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Live blog: Lincolnshire Police stop 27 drivers in close pass op, Lance Armstrong stars in bizarre Black Friday promo, Stig Broeckx back riding a bike after recovery from crash that left him in coma + more

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I was a few bikes away from the fatal collision during Ride London a few years ago, I barely avoided the victim's dog which was running loose. Definitely one of those slo-mo adrenaline fuelled moments and I was only doing about 40kph. At lead out speeds it really doesn't bear thinking about.
@Xenophon2 "That’s a lot of batteries to keep track of, to the point that I have a dedicated charger with 3 m USB-C cable in my office, another one at home. Can’t imagine having to deal with another battery such as on the Flight Attendant." Top tip: In reality most of the SRAM stuff lasts a month or two even with pretty heavy usage. I just charge all the batteries on the last Sunday of every month and have yet to be caught out. The SRAM batteries are so cheap / small / light it's also worth keeping a spare in a saddle bag or similar.
@chrisonabike There does seem to be evidence that 20 mph limits work on roads that already lend themselves to such low speeds, and I do think the lack of a 25 mph limit option is an issue for some roads. Speed limits should especially not be set very low in the hope that many or most drivers will only exceed them by a set amount because, not only is it not true that many people drive like that, the opposite can happen. Instead of targeting the drivers most likely to cause harm, you're putting the prohibition onto the behaviour of more sensible drivers and forcing the police to target them. The DfT guidance used to have a paragraph calling out this presumption. The extent to which road design and conditions at the time dictate traffic speeds is too stark to ignore. I've seen urban roads with signed 40 mph limits have lower average speeds than some roads with posted 20 mph limits. And yes, that road in Gloucester has signs openly inviting drivers to go faster, and almost none of them do: the non-compliance was about 2%. Compare that to over 99% non-compliance on some roads in Wales. What I'm mainly talking about is the increasing imposition of 20 mph limits on much higher-standard main roads. That's where you see extreme levels of non-compliance. In some cases, the average speed has even been known to go up after the limit has gone down. Showing such contempt just brings speed limits into disrepute and my contention is that drivers should take speed limits seriously.
@chrisonabike There does seem to be evidence that 20 mph limits work on roads that already lend themselves to such low speeds, and I do think the lack of a 25 mph limit option is an issue for some roads. Speed limits should especially not be set very low in the hope that many or most drivers will only exceed them by a set amount because, not only is it not true that many people drive like that, the opposite can happen. Instead of targeting the drivers most likely to cause harm, you're putting the prohibition onto the behaviour of more sensible drivers and forcing the police to target them. The DfT guidance used to have a paragraph calling out this presumption. The extent to which road design and conditions at the time dictate traffic speeds is too stark to ignore. I've seen urban roads with signed 40 mph limits have lower average speeds than some roads with posted 20 mph limits. And yes, that road in Gloucester has signs openly inviting drivers to go faster, and almost none of them do: the non-compliance was about 2%. Compare that to over 99% non-compliance on some roads in Wales. So no, when speed limits match the road, compliance is much higher, but speeds are not. What I'm mainly talking about is the increasing imposition of 20 mph limits on much higher-standard main roads. That's where you see extreme levels of non-compliance. In some cases, the average speed has even been known to go up after the limit has gone down. Showing such contempt just brings speed limits into disrepute and my contention is that drivers should take speed limits seriously.
@jaymack Yes...to an extent, and I'm happy at the moment with my twelve-year-old Dura Ace mechanical, but I must admit when I had Ultegra Di2 I did notice not so much the ease of shifting but the perfect trimming of the gears after every shift so that the chainline was always absolutely perfect and that did enhance the simple pleasure of being outside, for me anyway. At least until that day I forgot to charge the battery which died at the turnaround on an eighty-mile ride and had to ride a very lumpy forty miles home stuck in 50x14...
@Daclu Trelub Well no, given that I object to the use of derogatory slurs against people with mental health issues I think I'll "bother" the person who's using derogatory slurs against people with mental health issues. Have a little think, if capable: if your mother or someone else close to you had dementia or mental health issues, would you be happy for people to be pointing at them mockingly saying, "Looks like she's a few chips short of a fish supper"? Stop it.
@Rendel Harris Go and bother somebody else with your opinion.
I'm sure electronic gears, pedals, seat posts etc. are each a modern marvel but they all seem to solve a problem I've never encountered. However I have encountered others faffing while searching for batteries, cables and even a firmware update. All of which just gets in the way of cycling's simple pleasure - being outside
@Daclu Trelub Yeah...that sort of expression is OK when being jocular about someone who's a bit dense or slow on the uptake, is it really appropriate for someone who quite obviously has mental health/dementia issues?
I'm a bit on the fence. Currently riding a gravel bike with a Force AXS XPLR groupset, Favero assioma pro powermeter pedals, Garmin varia rear light, lupine front light, Edge 1040. That's a lot of batteries to keep track of, to the point that I have a dedicated charger with 3 m USB-C cable in my office, another one at home. Can't imagine having to deal with another battery such as on the Flight Attendant. BUT....everything's dead easy to set up, no cables to route through the frame, no cable stretch, no derailleur adjustment.....
14 thoughts on “Live blog: Lincolnshire Police stop 27 drivers in close pass op, Lance Armstrong stars in bizarre Black Friday promo, Stig Broeckx back riding a bike after recovery from crash that left him in coma + more”
I was wondering what the well
I was wondering what the well dressed cycle tourist of the 1950s would be wearing for when I finally go out on my 1956 Raleigh Trent restoration project
I saw that Jeremy Vine thing
I saw that Jeremy Vine thing when it went out on C5. It wasn’t just the woman in the clip who was giving cyclists both barrels, it was that effin’ numpty to her left (shown in a brief cutaway in this clip) that was also spouting utter shite as well.
I think if I were feeling emotionally vulnerable due to the regular abuse and dangerous/reckless/careless driving we have to endure, this particular ‘psychotherapist’ (not sure why the ‘…’ have been added?) will not be on my list of people to call on!
Fair play to Dan Snow and Jeremy Vine for giving the cyclists perspective, and especially JV for basically laughing in her face!
So, in 1951 even adults
So, in 1951 even adults dressed like they were auditioning for The Famous Five…?
brooksby wrote:
It was an absolutely spiffing time, old chap! Out for a ride with your cheese and pickle sandwiches and homemade lemonade supplied by Joanna the housekeeper tucked inside your Carradice saddle bag, knees to the breeze in your khaki shorts.
Stop for a picnic, overhear some wrong ‘uns up to no good, foil their dastardly plans and still be back home for afternoon tea!
CygnusX1 wrote:
And if my recollection is correct, you can tell they are “wrong ‘uns” because they are dark skinned or gypsies.
lashings of ginger beer
the little onion wrote:
‘swarthy’ is the correct word, featuring frequently in Biggles books, as I recall. ‘Swarthy Turk’ was the expression. I blame Capt. W E Johns for Brexit.
Those socks would definitely
Those socks would definitely fail the UCI regulations though!
Not exactly surprised that
Not exactly surprised that Lucy Beresford hates cyclists – she’s a regular on LBC. Subscribing to the cult of car worship is mandatory for all LBC employees (who aren’t James O’Brien). Probably there’s a clause in their contracts about it.
Bizarre or not the Armstrong
Bizarre or not the Armstrong advert did make me laugh. He’s still a massive tool though.
So Lucy Beresford’s opening
So Lucy Beresford’s opening gambit is that cyclists are all narcissists who act as if there’s nobody else on the roads…? IME that’s way more likely to be the people in the boxes – are they all narcissists too, Lucy??
If ever there was someone in
If ever there was someone in need of a psychotherapist, it’s Lucy Beresford. Does anyone out there know where we can find a real one? Any professional pychotherapist who bases their diagnosis on the mode of transport is clearly not qualified to do anything other than empty the bins.
Has Viviani got a really
Has Viviani got a really weird forearm?
peted76 wrote:
If you’d just spent the past six evenings hand-slinging your partner at 60kph every couple of minutes, you’d be looking a bit “Stretch Armstrong” too… 😉
Grounds for a complaint? If
Grounds for a complaint? If I find the time in between posting on here and doing up the house, I might just do it.
UK Council for Psychotherapy
Ethical Principles and Code of Professional Conduct
2.1
The psychotherapist undertakes to actively consider issues of diversity and equalities as these affect all aspects of their work. The psychotherapist accepts no one is immune from the experience of prejudice and acknowledges the need for a continuing process of self
-enquiry and professional development.
2.2
The psychotherapist undertakes not to allow prejudice about a client’s sex, age, colour, race, disability, sexuality, social, economic or immigration status, lifestyle, religious or cultural beliefs to adversely affect the way they relate to the client.
2.3
The psychotherapist undertakes not to engage in any behaviour that is abusive or detrimental to any client or colleague based on the above factors.