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Live blog: Gloucestershire Police officer allegedly tells cyclist "Maybe you should consider trading in your bike for a Hummer" following shocking close pass by a coach (and they've now responded on Twitter saying they're "looking in" to comments

Meanwhile, another cyclist nearly gets taken out by a sheep in a seriously close shave, and you can now buy Richie Porte limited edition kit made for him to mark his move to Trek-Segafredo
Thu, Jan 10, 2019 19:03
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glos coach close pass - credit Matt Coldrey
10 January 2019, 16:06
Gloucestershire Police respond on Twitter to "maybe you should swap bike for a Hummer" comments

Gloucestershire's social media team at least say they "all cyclists should expect to be able to use the road network safety", and they are now "looking in to" the alleged comments made by one of their officers. 

10 January 2019, 13:45
Gloucester cyclist allegedly told "maybe you should trade your bike for a Hummer" and asked if he had vendetta against coach company... by a police officer

Many police forces in the UK have adopted policies to crack down on drivers who pass other vehicles too closely, such as Operation Close Pass by West Midlands Police  - however it appears that hasn't filtered through to Gloucestershire Police, who reportedly told cyclist Matt Coldrey that the coach driver in this clip had not committed an offence because the cyclist and coach continued on their journeys smoothly. 

Even more shockingly, Matt claims the police officer told him over the phone: "Maybe you should consider trading in your bike for a Hummer". He told us: "I do get that it was a joke, but as I was trying to explain to the police officer that having a coach pass me so closely that I can touch it, as traffic is travelling in the opposite direction, is at the very least careless driving, it didn't seem particularly appropriate response to my legitimate concerns."

He also says he was accused of having "a vendetta" against George Young's Coaches, because he had reported a similar incident against them in the past. 

In the clip, there are two lines in the middle of the road and the closest to the left is solid, meaning it's illegal to cross it to overtake unless the road on the other side is clear and the vehicle in front of you is travelling at 10 mph or less. Section 6, part 129 of the Highway Code states: "This means you MUST NOT cross or straddle it unless it is safe and you need to enter adjoining premises or a side road. You may cross the line if necessary, provided the road is clear, to pass a stationary vehicle, or overtake a pedal cycle, horse or road maintenance vehicle, if they are travelling at 10 mph (16 km/h) or less.

We've asked Gloucestershire Police for comment. 

10 January 2019, 13:24
Trek-Segafredo reveal Richie Porte limited edition kit at Tour Down Under to celebrate his move to the team

Porte has joined Trek-Segafredo from BMC Racing for 2019, and to celebrate his first race for his new team on home soil Santini have released some limited edition kit: "Santini and Team Trek/Segafredo have worked together to create a new limited edition cycling kit. The original design by the Santini creative team features a surf board motif (inspired by Richie’s other sporting passion) each dedicated to a victory or team that Richie has been involved with during his pro cycling career. In a race that has long been dominated by Aussie riders, Porte will be looking for a repeat of his 2017 TDU victory in Adelaide. Here’s to a very successful 2019 with lots of podiums to come in the new red and black kit."

We reckon the kit looks pretty hot to trot, it's in stock and you can check it out on Santini's website. 

10 January 2019, 11:37
How many near-crashes can you spot?

This video from the men's Australian Criterium Championships had us covering our eyes at times!

10 January 2019, 11:19
Anti-doping authorities "wasting their time" targeting older athletes, says 90-year-old stripped of world record

Carl Grove, the 90-year-old who was last week stripped of an age group world record after he tested positive for the steroid epitrenbolone, says that anti-doping aiuthorities are “wasting their time” targeting older athletes.

> World record breaking 90-year-old cyclist who failed dope test employs Contador defence and accepts public warning

The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) accepted that Grove returned a positive result due to having eaten contaminated meat the night before he was tested at the at US Masters Track National Championships in July, where he won the the 90-94 age group sprint title.

He was issued a public warning, the least severe of the penalties that can be applied by the agency.

“Us old guys are kind of like peanuts,” said Grove, who was quote in the Guardian. “I think that they’re wasting their time. “What can I gain at 90 years old doing drugs? Tell me, I just don’t know.

“So I think that somewhere there ought to be a cut-off and they ought to zero in on the stuff that is done for money reasons or whatever it may be. But I think after 65 or 70, you know, they ought to just give up.”

He continued: “I was really kind of down for a while. But I’m over it. I wanted to be an inspiration, if possible. I worked like a real horse to do it.

“They struck me from the records. I don’t really care about that too much. The thing that I really, really care about is that I wanted to be a sterling, totally clean person in front of people that knew about me.

“It looked like I had not been an honest person to a lot of people. I guess I was kind of worried about what did other people think, you know? Then, I began to think, ‘Well, some of them will believe me and some of them won’t.’ I guess that’s just the way it is,” he added.

10 January 2019, 11:09
Herdwick sheep almost takes out cyclist

Herdwick sheep, native to the Lake District, are known for being a bit headstrong, to put it mildly. Basically, they'll do what they like and don't give tuppence what anyone thinks, including dashing out in front of a cyclist on an empty road.

The footage was shot by road.cc reader Andrew, who told us: "It managed to get out the field somehow. I'd like to think its mates are nearby and said "now' as i approached.

"After this it ran down a side lane away from the main road. I did follow it down but lost sight of it."

Oh, and despite what the date stamp might say Andrew assures us this was shot on the third of January this year. 

Simon MacMichael

Simon has been news editor at road.cc since 2009, reporting on 10 editions and counting of pro cycling’s biggest races such as the Tour de France, stories on issues including infrastructure and campaigning, and interviewing some of the biggest names in cycling. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, his background has proved invaluable in reporting on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, and the bike industry. He splits his time between London and Cambridge, and loves taking his miniature schnauzer Elodie on adventures in the basket of her Elephant Bike.

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