Welcome to Tuesday on the road.cc live blog with Simon MacMichael and the rest of the team.
Live blog: Brooklyn cyclist killed in hit and run – so NYPD ticket bike riders AGAIN, British Cycling updates disciplinary regs, video of near-naked cyclist riding backwards in Florida goes viral, Dani Rowe previews Worlds sportive route, + more
All today’s news from the site and beyond
Tue, Mar 05, 2019 16:33
SUMMARY
5 March 2019, 16:33
Thief nabbed … because he didn’t notice police logo on bike he stole
A thief in the Indian city of Delhi was arrested within 10 minutes of stealing a bicycle – because he hadn’t noticed the police logo on it.
One of the police officers who arrested the 23-year-old man said: “ was on duty near Khan Market when I spotted a man wearing plain clothes, who was on a police bicycle.
“I asked him to stop and asked him if it was his cycle. He fumbled and had no answers.
“He tried to leave the bicycle and escape but we caught him. He confessed he had stolen the bicycle.”
The Hindustan Times reports that officers who use the bikes to patrol the city’s parks and gardens have now been issued with strict orders to ensure their bikes are locked when not in use.
5 March 2019, 16:33
No need to panic ahead of Tokyo, says Laura Kenny - but no room for complacency either
Four-time Olympic champion Laura Kenny believes that Great Britain can overcome a disappointing UCI Track World Championships and win medals at next year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo – but has also warned that there is no room for complacency.
Kenny helped Great Britain win silver behind Australia in the team pursuit – one of just four medals won by the country in Pruszkow – but pulled out of the omnium due to illness.
She told Reuters: “I don’t think there is anything dramatic that we should be worrying about, or changing now, it’s just about moving forward as a team.
“Having said that we can’t be complacent. We can’t be like, ‘Oh well every time we go to the Olympics it comes together’ because it’s not as simple as that.
“The team has changed massively this time, not just with the riders but with the whole set-up, and there are lots of different people in different roles.”
“Everyone has to come together, that’s what has always happened.
“If we can do that the results will start coming again. In 2015 the worlds weren’t great but we were back on top in Rio. So let’s not throw everything out of the window.”
The 26-year-old, whose husband Jason Kenny has six Olympic gold medals, putting him level with Sir Chris Hoy, also revealed that motherhood had changed her perspective on life.
“I was sad [at having to withdraw from the event] but Albie is my world now whereas pre-2017 I would say cycling was everything,” she said.
“I cycle now for Albie and want him to have the experiences of going around the world watching me, but I don’t get completely wrapped up in it the same way.”
5 March 2019, 16:33
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad with Katusha Alpecin
5 March 2019, 16:33
2019 UCI World Championship Sportive Route Preview
The 2019 World Road Race Championships taking place in Yorkshire, and there’s a Sportive that runs alongside the event, taking in lots of the roads that the pros will use on race day.
To give you an idea of the route, former pro racer and Olympic gold medallist Dani Rowe went for a spin to guide us all around the beautiful Yorkshire lanes.
To find out more about the public ballot, head over to our story from the other day.
5 March 2019, 16:33
Now you can customise your Eddy Merckx
Customisation is a big thing in cycling now, from the likes of Trek’s Project One to a proliferation of independent frame sprayer catering to any creative demand. Now Belgian brand Eddy Merckx has launched MyMerckx, a new personalisation tool that offers a number of options on six models, the EM525, SanRemo76, Lavaredo68, Stockeu69, Wallers73 and Strasbourg71.
The personalisation extends to three designs and 42 colours and matt or glossy finish and is a €250 option.
The three designs include the minimalistic ‘Serene’ which fits perfectly within the current look & feel of the brand. The ‘Retro’ of the lookalike bike of Eddy himself, including Belgian ribbons and an authentic headtube logo. And the ‘Design’, based on the catalogue design in the current range.
It’s personalisation but only to a degree, they are clearly keeping it under tight control. Still, it offers a bit more choice than just the stock option most brands only offer.
You can customise your future Eddy Merckx bike here www.eddymerckx.com/my-merckx-customize
5 March 2019, 16:33
Ride with Fabian Cancellara on Zwift!
Ever fancied riding with the legend that is Fabian Cancellara? C’mon, who wouldn’t want to! And now you can, virtually at least. He’s leading a ride on Zwift and he’s inviting you all to join him.
He’s actually hosting a series of workouts and the next one is tonight, at 6.30pm to be precise. See you there, give me a Ride On if you spot me! (I’ll be the one wearing a road.cc jersey obviously).
More details on the series here.
5 March 2019, 16:33
“Only in mother*cking Miami!” Video of near-naked cyclist riding BACKWARDS on interstate highway goes viral
Video of a near-naked cyclist riding backwards on an interstate highway in Miami has gone viral on Twitter, racking up more than a quarter of a million views since being posted on Sunday.
The footage – which includes swearing – was shot by a passenger in a car on the I-95, where cycling is illegal.
he comin’ pic.twitter.com/0muiV6cRHm
— Florida Man (@_FloridaMan) March 3, 2019
One of the occupants of the car says, “He comin’ … watch this sh*t!”
Laughing, he continues: “Oh my god. Y’all playin’ too much. Y’all play way too mother*cking much.
“Only in mother*cking Miami,” he adds, as the cyclist – who according to replies to the tweet has been spotted on the same highway before – continues on his merry way.
5 March 2019, 16:33
Another cyclist killed in a New York City hit-and-run - so police respond by ticketing cyclists again
Last month we reported how New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio had come under fire from cycling campaigners after the New York Police Department responded to the death of a bike rider in Manhattan by ticketing cyclists in the same area for minor or even non-existent offences, such as not wearing a helmet.
Well, ‘New York’s Finest’ are at it again – this time following a hit-and-run crash in Brooklyn that left 25-year-old delivery rider Aurilla Lawrence dead.
Understandably, news of the crackdown has enraged the Big Apple’s cycling community, with Streetsblog reporting that a protest ride against the policy was due to be held yesterday.
Eben Weiss – better known on social media as Bike Snob – has said of the NYPD’s approach: “There is one thing New Yorkers can pretty much count on after a driver kills someone on a bike though, and that’s an NYPD crackdown on cyclists in the vicinity of the incident for behavior that may or may not even be illegal.”
“If you ride a bike in New York City, it’s hard not to feel like the NYPD is the older sibling who occasionally grabs you by the wrists and forces you to punch yourself in the face.”
5 March 2019, 16:33
Tour de France fever building early this year ...
There’s still four months to go until this year’s Tour de France, but excitement is already building in some places that will host the race – Binche, in Belgium, and Albi, near Toulouse, may be separated by more than 900 kilometres, but they are united in celebrating the arrival of the race at their annual carnivals as we move into Lent.
Carnival folklore paying tribute to the #TDF2019 in @Ville_de_Binche and @ville_albi.
Les villes d'Albi et Binche, villes étape du #TDF2019 lui rendent hommage en le mettant à l'honneur dans leur carnaval ! pic.twitter.com/RSJYRTllxS
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) March 5, 2019
5 March 2019, 16:33
British Cycling updates Disciplinary Regulations for Cycle Sport
British Cycling has updated its Disciplinary Regulations for Cycle Sport with effect from 1 January this year.
Among the changes publicised on the governing body’s website today are that non-payment of fines by members are now a disciplinary offence, and that spectators are now included within the scope of the regulations “in an attempt to apply [them] to those who are in and around British Cycling events, who may be in breach of the Code of Conduct or Regulations.”
British Cycling said: “It is hoped that the revision of the rules will provide greater clarity around the sanctions, and the flexibility to deal with an ever-changing sport whilst ensuring that British Cycling continues to operate with the transparency and independence expected of such an organisation.”
Find out full details of the changes here.
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Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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Latest Comments
Rendel Harris 26 minutes ago
@theslowcyclistxx As I said above, the manufacturer claims that these wheels are "as strong as XC MTB wheels"; XC MTB involves a lot of crashing through tree roots and over fairly gnarly rocky sections, if these wheels can't cope with that sort of punishment then the manufacturers shouldn't make such claims about them. If they are only designed for well packed fine gravel roads then so be it, but they should be marketed as such and not with claims to which they clearly can't live up.
Shades 42 minutes ago
As a Bath cyclist, all they really needed to do was to make the short spur of road at the NW corner 2-way for bikes (currently one-way going S; cars and bikes) and use the funds elsewhere (for active travel). Bikes could then just follow the clockwise one-way around the park; the SE corner feeds you into the cycle route that goes through town. I'd have more sympathy for the opponents (with their usual "I support active travel, but what about the children playing" platitudes ie I don't want to lose my cheap parking/rat-run) if the recent (small) protest wasn't heavily promoted by the 'cycle-haters' who regularly rage against the new bike lanes on Nextdoor. I'm conditioned to Bath traffic, but if it encourages some people out of their cars, then build it. As someone who pretty much walks or cycles around Bath all the time, I've been 'beaten-up' by Bath drivers for long enough (18 years) that anything that sticks it to them is fine by me.
eburtthebike 49 minutes ago
"Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria told media, “These are some of the busiest streets in all of North America. We need to restore them to vehicle lanes to stop the congestion." It beggars belief that in this day and age, a 'transportation minister' can spout such incredible lies. Anyone with the faintest appreciation of transport knows that cycle lanes don't cause congestion: in fact, they alleviate it. Still, it's nice to know, well, not that nice, but interesting, that the utter incompetents aren't restricted to the UK. Is Doug Ford the Canadian equivalent of Trump or Nigel? Full of fake news and excrement. We could learn a thing or two from our Canadian cousins though, and start organising protests to stop the removal of bike lanes. If we can present some convoluted reasoning which showed that cycle lanes were bad for asylum seekers, we'd get lots of blokes wearing black with balaclavas supporting us.
Surreyrider 1 hour ago
Just go for 32/34 tyres instead - a lot cheaper.
theslowcyclistxx 2 hours ago
@Rendel Harris I don’t agree that a light gravel wheelset is expected to withstand impacts from rocks. Yes, it should be able to withstand potholes and also a cross country track, but if ridden directly into a rock, I would expect any carbon wheelset to be finished.
mark1a 3 hours ago
Something worth a mention in indoor cycling accessories is a rocker plate. Long rides on an indoor trainer can start to hurt after a while, and a decent rocker plate gives enough side to side and fore/aft movement to help prevent this. I acquired a TurboRocks Realplate React a year or so ago, it's very well made and the service from order to collection was excellent. It took a few weeks to get used to it, until the motion felt natural, but after that, longer sessions became much more comfortable. My current setup:
chrisonabike 3 hours ago
@eburtthebike now wondering if anyone has looked at the possible benefits of promoting cycling *goggles*, since the eyes are very easily injured but also easily protected. Presumably rather rare, but eye damage can have massive impact on someone's life...
chrisonabike 4 hours ago
The horizontal component will mean that on impact there's drag and so torque (not good) but that energy will mostly be dissipated over time (sliding) so much less peak force (ignoring torque briefly). ...but isn't the fate of many crashing motorcyclists decided when their flight / slide is checked by encountering a horizontal surface? If they do that with their head that torque could fatally damage the neck / brain, or their head / helmet then absorbs the likely much greater energy than the vertical fall. So the horizontal part matters - albeit still subject to the limited ability of currently practical helmets to help. Sounds like a good idea to wear one regardless of exactly how much it mitigates any of these risks. Not only keeps the law (and the in-laws?) happy but keeps debris out of your eyes, your ears from being blasted by so much wind, rain off your head etc. All of which would be very distracting and could well contribute to crashing in the first place. Bicycle helmets - slightly different calculation for me, since a hat and glasses do much of that and I'm rarely at wind-noise-deafening speed. Although abrasion protection is (and has been) welcome.
inthewoods 4 hours ago
@theslowcyclistxx Completely agree. Or at least 4. The truth is that it is possible to crack a gravel, road, or a MTB rim if you are riding fast down a road with sharp rocks that stick out. It has happened to me before on rough roads. Notice that tire pressure, the width of tire used, etc were not mentioned. It is hard for me to imagine that "Value" is only three stars. None of the other wheels mentioned are anywhere near the weight of this wheelset. How Scribe's and Hunt's wheelsets have the same value ranking, despite the Particle one being 350g lighter despite being cheaper makes no sense.
Paul J 4 hours ago
On Picnic-PostNL, some interesting details from Nicolas Roche in NOS, "I think this management is not suitable for cycling. In cycling, we deal with a lot of variables. It's not a predictable sport. The body is not a perfect machine. We have to contend with weather conditions and also the tactics of 24 other teams. I understand that people want a master plan to be prepared, but they can't already be planning the seventeenth stage of the Tour de France in May. And that’s what they did." What did it mean to you that the bond between the coach and the rider wasn’t appreciated? "It wasn’t valued to maintain friendships. I find that strange. I remember that during the big tours, I got a different masseur every three days. For every rider, that massage is a moment of rest, or a chance to open up, call your wife, or just go over the day. I strongly disagreed with making changes with the sole purpose of ensuring we wouldn’t develop a friendly relationship with the masseur." Why were they so fixated on breaking those strong personal relationships? "A mystery. Maybe because in the past, masseurs often transported doping for riders? But I don’t know the real answer."
4 thoughts on “Live blog: Brooklyn cyclist killed in hit and run – so NYPD ticket bike riders AGAIN, British Cycling updates disciplinary regs, video of near-naked cyclist riding backwards in Florida goes viral, Dani Rowe previews Worlds sportive route, + more”
*Mental image of man riding
*Mental image of man riding Kids’ Police Bike*
At least caveat that the real one was nothing like this stock image!
Sorry but no amount of
Sorry but no amount of customising is going to make that Eddy Mercx EM525 look anything other than hideous!
The bloke on the IS, Skills!
The bloke on the IS, Skills!
Also appears to be maintaining speed with the motor vehicles too. He might have to adjust his technique for the upcoming filtering though.
Coordinating booties and basket, Nice.
Guy has history, https:/
Guy has history, https://twitter.com/_FloridaMan/status/1033116244117938176
saying ‘only in Florida’, well we had naked Warrington cycling man only recently so it’s not that far off.lol Could you imagine the reaction of Cheshire plod to Florida man on the M6!
Think how much money governments could save by simply having 2x5m wide lanes to take all the people by bike instead of car. The congestion wouldn’t be there, the routes likely wouldn’t need to be raised or as convoluted to get over/past other motor roads. Too frickin simple!