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Live blog: British Cycling boss hails “turning point” as Ride members surpass Race ones for first time, Phil Gaimon’s 10 ‘new rules of cycling’, Geraint Thomas replies to Geraint Thomas + more
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Tue, Jul 31, 2018 14:23
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Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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-300x225.jpg "“Was one of them bad driving?” Newspaper criticised for publishing “8 dangerous cycling mistakes that put people in hospital”; Punchy finale without fans at wildfire-affected Tour de France + more on the live blog")
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Latest Comments
quiff 7 minutes ago
As I think that poster liked to remind us, explosion in the hi-viz aisle of Decathlon is also a big risk for cyclists.
quiff 16 minutes ago
@IanGlasgow indeed - my point was really just in answer to the reviewer's apparent surprise they didn't add discs - but the Kinetic kits show it actually requires quite a lot of change.
chrisonabike 35 minutes ago
...And another one turning up on a bicycle to another former poster's soirée and then being hurt by his reaction?
chrisonabike 37 minutes ago
8 dangerous mistakes that put riders in A&E - was one going on a ride with former(?) poster wheelywheely... and being run over on the pavement by a mob of cyclists riding furiously through a red light on the wrong side of the road ... and then having wheely's wheelchair fall on you?
Rendel Harris 1 hour ago
@ktache Just came here to say that, heard them too (watching on delay after work). Sounds a sensible approach and hopefully will stop the idiots, though there will doubtless always be some.
Rendel Harris 1 hour ago
@MaxiMinimalist Please don't dirty these pages up with cut and paste from AI, if your comment wasn't worth giving your own thought and effort to why is it worth inflicting it on anyone else? In this case, as MDF notes, it doesn't even answer the question you asked, let alone have anything to do with the article. One wonders if this is why your comments are so often absurdly phrased, tortuous word salads with only tangential relationships to the matter under discussion, do you just ask AI to write them for you? If so, please stop it.
IanGlasgow 2 hours ago
@GravelIsNothingNew Reporting poor driving in Scotland is much more difficult than in England. I've done it three times in more than a decade. It involves making a statement at a police station or arranging for them to visit you at home to take a statement. Then the chances of action being taken are almost nil. Apparently Scots law prevents them acting on an online report and an uploaded video and there appears to be no interest among Holyrood MSPs in changing that.
IanGlasgow 2 hours ago
@chrisonabike Edinburgh and Bristol both strike me as cities where cycling is popular DESPITE the geography and lack of infra. I grew up in Edinburgh, but having lived and worked in York, Cambridge and now Glasgow I'm always surprised how many people cycle despite the hills and lack of adequate infrastructure. My daughter lived in Bristol for a few years and it struck me that cycling there was part of the counter-culture, and - again - popular despite (incredibly steep) hills and an almost total absence of cycling infrastructure. Glasgow has started from a much lower base than York, Edinburgh, Cambridge or Bristol but Glasgow City Council are determined to press ahead with a network and some of the infra they've built is really very good and doing a great job of encouraging cycling. Unfortunately, some is a great deal less good and the scale of the proposed network has been cut considerably.
IanGlasgow 2 hours ago
@quiff For those who want a spec that Brompton don't make - disc, brakes, fatter tyres, bigger wheels (18" is an option), belt drive, Shimano or Rohloff hub gears, etc. - Kinetics offer pretty much anything. But as it involves replacing the rear triangle (and forks for most options) it makes more sense to start with a basic-spec C-line (or the even more basic A-line) as a donor bike.
OldRidgeback 3 hours ago
So the driver who left 1.5cm distance between my bar ends and his car on Saturday afternoon instead of 1.5m wasn't driving dangerously?
27 thoughts on “Live blog: British Cycling boss hails “turning point” as Ride members surpass Race ones for first time, Phil Gaimon’s 10 ‘new rules of cycling’, Geraint Thomas replies to Geraint Thomas + more”
Gaimon talks a lot of sense
Gaimon talks a lot of sense (more so than some around here.) No shaming others, helmet freedom. I like his cheeky attitude too. Despite saying you needn’t co-ord his cookie kits are very tempting. Might look quite fly next summer. Maybe help support his early retirement. Very entertaining.
Organon wrote:
And yet he contradicts himself by coming up with rule 7 which is bullshit and makes no sense whatsoever. if you want to ride why should be forced to choose, who does this interfere with or make less safe? He’s obviously a helmet wearer because he wouldn’t say that if it was the other way around!
‘Sorry mate but you can’t wear your helmet on this ride, if you choose to wear your helmet then you can’t ride with us’, that’s what Gaimon has said except in reverse.
BC, sportive organisers, charities, cycling groups/clubs do this all the time and I mean ALL. Basically do as we tell you/wear what we tell you to otherwise you are excluded, forcing others out for simply wanting to ride a bike but not wanting to conform to some unecessary garment rule is utter crap and is part of the massive problem of getting people onto bikes and people taking greater risks/crashing more due too coonforming to that dumb rule!
“Rule #7: If you’re not into helmets that’s your decision, but do respect the policies of who you’re riding with. We don’t helmet shame (adult) strangers we see without them, but don’t show up on the group ride like that if that’s not how everyone else does it”
As for waving, just lol, I’ll give a nod /maybe raise a hand if I get a glance or a hi/on your right if passing/being passed, to moped users, wtf.
Rule #10 – Don’t be a dick.
Rule #10 – Don’t be a dick.
If only this rule was adopted by a few contributors on this very site…………..
I like
I like
However, I’m guessing that
is something that only works if hardly anyone rides a bike, though. I have never ever been waved at by another cyclist (could just be a British thing…).
brooksby wrote:
Seriously ? I’m a wee bit surprised i’ll admit – you ride around/near North Somerset/Bristol don’t you ?
Not necessarily, I see quite a few waves and nods (around Bristol and, mostly, W/SW of it) – maybe an urban thing ? (which would make sense I guess)
fukawitribe wrote:
Seriously ? I’m a wee bit surprised i’ll admit – you ride around/near North Somerset/Bristol don’t you ?— brooksby
Yeah: between central Bristol and Portishead are my usual stomping grounds. Maybe I’m just scary and unapproachable… 🙁
brooksby wrote:
Just pop a squirrel top on and i’ll give you a holler if I see you down PortZ or simlur.
fukawitribe wrote:
But if I did that I’d be afraid of ending up as one of hawkinspeter’s memes…
brooksby wrote:
Blimey, where do you ride? Even in deepest Norfolk, cyclists wave, nod or hail each other. Try going North or West and you might get overwhelmed by the greetings! (City riding excepted for obvious reasons.)
I definitely approve of those
I definitely approve of those rules, but I think the waving rule should only apply outside of cities as otherwise you just spend all of your time waving.
hawkinspeter wrote:
When riding in China I had to rein in my natural urge to wave.
What is it with the waving?
What is it with the waving? Do you wave at fellow pedestrians (etc.) when passing?
I might pass several dozen cyclists and wonder if they’re all being waved at.
Passing someone in the pissing rain on a sketcky climb/descent will get a nod of respect, but waving at all and sundry. Not a chance…
And if I don’t wave back, it’s not because I’m a miserable sod, it’s because I’m thinking of something else, or maybe I haven’t seen you or I’m choosing not to because it’s generally a bit silly and on the odd ocassion it’s because I’m a miserable sod.
I give the odd nod to
I give the odd nod to regulars on the commute, and often people out and about in the countryside who look like they’re havin fun because generally I am when i’m there and in a good mode – not much of a ‘waver’ but if someone else does I respond in kind if I see it. Unless they’re a miserable sod 😉
I tend to Good Morning,
I tend to Good Morning, Afternoon or Evening myself, to everyone on the offroad bit, a nod or a smile to any cyclist coming the other way on the road.
I wave at cyclists at the
I wave at cyclists at the weekend, but not so much on the weekday commute.
I cycled up ramsbottom rake (25%, hell on earth) the other week and there were a couple of cyclists sat having a rest at the top. I punched the air when I got to the top and they said well done, which was fun.
I fink that….. The wave
I fink that….. The wave density does significantly vary by region. If someone will fund me I’ll do a proper study wiv graphs and everyfink…..
Most of my miles are done in a 50 mile radius around Bedford and in my experience a wave, nod or discreet finger raise is the norm (& heaven help you if you get stopped by a puncture – the number of passers by who stop with offers of help can get embarrassing). A while back I found myself trundling around Surrey & Kent’s North West frontier and any acknowledgement was rare.
And… Are there certain items that act as ‘triggers’ in the acknowledgment? I found myself wondering this when I borrowed my partners Bromoton. I was wearing a T shirt, every day shorts, sandals – and – (with due apologies to those with strong feelings on the matter) my helmet, a Kask Protone. I was surprised at the number of acknowledgements I got from the wearers of Lycra. Was it the helmet that triggered the reactions?
Geraint Thomas waved at me a
Geraint Thomas waved at me a few years back. He lived in Altrincham and trained on the Cheshire lanes.
It amused me to be acknowledged by an Olympic gold medalist while being ignored by club hacks.
Back in the 60’s club groups
Back in the 60’s club groups would wave at each other and pais or singles would say hi.
I thought it WAS a UK thing as it doesnt happen in Australia. Must be a Generation thing.
All doing 40kph pus instead of enjoying the scenery.
I am a grinning bufoon that
I am a grinning bufoon that waves at/to all and sundry.
I get miffed by the ‘1000 yard stare’ folks that believe themselves to be elite cyclists and no-one else matters…there are a few, but not too many down my way.
…and I’m not on about those who may be lost in thought or have familial burdens to ponder upon…just the absolute arrogant types that feel it is below them to acknowledge other road users…especially cyclists being friendly.
I never tyre (pun intended) of waving at people…I’ve even been known to wave/nod/shrug the shoulders at club members coming the opposite direction on our TT nights…I’m never gonna set the world alight with my times, but may as well enjoy the pain and suffering for that half hour or so…
BTBS: Let us not start
BTBS: Let us not start another helmet debate!
It is worth noting though that clubs with affiliations to governing bodies will be forced to include policies that stipulate riders wear helmets when participating in club organised rides. This is for insurance purposes which are obtained with the affiliation.
As noted let’s not get bogged down with another helmet debate. I’m merely advising of the reasoning behind clubs insisting on helmet use.
It is also worth saying that if people have their own governing body membership, which would likely include a 3rd party insurance and possibly legal assistance, they should check the small print. It could be the case that no helmet use invalidates that element of legal cover in the event of an accident.
Alas the governing bodies have to pander to the demands of the insurance industry when offering cover to their members and clubs have to pander to the demands of the affiliate governing body when drafting policies for participation.
Obviously feel free to ride with a club that does not affiliate to a governing body but this does raise other discussions that probably should not be explored on this thread.
Martyn_K wrote:
But simply going for a ride on UK roads means that any affiliation has no bearing on attire, what you think a group/club ride means you have to wear a helmet, I don’t think so, this isn’t racing!
He’s basically contradicted himself by saying wear what you want but if others are wearing X (helmets in this case) and that’s what they normally wear then you should be forced to do so also otherwise yu can’t take part.
Why is that? Why is it that helmet wearing groups/clubs force others to bow to their will or be excluded, it certainly isn’t the other way around as I pointed out and as I also pointed out it’s a big issue with participation because the wearing of helmets signifies a dangerous activity.
So, why do groups/clubs who want to wear helmets exclude others who wish not to, how/why is that something they cannot tolerate, it’s certaoinly not insurance is it!
It costs nothing to wave and
It costs nothing to wave and / or nod at fellow cyclists.
Unfortunately common decency is rather quickly becoming a thing of the past in many walks of life.
Waving, nodding etc is alive
Waving, nodding etc is alive and well in north Northamptonshire, I can confirm. Although a chap in all black blanked me this morning.
spacedyemeerkat wrote:
If the chap all in black looked like this (see below) – count your self lucky that he ignored you!
Rules according to don simon
Rules according to don simon in reverse order.
#2 Ride bike
#1 Enjoy riding bike.
#0 numer of fucks given to what others think.
You do mean ride bike with
You do mean ride bike with consideration to be more precise, any berk can ride a bike but there’s a significant number who don’t/won’t consider others safety or simply show a bit of courtesy that often goes a long way toward the former and makes life a whole lot smoother for everyone.
BehindTheBikesheds wrote:
I’ve managed to obtain actual footage of Don cycling (sorry, Don):