Welcome to your Wednesday live blog, with Simon MacMichael, Jack Sexty and the rest of the road.cc team.
Live blog: Callum Skinner will lead new Global Athlete organisation to “give athletes a voice”, Brailsford “met Colombia’s president to discuss Sky backing”, Tour legend Yates becomes e-bike ambassador, Boulting hits bum note as saddle is stolen + more
All today’s news from the site and beyond…
Wed, Feb 13, 2019 19:46
SUMMARY
13 February 2019, 19:46
How about some 'interpretive spinning' to start your day?
Looks a piece of cake… the spinner in question appears to have answered some questions in the comments section, explaining that the average person shouldn’t try this at home/in the gym and these are skills she’s built up over 13 years as a gymnast and fitness instructor.
13 February 2019, 19:46
Ambitious new West Midlands cycling infrastructure planned, with 26 new routes in the pipeline
Transport for West Midlands have announced plans to spend up to £250 million on cycling infrastructure, with 26 new routes totalling 200km linking through Birmingham, the Black Country, Coventry and Solihull. They will also appoint a Cycling and Walking Ambassador, start a flagship cycling corridor and support for councils to deliver local schemes, coordinate a family cycling festival and work with communities to improve cycling and walking provisions.
The leader of Birmingham City Council, Cllr Ian Ward said: “It’s clear that we need to change the way people travel across the West Midlands, so in addition to getting more people walking and using public transport, one of our key ambitions is to see more people cycling.
“In recent years we’ve launched innovative schemes to get people on their bikes. Through the Birmingham Cycle Revolution and initiatives like the award-winning Big Birmingham Bikes, we’ve focussed on education, training and of course promoting the many benefits of cycling; but if we are going to persuade more people to make the transition from four wheels to two, people have to feel safe on their bikes and we have to look at everything from road layouts to other cycling routes across the region.
“By increasing the investment in cycling and walking, we’re signalling our determination to improve air quality, tackle congestion and improve the health of people across the region.”
You can read the full report into the plans from West Midlands Combined Authority here – thanks to Peted76 for posting the link in the comments.
13 February 2019, 19:46
Former track champ and Marthy Nothstein plans to sue USA Cycling for slander, libel and defamation
Nothstein, a former US congressman and a three-time track world champion, was accused of sexual harassment in an incident that took places over 20 years ago, and wfmz.com reports that his attorney filed a writ of summons on Friday notifying USA Cycling that a lawsuit is coming.
The Sydney 2000 Olympic gold medallist was suspended without pay from his position as executive director of the Lehigh Valley velodrome in Pennsylvania following the allegation from an ‘anonymous tipster’ back in August, and an investigation was opened 11 days after he announced his candidacy for US Congress as a Republican. An investigation was conducted by SafeSport who closed it with no action taken based on the available information and evidence, and in a further investigation by Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin, the woman named as the tipster even denied anything had happened. Nothstein plans to sue USA Cycling for defamation, libel and slander.
13 February 2019, 19:46
"Why don't cyclists use the bike lane?" etc etc
This clip from Australia is pretty hard to watch… and if you click through to the Facebook post some of the comments are pretty hard to read too…
13 February 2019, 19:46
An investigative thread on the (now infamous) Cycling Safety Technology app
I’ve been getting quite frustrated about the emergence of @cyclesafetech on Twitter this week.
Rightly, a lot of cyclists (and others) are pointing out that this kind of tech-based ‘solution’ to safety for vulnerable road users is both dangerous and, ultimately, unworkable.
— Joe Soap (@JoeSoap76) February 12, 2019
We’re going to guess the Cycle Safety Technologies app developer has had a ‘busy’ week but perhaps not for the right reasons (more here) and this Twitter thread delves a bit deeper into the company’s history and how the app works. It doesn’t make for very promising reading…
13 February 2019, 19:46
Sean Yates announced as ambassador for Ribble SLe e-road bike
Due to ill health the Tour de France and Vuelta stage winner hasn’t been able to ride as much as of late, but says the new lightweight Ribble SLe has got him back out conquering the hills again. Yates says: “I’m keen to start promoting the virtues of the SLe and the benefits associated with e-road bikes. Anything that looks this cool and rides that well and can get people back out there riding, keeping up with the group on the hills or cycling further and over terrain they never thought possible – has got to be a good thing.”
The SLe is for sale on Ribble’s website in various specs here.
13 February 2019, 19:46
Brailsford reportedly meets Colombian government to discuss potential sponsorship of Team Sky
Team Sky principal Sir Dave Brailsford has reportedly held talks with the Colombian government as he seeks to secure the UCI WorldTour outfit’s future for next season and beyond.
He is in the Latin American country for the Tour of Colombia where Chris Froome is starting his 2019 season, and according to El Espectador met with Colombia’s president Iván Duque, former Team Sky rider Rigoberto Urán, and Ernesto Lucena, the director of government agency Coldeportes, to discuss the project.
The newspaper, whose article is paywalled, speculates that Team Sky could, in effect, become Colombia’s first UCI WorldTour team.
Dave Brailsford, principal cabeza del @TeamSky, se reunió con el presidente Iván Duque, Ernesto Lucena, director de Coldeportes, y Rigoberto Urán para darle forma al proyecto. Parece utopía, pero es una opción real. https://t.co/AhLBNdYArB
— Thomas Blanco (@thomblalin) February 12, 2019
13 February 2019, 19:46
Ned Boulting falls victim to half-job saddle and seatpost theft
Someone has nicked my saddle, which is disappointing, as I need it to sit down on my bike. pic.twitter.com/tlFAPnrBcI
— Ned Boulting (@nedboulting) February 12, 2019
Maybe it was just a really lovely saddle or the robber had some sort of unpleasant fetish, but unfortunately it left the popular sports presenter no option but to go home sad and saddle-less.
13 February 2019, 19:46
Another financial facepalm courtesy of Transport for London...
TfL have just sent out a press release stating that £43m of public money was spent on the Garden Bridge, £24m from TfL and £19m from the DfT. Construction of the bridge never began. Meanwhile, this walking and cycling bridge, opened in 2017 in Utrecht, cost €7m pic.twitter.com/CzkKNhIbvz
— Hackney Cyclist (@Hackneycyclist) February 13, 2019
13 February 2019, 19:46
Wiggle offering half price entries to the New Forest Sportive to celebrate Valentine's Day
Nothing says I love you like entering your other half into a brutal 102 mile sportive around the New Forest… and if you buy at least two entries before midnight on February 14th, it will also be a more financially savvy gesture as well as a thoughtful one because the tickets are half price. The event takes place on 30th March, and there are 38, 80 and 102 mile route options to cater for all abilities. An official photographer, music, event village and locally sourced food and drink are all thrown in with the entry price. Click here to find out more and get your entries in while this most romantic of deals is still on.
13 February 2019, 19:46
'Who kills who' on the roads
This image is “who kills whom” on our roads. https://t.co/jMGyR7ULF6
Note how dangerous cycling **isn’t** versus every other mode except walking. I think this is Dutch data, so would be fascinating to do this for the UK. pic.twitter.com/qI3nLroByR
— Tim Lennon (@lucullus) February 12, 2019
This is actually from the Netherlands, and even though the bike is a hugely popular mode of transport it’s shown to be pretty un-deadly in this graph. A version for the UK would be particularly interesting.
13 February 2019, 19:46
All-City Cycles launch Cosmic Stallion
Described as a steel all-road racer, the Cosmic Stallion has a new livery and a Shimano 105 spec. An A.C.E tubeset and big tyre clearance make it suitable for rough gravel too. Head over the the All-City website for more info.
13 February 2019, 19:46
British track cyclist Callum Skinner helping to lead new Global Athlete organisation, "an athlete-led movement for change"
Delighted to have launch @GlobalAthleteHQ today. A first in Olympic and Paralympic Sport. For too long athletes haven’t had an independent voice
Athletes and supporters. Sign up here: https://t.co/dNVCncvgjb pic.twitter.com/JcpITcc5IJ
— Callum Skinner (@CallumSkinner) February 13, 2019
Skinner announced his pride at his involvement in launching the organisation on his Twitter page earlier, with Global Athlete promising to give athletes an independent voice. It comes after the Russian Doping scandal and US gymnastics sexual abuse case, both of which led to calls for heightened rights and protection for athletes. The former WADA deputy director general Rob Koehler has also been named the new director general of Global Athlete. On the Global Athlete website, they’ve stated that their vision is to create positive change in world sport, balance the power that exists between athletes and sporting leaders and secure a more meaningful and representative athlete voice for all decisions in sport. Do you think this new independent body will lead to fairer treatment of pro cyclists, and athletes in general? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
WE ARE ATHLETE
Today, a new Athlete Start-Up Movement launched aiming to inspire athletes and drive change across world sport. Its name? Global Athlete. Welcome to a new beginning. #WeAreAthlete #GlobalAthlete pic.twitter.com/Aelb7wjx51— Global Athlete (@GlobalAthleteHQ) February 13, 2019
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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).
4 Comments
Latest Comments
yodhrin 7 hours ago
@robgodd The poor guy himself suffered a traumatic brain injury and his skull was so badly shattered a significant portion of it had to be removed - do me a favour, have a look around cycling helmet manufacturers and see if any of them claim the foam hats they produce will protect against or even mitigate that level of injury. I'll wait if you like, but I can save us both the time and tell you what you'll find: none of them. Not a single one of them will. Because they don't, and they *can't* based on simple physics. Once the point of failure in a material is reached all(or as near as makes no odds) of the additional force beyond that necessary threshhold transfers through to the object beneath. Since bicycle helmets are rated for forces roughly equivalent to being dropped straight down from a stationary start 1.5m above a hard surface. Now, I'm not an expert in vehicle crash investigation, but I'm *fairly* sure that any impact or series of impacts powerful enough to render a quarder of your skull into gravel, put you in a weeks-long coma, give you massive amnesia, and leave you with ongoing symptoms of traumatic brain injury are a little bit, a teeny-weeny amount, a little smidgeon-widgeon more than what bike helmets are rated for. That's why none of the companies that make them claim they will help in such circumstances: because they know it would be a lie, and that unlike uninformed punters, carbrained journalists, or "medical professionals" who think wearing a helmet would save you from a broken arm(an actual scenario encountered by a mate, who's nurse at the A&E tutted and harrumphed her way through his whole treatment due to his lack of helmet despite his bonce having come through *being hit by a car* - another scenario bike helmets are worthless in - completely unscathed), the lawyers for those companies know their business and understand that if you lie in advertising you will get sued into the ground.
Mr Blackbird 9 hours ago
The Battle of Ypres April 1915. The German infantry division advanced using das Brumptstadt Fahrarden. The slow speed kept them behind the cloud of chlorine gas as it drifted towards the Commonwealth trenches. The offensive cleaved a two mile gap in the Western Front. The use of cycles was copied by the Japanese as they invaded Singapore and Burmah. By then war technology had embraced wider low pressure tyres, carbon frames and hydration gels. The German forces decided not to incorporate cycling as part of Operation Session, as bike theft in London and the South East was rife and would have caused huge casualties. Ironically superior advancement of tyre technology led to a British victory at El Alamein. This technology played a key part in the US Marines victory at Iwo Jima.
ROOTminus1 9 hours ago
The appropriate response to Google pissing on your cereal is not a fancy new sugar that removes the taste of urine. Stop using Google products where you can. Firefox browser and DuckDuckGo search engine have had noticeable upticks in market share by explicitly NOT pushing AI.
belugabob 9 hours ago
my thoughts exactly...I wonder how that approach is working, with motor vehicle drivers...🤔
Anonymousattorney 9 hours ago
I do not wish to diminish the personal tragedy, but one never hear calls for pedestrians or even hikers to wear clothing with integrated lightening rods.
chrisonabike 10 hours ago
RE Andy Burnam / Heidi Alexander - this is the best thing in many ways - set an example (even if currently it leads to lots of online name-calling). And imagine some of the political alternatives! The folks in the apparently second-placed party seem incredibly unlikely to be doing so. And even the current "new Greens" seem less interested in ... y'know, environmental things. OTOH I wish Heidi could be bolder. And I fear that like anyone ambitious enough to get to the top (exception B Johnson - well, I guess there was the Corbyn bicycle...) Burnam will be trimming his transport policy sails to fit the wind (should that be "bunker-fuel-burning engines"?)
Rendel Harris 10 hours ago
@mattsccm Bull bars aren't banned, they just have to conform to regulations so they are deformable or have plates that allow crumple give on contact, rather than rigid steel bars that can smash into pedestrians and cyclists with no give at all, catch them and drag them under the wheels. If you think that's a problem, do one. Why should who is responsible for a collision remove the responsibility of people driving a tonne of machinery on the road from having safety features to at least mitigate some of the effects of a collision?
AidanR 10 hours ago
I'd be willing to bet that's lazy use of stock photography rather than deliberate misinformation, but the result is still the same.
Backladder 10 hours ago
@smallbeer You obviously don't realise how many bulls there are wandering around Chelsea, in and out of the china shops, that he needs to protect his Range Rover from.
chrisonabike 10 hours ago
I agree, it's bloody 'elf and safety overreach, can't help some people, I put some meat, sorry, neat decoration on the front of mine and the polis were round poking their noses in like that (mind you, that was a mistake...) (etc)
4 thoughts on “Live blog: Callum Skinner will lead new Global Athlete organisation to “give athletes a voice”, Brailsford “met Colombia’s president to discuss Sky backing”, Tour legend Yates becomes e-bike ambassador, Boulting hits bum note as saddle is stolen + more”
Report for the cycling
Report for the cycling infrastructure routes can be found here https://governance.wmca.org.uk/documents/s2574/Report.pdf
Good luck Birmingham and the
Good luck Birmingham and the West Midlands.
Marty Nothstein was never a
Marty Nothstein was never a US Congressman. He ran for a seat but did not win.
Sky do have Columbia’s best
Sky do have Columbia’s best rider…