Another cycle route blocked by “disappointing” barriers that “reduce accessibility and comfort”; Geraint Thomas’ namesake sells a bike… cue plenty of jokes; Cycle lane hosts cricket match for the ages; Vuelta Femenina + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
"Don't you have to race the Giro?" Man called Geraint Thomas sells a bike online... gets flooded with jokes from cycling fans
‘Geraint Thomas’ has outdone himself. The live blog favourite (a random person using Twitter who happens to share a name with one of the world’s best pro cyclists) never knew he would be so involved with professional cycling, and yet he gets inundated with messages, well wishes, congratulations and commiserations whenever his namesake — 2018 Tour de France winner and Ineos Grenadiers pro Geraint Thomas — races a Grand Tour.
Naturally, given that context, you can imagine how much amusement the online cycling community has taken from ‘Geraint Thomas’ taking to social media to sell his bike… three days before the Giro d’Italia starts too!
I’m selling my bike! Shocker!
I tried, but alas, I’m destined to stick to four wheels. It’s a Pinnacle Neon Three and that’s about as much as I know about this bike. This was a wonderful gift from a well-known bike store, rarely used. Desperately needs a clean and oil! DM me! 🚴 pic.twitter.com/7Dz4OpZJ8B
— Geraint Thomas (@geraintthomas) April 30, 2024
We might add cassette and chain to that list of things desperately needed too, although as its owner amusingly pointed out to someone else making the same point… there aren’t any speakers for the cassette…
It started to return to the earth.
— Geraint Thomas (@geraintthomas) April 30, 2024
Naturally, some were curious by the decision to sell your bike on the eve of a three-week race, others questioning how Ineos Grenadiers’ mechanics ever let it get so rusty or why their GC leader wasn’t aboard a top-of-the-range Pinarello Dogma?
Supreme confidence on the eve of the Giro d’Italia, you feel so certain of victory you don’t even need a bike. Bravo 👏👏👏👏👏😉😉
— Chris Sidwells (@ChrisSidwells) April 30, 2024
Wow, just before the Giro. Good luck without it!
— Thomas Flensted (@thomasflensted) April 30, 2024
A fun start to Wednesday and it reminded us of this classic from during the 2022 Tour de France. Geraint Thomas, take a bow…
Jesus alright I’ll change my glasses. Happy now?! https://t.co/QZPyghmQhn pic.twitter.com/JHjKw8oixG
— Geraint Thomas (@geraintthomas) July 13, 2022
So let that be a lesson to you. If at any point over the next three weeks you fancy tweeting Geraint Thomas, make sure you get the right one… or don’t because it’s more funny this way…
Earlier this week the Geraint Thomas that will be at the Giro’s start in Turin (assuming our internet hero doesn’t take some last-minute holiday) pondered UCI President David Lappartient’s comments about crashes being 50 per cent due to riders’ attitudes.
“I think Lappartient needs to focus more on the 50 per cent he can affect,” Thomas said. “I agree with what he says, but it just doesn’t make sense to me even saying it. That means 50 per cent is still down to him and organisers to do everything they can.”
"Proof that stories about vaccine dangers are overinflated": We all have a bit of fun with the internet's strangest cycling-related conspiracy theory
We knew the comments wouldn’t disappoint…
Rendel Harris: “Proof that stories about vaccine dangers are overinflated.”
Revchips: “They are also hidden in car tyres to track usage for pay per mile. Drivers should consider removing them.”
Simon Mills: “The ultimate tubeless set-up.”
Andy King: “If this gets out, it’s going to blow up.”
Why don't cyclists use the cycle lane? Because there's a brilliant bowler taking wickets and why would anyone want to interrupt that?
By far my favourite bike lane blockage to have ever made the live blog, splendid stuff…
British rider Natalie Grinczer stable in hospital after Vuelta Femenina crash
Roland Cycling Team has this morning updated us on the condition of British rider Natalie Grinczer who suffered a horrible crash on yesterday’s Vuelta Femenina stage.
“After the fall, Natalie is hospitalised, is stable and will remain under observation to recover from the heavy blow of the fall,” the team confirmed.
Bora-Hansgrohe pro Lennard Kämna out of hospital four weeks after being hit by a driver during team training camp in Tenerife
Lennard Kämna, the German rider who has won a stage of all three Grand Tours as well as at Critérium du Dauphiné and Volta a Catalunya, has been let out of hospital in Tenerife having been treated by doctors for a month following a serious training camp collision with the driver of a vehicle at the start of April.
He had been down to ride the Giro d’Italia a race appearance that was cancelled after the 27-year-old suffered numerous injuries “especially to his chest” and underwent successful surgery last week.
“Thank you for all the support over the past few weeks,” Kämna said. “I would especially like to thank my girlfriend and my family who have done everything to make me feel as comfortable as possible. It has not been an easy time at the University Hospital in Tenerife, but I am very grateful to the medical team and nurses for what they have done for me over the past few weeks.
“I am overjoyed that the first step of my recovery has been completed today and that I can now move on to Hamburg. I will start my rehab there and I am highly motivated to get back on the bike as soon as possible. But the most important thing is to get healthy again.”
Over a quarter of motorists in Scotland don't know driving dangerously around cyclists could lead to driving ban or prison sentence – and over 50% say more cameras would "change their behaviour", new survey finds
Cyclists invited to support cycle businesses on Local Bike Shop Day
This Saturday (4 May) is Local Bike Shop Day 2024, with riders encouraged to support the cycle businesses in their area. The event is sponsored by Cytech and numerous Association of Cycle Traders members are making the most of the day by offering customers offers and deals.
For example, Summit Cycles in Aberystwyth, will be celebrating Local Bike Shop Day by offering up to 50 per cent off selected clothing and helmets, free bike health
checks, e-bike test rides and a prize draw to win a £150 voucher.
Aztecs in Bow, East London will be offering customers old and new 10 per cent off everything in the shop, on the day, whilst at De Ver Cycles in Streatham, Britain’s first black cycling champion, Maurice Burton, will be in conversation with Paul Jones
discussing their book, The Maurice Burton Way, and visitors can also ride with Maurice at 9am, departing from De Ver Cycles’ Streatham shop.”
“Independent bike shops across the UK have a particular culture, service
and level of expertise that places them at the heart of their local
cycling communities. Local Bike Shop Day the day we all get to celebrate
that,” said Jonathan Harrison from the ACT.
“Whether it’s for accessories, for servicing or repairs, for accessories
or just for specialist advice, independent bike shops provide a
knowledgeable and invaluable service to cyclists of all ages, and this
is a chance to support them and celebrate them. For bike shops it is a
chance to reinforce their customer relationships and promote themselves
to new audiences.”
OPINION: Why a vote for Susan Hall is a vote against cycling
> OPINION: Why a vote for Susan Hall is a vote against cycling
EF Education-Cannondale are on fire at La Vuelta Femenina, landing second stage win as Marianne Vos moves into race lead
Kristen Faulkner earned EF Education-Cannondale their second win at La Vuelta Femenina, the American rider slipping away on the run to Zaragoza (no comment on which idiot in charge of the live blog described tomorrow’s stage in their preview earlier today…)
Kristen Faulkner hit the gas pedal and never looked back 🤯
Her win gives the squad our SECOND stage win at La Vuelta Femenina 🥳 pic.twitter.com/CnJTFeaJcm
— EF Education–Cannondale (@EF_Cannondale) May 1, 2024
There had been crosswind action, fewer than 20 riders finishing within two minutes of the stage winner, the rest left to lick their wounds after unnecessary GC losses. Georgia Baker came home second with Marianne Vos in third, the Dutch rider taking a few bonus seconds and moving into the race lead.
TOMORROW we have the summit finish to Jaca, the GC favourites needing to find their climbing legs soon as we head for three kilometres averaging north of eight per cent to chuck el gato entre las palomas (no idea if that works in Spanish)…
New protected cycle lane – in city where cyclist was fined for riding on bike path – slammed as "accident waiting to happen for pedestrians" that will "cause carnage on the roads"
Another cycle route blocked by "disappointing" barrier that "reduces accessibility and comfort"
Here’s the before and after of a path in Nuneaton where some bollards have been replaced by the dreaded chicane barriers, one local cyclist saying the “disappointing” move “rather than being an improvement for walking, wheeling, and cycling, reduces accessibility and comfort”.
The cut through comes, Bicycle Ben explains, near a National Cycle Network route and now reduces accessibility for riders on bikes, but particularly for those on cargo bikes or adapted cycles which may be wider than other bicycles and may struggle to get through the reduced width between the barriers.
It’s worth noting that there is no reasonable nearby alternative connection and this may well be inaccessible to anyone riding an adapted cycle or certain mobility aids, as well as those using non-standard cycles including cargo/utility bikes, towing trailers etc.
— BicycleBen (@BicycleBenUK) April 30, 2024
We’ve reported on numerous cases such as this, the logic normally deployed by local authorities being that the barriers are there to prevent prohibited vehicles accessing the route, although as many point out this can come at the cost of preventing those who are meant to be able to use the path.
Yep. The bollards were fine as a legacy restriction. A touch narrow on today’s standards maybe, but not worth making an issue over. Unless they’d been damaged somehow, I don’t know why they have been replaced, and then why not like for like?
— BicycleBen (@BicycleBenUK) May 1, 2024
In March, a disabled cyclist won a battle to get Newcastle City Council to remove “discriminatory” barriers after the local authority agreed for an out-of-court settlement to modify the National Cycle Network path.
A month earlier, in February, Bolton Council admitted that no equality impact assessment was carried out prior to it installing similar chicane-style barriers on a cycling and walking route.
Elsewhere in Greater Manchester, Stockport Council backtracked on a plan to introduce more barriers to cycling and walking routes, a decision welcomed by campaigners who said the proposals would discriminate against disabled people who use non-standard cycles, wheelchairs, and mobility aids.
Perhaps most bizarrely was the case of the newly installed bollards on Milton Keynes’ cycleways and shared-use routes. A delivery cyclist in the city, ultracycling legend Steve Abraham, told road.cc about the surreal situation whereby the bollards were too narrow for cargo bike trailers to get through. The punchline? The fact that said cargo bike trailers had been provided to couriers by… the same council that installed the bollards…
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Latest Comments
When was the last time you had a groundsheet with a built in mattress? The point is predictable comfort.
Is it because cars and driving are about convenience (for a price), so there is mileage in selling more (quite expensive) related things that are about convenience?
@FionaJJ that's the crux of the issue i guess. Minority causes can have this where the mainstream has the power to steamroll you (figuratively and literally). There's always "fear of angering the giant" (or alienating the decision makers / majority, where any politician has the temptation to gain attention by criticising this. And business salespeople stand to gain by selling "convenience and status" instead). But ... it's also easy to keep getting "small wins" while losing the main argument. (That would be where rules and public space remain suited to or are further modified to reinforce motor dependency and thus reduce active travel - even if perhaps it's now autonomous vehicles and "they're more efficient / much safer than human drivers").
@Secret_squirrel If you put it on the ground, you don't need a "giant solid base". I still don't get the point of it.
@chrisonabike I'd personally prefer it if she were bolder, but on the spectrum of terrible to brilliant options for Transport Secretary, having someone who believes in cycling, but is a bit timid about it, is a net positive. Yes, those of us who can see opportunities missed or delayed will be frustrated, but it could easily have been much worse. That doesn't mean there's not a role for encouragement and constructive criticism. Agreed Chris Boardman has a good approach. He is ambitious, but communicates it in a way that is meaningful to the majority, and makes it hard for all but the most brazen anti-cycling activists to disagree with his ambitions.
There isn’t a ground based version. Because the whole point is the giant solid base that doesn’t fit in a car. The next nearest thing is a trailer tent which is dearer and requires a towbar.
I presume the main sticking point is the cost, and assuming budgets remain tight, perhaps the level of subsidies needs to be reviewed. At £42 subsidy per person per year, and assuming six per hanger, that's over £200k for the existing provision. I'd argue that's excellent value for money when you factor in the benefits to society of a healthier population that comes with more cycling, but being mindful it's not all about me, and that councils are struggling to fund their basic and pressing statutory requirements, it may be they need to reduce the per person subsidy, or restrict the subsidy to particular groups, freeing up budget for more units. But I'd also argue that maintenance costs to Bikehanger reduce as more units are installed in one area, so there may be an opportunity to negotiate a better deal for subsequent units.
@bensynnock given the facts of this case, does your argument work if she had stepped out in front of a car on this road? Would you have expected a motorist to beep whenever they saw some people standing beside a road? Or should cyclists always ring their bells to compensate for their lack of "motor car audio/visual signature"? And would pedestrians know what to do? What about deaf pedestrians? I think we generally have to assume people shouldn't step out into a road in front of a vehicle. That can be qualified though - but I think that is done by "better infra". We already sometimes take measures to block pedestrians crossing "busy roads", provide signalised or even "grade-separated" crossings. And keep them completely away from motorways etc. And I guess there may be expectations that when people see "park" they drop their guard a bit? I do think some kind of "what about cyclists using spaces for racing / training?" argument could be made though.
@FionaJJ "I’d say that being visible is still very useful in a lot of locations where effort has gone into safe systems (like railway tracks). " Indeed ... but while we *do* operate a "safe systems" approach in the railways (and indeed in shipping and air transport) we don't do this in the same way on the roads. So unfortunately what should be the final backstop - given we've also addressed hazards at higher levels - ends up getting promoted as a first line safety measure. And of course safety is mostly out of cyclists' hands * so it's something people *can* do themselves. * After deciding whether to cycle at all, route choice (can I avoid roads altogether / what are the quieter routes), basic road skills. Individuals can't change road layouts and rules, so we simply have to hope that drivers do their part...
24 thoughts on “Another cycle route blocked by “disappointing” barriers that “reduce accessibility and comfort”; Geraint Thomas’ namesake sells a bike… cue plenty of jokes; Cycle lane hosts cricket match for the ages; Vuelta Femenina + more on the live blog”
Looks like it’s not just
Looks like it’s not just cyclists getting bullied in Bristol: https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/e-scooter-rider-feels-risking-9256414
Quote:
Yeah, right…
They’ve just borrowed that
They’ve just borrowed that from the police maybe?
Like any organisation a major concern (after reputation) is avoiding outside interference. What can’t simply be denied gets moved to “internal investigation”. If that won’t make it disappear just drag that out until the employee has died / retired / left – then “regrettably no further action can be taken”.
brooksby wrote:
I was curious about that phrasing – I reckon the driver chucked in their job, possibly for some other reason or maybe because they found driving a bus on the roads to be infuriating.
I love the way the Post front
I love the way the Post front page headline puts the focus on the bus driver losing his job rather than the scooter rider almost dying.
More war on motorists !
More war on motorists !
Saturation flow, that’s what
Saturation flow, that’s what you need to refer to. Get the mayor to call TfL traffic engineers and ask what it means. He’ll have his tiny mind blown.
Single lane c/way – approx 1800pcu/hr. Car=1pcu, bicycle=0.2pcu
https://www.cycling-embassy.org.uk/dictionary/passenger-car-unit
Could you explain what you’re
Could you explain what you’re getting at? The website you referenced isn’t very helpful. “Different vehicles are assigned different values, according to the space they take up.”? Pretty meaningless without number of people in each vehicle, speed at which it is travelling, etc.
Saturation flow talks about
Saturation flow talks about the maximum volume that can pass a stopline in one hour if the light was green for the whole time and there was a constant flow of vehicles. A single lane in an urban environment has been calculated to have 1800pcu/hr.
A pcu is a ‘passenger car unit’, which is on about the road space it takes up. So, theoretically, 1800 car/hr. By this metric, one bicycle takes up 1/5th of this, so 5 bikes can pass in the same time/space as one motor car. So sat flow if it’s a cycle lane is 9000 bikes, which is a min of 9000 people. Along with that, you need less infrastructure, you have lowered emissions, noise, and wider disruption.
Its a fairly out-dated metric but it’s how traffic engineers will determine the amount of green time a signal needs to cater for the flow. The average number of people inside a car is actually between 1 and 2, so the point I was making is that bicycles are unbelievably efficient at moving large numbers of people.
Tooled up for campus
Tooled up for campus
“Columbia University public safety sells these exact bike chain locks to its students to help prevent bike thefts.”
“This is literally called a New York bike lock.”
Hirsute wrote:
Are they implying that anyone carrying a heavy chain lock – of the sort people use to make sure that their bike is still there when they return to it – is now “carrying a weapon”?
They have no idea about bikes
They have no idea about bikes so claimed chains = professionalism = outside forces.
The cognitive dissonance in
The cognitive dissonance in Americans is astounding.
Carrying a bicycle chain is an “offensive weapon”
“Guns don’t kill people, people kill people” ~21,000 murders involving firearms in 2021 + ~26,300 suicides by firearms in the US in 2021.
“Cars are an essential symbol of American freedom” ~43,000 motor vehicle fatalities in the US in 2021
Oh Nuneaton, you
Oh Nuneaton, you disappointing shithole. If family didn’t live there I’d never go back.
More appropriate padding for the article is that Nuneaton Police recently asked the council to enact a PSPO banning bikes from the town centre to stop kids wheelying along the mostly abandoned market place.
For a little extra context, Nuneaton has staved off bankrupting itself by massively axing redevelopment plans to the town centre. Leaving only a large hotel next to 2 and a half derelict buildings and vast expanse of rubble that was approximately 1/4 of the commercial area of the town centre.
I think the change of bollard type is because they couldn’t afford new concrete ones so raided the scrap pile for the 2 best shape metal railings, gave them a lick of hammerite and stuck them in the ground
I can imagine the throngs of tourists are booking up already.
The town council also has a disproportionately high Social Care bill to cover for a settlement of its size, so it would be rather surprising they’ve opted for a solution so incompatible with wheelchairs and mobility scooters, irrelevant of the cycling aspect. Surprising to a 3rd party with no knowledge of the incompetency of Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council
Oh Nuneaton, you
Oh Nuneaton, you disappointing shithole
I feel it my duty to report that I was sat in central Nuneaton late in the evening in September 1970, on my way to college with nowhere obvious to stay. The police put me up in a cell and gave me breakfast. Thanks, folks, if any of you are still alive.
A delightfully tactful
A delightfully tactful description of being arrested for vagrancy and loitering?
A delightfully tactful
A delightfully tactful description of being arrested for vagrancy and loitering?
No. A friendly offer and an open cell door!
I’m loathe to make you feel
I’m loathe to make you feel any older than your age, but September 1970 was over half a century ago.
That date was closer to when Nuneaton was an industry powerhouse of masonry production and brickworks.
The character of the place has changed [B][I]just a bit[/I][/B]
ROOTminus1 wrote:
*Puts hands over ears* Ner ner ner, I can’t hear you, can’t hear you, can’t hear you…
Given the information you
Given the information you share (very occasionally!) about another police force, I commend you for this balance!
I had been disappointed not
I had been disappointed not to find Giro highlights on Quest, just seen an ad for it on DMax. Happy now.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank-you once again for
Thank-you once again for highlighting the Nuneaton pissing-away-money-at-a-time-of-austerity barrier.
We need to continue talking about these.
This smells a little of pre-Election populism by the Nuneaton & Bedworth Tory Council, which is identified as one that might flip Labour.
Intersting article in The
Intersting article in The Spectator advocating drivers who have a dashcam to “snitch” on littering/flytipping by other drivers.
I assume the same writer (and the paper) is happy for drivers (and cyclists) to use video evidence against dangerous driving too…
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/long-live-the-litter-lout-snitches/