Welcome to your midweek live blog, with Jack Sexty, Simon MacMichael and contributions from the rest of the road.cc team.
Live blog: Ex -transport secretary swaps car for bike and wins bet, Sky’s new owners Comcast to continue to finance Team Sky till 2021?, campaign to let school run parents use bus lanes, BBC Bristol commuter race highlights cycling infra need + more
Putney MP Justine Greening’s colleagues didn’t think she’d stick to two wheels through Christmas – she proved them wrong
Wed, Jan 09, 2019 17:13
SUMMARY
9 January 2019, 17:13
Answers on a virtual postcard...
Why does a cycle hoop need a consultation but a super charger for e-car just gets to go ahead?
— Sean (@seanlondonandon) January 8, 2019
9 January 2019, 17:13
This is how the Danes attend a sustainable transport summit
Mit dem #Fahrrad unterwegs zum Neujahrsempfang
beim Bundespräsidenten @vanderbellen. Wir freuen uns über gute Möglichkeiten für #Radfahren in #Wien. Die nachhaltige Mobilität fordert #Gesundheit und #Klimaschutz pic.twitter.com/c6P2PCUnCG— Denmark in Austria (@Denmark_in_AT) January 8, 2019
The pair in the photo are from the Danish embassy in Vienna, and are on their way to a meeting with Austrian federal president Alexander Van der Bellen about climate protection and sustainable transport. Of course like most Copenhageners they go by bike which shouldn’t be surprising, but it’s quite an ironic juxtaposition that the Portuguese contingent behind them have chosen to arrive in a pretty sizeable wagon…
9 January 2019, 17:13
"Let parents on the school run use the bus lane", says Plymouth campaign
There are so many things wrong here we don’t know where to begin, but we’ll attempt to summarise – an article on the Plymouth Herald’s website Plymouth Live is ‘reporting’ that a car leasing company, fittingly called LeaseCar, have started a campaign calling for parents on the school run to be allowed to use bus lanes. They say it could ease congestion and “save hours” for mums and dads by allowing them to skip the morning rush hour: “families who must promptly arrive at school before work often get held up on congested British roads and need help to avoid lateness. Allowing parents to make use of quiet bus lanes would save them valuable time and help sleep deprived pupils cope with annually increasing educational pressure. A quicker journey to school should mean children have more time at home to spend on homework and extracurricular activities, with the family and resting.”
If you live in a city or have common sense, you may also be thinking that allowing parents on to bus lanes may simply… clog up bus lanes, thus making it slower for buses carrying lots of people more efficiently to make their journeys, and also make it more dangerous for cyclists who are legally permitted to use bus lanes in the UK.
While local news website comment sections aren’t usually renowned for being favourable towards cycling and sustainable transport, the 26 comments and counting on Plymouth Live so far appear to be overwhelmingly against the campaign as well. The idea of safer streets so kids can cycle to school instead is suggested, and it’s also mentioned that it would be extremely difficult to police.
What’s all the more odd is how the article appears on Plymouth Live (link here ICYMI) – author Max Channon hasn’t used quotation marks after the brief intro outlining LeaseCar’s cunning plan, so the text reads like a piece of Plymouth Live’s own editorial… is this a strange misguided advert that Plymouth Live have failed to label as such? Do Plymouth Live actually just think this is a good idea? Would you share a bus lane with lots of people carriers taking their little cherubs to school?? We’re confused, it’s all confusing, we don’t know what’s going on!
*We can’t find an original source of the campaign and there’s nothing about it on LeaseCar’s website… however Plymouth Live are currently running a poll asking if we think parents should be able to use bus lanes, which is probably the best way to voice your displeasure at the moment.
9 January 2019, 17:13
Racing Belgian Cyclocross in the Dark...
If you thought that a top-level cyclocross race in Belgium was hard enough, why not take away the natural light?
Follow British under 23 racer Cameron Mason through the elite race.
9 January 2019, 17:13
School run bus lanegate... poll 90% against
The Plymouth Live poll is currently dead against the novel idea of letting parents use/clog up bus lanes to take their kids to school… and you lot appear to agree.
9 January 2019, 17:13
Keynsham to Bristol quickest by bike but "no victory", says BBC radio reporter
I “won.” But it’s not a victory really. The cycle was pretty unpleasant. HUGE challenge for our local/national leaders persuading people to ditch cars for a bike. People won’t unless they feel safe…. https://t.co/DH2mlvuE28
— Pete Simson (@SimsonPete) January 8, 2019
Some of us in the office have rode this route and agree it’s terrifying.
9 January 2019, 17:13
Team Sky could continue until 2021 with funding from Comcast, reports La Gazzetta dello Sport
La Gazzetta dello Sport reports Sky/Comcast have committed to fund “70% of the team’s budget”* for 2020-21 to help Team Sky continue while a replacement owner/sponsor is found
— the Inner Ring (@inrng) January 9, 2019
The Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport reported in their newspaper today that Comcast, who recently paid £30 billion for Sky, will continue funding the cycling team that bears its name through 2020-21. It’s thought that they’ve guaranteed up to 70% of the financing to Dave Brailsford, and the rest of the money would need to be raised from other sponsors.
Last month Sky announced they will end sponsorship of the cycling team at the end of the 2019 season, piling pressure on Brailsford and co to find new financial backers to keep the team going – we’ll be following this to see if the reports are true over the coming days.
9 January 2019, 17:13
Gore launch Gore-Tex Infinum Stretch Gloves, made using 3D technology
Gore say these new gloves imitate the natural shape of the hand due to the manufacturing process, being shapep by placing them over artificial hands and exposing them to heat in a special oven. They say the process uses 30% fewer seams and less material while producing a substantially improved grip. the Infinium material is windproof and water repellent, and are described as “the ideal multifunctional gloves for outdoor activities as well as sports like running and cycling.” The price is £39.99 and they’re available to buy on Gore’s website now.
9 January 2019, 17:13
FSA's new ACR system is coming soon
FSA/Vision’s new ACR System is a fully integrated aero cable routing
solution that houses all cables, wires and hoses internally for a super clean look. The core of the system is built around the headset and an integrated cockpit, and by using standard headset dimensions, FSA say the system maintains strength. By routing cables through the headset, it also safely preserves a round steering column that is free of drilling, and brands can utilise a single frame design at a variety of spec levels just by adjusting cockpit and headset selection. We’ve got it on a brand spanking new Bianchi Oltre XR4 Disc that will be reviewed on the site soon, so stay tuned…
9 January 2019, 17:13
Former transport secretary wins bet after giving up car for bicycle
Justine Greening, who served as transport secretary under David Cameron in 2011-12, has won a bet with her colleagues after ditching her car for a bicycle last year and making good on her pledge to keep riding through to beyond Christmas.
The Conservative MP for Putney tweeted about her change in mode of transport back in September.
As a long time car owner, I’ve surprised myself by swapping my polluting car for a bike. I’ll see how it goes but so far, so good! The office has a sweepstake that I’ll not last till Christmas….I reckon they’ll be buying me the drinks! #carfree #DVLArefund pic.twitter.com/1yitqJDNhl
— Justine Greening (@JustineGreening) September 14, 2018
On New Year’s Eve, she was back on Twitter to confirm she had won the bet – and encouraged others to follow her example.
2018 Bike Update: So I made it to the end of the year happily still a cyclist, confounding our summer office sweepstake that I wouldn’t last – I did! I don’t miss my car, definitely feel fitter, and I’d recommend giving it a go! #carfree #Putney pic.twitter.com/oEftzhsDw3
— Justine Greening (@JustineGreening) December 31, 2018
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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).
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Latest Comments
Pub bike 3 hours ago
If anyone reading this article is looking for reasonable alternatives Decathlon sell a range of bum bags including one with a bottle holder that comes with the bottle all of which are less than £20. I've got a bum bag I bought a few years ago to replace a North Face bum bag that has lasted really well including commuting and cycle touring that was only £10 and that doesn't seem to have any of the drawbacks of the pack on review.
Pub bike 4 hours ago
@Borisface The frameset is similarly priced to e.g. Condor aluminium framesets such as Italia RC Integrato so it doesn't look too far off the mark. Obviously if you dress any old frame up with Campag Record 13 wireless and some decent wheels the final price is going to be somewhere north of £5k.
VecchioJo 4 hours ago
@Freddy56 @hotspanners Hi, just for for starters I didn’t boycott the race, if you read to the end of the article you’d have seen that I decided I was going to attend and try and implement a positive change… Just for clarity, if it helps with the credibility of my words and something I didn’t include in the blog for brevity and fear of willy-waving here’s an incomprehensive list of cycle events I’ve helped organise over the years - all Brighton Big Dog MTB events (about 12 i think), three league CX races and one Singlespeed CX Euro Champs (niche, i know), a few SAMS MTB races - maybe three or four it was a while back now, a Morvelo City Cross, I’ve stood on a corner in a high-vis vest at quite a few MTB, CX and road races too, and just helped wind up tape at last weekend’s CX race. I’ve also had the privilege to design logos, draw images, and create one-off pieces of artwork and give away prints as prizes for enough races and events for me to forget how many, all for free as part of ‘doing my bit’… Also if you made it through to the second half of the article you’ll have read that I have every sympathy for event organisers because of the experience of all the above and also from having conversations with various organisers on a regular basis so I am acutely aware of all the challenges faced. I chatted today with the future local CX race organiser mentioned, face to face in a field, and he has a similar hatred of AI and is more than happy for me to create a hand-drawn image to promote that race and also help out on the ground where possible… Might even draw a duck in there somewhere for giggles…
Rendel Harris 6 hours ago
@Borisface Not entirely sure why some alleged good times set in the last century validate the silliness and ignorance of your rejection on the grounds of materials and weight of a bike that the reviewer (who, if you look at his bio above, has rather a lot of experience himself, not only of riding bikes but of engineering too) describes as "absolute perfection in every aspect". Thanks for the unrequested permission but I'm not actually looking to spend 6k on a bike at the moment; if I was, on the basis of this review and the photographs I'd certainly be putting this on my shortlist and looking for a test ride. But then in this area at least I have an open mind, you see.
hotspanners 6 hours ago
@Freddy56 as the article says, Jo boycotted our race because he thought we’d used AI to design our flyer. I’m with him 100% but he got the facts wrong. People don’t like AI slop. It’s lazy and generic. But you’re right - these grassroots events run off volunteering. I wave flags, design kit and artwork, ferry things to our lockup etc - perhaps Jo could be the change he wants to see. He could volunteer to the London and SE CX league that he races in to help them out with artwork - he created Mint Sauce!
Freddy56 7 hours ago
Currently riding home powered by this for the last 6 months after someone stole my SeeSence beam, LOVE it. super durable and batter life gets me home on full beam for 55 minutes
Freddy56 7 hours ago
Comments and an article by people who organise NOTHING! Promoting an event is mostly by volunteers and an AI poster done at midnight after sorting the British cycling insurance, the toilets, the Marshalls, the council and a landowner is so draining. The effort is massive for usually a small team. Grab a flag and help rather than moaning about a generated image...o look the image is eye catching so it must work .
Freddy56 7 hours ago
I have Wizzard works bag from 2018 (bought for my 30th) and this is a complete rip off it!!
Borisface 8 hours ago
6 times division champion, 1st cat road man, semi-pro for 3 years. Sub 21 min 10 and sub 55 min 25 on a steel road bike. Forty five years riding. Forgotten more about riding bikes than most on here will ever know. If you want to pay £6k for an aluminium road by all means go ahead.
Rendel Harris 8 hours ago
@Borisface Probably for the best, if you're as ignorant about bikes and materials as your comment suggests you wouldn't appreciate it anyway. Go and buy something on the UCI weight limit made out of the latest space age super carbon and wobble around on it looking daft and feeling uncomfortable and to hell with aesthetics, practicality and real-world use cases, at least you'll have the right numbers ("6.85 kg, awesome!") and words ("Yeah, it's UHM 12k carbon, actually") for the cafe. Enjoy!
10 thoughts on “Live blog: Ex -transport secretary swaps car for bike and wins bet, Sky’s new owners Comcast to continue to finance Team Sky till 2021?, campaign to let school run parents use bus lanes, BBC Bristol commuter race highlights cycling infra need + more”
Wow! In this day and age, it
Wow! In this day and age, it is quite sobering to find that dinosaurs really do exist.
Some good news though, as the poll is currently 91% against.
I’m going to move to Plymouth
I’m going to move to Plymouth where there is a bus lane outside every house and school.
Great idea. Even better,
Great idea. Even better, what is needed is a number of large multi-occupancy vehicles that could travel in the bus lanes, for which users would be charged a modest fee. If only there were such a thing, people could be encouraged to use these, then there would be less congestion.
What a brilliant idea. Come
What a brilliant idea. Come up with something batshit mental which is clearly nonsense, but you can claim is well intentioned, but will get the red tops talking in some way. Claim it as a brilliant idea. Talk to a local journalist under your company’s name. Free advertising on national news!
As if the average motorist
As if the average motorist doesn’t already have an overblown sense of entitlement, we now have a sub-section of motorists who have an even greater sense of entitlement!
They’ll be wanting flashing lights and sirens next.
Reading the replies below the
Reading the replies below the Danish Embassy’s tweet, it looks like one of the cyclists is Leigh Turner, the British Ambassador to Austria. This would also partly explain the kilt!
jamesfifield wrote:
Yep. The British Embassy in Vienna also has a small pool of bikes for staff to borrow to get to meetings. But those bar ends though….
How about the novel idea of
How about the novel idea of putting the kids on the buses instead?
On the tweet about planning
On the tweet about planning consultations/planning for cycle parking vs e-car chargers, I like the twittery reply that says:
Kind of sums our government’s real attitude toward allocation of road space correctly, I think.
Well done Justine Greening.
Well done Justine Greening.