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Live blog: Video: Cyclist clipped by wing mirror – no action taken; Whoopi Goldberg says bike lanes are “screwing up” New York, Twitter post threatening to “run over” cyclists backfires, important Lance Armstrong lavatory news + more
SUMMARY

Peter Sagan takes first victory of the season (+ videos)
Peter Sagan took a bike-throwingly narrow victory on stage three of the Tour Down Under in the Adelaide Hills – same as he did last year.
Behind Sagan everything was completely different. Luis León Sánchez was second and Daryl Impey was third. Last year Impey was second and Sanchez was third.
The Kiwi Patrick Bevin retains the overall lead by a second from Sagan.
Stage four of the Tour Down Under features the Corkscrew climb about 6km from the finish
This is normally the point in the race where we get a much clearer idea who’s going to win.
BREAKING: Lance Armstrong shows us his toilet
We know that many of you become violently enraged whenever we cover anything to do with Lance Armstrong, so we’ve made a vow that from now on we’ll only do Lance stories that are of the utmost importance.
Today’s big news is that he showed Architectural Digest round his home in Aspen and made a big point of showing them the toilet.
Apparently he has one of those Squatty Potties because he once saw Bryan Cranston from Breaking Bad recommending them on TV.
Clever
Doesn’t this make more sense? #TTDC19 #TRBAM2019 #TRB19 #mobility pic.twitter.com/5JLesQaozx
— Colin K. Hughes (@colinkhughes) January 16, 2019
Sagan applauds teammates after TDU victory
Jess Varnish fails in attempt to prove she was employee of British Cycling and UK Sport
British Cycling says its culture has improved since Varnish raised concerns and it hopes to ‘welcome her to national cycling centre’.
Well this is going well... #bloodycyclists
Either ride on the cycle tracks or stop being a twat and drive or get the bus, fucking done with cyclists next one I see I’m running over
— Chlo (@ChloeLarcombe98) January 16, 2019
Probably not a great idea to plan an attempted murder on social media, but we reckon this individual may learn her lesson (well we hope so before getting in a car again) judging by the comments…
“You screwed the city up,” says Whoopi Goldberg of New York bike lanes
The actress has been praised in the past for her activism promoting LGBT rights, but perhaps the same can’t be said of her views on the environment after she expressed her dislike for segregated bike lanes in New York City. Appearing on ABC’s ‘The View’, Goldberg said to the New York Mayor Bill de Blasio: “You know what’s really pissing me off? You’ve built 83 miles of protected bike lanes, okay. And I like bikes, I like people who ride, but I don’t think you understand the impact of taking something like 10th Avenue, which is six lanes down to two-and-a-half, particularly when you have a winter storm and you can’t move – none of that is movable.
“You screwed the city up. I come in every day, and I find that because you can’t make a turn anywhere, you can’t go straight anywhere. When there is a storm, people can’t move anywhere, because you got all these medians in the way, and I’m just saying you might want to take a look at some of this. Because now you have Cuomo coming in talking about congestion pricing, and I kind of feel like it’s a set up.”
Goldberg has been reminded by transport activists that the bike lanes, part of New York’s Vision Zero, are reducing road deaths according to stats. Speaking to Metro USA, Joe Cutrufo of Transportation Alternatives said: “Vision zero is saving lives. She contends that the mayor has screwed up the city, we would argue that cutting traffic fatalities by a third in just five years is the opposite of that. Maybe even more important, bike lanes are a critical part of the transportation system in a city where the majority of residents don’t drive.
Of the 3.8 million workers in New York City, only 27 percent commute via car, truck or van, according to the New York City Economic Development Corporation. In Manhattan specifically that number drops to 8 percent. For a long time there has been a perception that drivers rule the roost, that needs to change and frankly that is changing. We have reclaimed many miles of street space in this city and intend to reclaim even more.
“You can’t move as many people in cars as you can in space-efficient modes like buses and bikes and [by] walking. It’s a shame that this narrative continues when the benefits of designing streets for pedestrian and bicyclists and transit riders are so obvious, for economic and environmental and equity benefits.”
Spanish actor releases seriously shocking video of a French motorist ploughing into the back of him while cycling
Dani Rovira, who was taking part in charity challenge, was somehow back on his bike the following day.
Froome out for a casual spin in South Africa
The 140 mile ride with teammate Salvatore Puccio covered over 22,000 feet of climbing… only to be flagged by vigilant/jealous members of the Strava community (team car suspicions perhaps?)
Click here to see the deets.
Police say driver "may not have realised" that Lincolnshire cyclist was pushed into railings
Video: Cyclist clipped by passing driver’s wing mirror – sluggish police response meant no action was taken
The incident occurred on Holcroft Lane, which runs between Glazebrook and Culcheth in Cheshire.
Barry writes: “After being told by the police this would be treated as a failure to stop, the investigating officer then decided that because I had traced the car’s insurers, it would be left to the insurers to apportion blame.
“It was only after exchanges with the police that they decided to do something about the driving offences and it was clear the most likely outcome was going to a driving awareness course (DAC). The driver was finally contacted and agreed to go on a DAC.
“The investigating officer’s recommendation for a DAC for the driver was ‘declined due to evidence and not in the public interest to prosecute. Also the time elapsed since the initial incident.’ As a result the police are taking no further action against this driver.”
Barry added that the delay was with the police not him. “They had the full footage and a statement from me the same evening as the incident.”
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Latest Comments
@Rendel Harris Agree, I am baffled that the 84 year old who is now banned from driving for year can then start driving again without a retest. We should be re-tested regularly.
@mitsky Just checking the figures and apparently the 2026 average cost is £58,000 per year per prisoner; worth noting that is only the direct cost, you then have to factor in ten years of lost tax income from the prisoner, ten years that the prisoner is making no contribution to society as a worker or as a consumer, plus the fact that if they were the primary breadwinner very likely the costs will include benefits for their family as well. None of which should be a reason for keeping violent recidivists out of prison of course, nor drug/drink drivers who kill, but it is a factor worth considering for lower-level offences.
@Surreyrider I ride in Surrey a fair bit and absolutely many do look like that but the point is they all *think* they're driving perfectly reasonably (as one discovers when remonstrating with someone who's skimmed one by 30cm, "I gave you masses of room") so deterrent penalties have little effect. That's why we need to strike at the root cause and actually train drivers properly and test them stringently (and more than once over the course of a potential 70+ years of driving, it's absolutely absurd that competence and knowledge in what for most people is the activity in their life that will run the biggest risk of killing people you never have to have your qualifications renewed).
@mitsky Imprisonment currently costs over £50k p.a. per prisoner and obviously that will rise over the course of a ten-year stretch with inflation. Regarding culpability and mitigating sentences etc, of course I'm not against condign punishment for drivers who kill (and cyclists on the tiny, tiny handful of occasions when this happens), including prison as appropriate; I was objecting to the ridiculous and oft-repeated demand of MM that drivers who kill cyclists must get ten years, "no excuses, no exceptions".
Hey, but their wool blend cycling adjacent t-shirts are/were fantastic.
@Surreyrider Still the boss. Ride one, you'll see why
@Smoggysteve "Most would happily ride on the roads and be treated with respect by drivers". But people aren't - and as far as I can see they won't be. Not until there is a lot less driving and it's slower around cyclists, and far more people driving have "skin in the game" eg. they sometimes cycle and their friends and family do also. That's what leads to the model - which is perhaps most advanced in NL - where cycling, walking and driving are all seen as separate normal transport modes. Their needs, vulnerabilities and any dangers to others are considered. And *that* leads to "mix / share when possible, separate when necessary". But "possible" is "where your 10-year old would be safe to cycle unsupervised" - so very few motor vehicles, going slow! And AFAICS everybody - even "existing cyclists" - is happy with the result. (I dunno about a few pro cyclists - but don't they tend to have training camps in different counties anyway?)
@quiff as an Edinburgh resident I can confidently say he's speaking without moving his lips in one sense: - while as I noted in a separate comment there *is* now some real separated cycle infra, all the examples i can think of have *at least as much space* for pedestrians. The rest of the "cycle infra" is essentially similar to the situation in the rest of the UK: eg. bus lanes*, cycle lanes and shared use paths (eg. "build" infra by sticking up a sign). Edinburgh is one of the places with a moderately extensive network of former railways which have been converted to "shared use" paths (completely motor traffic few). However though shared they are not narrow by UK standards. And this is all effectively a "free extra" for all non- motorised users, not like the "sign a cycle path" where pedestrians do lose space. I think this all comes from the "popular understanding" of cycling in which ultimately cyclists are the "other". They don't fit "motor vehicle" or "pedestrian" (including wheelchairs on the very rare occasions people think about that). Thus "cyclists are cheating" in multiple ways! They shouldn't get their own space as "there aren't enough" of them. And "they can just use the road / path". But being able to *choose* "on the road" or "on the footway" (shared use path) is clearly unfair - nobody else gets to do that! BUT of course even if they did pick just one of road OR pedestrian space it's still not fair anyway because they're "too slow" for the road (don't pay "road tax" etc...) and "far too fast" for pedestrians... * Though some existing cyclists may appreciate them when there are few buses, buses and bikes are a very poor mix for several reasons.
Whilst a shame for any employees, their bib shorts had the worst chamois pad I’d ever encountered, utter waste of my money. Even though they were Strava challenge discount purchases, still a waste of money.
Thanks, just going to have to suck it up. Got next week off and will take the easy, if expensive option...
20 thoughts on “Live blog: Video: Cyclist clipped by wing mirror – no action taken; Whoopi Goldberg says bike lanes are “screwing up” New York, Twitter post threatening to “run over” cyclists backfires, important Lance Armstrong lavatory news + more”
It’s funny how some races
It’s funny how some races suit the same couple of riders, particularly in the early season.
Good to see Armstrong has
Good to see Armstrong has found a big job to keep him occupied in retirement
Good to see Armstrong has
double post
That must be why she did The
That must be why she did The Color Purple instead of something greener.
Quote:
Translated as “Some of my best friends are <something>, but <generally I hate that something>”
“I like bikes, I like people
“I like bikes, I like people who ride”
But apparently not enough to keep more of them alive by restricting the dangerous, city choking, pollution spewing motorised traffic to designated road space, which presumably is her preferred method of getting around New York.
Yeah Whoopi, we need to get
Yeah Whoopi, we need to get every one off bikes and into cars to ease the congestion.
Glad you’re okay after that
Glad you’re okay after that pass Barry, terrible driving, expected response by the police, I have zero faith in them after a number of close passes and being knocked off all being caught on camera, they really don’t give a toss.
bike_food wrote:
The article doesn’t say where this happened, does anyone know? Just so that I can avoid an area with worse police than where I live. They failed in their duty to protect the public and that driver is still in charge of his death-dealing weapon.
Likewise, glad Barry survived, with just a few mm difference that could have been hospital or a cemetery.
And Whoopi, it was the drivers who screwed up the city, like they have everywhere, and it’s the cyclists that are curing it.
burtthebike wrote:
It was near Warrington. I’ve just updated the article.
Why anyone would pay any
Why anyone would pay any attention to that raving fucking idiot Whoopi Goldberg, I dont know?
She said of the 13 year old girl who was drugged then raped vaginally and anally by Roman Polanski that it wasnt “rape rape”.
zanf wrote:
Well, she is a member of the Harlem Globetrotters: https://mentalfloss.com/article/74714/meet-10-honorary-harlem-globetrotters
(Guess who my favourite player was?)
Henry Kissinger?
Henry Kissinger?
That driver should not be
That driver should not be allowed on the road again until they have passed a stringent test and have been forced on a bike to experience a series of close passes.
hirsute wrote:
Not something I usually do but have raised it with my local Force, needs a sense of entitlement check.
Could it be one of the popes?
Could it be one of the popes?
ktache wrote:
Close, but I was thinking of an actual player – Squirrel Murrell: http://harlemglobetrotters.wikia.com/wiki/Squirrel_Murrell
Barry’s case… surely that
Barry’s case… surely that can’t be the end of it. Why is there a question of apportioning blame by the insurer. Whats that got to do with the offence?
Is there no higher power that can pick this up and press for answers… Jeremy Vine, Chris Boardman, maybe this esteemed site?
Can I take it that Goldberg’s
Can I take it that Goldberg’s complaints about ‘not being able to make a turn’ are from the perspective of sitting on her fat arse in a car while she attempts to go from one side of the tiny island of Manhatten to another?
She might find that the benefits of daily cycling (maybe combined with some modest intermittent fasting) could be the way to shed those excess kilos and may even cheer her up a bit.
> Probably not a great idea
> Probably not a great idea to plan an attempted murder on social media
Isn’t that a bit like planning to fail? You can plan to murder someone, but if you plan to fail to murder someone, then that isn’t really murder even if you do end up killing the person (as you didn’t intend to).