Live blog: Alex Dowsett’s top tips for a rapid commute, three riders taking on Britain’s 100 best climbs (and riding between them) in 29 days, driver ‘forgets’ he’s not a bike + more
All the news and views from the site and beyond
Wed, Jun 20, 2018 13:49
Help us to bring you the best cycling content
If you’ve enjoyed this article, then please consider subscribing to road.cc from as little as £2.49. Our mission is to bring you all the news that’s relevant to you as a cyclist, independent reviews, impartial buying advice and more. Your subscription will help us to do more.
Jack is group editor across road.cc, off.road.cc and ebiketips, overseeing all three sites in the F-At Digital group to make sure everything’s up to scratch. He’s been writing about cycling and multisport for over a decade, arriving at road.cc via 220 Triathlon Magazine in 2017. He worked across all areas of road.cc including tech, news and video, and also contributed to ebiketips before being named editor of road.cc in 2021 (much to his surprise). Jack has been hooked on cycling since his student days, and currently has a Trek 1.2 for winter riding, a beloved Bickerton folding bike for getting around town, and an extra beloved custom Ridley Helium SLX for fantasising about going fast in his stable. Jack has never won a bike race, but does have a master’s degree in print journalism, and two Guinness World Records for pogo sticking (it’s a long story).
5 Comments
Read more...
Read more...
Read more...
Latest Comments
Mr Blackbird 2 minutes ago
No, I didn't think you were suggesting that. And I feel the same on a bike sometimes. Particularly when the sun is low and I hear cars braking late behind me.
Safety 55 minutes ago
Having watched a couple of episodes of Police, Camera, Action. I'm eagerly awaiting the Police call to close the M62.
mctrials23 1 hour ago
@Mr Blackbird I'm not suggesting they shouldn't be there at all, merely that as a single cyclist at the edge of the road travelling between 20-30kph I still feel vulnerable. I would not feel comfortable on a horse at all.
james-o 1 hour ago
@mjvande@pacbell.net You... 'saw'? : )
james-o 1 hour ago
"Breakin' the law, breakin' the law.." - Judas Priest "Call the cops!" - The Happy Mondays "There's only one way of life, and that's your own, your own.." - The Levellers
60somethingcyclist 2 hours ago
This is our local petrol station's prices today. If anything they're going to get a lot worse. Diesel is forecast to hit the £2 mark very soon. I'd be very surprised if we don't see refinery blockades like those in 2000. Let's see how anti-cycling they feel if that happens.
Paul J 3 hours ago
@Rendel Harris Interesting thanks. We do have to go back to the fundamental issue here. It is a _race_. And the GC is meant to reflect who is the best rider overall, over a range of conditions, over the 3 weeks. And part of that is using their judgement to navigate the course. I mean, riding in a big, tight, bunch on a straight road is dangerous too. See Pogacar. Should _all_ of the Grand Tours be neutralised, bar the uphill sections and TTs? Where are we going with this? I definitely agree with the many comments - ranging from commentators on TV, to road.cc journalists, to comments here and elsewhere - that this question needs to be addressed more formally within the rules of the UCI. Or else this fester and get ever more ridiculous.
chrisonabike 3 hours ago
I'm guessing he's a day-only Captain Nemo? On the other hand if he simply can't commute to work perhaps he's just a ROV pilot?
mark1a 3 hours ago
@Riggers I used to buy a lot from Wiggle, and since then, unfortunately nowhere has come close in my opinion for a one-stop shop, so for me now it's a combination of: Decathlon (clothing) Merlin (tyres, drivetrain components) Woolly Hat Shop/bikeparts.co.uk (tools, drivetrain components) Sigma Sports (clothing, misc accessories) SJS (components) BikeInn (misc accessories)
mdavidford 3 hours ago
What exactly do you think I said you said that wasn't what you said? Because you appear to be saying that you did say what i said you said - that it may provide useful information to inform the way that clinical cases should be assessed and handled when they present. Or as you put it: The issue is that they themselves didn't conclude this - they claimed that it provides information about the risks of ebiking and related behaviours, and that it could inform policy in those areas. It doesn't and it shouldn't.
5 thoughts on “Live blog: Alex Dowsett’s top tips for a rapid commute, three riders taking on Britain’s 100 best climbs (and riding between them) in 29 days, driver ‘forgets’ he’s not a bike + more”
To be fair the vast majority
To be fair the vast majority of the overtakes I get are of this variety. I can definitely recommend the thumbs up and wave also. If you commute or otherwise travel the same route at the same time a lot, over time you can help build the goodwill in the local area. Also I think if there is a line of cars and the first overtakes well, some highly visible thanks can encourge those following to do the same.
Morgoth985 wrote:
Completely agree!
Morgoth985 wrote:
This is true, and most overtakes are at least reasonable, but the problem is that it only takes one bad overtaker to kill you, and there are still a lot of them out there. If you are a novice cyclist, and you get passed badly at least once every ride, you are likely to give up and go back to the car.
The reverse of what you say about good passing being copied by the following drivers is also true of bad passes. I’ve lost count of the number of times the first driver in a convoy passes me dangerously close, to be followed by the other five.
While I take your point about most drivers being not too bad at passing, we need all of them to be good, so that cyclists don’t feel their lives are threatened on every ride.
Burt, I don’t disagree with
Burt, I don’t disagree with any of that, and I’m conscious that I might just be lucky in having a slightly lower density of nutcases in my area than elsewhere. I’ve still had enough close passes that I don’t minimise the issue by any means. I’m just saying that positive reinforcement of good behaviour is one tool among several that we can adopt to change attitudes.
Alex Dowsett in not having a
Alex Dowsett in not having a clue about safe cycling shocker.
Advising that cycling right behind someone in their slipstream and then shoot out quickly only to then count to three and simply pull back in front of them is a good idea is fucking bullshit. You don’t know the person in front, slipstream if you are in a chaingang or you’ve asked for a tow and they’ve ok’d it, optherwise stay the fuck off someone elses back wheel, it’s not wanted and it’s dangerous.
Sorry but advice like that comes from a cretin with no idea whatsoever about safe cycling, stick to what you know because safe commuter cycling isn’t one of them!