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news
Terrific W Mids Police vid on filtering; DfT cycling infra photo fail; Anti-fracking protesters to target Team Ineos at Tour of Britain; Are e-bike riders nicking all the Strava KOMs? And much more on the live blog this evening
SUMMARY
Filtering (via WMP on Twitter).PNG05 September 2019, 17:40
DfT in cycling infrastructure photo blooper
The government is regularly accused of not understanding cycling and the role it can play in improving the nation’s health as well as reducing pollution, with campaigners regularly calling for more investment to be made into active travel.
This morning, the Department for Transport has announced funding of £20 million for new routes upgrades to sections of the National Cycling Network, which is developed and maintained by the sustainable transport charity, Sustrans.
Projects that will benefit include re-routing the Fylde coastal path to become traffic-free, between Blackpool and St. Anne’s, a community-led re-design to improve the quality of the existing Bristol and Bath railway path, and traffic-free paths on the HS2 route between Sheffield and Doncaster as well as in Buckinghamshire.
All well and good, even if the money is a drop in the ocean compared to what would be needed to bring cycling provision here up to Dutch or Danish standards.
The DfT’s remit in funding cycling projects, as you may know, applies to England outside London (where TfL is responsible for funding, while in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, it falls to the devolved administrations in those countries).
Curious, then, that the DfT’s website carries a photo of one of a piece of cycling infrastructure that it had no involvement in … one of London’s Cycle Superhighways …
05 September 2019, 16:22
Decathlon buys online cycling retailer Alltricks
France-based sporting goods retailer Decathlon has bought online cycling specialist Alltricks.
The e-tailer has an estimated annual revenue of some 80 million euro, and Decathlon - which has annual turnover of 11.3 billion euro - says that the acquisition will help improve its business in the cycling market.
Gary Ansenns, who founded Alltricks a decade ago and will remain with the company, said: “With Decathlon we choose an expert and passionate partner that guarantees that Alltricks will keep its DNA and will speed its omnichannel and digitalization: we want to develop different distribution channels to enhance client service”, stated Anssens, that despite the change will remain shareholder.
05 September 2019, 12:45
This video on the Bianchi TT bike that took Primoz Roglic into the Vuelta lead on Tuesday is worth a watch
#LaVuelta19
The stage win and red jersey for @Rogla is a huge example of winning together.
Big thanks to @JumboSupermarkt, @YourFSA and @BianchiOfficial for their support in the development of a personalised cockpit of our TT-bike! pic.twitter.com/oI14szq7cH— Team Jumbo-Visma cycling (@JumboVismaRoad) September 4, 2019
05 September 2019, 12:38
05 September 2019, 12:32
Excellent video from West Midlands Police show how filtering is done
It's aimed at cyclists AND motorists.
Nearside/offside #Filtering this time, again notice PC Hodson's easy pace allowing for extra awareness/shoulderchecks. When filtering always look out for those turning into junctions, they may not indicate / turn infront of other vehicles ! So #watchthewheels & cover your brakes pic.twitter.com/o4sglKv8O1
— West Midlands Police Road Safety (@WMPRSG) September 4, 2019
05 September 2019, 12:14
05 September 2019, 12:14
Anti-fracking protesters to target Team Ineos at Tour of Britain Manchester finale
Anti-fracking campaigners will target Team Ineos at the Manchester finale of the OVO Energy Tour of Britain a week on Sunday, with protesters wearing devil masks bearing the image of Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the billionaire owner of the petrochemical firm that owns and sponsors the team.
Frack Free Greater Manchester says that the protests will be held throughout the stage, from the start in Altrincham to the finish in the city centre. Similar protests were held earlier this year at the Tour de Yorkshire and during the Tour de France, including at the Grand Depart in Brussels.
Allan Challenger of Frack Free Greater Manchester said: “To reduce our carbon emissions fossil fuels need to be left in the ground. Due to its detrimental local health impacts, persistent triggering of seismic events and climate-busting methane emissions, fracking is especially toxic and should be banned in the UK as it has been in other countries.”
They will be joined by protesters from other environmental campaign groups including the #breakfreefreefromplastic movement which unites 1,600 organisations around the world and whose European co-ordinator, Delphine Lévi Alvarès said, “The #breakfreefromplastic movement is committed to tackling plastic pollution at all levels.
“Ineos’s massive plastic product expansion plans in Antwerp demonstrate their role in the plastic pollution crisis which devastates our communities, health and environment.”
Since Ineos took over Team Sky, it has been accused of using its sponsorship as a form of “greenwashing” to deflect attention from its core activities, a claim that Ratcliffe and Team Ineos principal Sir Dave Brailsford both reject.
05 September 2019, 10:27
3.92g carbon bottle cage!
Some random tech stuff just coming in from Eurobike, starting with this, possibly the world's lightest bottle cage
Feast your eyes on this 3.92g carbon bottle cage. It's from Carbon Works and costs €90. Form an orderly queue.
And how about this, the marketing brochure is heavier than the bottle cage!
05 September 2019, 09:10
NYC mayor studying making helmets compulsory in response to spike in cyclist fatalities
The Mayor of New York City was under fire earlier this year due to the city’s default response to cyclists being killed, several of them in hit and run incidents where the driver fled, being to flood nearby streets with police ticketing bike riders, sometimes for non-existent offences such as not wearing a cycle helmet.
Things appeared to have got better recently, but according to Streetsblog, in his latest press conference, when asked whether making helmets mandatory for all cyclists (currently, only children aged below 14 are required to wear them), Bill de Blasio said that City Hall was investigating making helmets compulsory for users of New York City’s Citi Bike cycle hire scheme.
He said that he had “thought about that. And that’s something we are talking about inside the administration. I think it is a really valid issue.”
His comment comes in a week in which Melbourne’s cycle hire scheme has folded, largely due to Australia’s compulsory helmet law, and the idea was also rejected by a spokeswomen for Citi Bike, who said: “We’re proud of Citi Bike’s remarkable safety record over the past six years and encourage our riders to wear helmets. There is extensive evidence that what keeps cyclists safe are protected bike lanes, enforcement against dangerous driver behaviour, and more people riding bikes — not mandatory helmet laws.”
De Blasio added that licensing cyclists is “also a valid discussion,” even though where such schemes have been introduced, they have typically folded soon afterwards because they are prohibitively expensive to administer.
05 September 2019, 08:39
Are e-bikes still stealing Strava KOMs?
Seems @Strava has a problem with separating #eBike times from #cycles. Most of the #KOMs in my area are now taken by people on eBikes. Time to move to an alternative platform? I record times on #Garmin but what other apps would #cyclists recommend?#Strava #cycling
— Peter Bailey (@FWPeterBailey) September 5, 2019
This is an 'issue' that pops up every now and then, with a lively thread existing on Strava's forum for around three years on the subject now. Strava's official reply on that forum back in 2016 was: "E-bike activities must be categorised under the E-Bike Ride activity type which matches to unique E-bike segments. Or, if listed as a Ride, the "Hide from Segment Leaderboards" option must be selected to remove all results from the cycling leaderboards. If E-Bike activities do not follow our guidelines, use the activity flag tool to remove the results from the segment leaderboards instantly.
It's the activity owner's responsibility to correctly upload their data according to our Segment Leaderboard Guidelines."
Do you still notice rides that were quite obviously done on an e-bike at the top of Strava leaderboards? Do you give a monkeys? Do let us know what you think in the comments...
05 September 2019, 08:32
Things you didn't think you needed: a headset with a multi-tool inside
The STASH from Granite solves the problem of forgetting your multi-tool.. because using their contraption, it lives inside your steerer tube! This version is alloy and is recommended moire for mtb's, but there is also a carbon version in the pipeline for racey road builds.
The tool itself has allen keys from 2mm to 6mm, a T25, flathead screwdriver and a valve core tool. When you're not using it, the tool sits flush at the top and the cap actually holds the tool together. It also has a handle to remove it from your steerer.
We're not too sure on UK availibility, but their handlebar chaintool is on the Granite website now priced at $24.99.
Arriving at road.cc in 2017 via 220 Triathlon Magazine, Jack dipped his toe in most jobs on the site and over at eBikeTips before being named the new editor of road.cc in 2020, much to his surprise. His cycling life began during his students days, when he cobbled together a few hundred quid off the back of a hard winter selling hats (long story) and bought his first road bike - a Trek 1.1 that was quickly relegated to winter steed, before it was sadly pinched a few years later. Creatively replacing it with a Trek 1.2, Jack mostly rides this bike around local cycle paths nowadays, but when he wants to get the racer out and be competitive his preferred events are time trials, sportives, triathlons and pogo sticking - the latter being another long story.
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And 3 of the 'workers' are just leaning!
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Italian tourist and pussycat in Portugal.
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37 comments
Nice pace and shoulder checks in the Police filtering video, however at 50 seconds he passes to the left of a black car approaching a left t-junction (which isn't indicating).
Isn't that something to avoid in case they wipe you out by turning left without seeing you/looking?
I'd pass on the left if the car is stationary but hang back if it's rolling ...
he actually mentions about that in the text of the tweet. #watchthewheels. So he checks the front wheels to see if they turn, plus he also didn’t attempt to pass until he was sure they had gone past the ‘normal’ turning point of the junction.
Loads of KOMs are now garbage. People loading bikes up and forgetting to turn off Strava but then don't want to lose the ride they did do so they save it anyway.
I'd go out on my motorbike to get some KOMs but I'd be grassing myself up to the cops.
It's perfectly possible to edit the length of a ride. Not everyone does though.
As I understand it there'll be so few cycle crossings along the HS2 route that you'll probably need to ride from Buckinghamshire up to Sheffield just to get from one side of the railway line to the other...
Outside filtering: More comfortable if you are used to doing the same as a motorcyclist. But without the benefit of clearly being marked as a Police cyclist there is a distinct probability of getting caught on the offside as traffic moves off and drivers closing the gap to prevent you filtering back to the inside.
I don’t worry about KoMs much - not at my age and weight. I like to to beat PBs or friends times. However, I did get a KoM on a stretch in AZ on a day I was riding my hybrid to go and collect my car from servicing. I was riding ahead of an approaching AZ summer monsoon storm and had a 35-40mph tailwind! So does that count as cheating? I know I wasn’t the quikest bike rider around. Perhaps Strava needs accurate weather data for all our rides too?
My mistake, thank you for the correction.
I wish PC Steve Hudson all the best, good luck.
I looked several times and I could not see a left indicating white car, there is the land rover at about 12 seconds when the brake lights come on, please tell us when?
I suspect thats the one as I thought it was an indicator at first but the left turn isnt anywhere near,and it doesnt seem to be flashing either, could be an offcoloured lense,or faulty wiring
Filtering policeman, looks like he went on the inside of a left-indicating white car. Cyclists should never do that, surely.
Are you named after the excellent Glasgow restaurant?
If people want to cheat by using ebikes to take Strava KOMs, that’s their lookout. They’re only cheating themselves, and it’s usually very obvious when someone has done. I was riding a route, close to where I live, with a ‘cat 4’ climb on it. Everyone on that day was within a couple of seconds of each other, and the closest anyone got to the ‘KOM’ was about 5 seconds. Then an entry appeared which topped the KOM, by 1 minute 45 seconds. Righto, they would have had to have been averaging 25mph, up a 15% incline. I’d wager it just may have been done on a moped, let alone an e bike
I’ve no idea why anyone would bother, but hey ho, each to their own.
My finest KOM theft was the hill on the race circuit in Lincoln. I was handsomely assisted by the ambulance with blue lights to which I was firmly strapped at the time. My ride as a whole had a very idle period of an hour and a half, waiting for said ambulance to turn up. I did the decent thing the following morning - screenshot and delete ;o)
After a similar event, for a week or so I was KOM of a new segment running between J8 and J7 of the M11...
Yeah, looks like the perfect filtering video. I’m guessing PC Hodson was wearing his uniform and riding a bike with police markings all over it judging by the coeurtesy shown to him by virtually all drivers...perhaps dressing similarly would be the single most effective way of reducing cycling road deaths?
PP
worried about Strava KOMs not being accurate? GET A LIFE
because ALL methods of recording such segments are 100% accurate aren't they?
Nearside filtering, yuck. You're invisible for so long with modern vehicles due to high beltlines and massive C-pillars. I was taught to check my nearside mirror when moving off, and in stop-start traffic, but I wonder how many drivers actually do that?
Offside all the way for me, even/especially in urban traffic like that.
do you ride a motorbike when not cycling ? the problem for me offside is as per how those cars are positioned,they force you to filter towards oncoming traffic, who arent always as appreciative of you being there, and being left between a rock and hard place isnt a good space to be as a cyclist, and if you misjudge the traffic queue you are in, the obstruction clears, or the light changes, you can be left hung to dry on the outside by the impatient so and so's youve just "out queued", as the traffic can out accelerate you.
none of those problems really impact motorbikes filtering offside as you are bigger presence on the road, and can out accelerate anyone trying to cut you up on the inside before youve regained your place in the queue...hence the question as I believe motorbike cyclists favour the offside more as thats what they are used to than car cyclists.
but Id have filtered exactly as PC Hodson did there, though personally Im more impressed he cycles on what looks like a godawful two lane roundabout with heavy traffic/lorries as Id not be going near that unless I had a flashing blue light on my bike
Some fine filtering by PC Hodson there, I'm hoping he can overcome his cancer as effectively as he has that traffic.
Wrong one. Steve Hudson is the one unfortunately diagnosed. The filterer is Dave Hodson. I'm glad he is patrolling those roads, however it doesn't stop people and I have uploaded three really bad close passes and / or left hooks to their portal with no responses months later.
Great to see the mayor of New York finally stop blaming cyclists and putting responsibility where it belongs, all based on irrefutable data. I'm sure there are plenty of local cyclists who will be only too happy to put him right and point out that neither helmets nor licencing make cyclists safer.
I dont worry too much about KOMs anymore, more like "am I in the top 1%" of riders on this segment", so if I'm right up there, then thats good enough. Maybe they could show what percentile you are in.
If you install the Stravistix plugin (now seems to be called "Elevate") for Chrome/Firefox/Safari, you can see exactly that, by segment. As well as the delta between your latest effort and your all time best and current year best.
https://thomaschampagne.github.io/elevate/#/landing
Heartily recommend the "Elevate" (formerly Stravistix) Chrome browser add-in for Strava - when you look at an activity, it injects your position ranking and % ranking into every segment listed on that activity.
Among a few other nice features, it also has a fitness/form/fatigue chart which gives an indication of your training load, which I find personally matches quite well with how I feel.
Free to use - donation to the author if you like it.
The strava ebike problem is nothing new, it's just that people are moving from cars/motorbikes to ebikes to do it.
Legal ebikes will only kom uphill due to the 15mph speed restriction, otherwise they will be de-restricted and essentially motorbikes (I chatted to one e-mtb'er with a massive motor/battery on his that could approach 40mph with him sitting upright. The obvious ones like that can be flagged...non obvious ones would be a problem.)
This is why we can't have nice things, always someone around to spoil the fun and troll endlessly!
I believe they are only allowed to power assist up to 15mph and anything above would be ride effort. So in theory they could go fast enough to get down hill or flat segments (can't bring my self to say KOM
). I doubt their riders could go fast enough thoug given the bike's weight penalty 
If someone has their ride flagged 3times as an Ebike but recorded as a normal bike make their default ride ebike and have to make them change it to bike every ride if it was a bike. Next
The point of the KOM rankings on Strava is to see how you match up to other cyclists, isn't it? If you don't really care, that's fine, but for people who do care, Strava should be ensuring that the rankings are sound. Obviously there will always be cheats, but instead of asking users to tick half a dozen settings, why don't they simply suggest they tick a box when creating the 'bike used' to say it's an ebike, which automatically removes it from non-e leaderboards?
I guess you want people to point out if they had their pal give them a good lead out or had a generous tail wind? It's absolutely pointless trying to use Strava to see how you match up with other cyclists anyway, isn't it?
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