Ultimate car in bike lane pic? (no, that’s not it); CUK urges MPs to support cycling & walking; The Ras is back; Driver who killed pro cyclist gets community order; Steve Cummings’ finest hour; Freeman researched testosterone online+more in the Live blog
SUMMARY
Morning
Welcome to Thursday’s live blog, which will hopefully have some actual news on it shortly and not just this perfunctory introductory sentence.
Freeman researched impact of endurance exercise on testosterone levels
Yesterday’s main revelation in the Dr Richard Freeman tribunal was that he researched the impact of endurance exercise on testosterone levels.
Depending what angle you’re approaching this from, this is either (a) massively incriminating, given that the former British Cycling and Team Sky doctor ordered a load of testosterone to be sent to the National Cycling Centre, or (b) an important part of a sports doctor’s job.
Appearing as an expert witness yesterday, Professor David Cowan OBE, the co-founder and director of the Drug Control Centre, said that he “noted with interest the monitoring of levels of testosterone in the blood of cyclists” by Freeman.
The Mail reports that Cowan said the material downloaded by Freeman – as well as his email correspondence – “indicated a lot of knowledge and interest of testosterone concentration in riders.”
He added that: “Certain concern was expressed that particular cyclists had lower levels of testosterone than normal, but there was no indication of any treatment for that other than rest.”
Freeman’s defence team pointed out that three-monthly testosterone tests carried out by cycling’s world governing body would require Freeman to have some knowledge of testosterone.
Steve Cummings' final pro race
Steve Cummings retired yesterday, having been unable to find a team for next season.
This means his pro career drew to a close with a crash on the Wirral during the Tour of Britain.
Speaking to the Wirral Globe, he said: “In one way it was good to finish my career one kilometre from home. But not with a broken back – that’s not ideal.”
Sralan's back on his bike and keeping a low profile
8 weeks after my knee replacement back on the bike and did 20 miles today. Next target is to shed 20 lbs from from my protruding belly pic.twitter.com/wrjW3oHn5G
— Lord Sugar (@Lord_Sugar) November 20, 2019
Video: When Steve Cummings mugged Pinot and Bardet in the Tour de France
Cummings’ retirement is a good excuse to revisit one of the finer stage victories.
The Cycling Nation
We often fail to comprehend how recently the Dutch committed to becoming a cycling nation.
Of the country’s 37,000 km of separated cycle tracks, more than HALF—about 20,000 km—was built in the past two decades.
And they’re still adding a staggering 1,000 km each and every year. pic.twitter.com/TP2sL7ldhw
— Modacity (@modacitylife) November 21, 2019
Team Ineos sign Colombian rider Brandon Rivera
The 23-year-old is the current Pan American time trial champion.
“It’s a dream come true to be part of an incredible team with the best cyclists in the world.”
Team INEOS are happy to welcome Brandon Rivera to the team after the Colombian penned a two-year contract.
https://t.co/Z3Zt5j9bpx pic.twitter.com/4eb45se33I
— Team INEOS (@TeamINEOS) November 21, 2019
He knows Egan Bernal pretty well. “Egan and I are very good friends. We have known each other since the age of 10 when we started on the mountain bike in Zipaquirá.
“We were both full of dreams, and so to now be riding together again is incredible. I have to thank him very much for riding with me all these years and for always believing in me. In Colombia Egan is an example that dreams do come true and he’s an idol for children and adults.”
Here's a perfectly normal thing
There's parking in cycle lanes and there's parking in cycle lanes
Expert parking in Wimslow, Manchester. This should be illegal, especially not to be forgotten as pavement parking jurisdiction evolves. pic.twitter.com/3tnXPYQz8z
— Prof Chris Oliver (@CyclingSurgeon) November 21, 2019
Today's top Twitter hashtag
Rim brakes are dead. #StartAnArgumentIn4Words pic.twitter.com/toQr6H3bfV
— road.cc (@roadcc) November 21, 2019
The others are Rachel Riley, Donald Trump and Priti Patel but this is wayyyy more controversial…
Driver who killed pro cyclist gets community corrections order
The Age reports that Billie Rodda has been sentenced to a three-year community corrections order after she pleaded guilty to causing the death of Australian pro cyclist Jason Lowndes by dangerous driving.
She also pleaded guilty to a summary charge of using a mobile phone while driving.
As well as the community order, she was fined and banned from driving for three years.
We’d already reported that Rodda was going to be spared jail, in large part because the prosecution and defence accepted she had not been using her phone in the moments immediately before the crash – even though she’d sent and received a whole series of texts leading up to it.
It was also agreed that she would have had between 2.2 and four seconds to see him. Reading the reports, this seems to have been considered a small amount of time.
We’d consider two seconds to be quite a long time to spot something on the road while driving. Four seconds is an age.
The defence said she’d been looking at her speedometer.
“You said you had no time to react and indeed you did not brake or steer away before the collision,” said Judge Wendy Wilmoth. “There were no warning signs as to the likely presence of cyclists and there was no dedicated bike lane nor any opportunity for either Mr Lowndes or you to veer left.”
Wilmoth said Rodda’s moral culpability was low as she was not speeding, on drugs or alcohol, or fatigued at the time.
A predictably mixed reaction to our stirring earlier
— Steven Dixon-Thomas (@kingofallSteves) November 21, 2019
Yup. Of course this is a country that was building new steam engines after the Second World War when most of the world was electrifying or going over to diesel. There’s a really curious addiction in some people to things that don’t work very well
— Stephen Feber Ltd (@StephenFeberLtd) November 21, 2019
Cycling UK calls on nation’s future MPs to pledge support for cycling and walking
Ask your local candidates to stand up for #cycling and walking
There’s an urgent need for more investment in greener travel.
Take action now and help make sure your future MP steps up for safer streets and a healthier future. #GE2019
https://t.co/Kh5TpjTG1U pic.twitter.com/9AE0a297Nn
— Cycling UK (@WeAreCyclingUK) November 21, 2019
The charity is calling for at least 5% of transport spending to go on cycling and walking in 2020, and to rise to at least 10% within five years.
They’ve got a thing on their website so that you can very easily write to your local candidates to let them know active travel is important to you.
‘Speaking out on doping cost me my career’ says Shane Sutton's former team-mate
Last week, during Dr Richard Freeman’s tribunal, his defence team tried to discredit Shane Sutton by claiming that he had doped as a rider.
Mary O’Rourke QC said that an anonymous witness had testified to her that Sutton had injected himself with testosterone which he kept in his fridge in his home in Rowley Regis.
Sutton denied it and asked whether Darryl Webster was the source. He said Webster was just out for revenge because Sutton had insulted him after his wife left him.
O’Rourke said it wasn’t Webster.
The Telegraph’s gone and had a word with Webster anyway. It’s an interesting read; the story of a rider who believes that speaking out on doping cost him his career and who has endured difficult times since. (He twice attempted suicide in 2001 and in 2013 was sentenced to 300 hours community work after cannabis plants were found in his home.)
He’s also found it difficult to see certain unnamed contemporaries remain in cycling.
“I have been a little bitter about that, seeing the people who I knew cheated getting the plaudits that they got and the financial compensation that they got. But I wouldn’t want to be them. What you’ve done is wrong. That’s more important than remuneration.”
The Ras is back (under new organisers)
There was no Rás Tailteann in 2019 for the first time since 1953. The Irish race had been looking for a title sponsor since An Post in 2017.
It’s now been announced that the race will be back in 2020 under a new promotions group comprising volunteer figures who’ve been involved with the race over the last decade.
RTE reports that the 2020 edition is likely to be over fewer days, possibly five, but the new organisers hope to rebuilt its status in the coming years and eventually get back to eight days.
The date of the event will not be confirmed for a number of weeks.
“We are thrilled to see this legendary race continue,” said race director Eimear Dignam.
“It has a special place in the hearts of not only the cycling community in Ireland, but also now in the hearts of those who’ve competed in it from around the world.
“We know the new organisers extremely well, having worked with them on the race for many years, and we’re delighted to have them take up the mantle.”
Jeremy Vine has passed comment on the car parked in a cycle lane we posted earlier
Typically understated.
Any car found parked like this should be treated like a bag left at an airport — blown up on the spot @CyclingSurgeon pic.twitter.com/EKzdBPQg2C
— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) November 21, 2019
Confirming that Twitter remains the home of nonsensical whataboutery, several people have replied to Vine saying, ‘what about cyclists who don’t use cycle lanes?’
Well that was worth it
We see a lot of close passes, but the sheer, mind-blowing pointlessness of most of them still gets us every time.
Proving it’s not just a UK thing…
One of these days I’m going to have to start taking the lane… from r/bikecommuting
Not entirely sure what the light shade's about
As you’d probably inferred from the gradient and his untroubled facial expression, the bike had electric assist.
Got married last year. Best way to get her to the altar! from r/bicycling
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Latest Comments
@jackcycles Slightly Unhinged? The synth pop/folk ensemble from Ghent? I fail to see how that's relevant.
It's odd to read about 'classic' bikes from year 2000 when I have a Flying Scot 531 from 76, and a Neil Orrell 753 from 81, just through the door into the garage. PS It's Ambrosio not Ambrosia
I can see where he's coming from. He's reinforcing the right thing to do with his pupil, and he's also sympathising in advance with the pupil over additional pressures on a test. So he's covering the what/how. But a big part of that "nightmare" is the pressure faced by the pupil on the test. Here is the picture it reinforces: - you have a road ahead with a slower vehicle user in front, one you have to take extra care over; - there may be vehicles building up behind, drivers of which don't appreciate you're on your test and may polarise their reactions to a slow learner in front from giving extra consideration to becoming aggressively impatient; - you're on a test where every movement of your body and the vehicle you're driving is under intense scrutiny over your control and reactions to unforeseen inputs. It is easy to feel pressured, to panic, to pick up one too many minors or a major (or whatever they are called) and fail. But when teaching the what/how, this is where the attitude needs to be spot on. You have to remove the emotion out of it. Just like a good instructor won't cover their eyes and yell, "we're all going to die!" - they'll anticipate; they'll talk calmly; they'll calmly grab the wheel and the foot controls if necessary and take over to avoid disaster. They will have anticipated problems going into a situation and have planned their moves. That approach of planning, staying calm and applying perspective doesn't just avoid conflict/crashes, it dissipates tension and the path to panic. So it is with the cyclist. So what if we slow down? If that's the right thing to do, then that is what the examiner needs to see. It's not a nightmare ("Don't panic! Don't panic!), it's just a Thing. The cars building up behind? They're fine. If they honk, they're saying "hello", "well done", "you're doing great!" Putting those situations into calm perspective is part of the instructor's job. It's not just driving safely, it's driving with the right attitude and passing that attitude on. If you say it's a nightmare, you're passing on that panic stimulus. You can sympathise with the pupil while still correcting their attitude approaching any form of hazard assessment. The question is, will Daniel Smith see this as a pile-on, or an opportunity (laced as it is with all the subtlety that social media/BTL can muster) to reflect on how he passes on that calm attitude to pupils? He's not a bad instructor, but this wasn't his finest moment. As with road users, is he happy to reflect on this as a personal learning moment for his road use rather than his YouTubery?
I already explained the driving instructor video at the time My explanation dovetailed with the instructor's own thoughts on the matter, so it's great to see it confirmed in today's blog. I think road.cc has to take responsibility for the way it reports these things. It must be able to see that some of the commentators on this site are slightly unhinged (at best), permanently offended, and become aggressive at the drop of a hat. Unfortunately there's a real lack of respect that's been allowed to fester - it would be good for road.cc to balance its coverage with examples of courteous interactions between cyclists and different modes of transport to exemplify and model how to behave properly.
Wonder if the impact of a relatively large change (the Wales reduction of default 30mph speed limits to 20mph just over 2 years back) can be detected here? That would be expected to move some of those deaths into the serious injury category... (Probably hard to do as - without so much controversy - individual speed reductions have crept in local spots all over the UK).
@Sredlums The main convertible component is just the handlebar. By using SRAM's AXS kit and modifying the drop-lever brakes very, very slightly, I can run flat-mount brakes without adapters on the drop bar, and just throw the flat bar in place and nip up the caliper bolts to bring it back to a full MTB.
Delightful
@perce we all like a polite and courteous poster! Much as motorists like a polite and courteous cyclist doffing their helmet (possibly from a hedge they've obliging leapt into along, say, a leafy lane in Essex).
"attributed by experts", yeah sure, ok! Citing 8 year out of date per capita figures shows the weakness of your argument. Here's a couple of reasons I believe that the Netherlands fatality rate might be higher than the UK (independent of the crappy Dutch infrastructure), none of which you and Chrisonatrike suggested or mentioned: 1) not enough people wearing helmets in Netherlands. All sane people know that wearing a cycling helmet can potentially save lives, yet the Dutch seem to think themselves too special to wear one. Despite the fact the Netherlands has a superior privatised health system compared to our rotten, inefficient NHS, post-crash options are limited for people with severe head trauma which will inevitable lead to increased fatalities in the Netherlands. 2) Risk compensation by drivers and cyclists. Cyclists are lulled into a false sense of security thinking that segregated cycle lanes are their special infrastructure which insulate them from accidents. They don't. Then, car drivers take more risks due to increased congestion caused by the same cycling infrastructure, leading to a double-whammy of risky behaviour. 3) Cultural issues. People in the UK are renowned for their stiff upper lip, stoic, courteous behaviour. They naturally protect more vulnerable road users. I, myself, had a magnificent cycling experience earlier today on the local country lanes, waving and saying hello to the locals and cyclists alike. There really isn't a place like the UK (well, outside London anyway) that matches our hospitality and camaraderie. P.s. I'm not sure who Nigel is, I assumed you meant Nigel Farage but I can assure you I'm not him and that he has more pressing things to do than write responses on a cycling website. I hope that's helped your understanding a little, and enabled you to think a little independently rather than just suck in information that self-described "experts" want you to believe. Oh and Norway et Al are terrible comparators as hardly anyone lives there (and who'd want to to be honest? Lol!)
14 thoughts on “Ultimate car in bike lane pic? (no, that’s not it); CUK urges MPs to support cycling & walking; The Ras is back; Driver who killed pro cyclist gets community order; Steve Cummings’ finest hour; Freeman researched testosterone online+more in the Live blog”
So many good things in todays
So many good things in todays live blog!
Highlight has to be CAT, BIKE, BASKET, I want a cat like that.
Lest we forget, we should celebrate the fact that Alan Sugar’s stem is no longer pointing upwards! Oo er Mrs.
Cummings had one amazing season which I’ll never forget watching. Almost too amazing… regardless, watching it was ace!
So not just here in the UK
So not just here in the UK that drivers can get away reletively scott free. Sickening.
And from the same Aussie news website: “Tax-dodging socialite goes from Toorak mansion to Deer Park prison”.
I’m not too unhappy about a
I’m not too unhappy about a non-custodial sentence for Billie Rodda, as I’d rather see people contributing something to society rather than being a burden on it. I see the purpose of custodial sentencing as protecting the general public from those who present a threat to them. This however leads me onto to my big gripe. She has clearly demonstrated that she is unsafe behind the wheel of a car and should have had her driving licence revoked for life. If she were to be found driving again whilst being disqualified then a long custodial sentence would be wholey apropriate.
iandusud wrote:
Yes! This is so true. We are keen to see prison sentences handed down because that’s what we think of as being the most severe punishment but actually putting someone in prison is a really expensive thing for society to do. Far better to gain from them, send them out picking litter, cleaning graffiti, whatever. The problem of course is just being able to enforce the ban on driving.
jacko645 wrote:
I’m not too unhappy about a non-custodial sentence for Billie Rodda, as I’d rather see people contributing something to society rather than being a burden on it. I see the purpose of custodial sentencing as protecting the general public from those who present a threat to them.
— jacko645 Yes! This is so true. We are keen to see prison sentences handed down because that’s what we think of as being the most severe punishment but actually putting someone in prison is a really expensive thing for society to do. Far better to gain from them, send them out picking litter, cleaning graffiti, whatever. The problem of course is just being able to enforce the ban on driving.— iandusud
It’s a fair point. However, if I (or a member of my family) get taken out by a texting numpty I want that person to be properly punished. And picking up a bit of litter is not a proper puishment for taking a life!!
A judge excusing a killer
A judge excusing a killer motorist, who would have guessed!
If motorists insist on
If motorists insist on parking in cycle lanes, then you just have to treat it as a cyclocross course, dismount and climb over the obstacle…
Philh68 wrote:
Or do a Danny Macaskill and don’t even bother to dismount?
My favorite tweet in reply to
My favorite tweet in reply to the bad parking was from EricEatsPickles.
I, of course, do not condone criminal damage, nor do I in any way condone really, really awful and inconsiderate parking.
ktache wrote:
I’ve had to squeeze past a car parked up on the footway near where I lived, because I refused to walk out onto the road. I was carrying a shopping bag, and it may have banged against the side of the car and moved their wing mirror. The owner coincidentally appeared at that point and asked did I touch his car? “Your badly and illegally parked car blocking the footway so the elderly and women with pushchairs can’t get past?”, said I. Luckily, he just got in his car, muttering, and drove off.
(In hindsight, it could have gone another way…
)
brooksby wrote:
Unfortunately, the law would have been on the car-owner’s side. Inconsiderate parking is just considered normal these days, whereas keying the side of the car is criminal damage.
If I could I would Brooksby,
If I could I would Brooksby, but I doubt even Danny could do that on 35kg of cargo bike! But I think I could stand it upright, put it in walk assist and guide it over if I tried…
The problem with the Rodda
The problem with the Rodda case is in the final paragraph. The ‘moral culpability’ list should have included ‘using a mobile phone’.
I suspect that the prosecution just didn’t have the evidence that she was actually using her mobile at the time of the accident.
zero trooper, I agree with
zero trooper, I agree with you so much.
Smart phones are such complicated peices of computerised equipment, they have knowledge and record every screen touch, every thing, orientation, the works.
All it takes is a bit of digital forensics, complex but doable.
But hey, only a cyclist.
I would think that if a person had constantly made use of their phone whilst driving, and this was known, then when they drove into someone without even braking or even swerving, with complete obliviousness then maybe it could be surmised that they may have been perhaps, looking at their phone.