access - just not allowing through routes in every direction.
46 thoughts on ““You get what you invite”: Incredible London cycle commuting scenes; More ‘mixed’ responses to Labour plans for Brighton seafront; 100s queue for Raleigh Chopper relaunch; Pogačar approves of (borrowed) “Urška’s boyfriend” headline + more on the live blog”
The efficient transportation
The efficient transportation nerd in me is excited by that sweet, sweet throughput!
Once again, a video of
Once again, a video of cyclists on my daily route and I’m not in it!
More seriously, I’m a bit surprised by the “I’m normally at my desk long before 9am so rarely see how rammed the main cycleways are at peak times.” – I go through there at 7.45am and it’s pretty busy (though not as busy as in the video) then.
Woo hoo! Love me some UK
Woo hoo! Love me some UK based mass-cycling-commute videos. This has definitely brightened up what was turning into a hard day.
Steve K – as much as you would enjoy being in the video, would you also be happy to get to a stage where this kind of video is just accepted as normal and therefore doesn’t make the news?
HoldingOn wrote:
Agreed. This shouldn’t be a headline sensation.
HoldingOn wrote:
Yes, of course.
i know i have adjust my cylce
i know i have adjust my cylce commute to avoid the cycle traffic….ha ha
Any luck on the new video
Any luck on the new video Steve K?
I think if you ever see a video camera on your commute, you are going to have to go large so we can all spot you. A cheeky wink and thumbs up? Maybe a pop a wheelie?
The Absurdity of a New York
The Absurdity of a New York Cycling Ticket
In which I contemplate the mercurial chaos of traffic justice.
Article on slate.com, citi-biking in NYC.
https://slate.com/business/2023/06/nyc-bike-tickets-riding-on-sidewalk.html
This reminds me of the
This reminds me of the headline “Internationally acclaimed barrister Amal Amuddin marries actor”. They could have said “our-of-work actor” as George Clooney wasn’t working at the time.
“If you build it, they will
“If you build it, they will come”… TFL need to start widening the cycle lanes, they can’t copy with the traffic
Didn’t see a single other
Didn’t see a single other cyclist on my 8 mile commute this morning out in the provinces.
Of course, we haven’t had a penny spent, apart from a few white lines in the city centre, on any infrastructure, like the majority of the UK.
I tip my hat to London and it’s cycle commuters, but we have an exceedingly long way to go before we can get truly excited about the future.
Btw, I was lucky to be close passed 3 times in those 8 miles.
Lucky me.
Down here I would say that
Down here I would say that someone does something truly life threatening to me on my bike around once every 15-30 minutes of cycling. Someone does something that would make them fail a driving test around every one to two minutes.
There is no cycle infrastructure of any kind.
(what I mean by this is I don
(what I mean by this is I don’t blame anyone here for choosing not to cycle or choosing to ride on pavements etc to stay off the road)
People do ride bikes around
People do ride bikes around Harrogate, but North Yorkshire Council hasn’t built any infrastructure.
Despite Gear Change, despite LTN 1/20, despite the setting up of Active Travel England, in many places *nothing at all has been built*.
Watching that Ludgate Circus
Watching that Ludgate Circus footage: Bristol is never that busy with cyclists, or not on the route and times I travel. I think I’d find that many cyclists, all travelling that close together, very stressful.
Can any London commuters comment? Am I being too nervous?
I’ve ridden on busy cycle
I’ve ridden on busy cycle tracks in Utrecht. It is a joyous and uplifting experience.
brooksby wrote:
It works fine 99% of the time, everyone is much more relaxed on the cycle paths than they are on the road and more willing to make space for others because making space doesn’t mean you’ll be putting yourself into the path of a motorised vehicle. The traffic lights tend to provide a bit of natural selection with the faster riders going to the front and the slower riders stopping behind, so after a short while you generally find yourself in a group with your ability and/or chosen speed level. The only problems I see arising on anything like a regular basis are those caused by young men (and it is always young men) on fancy road bikes who insist on making up for whatever their shortcomings in the trouser department by zooming up the outside of groups at 25 mph then diving back in when faced with oncoming cyclists, usually having a good swear at other people for being too slow for good measure. Thankfully they are quite rare though and as I said most of the time it works brilliantly and it feels magnificent to be a part of it, honestly never thought I would see London like this in my lifetime.
Rendel Harris wrote:
A pet peeve – people overtaking and then swinging immediately in front with inches to spare. Fine if we’re in the same chaingang, but not on my commute thanks.
Yeah – that’s the rough bit
Yeah – that’s the rough bit of “mass cycling” (not sure London’s there yet but hopefully on the way). The up side is that they’d also not be looking / ignoring anything they passed if they were in a car of course, but now they’re not.
quiff wrote:
My pet peeve is people who insist on riding to the front at the lights rather than join the queue. Especially if they are slower than me, so I then have to wait for an opportunity to overtake (and even more so if I’ve already overtaken them, so they can see I’m faster).
Steve K wrote:
Shoaling.
https://gothamist.com/news/what-is-shoaling-and-should-cyclists-stop-doing-it
My experience this week,
My experience this week, brixton to Waterloo, is i am more likley to be cut up by someone on a hire Ebike or a scooter. Behaving like a chopper is not restricted to those that wear lycra. Otherwise I agree, truly fantastic to be part of wave after wave of cylists making their way into work/study/pleasure.
brooksby wrote:
It can be a bit stressful – particularly on the two way bits where you sometimes get someone overtaking coming straight at you. But it’s a lot less stressful than the road.
I used to cycle-commute daily
I used to cycle-commute daily in London until 2020, and my route was all roads. I’ve now moved out and cycle there once a week, using mostly segregated paths (Royal Parks and the Embankment superhighway). Maybe I’m just out of practice and have adopted a more provincial pace of life, but at peak times I genuinely find the superhighway more stressful than I used to find the road.
quiff wrote:
Wait a minute – there are cycle “superhighways”??!
I’m envisaging 8 lanes of bikes, stretching off to the horizon, with ne’er a car to be seen.
Shhh. Let me enjoy it.
HoldingOn wrote:
Sorry. They’ve definitely progressed (in quality) over 13 years since they “opened” – with blue paint. Not knocking progress but they are very much still “cycle superhypeways” compared to unremarkable found-everywhere Dutch standard cycle infra. Compare what happens at junctions, width, provision per numbers of cyclists / distance between routes etc.
The only “superhighways” I’m aware of aren’t called that – they’re “fast cycle routes”. Actually “long distance efficient cycle route” might be a better term.
BicycleDutch as usual has some nice videos of them – also charting their development.
I apologise – you wanted a
I apologise – you wanted a vision of “bicycle traffic”? How about this one from London – with added soundtrack?
chrisonatrike wrote:
Amazing. Look at all the smiling faces! You don’t see that many happy people behind the wheel of a metal death box. Brilliant.
Behold the joy that is CS7.
Behold the joy that is CS7. It runs on both sides of the road……
quiff wrote:
You do get used to it up to a point but there is quite a lot of aggressive and inconsiderate riding at times. Outside of the peakiest part of the peak though (and I’ve been fortunate enough to have relatively flexible hours), they’re great.
Usually only one leg of my
Usually only one leg of my journey is peak time. The non-peak leg is bliss – pootling from London Bridge to Paddington, seeing the sights on mostly segregated infra.
Blackfriars Bridge (just
Blackfriars Bridge (just before Ludgate Hill if you’re approaching from the south) can be a bit hairy. There are obstructions due to anti-car barriers which people tend to go left or right of fairly arbitrarily (it’s two-way cycle traffic), and bike-specific traffic lights which tend to be ignored because it *looks* like it’s safe to sail through them if you don’t notice the pedestrian crossings or the obscured traffic coming off the Embankment. Along with Borough High Street, it’s probably my top spot for a prolonged yell at people who won’t keep to their side of the road or obey traffic signals.
But to echo others, it’s all pretty great really. People aren’t idiots by and large, and there’s a wider mix of people riding in than there was even five years ago. It might take longer for more car-focussed cities to catch up (London’s the only place I’ve lived where driving to work wasn’t the norm), but if they build it…
I’m hoping and expecting that
I’m hoping and expecting that pinch point will improve once the supersewer works are finished ( first half of 2025 last time I looked) and the dedicated lane down to the Embankment is reopened, in the brief time we had to enjoy it it worked really well. I still feel the anti-car barriers could be much wider apart whilst still fulfilling their counterterrorist purpose, they feel much narrower than, for example, the ones on Vauxhall Bridge.
Yes, true. It’ll be good when
Yes, true. It’ll be good when it’s finished.
Vauxhall Bridge is very narrow, I think possibly the pavement was widened during Covid. Coming from the south, once you’ve negotiated the cycle lane junction and pedestrian crossing outside MI6 that everyone ignores there’s a 50/50 chance that you’ll meet someone charging the wrong way up your lane, usually overtaking a Boris bike rider who’s been surprised by the gradient.
The main danger I find on
The main danger I find on Vauxhall Bridge at the moment is 30mph+ electric scooters flying down the middle of the two lines of cyclists…tip for the police, if a scooter rider is wearing a full face motorbike helmet and a back protector it’s probably not restricted to 12.5mph…
Yes it is narrow, when they put in the antiterrorist barriers they inexplicably stole several feet from the cycle lane; as the picture shows, the barriers could have been snugged up to the red line with no loss of road width for drivers and a 25% wider cycle lane. I did write to TfL about it at the time but no response.
“tip for the police, if a
“tip for the police, if a scooter rider is wearing a full face motorbike helmet and a back protector it’s probably not restricted to 12.5mph…”
They don’t care when such scooter riders are weaving through small children in Burgess Park at speeds clearly in excess of 12.5mph: they’re not going to care when it’s only cyclists in danger.
Rendel Harris wrote:
It looks like the barriers are pushed up against (pre-existing?) kerbstones so would have required more significant work to snug them up to the red line, when they just wanted to install protection ASAP. Now that the barriers seem to be permanent though, seems a shame not to reclaim the wasted space.
quiff wrote:
Yes, the kerbstones were the original divider for the cycle lane (picture from 2017 below). Not sure why the barriers couldn’t be installed on top of the kerbstones or the stones removed and the barriers placed on that line. I know they were in a hurry to install protection but as I recall it was closed for some weeks so I don’t think it would’ve been that difficult to install them without narrowing the cycle lane.
It’s generally fine. I don’t
It’s generally fine. I don’t ride into town nearly as much as i used to ‘in the before time’ and then there was (and still is) a woman on an electric bike that I used to see regularly. She would come up on the right hand side at the traffic lights, and do an electric sprint up to 15mph when they went green. I’d be just behind, and she’d carve her way across to the left without looking. Every – single – time.
There are masses of traffic lights, and I used to share about 8 miles of my route with her. When I realised that she was still there after Covid, I decided to put a stop to it and made sure my sprint off the line matched hers. She freaked out when she realised she was going to have to stay out two abreast. She’s not done it since….
Ah the Raleigh Chopper, a
Ah the Raleigh Chopper, a silly bike originally & a silly bike now but when I was 11 years old back in 1972 – Christmas morning was wonderful!
So how long would it take for
So how long would it take for 44 cars (van’s etc) to go past…..a bit more than just over 35 seconds me thinks!
“That’s because those bloody
“That’s because those bloody bike lanes have caused congestion, innit”
The concept of the Li:on bike
The concept of the Li:on bike is absolute genius.
Whilst the cost is fairly substantial for a kids bike in comparison to what normally floods the market, the features it packs are absolutely brilliant. And they look pretty stylish, too.
Errm..so says someone who
Errm..so says someone who hasnt watched kids grow out of bikes every two years.
Colour me unconvinced.
Yep. Cheaper bikes until they
Yep. Cheaper bikes until they grew a bit decided they were into cycling (all three of mine were when young, only one now).
lesterama wrote:
Understandable and I’m not disagreeing with you.
However, my 2 began riding just as Islabikes were starting up. In those days there were no decent alternatives, it was Isla or a BSO. They had great bikes from the start which were lightweight with far better ergonomics etc. Household finances were tight but I feel it was money well spent. The kids got to ride excellent bikes (and we were supporting a small local business) instead of computer games and consoles, which their peers went through at a rate of knots. Each bike was passed from one to the other then sold for almost as much as we paid for it. I’d do the same thing again now.