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Angry Flemish cyclist flatly refuses to pass stationary truck; Bikes on trains - rush hour edition; The Ecce; British Cycling's Christmas film; Mathieu van der Poel makes a mistake; Made in Cambodia + more on the live blog

All the cycling news from this site and beyond...
05 December 2019, 16:23
It does have a Tesla-ish look about it
05 December 2019, 15:48
We've heard that getting your bike on the train is tricky but...
05 December 2019, 15:44
peter sagan roubaix
Peter Sagan says he can “see the end”

“It's not enough just to be good on the bike,” says Peter Sagan about being a pro cyclist. “You need to be good with people, good with sponsors."

The Slovak told Cycling News that while sponsorship obligations worried him in earlier years, they bother him less these days because he can “see the end”.   

“I don't think I can keep riding to 40 years of age with my style. I don't have a lot of years left. But that's more motivating than frightening, because you realise that it's going to end soon, so you should enjoy it."

Sagan was also asked about Mathieu van der Poel’s efforts across multiple cycling disciplines. He wonders whether the Dutchman should narrow his focus, arguing that, “trying to put two feet in the one shoe is difficult."

05 December 2019, 15:16
Planet Rock DJ riding 2,000 miles in two weeks to raise funds for Mind, the national mental health charity

With two days to go, Wyatt Wendels has raised almost £58,000.

Apparently he’s knackered.

He’s doing 118 miles from Eastleigh to Stonehenge today and 114 miles from Stonehenge to Trecco Bay tomorrow.

You can donate here.

05 December 2019, 13:52
Angry Flemish cyclist flatly refuses to pass stationary truck on narrow road

We’ve found a slightly longer version of a video posted to The Brussels Times website where a Flemish cyclist refuses to pass a truck, arguing that there isn’t enough room.

The truck driver says his truck’s too heavy to go onto the verge and there’s enough space to pass.

The cyclist disagrees. An angry, sweary argument ensues.

 

05 December 2019, 13:28
British Cycling has gone all John Lewis and done a Christmas film

The film focuses on Tokyo hopeful, Kye Whyte.

He said: “For me, it all started with getting that first bike as a three-year-old. I had no idea then where that would take me, but that moment set the course.

“From a personal point of view, my first bike set me on a path towards the Olympic Games, a dream which I hope to fulfil next year. However, the sense of freedom, independence and adventure that comes with your first bike is something that everyone can share, regardless of whether they have Olympic ambitions or not.”

05 December 2019, 12:20
Walnut bike
Even the mudguards are wood

This walnut laminate road bike is a hell of a thing.

Many years in the making, you can find the story of its creation on Facebook.

Walnut bike 2

 

Walnut bike 3

 

Walnut bike 4
05 December 2019, 11:59
Turns out Lord Sugar's cycle gear is too subtle for some
05 December 2019, 11:58
Breathing London air is the same as smoking 150 cigarettes a year, according to the British Heart Foundation

The charity’s analysis shows that people living in the Newham, Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, and Islington areas of London are worst hit by air pollution.

The “posh, anti-cycling boroughs” according to Jeremy Vine.

05 December 2019, 11:25
Video: Urban Freeride Lives - Fabio Wibmer
Video: Urban Freeride Lives - Fabio Wibmer

This is one hell of a commute, you won't fail to be impressed by the level of skill this rider has, not to mention the size of his balls! 

05 December 2019, 10:46
An Ecce out in the wild

You don't see many of these out and about.

We believe it's an Ecce.

This unique wooden bicycle frame design from r/mildlyinteresting

05 December 2019, 10:18
Mark Cavendish to Race Iron Man 70.3 Bahrain on Saturday (as part of a relay team)

We haven’t researched this in any great detail, but the other members of the team are Mo Farah and Australian open water swimmer Chloe McCardel, so seems pretty safe to assume he’ll be doing the 56-mile (90 km) bike leg.

05 December 2019, 10:06
Made in Cambodia (US Embassy via Flickr)
Made in Cambodia

The BBC reports that thanks in large part to rising costs in China, Cambodia is now listed as the fifth-largest exporter of bicycles in the world after China, Taiwan, the Netherlands and Germany.

It is the EU’s biggest supplier, having shipped 1.5 million bikes to Europe last year.

Cambodia currently enjoys tariff-free access to the EU, but that may be cancelled in February when the EU publishes the results of a review into Cambodia's political situation – references have been made to a "deterioration of democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law."

There have also been calls for a review of the US's preferential trade relationship.

An EU-Vietnam free trade agreement comes into effect next year and Robert Margevicius, the executive vice-president for US-based Specialized Bicycles, which uses Speedtech in Cambodia as well as suppliers in Vietnam and Taiwan, said: "Cambodia could be a short-term solution until things heat up in Vietnam."

Moun Channheak, from Cambodia's Ministry of Commerce says the government is doing its utmost to support the sector.

"We gained success with bicycle exports to the EU and other countries but we need to invest in components manufacturing. We need investments in Cambodia instead of importing material."

There is however also the question of working conditions. Zeit reports that workers in many of the factories are being exploited in a longish piece that makes for a very interesting read.

05 December 2019, 09:18
Even Mathieu van der Poel can make a mistake

We didn’t think it possible.

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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21 comments

Avatar
OldRidgeback | 4 years ago
0 likes

I think the video of Kye Whyte is brilliant and I'm really good it's been sent out by BC. He's a nice lad from tough council estate and is an inspiration to others from similar back grounds. I was pleased to see 'daddy' Whyte make a little cameo appearance too as he doesn't always get credit for having encouraged his sons, or for the coaching he still does every week at Peckham.

Avatar
handlebarcam | 4 years ago
2 likes

Funny how whenever there's a video of a motorist apparently being an arsehole there are always comments saying there must be more to it. What happened before the video starts? Is their camera distorting the distances? If you zoom in you can see the reflection of a red traffic light in a shop window which the cyclist must have just jumped to provoke the incident. Etcetera, etcetera. I don't know, maybe this cyclist is an arsehole. It could well be that simple. Or maybe the truck wasn't going to stop at all until the cyclist stood his ground, and what we see was preceded by a minute of the driver blasting his horn at him. Or maybe it's a one-way street. Or HGVs aren't allowed on that road at all. Or it's a rat run and the cyclist is a local resident who's sick of trucks thundering down there at all hours. Possibly he has encountered this particular lorry driver before, who certainly seems to have a problem with cyclists. But nothing excuses assault, if that's what happens at the end.

Avatar
Mungecrundle replied to handlebarcam | 4 years ago
0 likes
handlebarcam wrote:

Funny how whenever there's a video of a motorist apparently being an arsehole there are always comments saying there must be more to it. What happened before the video starts? Is their camera distorting the distances? If you zoom in you can see the reflection of a red traffic light in a shop window which the cyclist must have just jumped to provoke the incident. Etcetera, etcetera. I don't know, maybe this cyclist is an arsehole. It could well be that simple. Or maybe the truck wasn't going to stop at all until the cyclist stood his ground, and what we see was preceded by a minute of the driver blasting his horn at him. Or maybe it's a one-way street. Or HGVs aren't allowed on that road at all. Or it's a rat run and the cyclist is a local resident who's sick of trucks thundering down there at all hours. Possibly he has encountered this particular lorry driver before, who certainly seems to have a problem with cyclists. But nothing excuses assault, if that's what happens at the end.

 

If you are going to get into conspiracy theories, maybe the whole thing is a setup between 2 truck drivers to support an anti cyclist agenda.

Or maybe it's just someone being a complete and utter penis.

Avatar
jestriding | 4 years ago
3 likes

That driver had a 15 tonne truck on a narrow road he couldn't reverse on?  What an idiot.

Avatar
Xenophon2 replied to jestriding | 4 years ago
2 likes
jestriding wrote:

That driver had a 15 tonne truck on a narrow road he couldn't reverse on?  What an idiot.

 

A$$hole on bike was identified, according to media reports (made the newspapers in Belgium).  By profession he's (wait for it)....a truck driver.

Apparently not the first time he has frustration management issues.  He'll be prosecuted for assault and obstruction of traffic.

 

Avatar
ktache | 4 years ago
1 like

It's not quite a Squirrel, but DarkCycleClothing have a new Chipmunk on a bicycle shirt

Though they already do a squirrel T shirt.

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to ktache | 4 years ago
4 likes
ktache wrote:

It's not quite a Squirrel, but DarkCycleClothing have a new Chipmunk on a bicycle shirt

Though they already do a squirrel T shirt.

Nice, but not enough squirrel

 

 

Avatar
Stratman replied to hawkinspeter | 4 years ago
2 likes
hawkinspeter wrote:
ktache wrote:

It's not quite a Squirrel, but DarkCycleClothing have a new Chipmunk on a bicycle shirt

Though they already do a squirrel T shirt.

Nice, but not enough squirrel

 

 

That is terrifying

Avatar
Hirsute | 4 years ago
1 like

Very sweary.
If it had been 2 cars, then one of them would have simply reversed back to the passing place.
You would not go on to soft ground in a car, let alone that truck

Avatar
burtthebike | 4 years ago
0 likes

Looks as if the Flemish fool actually attacked the lorry driver at the end, so is he now in a ditch somewhere?

Avatar
Secret_squirrel replied to burtthebike | 4 years ago
7 likes
burtthebike wrote:

Looks as if the Flemish fool actually attacked the lorry driver at the end, so is he now in a ditch somewhere?

 

Only if the cyclist was also a prostitute

 

(c) J Clarkson 2008

Avatar
mikecassie | 4 years ago
1 like

The cyclist who refused to pass the stationary truck is an utter cockwomble who gives cyclists a bad name.  If he couldn't cycle past he could've walked past the truck, it would have saved a lot of time for all concerned, that includes us who watched the video...  

Avatar
zanf replied to mikecassie | 4 years ago
20 likes
mikecassie wrote:

....who gives cyclists a bad name.

Stop with this collective responsibility nonsense.

The 2 drivers who earlier this week, one who killed a 12 year old and injured 5 others and the other seriously injured a pregnant woman causing the death of her baby, aren't referred to as 'giving other drivers a bad name' because we understand that those individuals are solely responsible for their actions.

Engaging with that attitude that 'the actions of one shames all' only gives a green card for shitbag drivers to use it as an excuse when they carry out close passes or dangerous maneuvers when passing cyclists.

Avatar
hawkinspeter | 4 years ago
6 likes

That bloke in the truck is bang out of order - vertical video!!!!

Avatar
AlsoSomniloquism replied to hawkinspeter | 4 years ago
10 likes
hawkinspeter wrote:

That bloke in the truck is bang out of order - vertical video!!!!

//imgs.xkcd.com/comics/video_orientation.png)

Avatar
Mungecrundle | 4 years ago
7 likes

Cyclist demanding the truck risks overturning on a soft verge? What an utter penis...

Looks like a long straight road, the truck obviously has a number of vehicles behind it and the cyclist has literally cycled past a refuge area not more than 30m back. What a complete and utter penis...

Avatar
ConcordeCX replied to Mungecrundle | 4 years ago
2 likes
Mungecrundle wrote:

Cyclist demanding the truck risks overturning on a soft verge? What an utter penis... Looks like a long straight road, the truck obviously has a number of vehicles behind it and the cyclist has literally cycled past a refuge area not more than 30m back. What a complete and utter penis...

 

"I'm a truck driver myself..." - nce variation on a theme.

why was he driving a vehicle that size on a track like that? What would have happened if another truck was coming, rather than a cyclist?

Avatar
Mungecrundle replied to ConcordeCX | 4 years ago
0 likes
ConcordeCX wrote:
Mungecrundle wrote:

Cyclist demanding the truck risks overturning on a soft verge? What an utter penis... Looks like a long straight road, the truck obviously has a number of vehicles behind it and the cyclist has literally cycled past a refuge area not more than 30m back. What a complete and utter penis...

 

"I'm a truck driver myself..." - nce variation on a theme.

why was he driving a vehicle that size on a track like that? What would have happened if another truck was coming, rather than a cyclist?

 

As a truck driver yourself, I expect that you can answer that question quite easily. I'm not a truck driver but I imagine it would involve some attempt at forward observation, critical assessment of the situation and taking action, such as using the refuge area to pull off the road, rather than creating an issue where none were needed.

Avatar
Xenophon2 replied to ConcordeCX | 4 years ago
4 likes
ConcordeCX wrote:

"I'm a truck driver myself..." - nce variation on a theme.

why was he driving a vehicle that size on a track like that? What would have happened if another truck was coming, rather than a cyclist?

 

I live in Belgium and can tell you that in the Flanders region there are loads of such roads that allow unrestricted traffic in both directions.  When both move to the shoulder (which is the normal way), two cars can pass, no problem.  Two trucks are a different matter:  one will need to back up or use cemented layby's that are usually found every 2-300 meters.  There is no rule that determines who needs to wait or back up, it usually boils down to courtesy/common sense. 

If a car encounters a truck in such a situation the unwritten rule is that the car backs up because it's a lot easier.  In almost every case where I as a cyclist encountered a tractor in such situations, the tractor moves to the shoulder and slows down or stops.  But obviously a tractor has the tyres to do so.  In case of a truck, the cyclist is supposed to take the soft shoulder and move a bit out of the way, with the truck slowing to walking speed or stopping.  As to why the guy was driving there with a truck?  Probably because he needed to be in the area and because there's no law that says he can't.  (in most cases there are no restrictions on weight/type of vehicle on such roads).

Avatar
ktache | 4 years ago
0 likes

Well that Fabio bloke seems to be quite good at riding down stairs.

Avatar
Kendalred | 4 years ago
1 like

Yeah, great triathlon team, but it would have been more  interesting to have them do a different discipline each. Not sure what Cav's running or swimming prowess is like!

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