Live blog: Terrifying BinkBank Tour near miss; No bike lane = “no biking” in NYC; Fiona Kolbinger to “recommence normal life”; London bike parking in the movies; Cape Wrath Fellowship+ more

NYPD Tickets Dead Cyclist For Obstructing Bike Lane https://t.co/ORy5YDurP4 pic.twitter.com/jCD8UQRfOr

— The Onion (@TheOnion) August 14, 2019

i joked, but westminster. pic.twitter.com/KDrGErmuod

— Joe Dunckley (@steinsky) August 14, 2019

This (questionable-looking) upcoming festive film shows one of the main protagonists parking his bike on a Sheffield stand in London’s Cecil Court… although in real life they don’t actually exist. 

In an in-depth interview on the Transcontinental Race podcast with plenty of fascinating insights into her victory, the winner of the 2019 TCR Fiona Kolbinger has said she will continue in her profession as a doctor, and has no plans to take up cycling “as a commercial activity or as a professional rider.” She will now “ride Paris-Brest-Paris before returning to Germany to recommence her normal life as a doctor”, according to a press release from The Transcontinental Race.

Asked if she thinks a level playing field is brought about in ultra-distance events, Kolbinger said: “It doesn’t only come down to the physical ability to ride your bike fast and far, it comes down to good route planning, it comes down to being able to sleep little, only having very short rest stops, being organised about your food choices, being quick in supermarkets and gas stations. Just not losing time, and also being good at bike maintenance. There are so many aspects to it that have nothing to do with testosterone levels or physical circumstances that are bound to gender. 

“This is actually less than a miracle than it might seem to people who have only watched the Tour de France and shorter races where it comes down to being able to ride fast for a short amount of time.”

Patch reports on a cyclist who was ticketed for riding down New York’s Fifth Avenue outside the bike lane.

The main issue confronting Alex Goldmark was that this particular stretch of Fifth Avenue does not actually have a bike lane.

Today a cop told me bikes are not allowed on 5th Ave. She gave me a ticket not riding the bike lane. There is no bike lane. Said no biking anywhere in the city unless there’s a bike lane. I’m pretty sure this is false. Right, @TransAlt @StreetsblogNYC pic.twitter.com/PU3Hz8O3Ev

— Alex Goldmark (@alexgoldmark) August 13, 2019

When he put this to the police officer, she told him there was no cycling anywhere in the city unless there’s a bike lane.

Bicycles are not barred from roads without bike lanes confirmed a spokesperson for the city’s Department of Transportation.

An NYPD spokesperson said the bike lane summons will be voided.

“The Commanding Officer is aware that the bike lane summons was issued in error, that summons will be voided and the officer will be instructed on proper summons-able traffic offenses.”

And while I was waiting for my ticket. Two cabs hit each other five feet from me and the cop. The cabbies yelled at each other and then drove off. Cop didn't blink.

— Alex Goldmark (@alexgoldmark) August 13, 2019

Cycling UK’s looking for you.

Cape Wrath is the most north-westerly point of the British mainland and one of its most remote roads.

In the late 1940s, Cycling’s touring correspondent, Rex Coley, established the Cape Wrath Fellowship for riders who had made it to the Cape with their bikes.

An estimated 2,000 cyclists are members, but many of the early records have been lost.

Cycling UK, who are custodians of the fellowship, want folk who’ve made the journey to Cape Wrath by bike to get in touch.

News 12 Connecticut reports that a local cyclist escaped with just a broken finger after crashing his bike into a black bear.

Jim Triano came round a corner and the bear was eating berries at the side of the road. He couldn’t avoid it and went over his handlebars. The bear then ran off into the woods.

“People said, ‘Holy cow, at least the bear didn’t come at you,’” said Triano. “And God forbid it had, because I was not in any condition to fend off a several hundred-pound black bear.”

Triano’s Cervelo fared less well.

Jim Triano of Easton is one VERY lucky guy. He crashed into a black bear on his bicycle, went flying into the air — and walked away with a broken finger and some road rash. His bike wasn’t so lucky

Hear his story today on @News12CT pic.twitter.com/T9cQRww42U

— John Craven (@johncraven1) August 13, 2019

(No, it’s not *that* John Craven.)

Ok… hij liep op ‘t zebrapad… Maar voir de rest was er nils veilig aan. #BinckBankTour pic.twitter.com/0JfHseOTzf

— Edward Theuns (@EdwardTheuns) August 15, 2019

Council ‘sympathetic towards roadside memorials’ but says sites need to be appropriate for the tributes being left.

Full story here.

The Roadlite:ON comes in three spec levels priced from £2,499 and all with 1x drivetrains, with a Fazua Evation removable power unit that is now controlled via a remote located on the downtube. Full story on eBikeTips. 

Pls respectful with this because first was not his mistake and second what i saw he had a disability.

— Marcus Burghardt (@MBurghardt83) August 15, 2019

An unusual exchange has emerged on Twitter between Edward Theuns, wh uploaded the clip, and Marcus Burghardt of Bora-Hansgrohe. Burghardt, although writing in quite broken English, appears to be suggesting it was due to organisational failures that the person crossing the road was put in danger. 

@OliverNaesen No. Because if some one, with disability or not, is passing there than its a lack of security of the organization, they are responsible for closing the roads, crosses, zebra path and so on.

— Marcus Burghardt (@MBurghardt83) August 15, 2019

Do you think Burghardt has a point, or is there only so much race organisers can do to protect the riders and the public?

Organisers counter concerns by pointing out all road closures are approved by the emergency services.

Full story here.

Montreal Police issued cyclists with 12,285 tickets in 2018. That’s 42 times more cycling tickets than Toronto.

The most common infractions were for running red lights, riding with headphones and failing to stop at stop signs.

Samaki-Eric Soumpholphakdy, commander of road safety for Montreal Police, told the Montreal Gazette that enforcement was about keeping cyclists safe.

“We do believe that when a person gets a ticket, it can increase their awareness (of traffic rules),” he said.

He went on to highlight the fact that there hasn’t been a cycling death in Montreal this year as proof of this.

“In Montreal, what we’ve done in the last couple of years is really put the emphasis on road safety, and when you look at the annual reports year after year you can see that the results pay off,” he said.

“It’s mainly because of the fact that the SPVM (Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal) is carrying out operations that specifically target cyclists,” said Suzanne Lareau, the president and director of Vélo Québec.

Last year, campaigners protested amendments to the Highway Code that saw fines for some cycling violations quadruple.

“Right now, it costs you more if your bike is missing one of its reflectors than if one of the headlights on your car is burned out,” said Lareau. “It’s ridiculous.”

There have been so many new bikes launched this year that you might have missed some of them, so helpfully we’ve pulled together 13 of the most interesting, from road racers to gravel munchers. 

Read the feature here.

A clip from the US that will make you wonder if there’s any good left in the world, as an Amazon delivery driver steals a child’s bike from a driveway then rides away on it. 

The homeowner Kristin Casey told WNDU: “I was furious and then after that, I was just, I was almost appalled that someone would do that.”

The bike belonged to Casey’s 11-year-old daughter, and she said that after reporting the incident the driver was identified by police. He claimed he thought the bike was unwanted because it was placed next to a recycling bin. 

Amazon announced in a statement that the man is no longer working as a delivery driver for them. 

Just hearing that N’Golo Kante will be cycling back to London from Istanbul as doesn’t think Liverpool have provided him with a strong enough test of his fitness.

— Mark Worrall (@gate17marco) August 14, 2019

If you watched the European Super cup tie between Chelsea and Liverpool last night, you’ll know the indefatigable Frenchman was everywhere and didn’t deserve to be on the losing side as the reds triumphed on penalties. He is partial to a bike ride if the pic below is anything to go by…

pic.twitter.com/e29KpP9SYp

— Ballack (@BallIack) August 14, 2019

If you’re wondering why I have a local Cave leaflet on my lap in ambulance- they rushed out to help, looked after me really well until ambulance arrived and then looked after my smashed up bike. Thigh, shoulder, knee, both hands and ankle now well strapped. French healthcare vg pic.twitter.com/i1ZiavHcTa

— Alastair PEOPLE’S VOTE Campbell (@campbellclaret) August 15, 2019

The driver’s explanation when challenged about this one was that there was a cycle path – a line of reasoning which apparently made sense to him in some mysterious way.

Watch the video here.