Welcome to Tuesday’s live blog, with Jack Sexty, Simon MacMichael and the rest of the team.
Live blog: Amazing (and strangely mesmerising) video of huge crash in downhill race on snow, bloke who mistakenly sold wife’s heirloom classic bike in yard sale wants it back, this year’s Zwift Academy entries open + more
All today’s news from the site and beyond…
Tue, Jul 02, 2019 17:49
SUMMARY
2 July 2019, 17:49
14th cyclist of the year killed in New York, with Mayor promising to take action
We’re seeing a dangerous surge in cyclist deaths on our streets — and we’re taking action.
I’ve directed the NYPD to immediately launch a major enforcement action that will encompass every precinct. They will crack down on dangerous driving behavior like parking in bike lanes.
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) 2 July 2019
Mayor Bill De Blasio released a statement calling for a crackdown on dangerous drivers, following the death of 28-year-old Devra Freelander who was involved in a collision with a cement truck in the Brooklyn area of the city:
“We are seeing a dangerous surge in cyclist deaths on our streets, and we are taking action. I have directed the NYPD to immediately launch a major enforcement action that will encompass every precinct and crack down on dangerous driving behaviour like parking in bike lanes. At the same time, I have charged the Department of Transportation with developing a new cyclist safety plan to make biking in our city safer. No loss of life on our streets is acceptable. Last year was the safest year on record—and we have to keep pushing the envelope and increasing our efforts until we achieve Vision Zero.”
Freelander was the 14th cyclist to be killed in NYC this year, which is already double the 2018 death toll. Mayor de Blasio is often criticised for the city’s attitude towards cycle safety, with locals reporting that the standard response from police is simply to ticket cyclists breaking minor traffic laws; and although this appears to be the most forceful statement yet that action will be taken to crack down on dangerous driving, it appears many New Yorkers aren’t convinced.
Weren’t you warned that your Vision Zero wasn’t working? Now you’re not on track to even meet your own goals of increasing cycling modal share.
You’ve also promised enforcement on bus lanes and placard abuse; that isn’t going well. You’ve lost our trust.https://t.co/eMScz472zw
— Samuel Santaella (@TransitNinja205) 2 July 2019
How many cyclists had to die before you noticed?
Fifteen, apparently. #zerovision
— j (@Icarurs) 2 July 2019
2 July 2019, 17:49
Cav out of Tour de France
The biggest squad announcement shock so far is that 30-time stage winner Cavendish has not been included in Dimension Data’s team. Full story here.
2 July 2019, 17:49
Zwift Academy enrolment opens for 2019
Zwift’s talent program sees riders compete for prizes, with the top accolade being professional cycling contracts with Dimension Data’s Continental team and Canyon/SRAM. For 2019 riders must complete a series of eight workouts and four races or social rides, with incentives offered for progression.
Over 35,000 took part in 2018, with that figure expected to swell to over 100,000 this year. Enrolment is open now, with the virtual events running from August 5th until September 29th. You can sign up here.
2 July 2019, 17:49
Controversy over Holland Park cycle route rolls on
Great to have been out with @KCFConservative tonight. They’ve listened to residents and are supporting a safer route for cyclists whilst protecting local trees and businesses #ToryCanvass pic.twitter.com/UcOGBtD8dp
— Fabio Conti (@fabio_conti88) 1 July 2019
This time a Kensington Conservative canvasser shows a leaflet declaring ‘You spoke, we listened’, despite doubts over how many residents actually wrote to the council asking for the cycle land plans to be abolished.
2 July 2019, 17:49
We might need a steward's enquiry for this one...
Nothing to see here… pic.twitter.com/PrLMRCrI40
— Rex Chapman (@RexChapman) July 2, 2019
2 July 2019, 17:49
Man appeals for return of wife's classic bike he sold by mistake at yard sale
A Massachusetts man has appealed for the return of his wife’s classic bike, which he sold by mistake at a yard sale, and which he belatedly learnt had huge sentimental value.
Allan Steinmetz told Boston25news.com that the bike, a yellow 1970s tourer from the French brand Motobecane, had been given to his wife on her 16th birthday more than 45 years ago by her father, a Holocaust survivor.
She planned to give it to their first grandchild.
“This bike is absolutely priceless to not only my wife but to her family, my children and she wanted to give this bike to our granddaughter one day, which I didn’t know,” he said.
“It was important to my wife, I didn’t realize how… and that was the biggest mistake I’ve made this year so far,” he added.
“He went out and bought the best bike money could buy and he wanted my wife to feel as special as he was.”
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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
imajez 6 hours ago
@ChrisA the surface make up of a path bears zero relationship to it being a footpath/suitable. I once got lectured on why I shouldn't be riding a footpath by a driver of a Range Rover on a lovely tarmacked road. Another time I was lectured by someone blocking my way on a singletrack path that was built by cyclists, who said I should only be on large wide paths. The parallel wide path was a footpath. But these are very rare exceptions. I ride sensibly and most folk are usually entertained by my polite presence. Also most footpaths would have been paths used by horses in ye olde days, they often conveniently got mislabeled/demoted by rich landowners who failed to get path denied altogether when rights of way were being drawn up.
imajez 6 hours ago
@SecretSam Hence the rise of gravel bikes, which are just less capable drop barred bikes.
miksmith 7 hours ago
You state for the audio for the baofeng that they use an in ear design however they don't ship with any headphones with a mic. What did you use for this?
Rendel Harris 9 hours ago
@eburtthebike One of my best mates, a former rugby teammate of mine, is a Kiwi and a teacher (over here). I can imagine him making precisely that joke and he's a mad keen cyclist! Honestly, if this is the whole story it's a hell of an overreaction to a remark that deserved a mild reprimand about appropriate conduct if that (different if it was coming from a police officer or a driving instructor or similar, maybe). Having worked in a number of schools it's my experience that when senior management take agin someone they'll grab any excuse to get rid of them, I wouldn't be surprised if that was the situation here.
Andrewbanshee 9 hours ago
Hi I wasn't implying the ramps were equivalent to a pump track. I was saying many forestry trails are pretty hairy rather than a well designed pump track. The ramps are definitely not suitable and need replacing, but they are replacing with a new design. I suspect much more tame.
eburtthebike 13 hours ago
Oh dear! With my sense of humour, I should have been sacked a dozen times: every year. The Kiwis I've met all seemed to have a reasonable sense of humour, and one was excellent, but perhaps they weren't working for a school.
ktache 13 hours ago
"neither student laughed..." Well, it elicited a wry smile from me...
Rendel Harris 18 hours ago
@60somethingcyclist Unfortunately there are a couple of problems with that: firstly in order to try to manage some of the chaos in the Italian political system, for several decades when a mayor wins an election in large towns they are automatically given a guaranteed majority of 60% of the council seats, and also if a decree of the mayor's is overruled by the council that automatically triggers a no-confidence vote which then dissolves the council and forces a new election. So in order to vote down this decree not only would opponents need to persuade a considerable number of the mayor's own party to vote against him but also effectively to vote themselves out of office with no guarantee of return.
matthewn5 1 day ago
My first road bike was a Raleigh, too. A 1976 Raleigh Record. I dragged it out of the shed a few years ago and got it working again. 14kg it weighed! A 52/42 crank and a 14-28 five speed 'cluster' at the back made hills pretty hard work...
14 thoughts on “Live blog: Amazing (and strangely mesmerising) video of huge crash in downhill race on snow, bloke who mistakenly sold wife’s heirloom classic bike in yard sale wants it back, this year’s Zwift Academy entries open + more”
Does Mayor de Blasio even
Does Mayor de Blasio even know that when he calls for “enforcement action”, the NYPD thinks he means enforcement action against cyclists?
Any idea where the DH video
Any idea where the DH video was from ? I’d love to see the on bike footage. Nutters.
fenix wrote:
Not sure, but looks a lot like Megavalanche
https://www.ucc-sportevent.com/en/megavalanche-alpe-dhuez-en/
fenix wrote:
I saw this video posted with a comment saying it was from Les Deux Alpes (which is just across the valley from Alpe d’Huez).
A quick google suggests it was almost certainly from this weekend’s “Mountain of Hell” event:
https://www.2alpesnet.com/events/calendar/mountain-of-hell-les-2-alpes
Some of those on board
Some of those on board Megavalanch rider videos are an exciting half an hour of riding madness. Worth a watch.
Some of those on board
Some of those on board Megavalanch rider videos are an exciting half an hour of riding madness. Worth a watch.
Here’s the full video of that
Here’s the full video of that small clip.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDUxktR57u0
jigr69 wrote:
Thanks – that’s amazing to watch. Glad that guy who went over the barriers didn’t slide too far down. I do wonder what was down there.
jigr69 wrote:
Thanks – that’s amazing to watch. Glad that guy who went over the barriers didn’t slide too far down. I do wonder what was down there.
jigr69 wrote:
Thanks – that’s amazing to watch. Glad that guy who went over the barriers didn’t slide too far down. I do wonder what was down there.
I think I’d be really pissed
I think I’d be really pissed off if my partner sold off an old bike without asking me first. And I’d also say that I didn’t want the new bike.
OldRidgeback wrote:
How did he not know that this bike had massive sentimental value and was intended for the grandkids, etc etc???
Here’s the culprit, they went
Here’s the culprit, they went too close to the person in front, last minute larry on the brakes/swerving and essentially the domino effect took over.
Just a bike, isn’t it, like a
Just a bike, isn’t it, like a toy really…
Grown out of that fad, it’s just childish.