Welcome to Wednesday’s live blog, with Jack Sexty, Simon MacMichael and the rest of the team.
Live blog: Tie your shoelaces tight – Latest cycle safety advice from the US; Spitting distance… is too close – nasty Manchester close pass vid; NYPD ticketing cyclists AGAIN after another rider is killed; Best TdF rider announcement ever? + more
All today’s news from the site and beyond…
Wed, Jun 26, 2019 17:10
SUMMARY
26 June 2019, 17:10
GBDURO 2019: Lachlan Morton is still smashing it
Morton has steamed ahead on GBDURO, an unsupported mixed-terrain version of LEJOG, reaching the second checkpoint of four inn 63 hours after 1,100km of riding. The route is 1,960km in length, so Morton should finish by the end of the week.
Many of the 26 who started have already pulled out but 13 are still going strong, check out the live feed and results here.
26 June 2019, 17:10
Documentary about Phil Liggett to premiere in 2020
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if.com reports that the feature-length documentary, called ‘Phil Liggett: The Voice of Cycling’, will get a premiere in October 2020 and a cinema release shortly afterwards. It will folow the commentator around some of the biggest events on the cycling calendar, including the Tour de France.
Backed by Demand Film and produced by Nickolas Bird and Eleanor Sharpe, this will be their follow-up to the popular ‘MAMIL’ documentary. Liggett said: “As we have been filming in secret at various locations and scanning the archive I was not aware how full my life has been and how privileged I have been to be a part of this wonderful sport and pastime of cycling.
“Demand Film did a great job with MAMIL and I know that they can be trusted to handle my story and share it with the world.”
26 June 2019, 17:10
Eilidh Cairns' mother writes to leader of Kensington & Chelsea over bogus "aunt"
The woman claimed at a public meeting earlier thois month to be Eilidh’s aunt – and said the cyclist, crushed to death by a lorry at Notting Hill in 2009, would have opposed a cycleway planned for the same route. Full story here.
26 June 2019, 17:10
Police are reportedly trying to hand out tickets to cyclists, not drivers, after bike courier was killed in Manhattan on Monday morning
I am disturbed by reports of a NYPD crackdown on cyclists near the intersection where cyclist Robyn Hightman was killed yesterday by traffic violence. Trucks and cars are the cause of the overwhelming number of traffic fatalities in our city. https://t.co/w3zPRPqCQD
— NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson (@NYCSpeakerCoJo) June 25, 2019
20-year-old Robyn Hightman became the 12th cyclist killed in New York City this year on Monday, hit by a truck driver who drove off unaware before returning to the scene shortly afterwards after being informed by a witness, according to CBS New York. The Gothamist reports that police in the area where Hightman was killed were found to be looking for cyclists committing minor traffic violations instead of ticketing drivers breaking the rules. Officer Carlos Negron told the Gothamist:
“Our unit is specifically the bicycle unit—whenever there’s a pedestrian struck or a bicyclist struck, anything that involves a bike, we try to respond to it.
“As far as the female who passed away unfortunately, yesterday, I believe she was riding off the bike lane, you know. It’s sad, but it’s sad that she was off the bike lane, you know? Maybe if she had been on the bike lane, maybe she’d still be alive.”
It’s not illegal for cyclists in New York to ride out of a bike lane if there are surface hazards or obstructions in front such as vehicles or pedestrians.
20-year-old Hightman ran a cycle courier company, and was an ambassador for the Hagens Berman Supermint team while riding competitively for Spin Peaks. A vigil was held in New York yesterday, and the Supermint team have also left a lengthy tribute on their Instagram page.
#robynhightman, killed by a speeding trucker this morning. The driver fled, came back, and the police sent him on his way. #VisionZero @NYC_SafeStreets @TransAlt @SpinPeaksRacing pic.twitter.com/HG5GxT9dy9
— Blythe Austin (@bblytherss) June 24, 2019
26 June 2019, 17:10
Not sure I'm too popular with the bloke from the council who cuts the grass round here
Still, 72 flats (and 200+ residents) in this block and NOT A SINGLE bike parking space, what do they expect? And this is one of London’s more bike-friendly boroughs.
It looks even better with the bike removed 🙂
26 June 2019, 17:10
A little OTT?
ok mate calm down pic.twitter.com/jFMdrhTdeR
— matthew (@handsblinx) June 25, 2019
One wonders what happened to this cyclist to make him want to adopt full body armour on the morning commute…
26 June 2019, 17:10
4-time Superbike World Champion Jonathan Rea's custom Vitus ZX-1
Vitus have presented Reas with this custom version of their ZX-1, with a Kawasaki green paint job and weighing in at 7.5kg. Here’s the full spec:
Frame: Vitus ZX-1 Disc (52cm)
Fork: Vitus ZX-1 Disc
Derailleur: SRAM RED eTap AXS 12 speed
Front Derailleur: SRAM RED eTap AXS
Shifters: SRAM RED eTap AXS
Brakes: SRAM RED AXS Hydraulic disc
BB-set: CeramicSpeed EVO386 SRAM DUB Bottom Bracket
Crankset: SRAM RED Quarq AXS DUB Power Meter
Saddle: Selle Italia SLR SuperFlow
Bars: Prime Primavera Carbon – 38cm
Stem: Prime Primavera Carbon – 100mm
Wheels: Prime BlackEdition 50 Carbon Disc
Chain: SRAM Red AXS 12 speed
Cassette: SRAM Red AXS 12 speed
Tyres: Schwalbe Pro One MicroSkin TL – 25mm
Bar tape: Prime Race Comfort
Pedals: Look Keo Blade
Bottle Cages: Prime Carbon Bottle Cages
You can watch a video of the bike being built here.
26 June 2019, 17:10
E-cargo delivery firm Zedify open new London depot
With ULEZ now enforced in Central London, are e-cargo deliveries set to boom? Full story on ebikeTips.
26 June 2019, 17:10
... and elsewhere in Manchester, we have this
Vauxhall Astra YE55CNK. No insurance, no tax, no MOT.
Close-pass at speed, then driver drives into cyclist (with indicator on to intimidate), whilst back-seat passenger spits through window.
Manchester needs infrastructure to protect cyclists from these psychopaths. pic.twitter.com/vbZ1UDl8YK
— nalladrah (@nalladrah) June 25, 2019
26 June 2019, 17:10
Police respond over Manchester cyclist whom they warned over behaviour after he was threatened by driver while filtering ...
“It is not appropriate for any retaliation, be that physical or verbal,” says GMP.
Follow-up to our story from Friday, read the full article here.
26 June 2019, 17:10
The latest bike safety idea from the US? Tie your shoelaces properly
Oh, and wear a helmet and arm and knee pads.
Advice comes courtesy of Ross Gullickson, the chief of police in North Mankato, Minnesota, who says: “The singular biggest thing that people can do to protect themselves is wear a helmet, wear pads on the knees and elbows and tie their shoe laces tight.”
Glad we got that one straight.
In case you don’t know how to tie-up shoelaces properly, here’s an educational TED Talk on the subject.
Or maybe just buy slip-on shoes or ones with a Velcro closure … ?
26 June 2019, 17:10
Best Tour de France rider announcement ever?
Maxime Monfort – and your kids – we salute you.
So happy to announce that I’m selected by @Lotto_Soudal to ride @LeTour
Let’s fight with the boys for big results in July pic.twitter.com/M8r9xuWsXA— Maxime Monfort (@maxmonfort) June 25, 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).
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Latest Comments
belugabob 1 minute ago
“I agree near schools and places like that but all these road [sic] elsewhere are ridiculous,” Leon began. “You had cars in the 80s that had no power steering, ABS, all manual cars, and 30 mile an hour limit. “Now you have cars with every gadget under the sun, stops on a dime, and they wanna drop it to 20mph." I feel that this is part of the problem... modern cars are, if anything, too refined. They accelerate more quickly, are more comfortable at speed, have aircon, airbags, power steering and decent radios - all of which make the driving experience more relaxing and requiring a little less input/attention from the driver (who doesn't really realise how fast they are going, or how quickly they got there) The "stopping on a dime" argument is particularly worrying, as all this means is the the driver's false sense of safety, so they can tend to push things further. As for the "cars weren't designed to do 20 mph" angle, design aims and capabilities are not mutually exclusive...in fact, I'd say that modern cars are better, in this respect, due to engine refinements.(and how many older cars are there, nowadays, in this leading age that we live in?)
60somethingcyclist 14 minutes ago
I think this case is a lesson for us all, cyclists and pedestrians to be careful and mindful of others when we're out and about, especially on shared paths. Both groups have as much right as the other to be there. Mutual consideration and respect will help a lot.
captain_slog 1 hour ago
I’d say that colour was more like fuchsia (and coming soon to a Rapha Pro Team jacket near you).
chrisonabike 3 hours ago
@yodhrin I believe the fairer summary is "we don't know - but making the main point advocating a form of PPE with relatively limited protection - and to a group of likely experienced cyclists - isn't very helpful..." I've only read one of the reports but that suggested the skull removal was to alleviate pressure from major brain swelling. And a given helmet *might* be better than the standard. So I think "don't know" is fairest.
yodhrin 12 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 13 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 13 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 14 hours ago
my thoughts exactly...I wonder how that approach is working, with motor vehicle drivers...🤔
Anonymousattorney 14 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 14 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"?)
15 thoughts on “Live blog: Tie your shoelaces tight – Latest cycle safety advice from the US; Spitting distance… is too close – nasty Manchester close pass vid; NYPD ticketing cyclists AGAIN after another rider is killed; Best TdF rider announcement ever? + more”
There is a beautiful tribute
There is a beautiful tribute to Robyn Hightman by the Hagens Berman team on instagram (via Peter Flax):
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzGtB9MFSdz/
Fair made me want to cry.
NYPD really don’t get it do
NYPD really don’t get it do they? Victim blaming of the highest order.
Boris also did this after
Boris also did this after that terrible spate of cyclist deaths in London, and the headphone nonsense.
Didn’t Dave Brailsford
Didn’t Dave Brailsford recently advocate a similar level of protection as that commuter for the peleton recently.
I like the way that it is both protecting and high visibility.
There is something more aggressive commuter about a full face too.
Being called a cunt for the
Being called a cunt for the socks you’re wearing though, not harsh enough if you ask me, full on paedo socks them, especially with the joe 90 glasses and the rest of the Blakes’ 7 bad guy outfit!
As for NYPD, like the MET only with guns and bigger bellies. If only she hadn’t have walked outside the safety of her home to go about her lawful business, she wouldn’t have gotten raped and murdered, bunch of victim blaming cunts!
“Ross Gullickson, the chief
“Ross Gullickson, the chief of police in North Mankato, Minnesota, who says (link is external): “The singular biggest thing……” I stopped reading there, he’s obviously an idiot.
tbf on the shoelace thing, if
tbf on the shoelace thing, if youve had a loose lace catch in your front mech and jam everything up whilst it simultaneously feels like your foot is being yanked off and you cant just declip yourself from the pedal, it can be quite awkward to control your bike at that moment.
Awavey wrote:
Been there, done that many years ago. Surprisingly painful and destructive to shoes, mech, and foot. Had a friend in school who broke his ankle in a similar accident and ground the side of his foot almost down to the bone.
Obvs all his citizens are toting Giro Empires…
Close passed last night by
Close passed last night by someone in another Vauxhall Astra who also threw the remains of a ham roll at me, hitting me on the arm!
All on camera for TVP to ignore…
Lastboyscout, define it a
Lastboyscout, define it a islamophobic or anti-semitic, it would have to change their response, because then it becomes a hate crime, which general death threats to cyclists don’t seem to count as. Foolish them for using a ham sandwich as the weapon.
ktache wrote:
The driver was Asian in appearance, certainly.
On the other hand, I’d prefer not to end up in court and splashed all over the front of the gutter press.
On the armoured commuter
On the armoured commuter photo, has anyone here in Bristol noticed the bloke who appears to commute into the city centre on the fattest tyred Fat Bike you have ever seen?
Like many SUV’s, I suspect it never actually goes off-road. The noise of its knobbly tyres on tarmac is quite something…
brooksby wrote:
I have. I know our roads are pretty bad, but I don’t think they’re that bad. In Palermo the Sicilians were fond of them, I suppose for riding on polished uneven flagstones, or possibly they just thought they looked cool.
Punctures will be costly.
brooksby wrote:
There’s a bloke round here on a fat e-bike, pretty sure he has more rubber on that thing than I did on my Mk1 Golf. Awesome noise, just needs to broadcast Ride of the Valkyries for the full I love the smell of NOX in the morning experience.
I have recently put some 3
I have recently put some 3 inch 27.5+ Maxxis Chronicles on my new build, my “ultimate commuter” they roll relatively well and I am very pleased with them moving through the bus destroyed roads in the centre of Reading. The grip is phenominal, and I am seeing how low I can go pressure wise. They handle almost any surface and the bike just pushes on through anything.
I did it just because I could, and they look damn cool. I’m glad I didn’t have to fit the mud tyres that I might have needed, and if my next commute is all tarmac I will change to a 29 with 2-2.5 faster rubber.
It’s my first go running tubeless too.