Welcome to Tuesday on the live blog with Simon MacMichael and the rest of the team.
Murder charge for NYC driver who rammed cyclist he believed was breaking into car; Ellen van Dijk fine after spectacular crash; New tyres from Challenge, new anchor from Hiplok; Australian magpie that attacked cyclists shot dead + more on the live blog
All today’s news from the site and beyond
Tue, Sep 03, 2019 19:12
SUMMARY
3 September 2019, 19:12
Australian magpie that attacked cyclists shot dead
An Australian magpie that repeatedly attacked cyclists in Sydney has been shot dead after 40 incidents of aggressive behaviour were recorded over three years.
ABC reports that Hills Shire Council decided to have the bird, assessed as a “significant risk to public safety,” exterminated after unsuccessfully trying to relocate it.
Australian magpies, which are larger than their British cousins and use their beaks to defend their territory, are known for swooping on cyclists during the Antipodean spring.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) determined that the bird in this case was displaying greater aggression than is typically the case, saying that it was “swooping underneath helmets … to attack people’s faces,” a council spokesperson said in a statement.
“This bird was very aggressive and uncharacteristically territorial.”
The bird, nicknamed “the Windsor Road Monster,” was destroyed under the supervision of New South Wales police, but the decision has been condemned by wildlife campaigners.
Heidi Vasilevskis of the Animal Justice Party’s local branch said: “This parent bird was a food source for new chicks … I am outraged and upset beyond words. I truly fear for the future of our unique and precious animal life.”
3 September 2019, 19:12
Pashley teases Morgan Motor Company collaboration
Two iconic British brands, one best known for two wheels, the other for four – although both have also launched models with three over the years – are set to announce a collaboration. More on this once we have it.
3 September 2019, 19:12
ITT day at the Vuelta ... Roglic in red by this evening?
The Vuelta heads into France today for an individual time trial from Jurancon to Pau … we’ve seen the race lead change hands a few times already and the expectations are that Primoz Roglic of Jumbo-Visma will be in the red jersey this evening after the 36-kilometre test against the clock.
The first rider is off at 1.23pm GMT, the last — race leader Nairo Quintana – at 4.31pm.
¡Encuentra aquí la información práctica para seguir la etapa de mañana!
Find here the practical information to follow tomorrow's stage!#LaVuelta19 pic.twitter.com/NUeg0VuzQn
— La Vuelta (@lavuelta) September 2, 2019
3 September 2019, 19:12
Rolf Aldag, who had row with team owner over Cavendish’s omission from Tour, to leave Dimension Data
Rolf Aldag, head of performance at Dimension Data, will leave the team after four years at the end of the season in a departure that is described as “an entirely amicable step” – but one that comes two months after a highly public row over Mark Cavendish’s non-selection for the Tour de France.[scald=665882:sdl_editor_representation]p>
Aldag, one of the biggest influences on Cavendish’s career having regularly worked with him since he turned pro with T-Mobile, wanted the 30-time stage winner in the line-up for the race, but team principal Douglas Ryder overruled him, saying he lacked form and race fitness.
Speaking of Aldag’s impending departure, Aldag said: “Rolf’s wide knowledge of the sport, which he was always willing to share, his skilled engagement with our partners and the implementation of systems and structures together with his belief in the core ideal of the team – in that we are changing lives through bicycles – sees him depart as a valued member of our team’s story.”
In response, Aldag said: “After working productively for four years with the team, for me the bike handovers to South African kids at trainings camps in Cape Town will forever be one of the most emotional and memorable moments in my career. And so I will continue to deeply root for the team’s success in what it hopes to achieve, on and off the bike.”
3 September 2019, 19:12
Guardian profiles UK's top 10 ex-railway lines for cycling
From the Bristol & Bath Railway Path to the Deeside Way, the Guardian has drawn up a list of 10 of the best former railway lines now converted into bike paths in the UK.
How many of them have you ridden? And do you know of any other contenders they left out? Let us know in the comments below.
3 September 2019, 19:12
NYC driver chases down and kills cyclist he believed was breaking into his car
A Brooklyn driver jumped into his car to chase down and kill a cyclist he had seen breaking into his car, according to a senior police source.
The New York Post reports that as Korey Johnson left Woodhull Hospital with his girlfriend at approximately 6am on Sunday morning, he saw Donald Robert allegedly trying to break into a number of vehicles parked nearby, including his own Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Upon being challenged, Robert, aged 47, produced a screwdriver and slashed Johnson’s girlfriend on the arm before jumping on a bike and riding off.
Johnson, 41, got into his vehicle and drove the wrong down the street as he chased Robert, catching up with him on Broadway near Ellery Street and crashing into three crashed cars as he rammed the cyclist, killing him.
Johnson, who has reportedly been arrested on 40 previous occasions, was taken into custody at the 83rd Precinct station house, but had not been charged as of Monday evening.
3 September 2019, 19:12
Challenge launches new tubeless ready tyres
Challenge has announced a new range of Handmade TLR (HTLR) tubeless ready clinchers.
“A bead-to-bead inner coating gives added puncture protection to these new HTLR tyres and greatly reduces any air pressure dissipation,” says Challenge. “Enhanced longevity has been gained with the addition of an aramid bead protection strip to reduce rim chafing.”
The existing Challenge road tyres – Strada, Paris-Roubaix and Strada Bianca, all with herringbone treads – are available in HTLR, produced in line with ETRTO tubeless guidelines. We don’t yet have UK prices but they’re €69.90.
The Gravel treads – Strada Bianca, Almanzo and Gravel Grinder – are also released in HTLR at the same price.
Challenge is also launching what it calls Handmade Tubeless Tubulars (HTLTU).
“All Challenge Gravel treads now offer this unique HTLTU system that maintains all the performance benefits of the best handmade tubulars,” says Challenge. “A latex liner is fused to the casing, replacing the traditional inner tube, allowing for the use of a plug to finish a ride or race in case of a puncture too large for the sealant to fix.”
All of these products will be available from November 2019.
3 September 2019, 19:12
Hiplok unveils Ankr bike security anchor
Hiplok has unveiled a new bike security anchor called Ankr, “the first bike security anchor with a unique easy-fit design”, according to the British brand.
“Ankr features a premium hardened steel cylindrical outer case and rotating inner which, when mated with a lock, cannot be removed,” says Hiplok.
“This unique design allows for maximum security without the need for permanent bolts, meaning Ankr is both easy to install and can also be moved to a different location if required at a later date.”
Multiple fixing holes allow mounting on a variety of floor and wall surfaces while an integrated rubber cap prevent it scratching your bike.
Ankr is suitable for indoor and outdoor use and has been a Sold Secure Gold rating for both motorbikes and bicycles. It will be available from February 2020 at £69.99.
For stockist information visit www.hiplok.com.
3 September 2019, 19:12
British Cycling announces Road Worlds long lists (and they are long ...)
British Cycling has today announced the long lists of riders who will hope to represent the country in the first home UCI Road World Championships since 1982 in Yorkshire later this month.
With the country dropping out of the top 10 of the UCI Men’s World Rankings just last month, there are only six places in the Men’s Elite Road Race and 15 riders vying for those spots, plus three hoping for the two places in the individual time trial, among them Geraint Thomas, who has made that his late-season target.
The country has also qualified six riders for the Women’s Elite road race, with 13 named on the long list, and five for the two time trial slots.
Great Britain Cycling Team Performance Director Stephen Park said: “To compete in a home road world championship event is an opportunity which is likely to only happen once in a rider’s career, and it’s fair to say everyone – riders and staff – are looking forward to Yorkshire 2019.
“The last time the event was held in this country was in Goodwood in 1982 during which the Great Britain Cycling Team were victorious in the elite women’s road race with Mandy Jones taking the rainbow jersey. Keith Lambert, our current senior academy men’s road coach, was the highest British male finisher in 45th, and I know he will relish the chance to be Director Sportif on his home roads with our under-23 men’s squad.
“Yorkshire has firmly established itself as one of the leading counties for cycling in Britain and it was incredible to see the fans line the roads at the Grand Depart of the Tour de France in 2014, and the significant success of the Tour de Yorkshire in subsequent years. There’s no doubt the road world championships will match this success, and the squad will be proud to race in the Great Britain Cycling Team jersey in front of the home crowd.
“While it’s too soon to confirm our final squads, looking at the longlist for each category, we do have some very real medal chances across the board and we look forward to announcing the final line-up in due course.”
It’s worth noting that while the championships have not been held in Great Britain for nearly 40 years, they return here in just four years’ time when Glasgow hosts the inaugural multi-disciplinary World Cycling Championships (although the way things are going at the moment, whether Scotland will still be part of the UK by then is anyone’s guess).
Yorkshire riders are expected to lead the country’s challenge in both elite road races – Rotherham’s Ben Swift, the reigning national road champion and Otley’s Lizzie Deignan, who won the rainbow jersey in Richmond, Virginia in 2015.
With the long lists that have been announced today, that does raise the question of which of the riders named might be best placed to support them and whether all the eggs should be thrown into one basket to protect them – or whether a rider or two capable of a solo attack should also make the cut.
You can find full details, including the long lists for the Under 23 and Junior races, here.
3 September 2019, 19:12
Ellen van Dijk in spectacular crash at Boels Ladies' Tour Prologue
European time trial champion Ellen van Dijk was involved in a spectacular crash at the Prologue of the Boels Ladies’ Tour in the Netherlands today – but tweeted afterwards to say she was okay.
The chute happened as she her chain shipped when the Trek-Segafredo rider exited a cobbled section of what she described, not without reason, as a “twisty” 3.8-kilometre circuit of the Tom Dumoulin BikePark in Sittard.
She finished the stage last but one of the 101 riders, 1 minute 48 seconds behind stage winner Annemiek van Vleuten.
Ok, this what not really what I meant with a ‘twisty prologue ’ Unfortunately my chain dropped off the front chainring after the cobbles.
Dissapointed, but happy to be ok!https://t.co/q4Yppn8ofA— Ellen van Dijk (@ellenvdijk) September 3, 2019
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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
chrisonabike 8 hours ago
"All that's required is an to roads policing" - that's a big all... Although no doubt the "idiots just keep coming" aspect does apply: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz9lel2wz93o "Man charged after car crashes through bowling alley" - luckily they only skittled over skittles.
chrisonabike 8 hours ago
Almost any change to roads and streets is accompanied by a period of heightened danger, and in the UK "look out for cyclists" will need to be learned... practically. And over the time it takes for cyclists to become a regular feature. OTOH once (if...) good designs are in and frequent enough such that drivers encounter them AND the cyclists on them regularly (another big if) I don't think they should be much more difficult than a footway to deal with. These things are all over NL - don't have the collision stats but they should. (NL isn't perfect but collecting info on the safety of designs to feed back into better designs as required is part of the "sustainable safety" philosophy - if they're really a killer I think they'd be altering these.)
wtjs 9 hours ago
I'm in the happy position of agreeing with everybody here! I've never considered a bike with a stand, yet I'm impressed by the ingenuity and adaptability of this axle. I tow a Yak Bob with a Robert Axle, employing my El Cheapo Vitus gravel bike and I just have to be very careful where I stop. Hedges are generally a dead loss, and I seek walls, telegraph poles and signposts and generally lean the widest part of the Bob against it. One very awkward task is removing the two steel pins which lock the trailer arms onto the special mounting slots on the Robert axle, and when you have one out, the sodding weight in the trailer can twist the whole caboodle and bend the Bob fitting before you can get the other out and unhitch. I doubt if a stand would help with that. You can imagine that this combo is a real pain when you have to get it over the bridge at railway stations, and it nearly resulted in Merseyrail nearly parting me and the trailer on the platform from the bike on the train. It's a long story for another time. Another axle example recently featured on here, with a 12mm front axle bearing the Herculean weight limit of a monster American front rack.
HoarseMann 11 hours ago
This has nothing to do with the type of bike - it's the type of behaviour that's the problem. Banning the sale of such bikes will not curtail the behaviour. They'll just find another type of vehicle and continue to drive dangerously as there's such a lack of enforcement. I'd sooner see them ban the bally. But really, all that's required is an improvement to roads policing.
AidanR 11 hours ago
The EAPC Bill is welcome, but full of holes. What's to stop an overpowered but temporarily limited e-bike being sold and subsequently delimited? This is often a trivial process.
Sredlums 12 hours ago
@KiwiMike Yeah, in my over four decades of riding all over Europe I've never 'been for a ride in the countryside'. That must be it. Or, and I know this is a wild concept, you just accept that I just voiced my personal experiences and never missed a kickstand, like I wrote. Anyway, what's the big horror of laying your bike on its side for the very few occasions where there is nothing to lean your bike against?
mdavidford 12 hours ago
They may have looked, but did they see?
jackcycles 13 hours ago
Ds2025: where they are going wrong is that they are crushing the motorbike rather than the person sat on top of it. If they did the latter this issue would be solved in less than 24 hours.
Rod Marton 13 hours ago
I came this way today with the car boot sale in operation. There was a marshal at the entrance, who stopped a car turning right across the cycleway as I was approaching. So that certainly works. I think it necessary for the marshal to be there, I couldn't say if the driver would have turned if he hadn't been there but you always have to suspect the worst. Unfortunately there is no marshal at the exit, and there was certainly a car stopped across the cycleway as I was approaching it. But he pulled onto the road before I reached it, and the following car stayed off the cycleway as I went through. Ideally there should have been a marshal there too. On the whole, though, it's a really high standard piece of infrastructure. Just a pity it doesn't extend a bit further.
eburtthebike 13 hours ago
“absolute carnage” So right! Just look at the bodies piled up, blood running in the gutters and injured people limping away. It's a bit of a problem with a road, delaying some people for minutes at a time: it isn't carnage, let alone 'absolute carnage'. Anyone who exaggerates so ridiculously really shouldn't be allowed to comment in public, unless they want to demonstrate their idiocy to all and sundry.
26 thoughts on “Murder charge for NYC driver who rammed cyclist he believed was breaking into car; Ellen van Dijk fine after spectacular crash; New tyres from Challenge, new anchor from Hiplok; Australian magpie that attacked cyclists shot dead + more on the live blog”
Other than writing ‘Morgan’
Other than writing ‘Morgan’ on a bike, how can a car brand collaborate on the design of a bike? We’ve seen this type of collaboration before, usually on high-end carbon stealth machines, but as far as I can tell, this too just consists of sticking a Ferarri/McLaren logo on a bike.
Kendalred wrote:
Advanced composite expertise springs to mind, that’s transferable to a lot of use cases. Ditto aerodynamics, material knowledge (e.g. alloys), manufacturing techniques (e.g. welding, machining, gluing) and so on. Plenty of scope for useful interaction.
The Specialized / McLaren project was an example of the first, apparently using McLarens composite knowledge to help with a weight reduction without sacrificing stiffness (according the blurb at the time).
Kendalred wrote:
That is a stunning bike! (as seen on the Morgan website)
I think these two companies might have done a little bit more together than the usual car industry ‘buy a carbon frame, paint it and put our badge on it’ nonsense.
You’ve got Morgan and Pashley and Reynolds all together in the Midlands/Worcestershire, all of whom could appear to have contributed to this.
I would love to own the ‘8’ bike, even if I wouldn’t know quite what to do with it.
peted76 wrote:
I know what you mean, I really like the 8, but it’s probably totally impractical for most of the riding I do, and a bit expensive for a town/pub bike. The kind of thing that one day I’d love to find a builder at Bespoked to build for me.
Kendalred wrote:
Most car manufacturers have a heritage of bicycle manufacture. Car manufacturers have huge engineering resources, and if they apply themselves can design a bicycle. Volkswagen have a tilting cargo trike coming from their commercial vehicle division, GM have a new company called ARĪV making folding commuter bikes.
Apparently Morgan did collaborate on the design, which might mean they’ve had input into just the mudguards, chainguard and grips or maybe it’s more than cosmetic. But having two companies that trade on their heritage collaborating, it’s not a bad thing.
Jaguar & Sky/Pinerallo –
Jaguar & Sky/Pinerallo – changed the shape of those Tour Winning bikes! There’s a decent documentary on just how involved they were in designing the F8/F10
I think it looks good.
I think it looks good.
Roller brakes though, that discussion could open up a whole new can of worms.
ktache wrote:
I think I’d go for the 3 speed, sturmey hub brakes instead of Shimano rollers.
But why put a dynamo light on the front, but not the back!
https://www.pashley.co.uk/bikes/bicycles/pashley-morgan-3.php
Australian magpies, otherwise
Australian magpies, otherwise known as your sprint coach! I’ve had a few exploratory swoops in the last couple of weeks, but it’s early days. Once breeding season kicks off in earnest they’ll get more serious. At least it’s some justification for mandatory helmets for the next six weeks.
Philh68 wrote:
Didn’t you read the article? It attacks the face, not covered by the helmet.
I’m just rather surprised, give the attitude of the authorities to cyclists, that they killed the bird. Mind you, it did take 40+ attacks; if it had been pedestrians they’d have shot it after the first.
burtthebike wrote:
in 40 plus years of cycling, I’ve never had one go for the face. I guess the bird world has its random psychos like humans do.
burtthebike wrote:
Didn’t you read the article? It states:
…the bird in this case was displaying greater aggression than is typically the case, saying that it was “swooping underneath helmets … to attack people’s faces,”…
As in, only that particular bird attacked people’s faces. It’s dead now, so no face pecking to worry about anymore
dst wrote:
They will attack anywhere they can. My son received a nice triangular beak imprint about an inch below his eye once when he was about 4 years old. They learn to recognise faces and if they know you’re not a threat they will leave you alone. Just don’t stray into unknown territory!
burtthebike wrote:
a helmet, shades and one of these should be adequate:
Morgan + Pashley, that’s
Morgan + Pashley, that’s going to be another backwards-looking low-tech retro effort, right? I suppose that’s the best Brexit England can manage though.
Miller wrote:
The beauty of Britain is that we can do things such as wonderful hand crafted goods like Morgans and Pashleys, but also lead the world in F1 manufacturing.
PRSboy wrote:
True enough. What we seem to lack is the wherewithal to build large companies. The UK’s number of Fortune 500 companies goes down every year. We build great niche companies like ARM with world class expertise, but lack either the skills or culture to develop them further before they are snapped up by foreign interests.
PRSboy wrote:
Boris? Shouldn’t you be in Parliament about now??
I was expecting a tricycle
I was expecting a tricycle based on Morgan’s expertise with 3 wheelers.
The pashleys are available to
The pashleys are available to see on Morgans website and online.. they look ace in a retro sort of way.
Let’s not turn this into another leave/remain discussion, that does the (rather awesome) bike a disservice.
Screwdriver. Jeep Grand
Screwdriver. Jeep Grand Cherokee. I’ll be honest: I’m not convinced that was an entirely proportionate response…
“Johnson, who has reportedly
“Johnson, who has reportedly been arrested on 40 previous occasions” Well he seems like a reasonable chap, I for one believe his side of the story such a shame we can’t hear the other persons point of view.
The bird was just being a
The bird was just being a patriotic Australian, performing his national duty to stamp out the scourge of active-travel.
With the US story, neither the screwdriver-slasher nor the mad-max wrong-way driver sound like upstanding citizens. Both of them had about 40 prior convictions! But I agree with brooksby. Plus, Mr vigilante driver could easily have killed multiple bystanders, what with driving on the wrong side of the road and crashing into parked cars.
I do like the idea of the
I do like the idea of the Hiplok Ankr, I have had to leave a couple of ground and wall anchors at rented properties over the years.
ktache wrote:
Hopefully it withstands attack better than Hiplok’s Z-Lok “armoured” cable ties!
Now admittedly they were never intended to hold off a determined attack, but I was using Z-Lok ties to deter front wheel and saddle theft (with a decent lock through the frame /rear wheel) on a bike (BSO) locked up outside Manchester Piccadilly all day.
On my return, the bike and all its parts are still there — so far so good — but when I came to remove the Z-lock on the front wheel, one of the prongs on the little fork/key broke off. I was able to bend the tie at one of the holes folding it back on itself once, twice, thr … snap!
The plastic outer and the inner steel core both broke in less than 2 seconds with no tools, and no prior nefarious knowledge of how to defeat them.
Quote:
Erm… Nothing about it here. Your article still says “Johnson, …, was taken into custody at the 83rd Precinct station house, but had not been charged as of Monday evening.”