Road safety group slammed for “awful” drink driving campaign which claims people who don’t drive “are a burden for others”; Novak Djokovic: “I’m coming for you, Tadej Pogačar”; Vuelta pro celebrates too early in “rookie mistake” + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
The fallout from the Royal Parks ‘speeding cyclists’ debate rumbles on, as another Richmond Park bike race bites the dust
In case you missed it last night:
> Latest cycling event cancelled in Richmond Park, as organiser highlights “increased focus on security and logistics of cycling events in public spaces”
The Vuelta a España finally heads back into Spain – and things are about to get interesting
Just like last week’s Tour de France Femmes, it’s taken quite a while for the Vuelta a España to return to home soil, following its opening long weekend in neighbouring Portugal.
And, in typical Vuelta style, the organisers have wasted no time in reminding the riders that they’re back in Spain, with a brute of a mountain test in store for stage four today, featuring one category three climb, one cat two, and two cat ones, including a tough summit finish at Pico Villuercas.
The 14.6km-long Pico Villuercas may only average 6.2 per cent – but don’t let the numbers fool you. The relatively benign average (that’s easy for me to type from my desk) is largely due to its draggy, easier first 9km, which never reach anything more than five per cent.
But it’s the four kilometres that follow that gentle introduction – averaging a leg-destroying 11, 13.6, 14.1, and 16.4 per cent respectively – which will blow the GC race apart, and may see on or two red jersey contenders in early difficulty on the savage max 20 per cent slopes.
Brutal.
Romain Bardet won here solo from the breakaway the last time the climb was tackled in 2021, as Miguel Ángel López took a few seconds off eventual race winner Primož Roglič (a few days later, MLA would famously strop off on the penultimate stage, as the podium slipped out of reach. Ah, good times).
Adam Yates also finished 12 seconds down on Roglič that day, something the UAE Team Emirates climber will be hoping to reverse this afternoon if he can…
Saddle Scores
> Best road bike saddles 2024 — here are the top bike seat picks for every budget
Cause for optimism?
> Labour government to invest “unprecedented levels of funding” in cycling
Cycling UK “thrilled” by Transport Secretary Louise Haigh’s commitment to investing “unprecedented levels of funding” in cycling – but cyclists say the “proof is in the pudding”
Cycling UK has this morning praised the new Labour government’s apparent commitment to cycling, after transport secretary Louise Haigh pledged to invest “unprecedented levels of funding” in active travel, as well as developing a new road safety strategy.
As we reported earlier, Haigh explained in an interview with Laura Laker published in the Guardian how active travel would form an important part of the government’s approach to improving health and the environment, adding that “walking and cycling and moving more are essential to solving both of these in the immediate term and in the long term”.
“There’s lots of evidence to show that will reduce the number of GP appointments by hundreds of thousands, if not millions. We absolutely want to make sure that we invest at unprecedented levels,” Haigh said.
> Labour government to invest “unprecedented levels of funding” in cycling
In response to Haigh’s encouraging comments, Cycling UK’S director of external affairs Sarah McMonagle said in a statement today: “We are thrilled that the Transport Secretary has made a firm commitment to ‘unprecedented levels of funding’.
“By embracing a shift towards active travel, the government has begun to lay the foundations for a future where everyone has access to clean air, safer streets, and a more sustainable way of getting around.”
She continued: “For decades, Cycling UK has stressed the potential for cycling to not only improve public health, but address the climate crisis head-on, boost the economy, and help to ease the cost-of-living crisis for everyone. Research by the IPPR, supported by Cycling UK, revealed that at least 10 percent of the total transport budget should be dedicated to active travel within five years to ensure that these benefits are realised.
“We know from working with communities that public support is strong, and we have a clear roadmap to create happier, healthier, greener lives through cycling. We hope to see the government translate these positive words into firm spending commitments for active travel in the forthcoming Autumn Budget.”
That hope for words to turn into action has also been echoed by cyclists on social media, as 2 Wheeled Wolf responded to our story by writing: “As they say, ‘proof is in the pudding’. Too often we get the right words but not the actions to follow it.
“Good to hear what they say, but nothing more than words until we see them actioned on.”
What do you think? Are we about to witness a new dawn for cycling in the UK? Or is this just another case of empty promises?
Andy Murray v Novak Djokovic, Individual Pursuit final, 2026 world track championships?
It’s been quite the month for jokey cycling/tennis crossovers. First, we had British Cycling launch an ambitious bid for the newly retired Andy Murray at the Olympics (probably just in case the Matt Richardson nationality switch fell through, I suppose).
Do you want to try cycling Andy?
— British Cycling (@BritishCycling) August 1, 2024
And today we had Novak Djokovic throw his hat into the ring for a potential tilt at the Tour de France, presumably pissing off Kristian Blummenfelt in the process, and showcasing his burst of pace… on a mountain bike, on a forest bike path.
So, while the idea of tennis stars joining the pro peloton is in our heads, how about I float the idea of an individual pursuit match between old rivals Murray and Djokovic at Herne Hill?
Murray’s basically been training for this moment his whole life:
And let’s face it, it’s the only time most of us would travel to London to watch two tennis players, anyway.
I’ll get it organised and give Andy a ring now. Probably best not to mention that time he said there was “very little skill involved in the Tour de France” though…
Just five motorists have been fined for driving in cycle lanes in Ireland over the past four years – as Green TD says figures show policing cycle lanes “just isn’t a priority”, creating a culture where drivers feel they can “infringe with impunity”
In the same week that the Road Safety Authority in Ireland has come under fire for seemingly promoting a car-centric view of travel, while attempting to dissuade people from drink and drug driver, new Garda statistics have been released which show that just five motorists have been fined in Ireland for driving in cycle lanes over the last four years.
According to the figures, released to the Green Party TD for Waterford Marc Ó Cathasaigh, fixed penalty notices of £60 were issued to five drivers for the offence between the start of 2020 and the end of 2023.
According to Ó Cathasaigh, the lack of fines highlights that policing cycling lanes “just isn’t a priority”, resulting in a situation where drivers feel they can “infringe with impunity”.
“We need to do a hell of a lot better if we’re to create a genuinely safe environment for cyclists, particularly in our urban centres,” he told the Irish Times.
“The low level of FCPNs issued for these offences is a very clear indication that this just isn’t an enforcement priority.
“Cyclists are among our most vulnerable road users and their protected spaces need to be respected if we’re serious about creating an inclusive and inviting infrastructure for them to use. The lack of enforcement creates a culture whereby drivers feel that they can infringe with impunity and without any real prospect of recourse.”
Meanwhile, Ciarán Ferrie, a spokesperson for cycling campaign group I Bike Dublin, said the lack of fines meted out to cycle lane-driving motorists was “shocking but not surprising”.
“The misuse of cycle lanes is something that most people in our large towns and cities experience on a daily basis and rarely, if ever, is there any evidence of enforcement,” said Ferrie, whose group has raised the issue with the Oireachtas Justice Committee, which recommended that the Garda take it more seriously – though Ferrie says he has seen little evidence of a change in the force’s attitudes towards blocked bike lanes.
The campaigner added that enforcement of the law around “the chronic abuse of existing cycling infrastructure is essential” if riding a bike is to be seen as a realistic alternative to driving.
Tadej Pogačar says it’s “time to work again” after holidays – as fans crash Tour winner’s merch website
This morning, Tadej Pogačar – perhaps spurred on by Novak Djokovic’s cycling/tennis crossover challenge – took to Instagram to strike fear into the hearts of all his rainbow jersey rivals by announcing that his holidays are over and “it’s time to work again”, as the Slovenian superstar begins his build-up for next month’s world road race championships in Zurich.
What’s more, Pogačar also dropped some fresh new merch on his website, which was soon crashed by his very, very eager fans, seemingly desperate to get their hands on a bright yellow T-shirt featuring a large cartoon lion.
Ah, the life of the greatest cyclist in the world…
Olympic champion Tom Pidcock aiming for gold medal-rainbow jersey double after being named in Team GB squad for upcoming world mountain bike championships
Tom Pidcock will be hoping to cap off a perfect off-road summer by adding another rainbow jersey to his collection in Andorra next week, after being named as part of a strong British line-up for the UCI mountain bike world championships.
Pidcock, who took his maiden world title in the discipline in Glasgow last year before winning a scintillating second Olympic gold medal in July, will defend his rainbow jersey in the cross-country event alongside teammates Charlie Aldridge, who finished eighth in Paris, and national champion Cameron Orr.
The world championships form part of a packed schedule for Pidcock over the next few weeks, with the Ineos Grenadiers rider pencilled in to ride the Bretagne Classic just before heading to Par Arinsal in Andorra for the worlds, with the Tour of Britain following immediately after.
Meanwhile, Britain’s elite women’s line-up for Andorra consists of Evie Richards, who will look to reclaim her title from 2021 after finishing fifth in Paris, current national champion and 2017 world championships silver medallist Annie Last, and Scottish national champion Isla Short.
It’s only stage four and the temperature’s beginning to soar…
Around 70km to go in today’s Vuelta stage to Pico Villuercas, the first mountain-top finish of the race, and the temperature’s just nudged up to 40 degrees Celsius deep in the middle of Spain.
Which makes me wonder whether Primož Roglič’s Red Bull-Bora domestiques are overly happy that they’ve been asked to control things on the front all day in this baking heat, keeping the current five-man break at arm’s length just two minutes up the road.
Bonus points for any reader who can tell me what song the headline of this story is referencing – the title of which may prove an apt metaphor for any GC contender who comes unstuck on the 20 per cent ramps of the Pico Villuercas. Got it? Now try getting it out of your head…
More cycling team bus drama, as Soudal-Quick Step forced to “adapt quickly” to make it to start of stage four at the Vuelta – where their riders got ready by the roadside
If this isn’t a contender for photo of the Vuelta, or even the entire cycling season, I don’t know what is, as Mikel Landa – clad in his T-Rex-themed T-shirt – is treated to some classic Spanish hospitality (crying child aside), after the Belgian squad’s bus broke down this morning, forcing the Basque climber and his teammates to get ready for stage four the old-fashioned way, on a pavement somewhere near the start line:
“Problems with the bus meant that we had to adapt quickly in order to get ready for stage four of the Vuelta,” Soudal – sorry, T-Rex – Quick-Step posted on social media this afternoon, alongside Wout Beel’s brilliant photos.
“On the bright side, we’ve made some new friends and experienced the beautiful Spanish hospitality.”
I’m also a big fan of the last photo included in the post, featuring James Knox pinning his race number on while perched on a drinks cool box, a proper throwback to the junior ranks that one.
Who said the life of a cyclist was glamourous?
Facebook complainers versus cycling infrastructure, part 10,658
> Cycling junction could reduce conflict and optimise traffic flow… but council inundated with complaints on Facebook about “road tax” and lost parking
“I’m coming for you, Tadej Pogačar”: Novak Djokovic says “Next stop, Tour de France” as tennis star sets “new goals” during weekend bike ride – and challenges Giro-Tour double winner to cycling/tennis crossover match
It’s good to know we’re not the only ones who sometimes fantasise about dropping Tour de France winners as we enjoy an extremely slow Sunday cycle – even one of the greatest tennis players of all time is guilty of a little mid-spin daydreaming too, it appears.
While out for a ride on his mountain bike at the weekend, Novak Djokovic – fresh from adding an Olympic singles gold medal to his record 24 Grand Slam titles – invoked his inner eight-year-old cycling superfan, accelerating away from his companions while shouting “Tadej Pogačar! Tour de France!”
See, these sporting megastars, they’re just like us.
“Back in training. Setting new goals. Next stop, Tour de France. (I’m coming for you, Tadej Pogačar)”, the 37-year-old wrote on Instagram, as he prepares to defend his US Open title over the next few weeks.
But Djokovic didn’t stop there, as the Olympic champion challenged Pogačar to a rather unique tennis/cycling crossover event.
“I have a challenge: You return my serve in tennis and I’ll try to follow you up the mountain in a 100m sprint,” Djokovic wrote, to which the Giro-Tour double winner replied: “Let’s do it”.
‘Come on Pogi, take it easy on me, I’m not Jonas…’
Now, that would be an interesting – albeit rather quick – watch. I heard Discovery has already made a bid for the broadcasting rights…
Meanwhile, plenty of Djokovic’s fans were receptive of the idea of their man swapping his racket for a shiny new road bike and dominating, naturally, the sport’s biggest races.
“He completed tennis, now he will complete cycling,” wrote one fan on Instagram, while another said: “It’s over for the cyclists. Djoko is coming from all the trophies. Winner of Tour de France 2025.”
Well, if 2020 Olympic triathlon champion Kristian Blummenfelt reckons he can join the peloton in his 30s, and eventually win the Tour, why can’t another veteran gold medallist?
Well, I can think of about a thousand reasons why not, but it’s fun to speculate…
> Novak Djokovic banned from cycling around Wimbledon grounds
Also, this isn’t the first time that the current world number two has made his way onto the digital pages of road.cc for riding his bike.
Back in 2016, Djokovic was banned from cycling on the grounds of Wimbledon by the site’s owners for safety reasons, after he was nearly involved in a collision with a supply vehicle while training for the championships (won that year by Andy Murray, as Djokovic exited in the third round).
It was reported at the time that Djokovic uses bike rides around the complex as part of his training “because of its steep slopes” – although there was no indication he was attempting to ‘Everest’ Henman Hill, which was a pity for us I suppose.
He was reportedly told not to ride around the grounds for his own safety, as officials raised concerns that as well as potentially putting him out of the tournament, a crash could also lead to legal proceedings.
So maybe there’s another reason he shouldn’t try to follow Pogi too closely…
The moment you realise you’ve made a huge mistake…
“A rookie mistake”: Young Belgian Lennert Van Eetvelt raises arm too early in premature celebration – and is pipped to breakthrough Vuelta win by Primož Roglič
Lennert Van Eetvelt may still be young and learning his trade as a professional cyclist – but surely he knows by now that you never count your chickens, or raise your arms too early, when sprinting against Primož Roglič of all people on a mountain-top finish.
The 23-year-old Belgian, however, let youthful exuberance get the better of him within sight of the line on Pico Villuercas when, at the end of a blistering sprint 200m-long sprint, he lifted one hand off the bars to celebrate what would have been the biggest win of his short and impressive career so far – only for the wily old fox Roglič, a master of summit sprinting, to slip by on the outside.
WHAT A SPECTACULAR FNALE! 💥 Primoz Roglic wins Stage 4 in the heat and epic slopes at La Vuelta! 😮 pic.twitter.com/734f2S1IlR
— Eurosport (@eurosport) August 20, 2024
That’s got to sting.
The naivety of Van Eetvelt’s finish-line faux-pas – adding his name to cycling’s illustrious list of premature celebrators – ironically came after the Lotto-Dstny rider produced a remarkably mature, composed ride on the savage 20 per cent slopes of the Pico Villuercas, the first GC rendezvous of this year’s Vuelta.
> Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory — when cycling celebrations go wrong
After Roglič’s Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe team controlled the peloton in the almost 40-degree heat of central Spain for much of the day, the Vuelta as predicted blew apart in the final, concrete-surfaced six kilometres of the Pico Villuercas.
While three-time Vuelta winner Roglič – something of an unknown quantity at this year’s race following another injury-stricken Tour de France – was quick to assert his authority as the bunch veered onto the steep, grippy road, it was Decathlon AG2R’s spindly Austrian climber Felix Gall who exploded the race to bits with a strong, sustained acceleration.
By the time the race turned left and onto much more reasonable, but still pretty steep, tarmac, only Gall, Roglič, and Van Eetvelt remained. A brief period of reflection following the torment saw Enric Mas, Matthew Riccitello (another promising young climber in the midst of a breakthrough season), and João Almeida regain contact, while Mikel Landa would latch on in the final kilometre.
The rest were scattered down the mountain – Antonio Tiberi the best of the rest at 18 seconds, defending champion Sepp Kuss at 28, Adam Yates all the way back at 1.29.
In the final 500m, a touch of Landismo by Soudal Quick-Step’s mercurial climber lit the blue touch paper.
Van Eetvelt – already a summit finish conqueror at the UAE Tour this year – didn’t hesitate, nor did Roglič. On the approach to the finish, curiously located right on a bend, the Belgian smartly took the inside line. He then, not so smartly, couldn’t contain his glee for the last 10m, as the latest example of Roglificiation ensued in the most cruel way yet.
“I don’t know what to say,” Eurosport pundit and Roglič’s former Visma teammate Nathan Van Hooydonck said after the finish about Van Eetvelt’s grand tour stage-denying mistake.
“He’s such a young, talented rider, and he raised his arm and thought, ‘oh no, I still have to throw my bike!’ It’s a rookie mistake – and not so smart. You always have to sprint to the finish line.”
‘Drat!’
Not that Roglič, who moves into the red leader’s jersey, will complain about his young rival’s case of overexuberance.
“The team worked harder than myself. Winning wasn’t the main objective of today, but when you see the guys working hard in this heat, I’m happy to finish it off,” the typically nonchalant Slovenian said after Vuelta stage win No. 13 of his career.
However, when asked if he went into the stage confident in his abilities, following the back injury that scuppered his Tour de France, and therefore ordered his Red Bull-Bora team to the front, a clearly bemused Roglič said: “No, not really – nobody asked me! If they asked me, I wouldn’t say for them to go so hard and control it for the victory, but I had no option.”
For poor Lennert Van Eetvelt, it seems Roglič had no choice but to mug the prematurely celebrating Belgian at the line, too.
Don’t worry Lenny, judging by your ride today, I’m sure your time will come at this Vuelta.
“Independence is not needing a car”: Road Safety Authority slammed for “discriminatory, awful” drink driving advert that argues people who don’t drive cars are a “burden for others”
It feels like it’s been a while since we’ve featured a victim-blaming, misguided, or just plain weird road safety advert on the live blog.
But unfortunately, that run has come to an end courtesy of Ireland’s Road Safety Authority, who have been relentlessly criticised for their latest campaign, posted on social media last night, which argues that people who lose their licence by driving under the influence of drink or drugs “become a burden for others”.
When you lose your licence, you become reliant on other people to take you where you need to go and you become a burden for others.
If you get caught drink or drug driving, you will be disqualified 🚫
🔗 https://t.co/bqecGYVfkN#RoadSafety #DriveSafely #VisionZero pic.twitter.com/fs9iQZtJIi— RSA Ireland (@RSAIreland) August 19, 2024
“When you lose your licence, you become reliant on other people to take you where you need to go and you become a burden for others,” RSA Ireland wrote in the video’s caption. “If you get caught drink or drug driving, you will be disqualified.”
Yep, nothing to do with the potential harm caused by those operating a two-tonne vehicle after an all-night bender.
Or the benefits of not driving at all, and instead swapping the car for public transport, or even a bike.
Just a weird, misguided attempt to make people feel guilty about putting others’ lives in danger – because they’ll lose that all-important ‘freedom’ that only the private motor car can provide.
Yes, this is actually from a road safety organisation. And it’s safe to say it hasn’t gone down too well online.
“Here let me help: ‘When you lose your licence, remember, you’re the lucky one! The person you KILLED is gone forever! Remember… a driving licence is a privilege, not a right!’”, wrote Alan, already doing a better job than the people who spent a presumably decent amount of time crafting that ‘ad’.
“So you’re saying the biggest issue with drink driving is that the person who does that may be disqualified? Are you for real?” asked Fiachra.
“It’s mind boggling that you are still persisting with this misguided campaign!” added Fiona. “Your catchphrase is ‘burden’. This is discriminatory, ableist, and just plain awful. This is not the message you need to be transmitting to motorists (from a motorist). Please stop!”
Meanwhile, others were highly critical of the ad’s implication that driving is apparently the only way to get around.
“Lots of people walk, cycle, take public transport and can’t or don’t want to drive. They are not a burden to others,” wrote the Better Ennis safe streets account.
“For people who can or try and take other modes of transport, the external benefits to others is immense. This ad is the opposite of encouraging modal shift.”
“Alternate view, if you drive alone you are a burden on all road users,” argued Fietser Steve, with Adam also writing: “I gave up my car three years ago. I don’t consider myself a burden to others. By not driving to work I’ve reduced both traffic and pollution.”
“Independence is not needing a car,” echoed VNS. “Dependency is needing a car for everything.”
Marc also hammered home the message: “People who don’t drive cars are not the problem here. This is a ridiculous unserious take on a life and death issue. Again, People. who. don’t. drive. cars. are. NOT. the. problem.”
Others said they were forced to check whether the ad in question was a “parody”, while Sam described the apparent implication that “those who cycle and take public transport are somehow inferior to those who drive” as “embarrassing”.
“Seriously folks – you’ll have no doubt held some internal meetings when putting this ad together?” asked the Safe Cycling Ireland group.
“Was there really nobody within your organisation to voice obvious concerns as articulated in the many comments here? … or did you just plough on regardless?”
Probably best not answer that one, RSA. Back to the drawing board, it is…
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32 Comments
Latest Comments
@robgodd The poor guy himself suffered a traumatic brain injury and his skull was so badly shattered a significant portion of it had to be removed - do me a favour, have a look around cycling helmet manufacturers and see if any of them claim the foam hats they produce will protect against or even mitigate that level of injury. I'll wait if you like, but I can save us both the time and tell you what you'll find: none of them. Not a single one of them will. Because they don't, and they *can't* based on simple physics. Once the point of failure in a material is reached all(or as near as makes no odds) of the additional force beyond that necessary threshhold transfers through to the object beneath. Since bicycle helmets are rated for forces roughly equivalent to being dropped straight down from a stationary start 1.5m above a hard surface. Now, I'm not an expert in vehicle crash investigation, but I'm *fairly* sure that any impact or series of impacts powerful enough to render a quarder of your skull into gravel, put you in a weeks-long coma, give you massive amnesia, and leave you with ongoing symptoms of traumatic brain injury are a little bit, a teeny-weeny amount, a little smidgeon-widgeon more than what bike helmets are rated for. That's why none of the companies that make them claim they will help in such circumstances: because they know it would be a lie, and that unlike uninformed punters, carbrained journalists, or "medical professionals" who think wearing a helmet would save you from a broken arm(an actual scenario encountered by a mate, who's nurse at the A&E tutted and harrumphed her way through his whole treatment due to his lack of helmet despite his bonce having come through *being hit by a car* - another scenario bike helmets are worthless in - completely unscathed), the lawyers for those companies know their business and understand that if you lie in advertising you will get sued into the ground.
The Battle of Ypres April 1915. The German infantry division advanced using das Brumptstadt Fahrarden. The slow speed kept them behind the cloud of chlorine gas as it drifted towards the Commonwealth trenches. The offensive cleaved a two mile gap in the Western Front. The use of cycles was copied by the Japanese as they invaded Singapore and Burmah. By then war technology had embraced wider low pressure tyres, carbon frames and hydration gels. The German forces decided not to incorporate cycling as part of Operation Session, as bike theft in London and the South East was rife and would have caused huge casualties. Ironically superior advancement of tyre technology led to a British victory at El Alamein. This technology played a key part in the US Marines victory at Iwo Jima.
The appropriate response to Google pissing on your cereal is not a fancy new sugar that removes the taste of urine. Stop using Google products where you can. Firefox browser and DuckDuckGo search engine have had noticeable upticks in market share by explicitly NOT pushing AI.
my thoughts exactly...I wonder how that approach is working, with motor vehicle drivers...🤔
I do not wish to diminish the personal tragedy, but one never hear calls for pedestrians or even hikers to wear clothing with integrated lightening rods.
RE Andy Burnam / Heidi Alexander - this is the best thing in many ways - set an example (even if currently it leads to lots of online name-calling). And imagine some of the political alternatives! The folks in the apparently second-placed party seem incredibly unlikely to be doing so. And even the current "new Greens" seem less interested in ... y'know, environmental things. OTOH I wish Heidi could be bolder. And I fear that like anyone ambitious enough to get to the top (exception B Johnson - well, I guess there was the Corbyn bicycle...) Burnam will be trimming his transport policy sails to fit the wind (should that be "bunker-fuel-burning engines"?)
@mattsccm Bull bars aren't banned, they just have to conform to regulations so they are deformable or have plates that allow crumple give on contact, rather than rigid steel bars that can smash into pedestrians and cyclists with no give at all, catch them and drag them under the wheels. If you think that's a problem, do one. Why should who is responsible for a collision remove the responsibility of people driving a tonne of machinery on the road from having safety features to at least mitigate some of the effects of a collision?
I'd be willing to bet that's lazy use of stock photography rather than deliberate misinformation, but the result is still the same.
@smallbeer You obviously don't realise how many bulls there are wandering around Chelsea, in and out of the china shops, that he needs to protect his Range Rover from.
I agree, it's bloody 'elf and safety overreach, can't help some people, I put some meat, sorry, neat decoration on the front of mine and the polis were round poking their noses in like that (mind you, that was a mistake...) (etc)
32 thoughts on “Road safety group slammed for “awful” drink driving campaign which claims people who don’t drive “are a burden for others”; Novak Djokovic: “I’m coming for you, Tadej Pogačar”; Vuelta pro celebrates too early in “rookie mistake” + more on the live blog”
Guardian – Labour investment
Guardian – Labour investment in cycling and walking will be unprecedented, says Louise Haigh
She’s saying all the right things, I’m feeling cautiously optimistic for the first time in years.
Tom_77 wrote:
Me too (there’s a little bit of discussion in the forum).
Steve K wrote:
Thanks, hadn’t seen that – Well, this sounds positive
road.cc wrote:
Sounds good – I’d watch that.
Oh. Well that’s disappointing – I was envisaging something more like this.
Paging HP…
Unicycle tennis
Paging HP…
Unicycle tennis
chrisonabike wrote:
That seems a bit contrived – the non unicycle player was hitting the ball towards the unicycle mounted one. I can envisage problems with trying to move quickly from one side of the court to the other as you’d build momentum and then be having to go the other direction. Team sports are more practical for unicycle mounted players.
On the plus side, his outfit
On the plus side, his outfit is clearly a tribute to Timmy Mallett, so it’s all good!
It says ‘footpaths’, but I
It says ‘footpaths’, but I guess this probably means bridleways at risk too?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1k3719g0p4o
Quote:
That Ireland Road Safety
That Ireland Road Safety Authority thing is f-ing horrendous
Victim blaming is deep in RSA
Victim blaming is deep in RSA’s DNA. They are best known for years of campaigning for hiviz for *pedestrians* to keep them “safe”. And then distributing warehouses of hiviz out to schools and others for free – €800,000 of it per annum (with some questions about how the procurement contracts are awarded *cough*). The Hiviz campaign is probably their largest activity (after excluding NCTs, which is contracted out, and driver licensing).
https://irishcycle.com/2022/03/08/rsa-questioned-on-spending-nearly-e1m-per-year-on-high-vis-without-research-backing/comment-page-1/
The same RSA also revealead to the PAC that it had _no_ actual road safety engineers on staff:
https://www.thejournal.ie/road-safety-public-accounts-6420316-Jun2024/
Absolute joke of an agency.
Whose idea was that ‘3D’
Whose idea was that ‘3D’ Vuelta profile chart (with red on, er, a slightly different red)? Terrible design.
mdavidford wrote:
Yeah, until I saw the graph below it, I was looking for a key to interpret the two colors. Like one red was some other year’s stage, or something.
The “3D” effect adds nothing even if done properly.
2 Wheeled Wolf wrote:
No. They say, ‘the proof of the pudding is in the eating’.
I have never found documentary evidence in my apple crumble.
Must bake harder.
Must bake harder.
GMBasix wrote:
…and the fortune cookies tasted a bit … papery also.
I’ve found wisdom, music* and
I’ve found wisdom, music* and sartorial advice*, but never proof.
(* pudding on my top hat)
GMBasix wrote:
The 84% proof is in the pudding.
[Edit – got my proof and ABV mixed up]
mdavidford wrote:
Could be a heavily laced Christmas pudding?
The proof is the yeast, which
The proof is the yeast, which is why baked things “prove”.
So the proof *is* in the pudding.
mattw wrote:
A real pedant writes: the phrase is first recorded in the 17th century (though probably much older) and referred to a sausage (as in black pudding et cetera), so proof in that context meant test or evidence.
Plausible, but this
Plausible, but this conjecture has a certain measure of rusk… you may look for your evidence there but find “not a sausage”.
I feel the jury will be swayed by the “smoking bun” indicated by mattw or intoxicated by mdavidford’s heady concoction.
Your confection of
Your confection of supposition will surely crumble when properly digested by the jury.
That’s just the way the
That’s just the way the pudding crumbles, as they say…
The cinnamon level needs to
The cinnamon level needs to be right and rolled oats in the crumble.
Cycling UK “thrilled” by
Cycling UK “thrilled” by Transport Secretary Louise Haigh’s commitment to investing “unprecedented levels of funding” in cycling.
The Guardian article highlights that “Transport in Britain is devolved.”
In Scotland, it’s projected that “10% of the total transport budget will be allocated to active travel by 2024-25.” However, it remains unclear if Labour will match this commitment in England, or offer only nebulous promises like “unprecedented levels of funding.”
It’s also commendable to see Scotland’s infrastructure, including Glasgow and Edinburgh, showcased in an bit really about England in both images here, but the coverage seems to omit the active travel initiatives under the old SNP/Greens collaboration for comparision.
For a more detailed look at the parties’ promises for cycling and active travel, you might find older articles & analysis in road.cc insightful. Additionally, the more commited & ambitious plans for active travel in Scotland, from these articles, I think is aiming to spend nearly £60 per person per year. Let’s have Labour match or beat that pl in England.
Eager for my points, is it
Eager for my points, is it Meatloaf, Out Of The Frying Pan? Luckily its not in my head at all…
I wonder what I can spend my points on?!?
We really need Road.cc to
We really need Road.cc to tell us whether things are Ireland, UK etc.
This RSA Safety High Blood Pressure Episode was a touch unnecessary for those of us not over there!
Is Djokovic riding an e-bike
Is Djokovic riding an e-bike in that video?
Pub bike wrote:
Definitely, it’s a Focus, can’t quite see the model but the size of the bottom bracket and downtube and the control unit on the left-hand side of the handlebars are a giveaway.
Eurosport (IMO) seem to go
Eurosport (IMO) seem to go all out to give us the most irritating lead commentators they can. Carlton Kirby’s inane drivel really gets on my nerves, along with his ‘sucking in saliva’ sound and regular use of the word ‘indeed’ which is [I]indeed[/I] redundant more or less every time he [I]indeed[/I] uses it. In the 20 or so minutes of highlights on Quest, I counted seven instances of ‘indeed’, including [I]twice in one sentence[/I], three seconds apart. ?
I wonder when we can expect Quest to fail to show the highlights on schedule for a second time this Vuelta, seeing as they have form for repeating the cock-up more than once in one Grand Tour.
Sean Kelly’s turn to emulate
Sean Kelly’s turn to emulate Kirby on Quest’s Eurosport highlights tonight: “for the moment” and “at the moment” [I]four times[/I] in one long sentence over the course of 11seconds! ?