Welcome to Monday’s live blog, with Jack Sexty, Simon MacMichael and the rest of the team.
Belgian cyclist vs lorry driver video – the spoof version; Tesla Truck ‘not street-legal’ in EU; Pro cyclist breaks leg riding e-scooter; Lidl discount bike parking with ‘useless’ butterfly racks; TfL launch ‘Report a Problem’ webpage + more on live blog
All today’s news from the site and beyond…
Mon, Dec 16, 2019 17:56
SUMMARY
16 December 2019, 17:56
Weekend catch-up
It’s all very well going out doing festive things all weekend, but not if you miss all the latest cycling stories! Here’s what you missed if you’re guilty…
Video: Riders forced to dodge dog at cyclo-cross race in Belgium
Video: Lancashire cyclist races train across the country
Matthew Glaetzer wins Track World Cup silver ahead of cancer treatment
Canadian study finds segregated cycle lanes also reduce collisions on adjacent streets
Near Miss of the Day 341: Close pass followed by not so seasonal greeting
16 December 2019, 17:56
"Wanna race?"
You know you have a mainstream cycling culture when this how your police engages with children on bicycles!
“You wanna race with us?”
~@politie_Rdam pic.twitter.com/sQU3oFHvNs— Cycling Professor (@fietsprofessor) December 14, 2019
16 December 2019, 17:56
Geraint Thomas puts in a monster 300km training ride with teammates
Gutted not to be at @AlunWynJones. O and Cioni said ‘no chance you’ll go under nine hours’ pic.twitter.com/iJxPzupER1
— Geraint Thomas (@GeraintThomas86) December 15, 2019
At least he says he did (if it’s not on Strava it didn’t happen as they say, and we’ve seen no upload yet), but according to the Welshan’s Garmin, he completed just under 310km in 8 hours 35 minutes on what appears to be a time trial bike looking at his bar set-up.
Thomas also admitted he was “gutted” not to be at the Sports Personality of the Year Awards which he won in 2018, but threw his support behind rugby player Alun-Wyn Jones – cricketer Ben Stokes was eventually crowned the winner.
16 December 2019, 17:56
Unimpressive parking in the biking area: butterfly racks at new Lidl store slammed for being inadequate
1/3 I see @LidlGB has opened a brand new store at Crown Point Streatham and installed butterfly wheel-breaking cycle racks, the most useless we-hate-people-riding-bikes, come-and-steal-a-bicycle form of cycle parking pic.twitter.com/eCS9ZbWXXl
— always last (@lastnotlost) December 15, 2019
The new Lidl store in West Norwood has installed a row of ‘butterfly’ wheel-breaking racks, often criticised for the lack of security they afford your bike by only allowing you to lock your wheel – and none of the frame – using a standard D-lock. As noted by always last who uploaded the photos to Twitter, Transport for London has said butterfly racks are ‘not recommended’ since 2006, and organisations such as Cycling UK have been saying they are inadequate for decades.
@LidlGB are extremely poor on cycle parking and came bottom in our Taunton cycle parking survey. They can’t even be bothered to respond to customer emails. @AldiUK much better https://t.co/wU92NbZ9pa
— Taunton Area Cycling (@tauntonareacyc1) December 15, 2019
Cycle parking for companies that don’t want people to park cycles at their premises.
— Elisabeth Anderson (@velobetty) December 15, 2019
They’re not bike racks, they’re bollards. Some clever dick in an off thought they could kill 2 birds with one stone and save a couple of quid.
— Bike Riding Ads Esq, (@AdsCondron) December 15, 2019
As one of the main sponsors of the number 1-ranked World Tour cycling team Deceuninck Quick-Step it’s not a good look for the German supermarket chain, and although some have noted that more secure Sheffield stands are provided for some of their stores, often these are located far away from the entrance. We’ve reached out to Lidl and Deceuninck Quick-Step for comment…
16 December 2019, 17:56
Holy smokes...
This sister knows how to cheat the wind, getting herself into a solid aero tuck and coasting her way down the road. Now she just needs to fashion a carbon fairing of some sort to cover that basket to save even more watts…
16 December 2019, 17:56
Lidl cycle parking... why so inconsistent?
daft thing is, they know what works as we have decent cycle racks at various stores in Essex incl a new one I use. So should ask @LidlGB why not everywhere? pic.twitter.com/uAcogo3arq
— @2_Wheeled_Wolf (@2_Wheeled_Wolf) December 16, 2019
The wholly inadequate ‘butterfly’ racks pictured at Lidl’s new West Norwood store (further down this page) has caused some confusion, as it appears there is perfectly good cycle parking at some of their stores. We’re still waiting to hear back from Lidl on why these racks – classed as ‘not recommended’ by TfL – were installed in the first place, and have also reached out to Deceuninck Quick-Step who carry Lidl’s logo on their team kit.
16 December 2019, 17:56
Xendurance partner with Haute Route
The nutrition brand make products specifically designed to improve a rider’s lactic and aerobic threshold, which will be welcomed by many trying to tackle the monster Haute Route.
The partnership with Haute Route came after a survey of Haute Route conquerors and potential riders earlier this year said the events weren’t ‘too hard’, rather they just needed to prepare
better; therefore Xendurance’s formula that is thought to reduce muscle soreness and trauma is touted as the thing for the job. Check out their website here.
16 December 2019, 17:56
How to set up Zwift on any device
Well, almost any device (you might struggle on your old Megadrive or Gameboy)… but on most PC’s, tellies or smartphones made in the last few years, you really can set up Zwift on pretty much anything. Find out how here.
16 December 2019, 17:56
Transport for London have just made it a whole lot easier to report problems on the roads
Report a problem: @TfL has partnered with @mySociety to create a new TfL Street Care service, making it easier to report problems with roadworks, potholes, bus shelters, traffic lights etc. https://t.co/Zhr3Vfwi4Z pic.twitter.com/JVaSoqBpOl
— Will Norman (@willnorman) December 16, 2019
Potholes, blocked cycle lanes and anything else that’s a bit rubbish on London’s roads that needs sorting can now be quickly and easily reported via the ‘Report a Problem’ page on the TfL website. You simply type the postcode of where you are, locate the spot on the map and tell TfL exactly what the problem is. A log shows all the reported problems in the area, and the dates they have been fixed/are expected to be fixed.
The page is here – best bookmark it if you’re London-based.
16 December 2019, 17:56
A car commercial... that proves cars are a waste of space
WATCH: The most amazing thing about this absolutely AMAZING car commercial, is that it doesn’t seem to realize how effectively it makes the point that cars are a HUGE waste of space in cities. Award-winning 2002 ad for Saturn cars. HT @javiermalagon pic.twitter.com/Bo2wnHn9Rq
— Brent Toderian (@BrentToderian) December 14, 2019
As pointed out in the comments, Transport for London made this observation way back in the 1960’s…
The point about cars being a waste of space was well made by London’s @TfL in the 1960s pic.twitter.com/YIW2qn0o6g
— Ben Terrett (@benterrett) December 15, 2019
16 December 2019, 17:56
Rory Sutherland is the latest pro cyclist to break his leg doing something that isn't cycling
In what is turning out to be pro cycling’s equivalent of Spinal Tap’s spontaneously combusting drummers, another rider has fallen victim to a leg break in a freak incident completely unrelated to bike riding. Hot on the heels of poor Niklas Larsen who broke his leg at an end-of-season party in late November, and Luke Rowe who suffered a horrific tibia and fibula break while whitewater rafting at his brother’s stag do in 2017; Aussie pro Rory Sutherland announced over the weekend that he has broken his femur while riding an electric scooter in Israel.
37-year-old Sutherland was in the country for the launch of his new team Israel Start-Up Nation, and will now inevitably miss the start of the 2020 season. In his latest Instagram post yesterday, Sutherland mused from his hospital bed: “I imagine it’s time for an update. Firstly thanks to so so many who have called, emailed and messaged me and my family. I’m trying to get back to you all one at a time but the outpouring of support has been way bigger than I could have imagined.
“A small speed bump in life, we’ve all had them and will continue to have them. Normally I bounce well, but this accident I didn’t and fractured my femur. It’s been an experience to say the least, but I am however incredibly thankful and grateful to the staff and riders of Israel Cycling Academy, the staff and riders from UAE Team Emirates and the staff here at the hospital. I couldn’t have been in better hands.
“Right now I need patience, these things take time, in a few days I should be home and the rehab will continue for quite a while. It’s far from the end, it’s just another chapter in the book of life.”
Needless to say, road.cc wish Rory all the best in his recovery.
16 December 2019, 17:56
Sofia Bertizzolo joins CCC Team after being unable to join Movistar because of Italian national police team contract
Great news to start the week: Sofia Bertizzolo reinforces @CCCLivTeam. #RideForMore pic.twitter.com/lCAm9F77PY
— CCC-Liv Team (@CCCLivTeam) December 16, 2019
Bertizzolo was blocked from joining Movistar in August due to a legal wrangle involving her employment status. Many female pros work in the civil service to supplement their income, and Bertizzolo has a paid contract to ride for Italy’s national Polizia di Stato team. This contract prevented her from signing another full-time contract with Movistar, and she was unable to declare the work was self-employed because in Spain, athletes legally can’t be classified as such.
Luckily Bertizzolo has managed to find a home elsewhere where her dual employment isn’t an issue, joining up with Polish World Tour team CCC-Liv. In a statement she said: “I am extremely happy with this transfer and also grateful to CCC-Liv, as the team has always shown an interest in me. This team is a good choice for me, because I can take the next step in my career with them.”
16 December 2019, 17:56
A bike-friendly bin
This one is tilted so it’s easy to chuck stuff in as you ride by… definitely not a load of rubbish.
16 December 2019, 17:56
A whole load of kit
I’m using next week’s winter @SolsticeC2C ride as a test of my kit for riding across America next spring. This really doesn’t look like a lot of stuff for three months on the road! pic.twitter.com/lKz3d2NazN
— KarlOnSea (@KarlOnSea) December 15, 2019
Is this simply too much stuff, for any length of ride? Let us know what you’d do to trim down this intrepid cyclist’s load…
16 December 2019, 17:56
Sustainable fabrics for 2020 Giro d'Italia jerseys
Once again being made by Castelli, the Maglia Rosa (General Classification), Maglia Cicliamino (sprinter’s), Maglia Azzurra (mountains) and Maglia Bianca (young rider GC) jerseys can now be revealed.
For the first time ever at a Grand Tour, the leaders’ jerseys are manufactured with eco-sustainable fabrics. Giro d’Italia say: “Native by SITIP uses processes and fabrics with a lower environmental impact, produced with recycled yarns – GRS (Global Recycled Standard) certified – deriving mainly from recycled plastic bottles, and driven by circular economy principles and policies.”
16 December 2019, 17:56
The right message?
Buon natale #casco sempre pic.twitter.com/wfgA04FeEQ
— DavideMontin© (@MontinDavide) December 15, 2019
This curious construction appears to be a huge pile of helmets fashioned into the shape of a Christmas tree; there is a currently a big campaign in Italy to improve cycling safety, which has come under fire from some cycling groups because it focusses heavily on cyclists wearing helmets and running daytime lights, rather than the behaviour of drivers.
16 December 2019, 17:56
The Tesla Truck wouldn't pass EU safety laws because it lacks cyclist and pedestrian safety features, says car standards expert
“The front of the vehicle must not become stiff,” Teller explained. “The bumper and [hood] must be able to absorb energy to protect the pedestrians.”
Pedestrian fatalities increased 41% since 2008. Lax US safety stds for “light” trucks are part of that.
https://t.co/8GQteNKvhz— Ariel Méndez (@atmendez) December 14, 2019
The monstrous new battery-powered Tesla truck has caused plenty of controversy since its launch; mostly because it’s been suggested that the sharp angular design of the shell and sheer enormity of the truck would pose a serious safety risk to pedestrians, cyclists and pretty much anything else in its immediate vicinity. Writing for Forbes Online, Carlton Reid says: “The European Commission has strict automotive testing and safety protocols, and the Cybertruck – as is – would fail many of them, including increasingly stringent pedestrian and cyclist protection standards.”
This is backed up by auto standards expert Stefan Teller, who says serious modifications to the design of the Tesla Truck would have to be made before it passes stringent EU safety laws. He told the German car magazine Automobilwoche: “The bumper and hood must be able to absorb energy to protect pedestrians.”
As if to perfectly illustrate the potential problems posed by the truck, Tesla CEO Elon Musk was recently shown knocking over a traffic bollard as he pulled out of a car park, seemingly oblivious. It was noted the bollard was about the size of a small child…
.@elonmusk crushing a traffic cone (?), showing off the strength of the #Cybertruck, as he did not seem to notice, haha. Love it! pic.twitter.com/CjyAvonXKH
— Janne Wolterbeek (@langejanne) December 8, 2019
16 December 2019, 17:56
Kids act out that bizarre Belgian cyclist vs lorry driver viral video in hilarious spoof
Remember that bizarre stand-off between a cyclist and a lorry driver in Belgium that went viral on social media last week and ended up with a Flemish man wrongly identified as the bike rider in shutting down his Facebook account? Well, now there’s a spoof version put together featuring some Belgian kids, and we reckon it’s hilarious. Watch it below.
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Jack is group editor across road.cc, off.road.cc and ebiketips, overseeing all three sites in the F-At Digital group to make sure everything’s up to scratch. He’s been writing about cycling and multisport for over a decade, arriving at road.cc via 220 Triathlon Magazine in 2017. He worked across all areas of road.cc including tech, news and video, and also contributed to eBikeTips before being named editor of road.cc in 2021 (much to his surprise). Jack has been hooked on cycling since his student days, and currently has a Trek 1.2 for winter riding, a beloved Bickerton folding bike for getting around town, and an extra beloved custom Ridley Helium SLX for fantasising about going fast in his stable. Jack has never won a bike race, but does have a master’s degree in print journalism, and two Guinness World Records for pogo sticking (it’s a long story).
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Latest Comments
Gm_Crop 6 hours ago
I'll counter that by saying the Bryton 750se I have drives me nuts at times. Inconsistantly picks up on routes created on Komoot and the app re-syncs every few seconds when trying to set up the device and sends me back to the home screen. The most infuriating one is that I turned live track on. Once. It now won't turn off and repeatedly flags up the live track is starting, and then disconnecting every few seconds whilst riding. I haven't timed it but it wouldn't suprise me if 10-20% of the time the the screen is covered with an error message. That's been about 6 weeks now. Other than that it's great :/
IanGlasgow 6 hours ago
RE: Police launch road safety operation... by clamping down on cyclists using footbridge Meanwhile in Glasgow, Police Scotland are riding their motorbikes over the pedestrian and cyclists only bridge. https://x.com/FietserGlasgow/status/2065106152917012523?s=20
Rendel Harris 7 hours ago
@Paul J Van Schip certainly seems a bit of a dick, but he's a European and multiple World Champion on the track, pretty sure you don't get there without having some talent in your legs.
Bill H 7 hours ago
Poor Vincent cannot get over the simple fact that given the choice people prefer dedicated cycling spaces, rather than pretending to be cars like vehicular cyclists.
pbunyon 8 hours ago
What is the point of the fancy air sensor if it can't account for changing weather conditions?? If all you care about is a delayed approximation of aerodynamic watts in steady conditions, you don't need any special sensors for that. Just your speed on a decently flat course is enough to approximate rolling resistance and drivetrain losses. And the rest must be aero. If you assume a less aero body position at the same watts, your speed will drop while rolling resistance also drops, which means approximated aero watts goes up. And that's enough to demonstrate what you've shown in your testing protocol ("I sat upright and the number went up a little while later").
chrisonabike 8 hours ago
Your correction is accurate - it's almost always been "the (lack of) thought that (doesn't) count". "Massive" - less than a billion a year spent on active travel (trying to catch up / building a network across the entire country) Not massive - 6 billion every year (2026-2030) spent on road *maintenance* of existing "already built, goes everywhere, very convenient" road network for inactive travel Ultimately the reason "cycle infra" is *needed* is those unbelievably colossal amounts spent every year (and for more than a century now) on making mass motoring not just viable but apparently the "best choice" for most journeys. As the Dutch and others have shown, the majority of people *are* prepared to cycle and even mix with very light, slow local motor traffic *if* cycling is also made safe and convenient for the whole of their journey (including secure parking at both ends). (The history of the financial drivers of the current situation are a complex topic but note that while people complain about "crumbling roads" and underfunded motor infra - with some reason - by us continuing the fuel duty escalator freeze (for example) we're actually helping motorists pay *even less* for that activity / subsidising more of the cost of driving than ever.)
belugabob 8 hours ago
yes, but people will still object - which was my point.
Astralstroll 10 hours ago
So ' Priority of Road Users' and 1.5 metre clearance at 30mph has been been reduced to 'sharing'? NCN route 2 here in South Hams is an absolute scream with white vans, tractors and total idiots who refuse,or are totally incapable,to reverse on high Devon banked lanes ...means you have to get off and pedal back to a passing place....could be at that all day...so I don't bother...
Mr Anderson 11 hours ago
@MaxiMinimalist Agreed. The big problem I see now is today's parents grew up being driven to their schools, and therefore, see private motor vehicles as the only viable form of transport. The vast majority of UK infant and primary schools have a catchment area that is within easy walking distance from home to school. Yet, the traffic caused by pupils being driven to/from school is astonishing. Banishing the "School Run" should be a priority for all schools.
MaxiMinimalist 12 hours ago
When I was a kid (that was during the previous millenium when phones were connected to a plug in the wall), I rode my bicycle to school, music academy, sport grounds, parties even during the winter. The government didn't have to spend, correct that, didn't have to think of spending massive amounts of money to build cycling specific infrastructures. Over the past 3 or 4 decades, cars have grown bigger, taller, safer (for their drivers) and faster. Meanwhile, motorists have become abusive, aggressive, hypersensitive to people moving on two wheels, aka cyclists. Spending billions upon billions on new infrastructure won't address the crux of the matter. Sadly.
23 thoughts on “Belgian cyclist vs lorry driver video – the spoof version; Tesla Truck ‘not street-legal’ in EU; Pro cyclist breaks leg riding e-scooter; Lidl discount bike parking with ‘useless’ butterfly racks; TfL launch ‘Report a Problem’ webpage + more on live blog”
Thumbs up to Rotterdam police
Thumbs up to Rotterdam police, I’m not sure my local police would recognise what a bicycle is. And if they did they’d probably try to fine that little girl for “riding negligently or furiously” – or they would if we actually had places like that where you’d let a child ride.
I can’t help but feel we’re
I can’t help but feel we’re going a bit over-the-top with the coverage of the Lidl thing. It’s just a few butterfly bike-racks people – chill.
alexuk wrote:
Personally, I think that Jacqueline Jossa deserved her win, so I don’t get why people may be angry and focussing extra ire.
alexuk wrote:
Far from it. One of the main deterrents of people riding anywhere is fear of having their bicycle stolen, so proper, secure cycle parking is essential, not just an afterthought. My local Aldi in Bristol had proper Sheffield racks, but put them at the side of the building, not overlooked, so most people locked their bikes to the posts outside the main window. The local planning authority must have guidance about cycle parking and should have refused planning permission for butterfly racks.
I had a long correspondence with the local Sainsburys, which had no cycle parking at all, but after a year of complaing, suggesting and recommending, they put some Sheffield racks in, not where I wanted, under cover and in plain view, but out of sight with the end one was next to the emergency exit from the cafe, so if anyone locked a bike to it, the exit would be blocked. I pointed this out to the management several times, and was brushed off the same number of times, so I rang the fire brigade, who visited and told them in no uncertain terms to lose the end rack. Two weeks later it was still there, so I rang them again and next day that rack was gone. The fire officer rang me back to thank me and said that he had told the store manager in no uncertain terms that he would close the cafe unless the rack was removed today. Since then the store has been refurbished, and they have moved the racks to an extremely inconvenient, out of sight location.
Cycle parking isn’t rocket surgery, I’ve lost count of the publications giving advice about it, but the planners really, really don’t care, and the supermarkets care even less. We shouldn’t be satisfied with fourth class provision, so no, I’m not going to chill.
alexuk wrote:
Quite, there’s some stainless Sheffield stands at mine a huge 25m from the store entrance, personally I lean my bike against the window halfway along as I never bother with a lock.
Worst store around here is Tesco, they have the wheelbenders, one of which has had a huge lock on it for years, another is place in such a way that there’s a wall in the way and the other two are now useless because they put a large advertising machine (rotating job) in the way so you can’t even get a bike in. Sainsbury’s aren’t much better as they removed one due to it being in the way of the fire exit, twits!
The local Aldi that sprouted up in Spetember placed their bike racks as far away from the entrance as they could manage, the companies offer compared to Lidl is bang average IME, I’ve been in once and it’s just meh.
Same useless bike racks at
Same useless bike racks at Lidl in Farnham, which is next to the trolley storage so get your bike bashed if you do try to secure it.
I had seen these bins in
I had seen these bins in other blogs extolling the facilities for cyclists.
This one is a little more of a challenge.
ktache wrote:
That bin looks like you could actually fit a whole cyclist in though.
Rick_Rude wrote:
If not, just add some netting and you can self-pack your Christmas tree to take it home.
The Tesla safety test thing
The Tesla safety test thing is a bit of a non-story. US safety standards are designed for vehicle-vehicle collisions which makes sense given where the majority of accidents happen on that side of the Atlantic. European standards focus on pedestrian safety- again a good move in a highly urbanised part of the world. It’s one of the reasons cars look different and it seems kind of sensible.
a4th wrote:
The problem is if you make ONE vehicle in that size “indestructable” it then forces all that energy into whatever other vehicle it hits, given it’s weight that means in a head on collision with a normal-ish car weighing in at a lightweight (for the USA) 2 tons, with both vehicles doing 50mph, instead of a 100mph combined speed, it would mean the other vehicle could see the impact being the equivalent in terms of damage to having a closing speed of double that. That Cybertruck is intended to me mega-strong, so crumple zones on the other car would have do do far more of the occupant protecting that they were designed for.
a4th wrote:
The problem is, that a vehicle like this will be bought in large numbers by men (and women) with small penises to drive around the urban environment simply because there is no better way to demonstrate their eco woke credentials.
Maybe in a future driverless car world where the AI is infallible and traffic collisions of any kind are unknown you might be able to get away with such a hard edged design, though cycling or walking into a parked one will probably be very much like colliding with a skip and potentially fatal even without the car turning a wheel.
It is sort of movie set cool though.
Mungecrundle wrote:
Are you body-shaming women with small penises?
Here’s my local Tesco cycle
Here’s my local Tesco cycle parking if you can even label it as such!
.
.
I spent 3 months cycling 8000km across Canada. My packing list is in a spreadsheet and could possibly help KarlOnSea but does he want any help?
He needs the help, who takes
He needs the help, who takes a chair on a bike trip? I’m certain there’s no shortage of seating in the USA.
How does it get called a
How does it get called a truck anyway?
It doesn’t look like it has a load compartment like a pickup, or anywhere to put anything bigger than a small suitcase.
Oldfatgit wrote:
It’s a truck in the same way that a Nissan Juke is an off-road 4×4.
I don’t get the Tesla truck
I don’t get the Tesla truck ban story…since when has a vehicle actually been banned from the roads?
I see diggers, fork trucks, cranes, tractors and other agricultural vehicles with registration plates out and about in normal traffic….no problem accepting that the Tesla truck will get very very low test scores for Ped and cyclist safety but the industry has got around that for many years with emphasising occupant safety to get good ratings…recent moves to improve the front end collision profile for vunerable road users got subverted into “we’ll fit collision avoidance/rear radar/low speed automatic braking instead” and this got accepted plenty of current trucks with poor design for peds and cyclists that get good safety ratings…fashion wins look at the Ford Mustang poor safety even for occupants but plenty of them on the road…..and what’s this EU centric regulation reporting surely the UK is going to go loose and lax and solo on vehicle regs?
antigee wrote:
That’s what the reptiles, charlatans and con artists forming the current regime want to happen, trouble is, any company producing vehicles to those standards won’t be able to sell them in the EU. Then you have to ask whether the UK is a big enough market on its own. Anyway the motor industry will now retreat to continental europe to avoid the upcoming no-deal tarriff barriers and then there won’t be a uk-based motor industry any more.
Is it me, or does the Tesla
Is it me, or does the Tesla Cybertruck look like it was designed on a BBC Model B?
brooksby wrote:
Etch-a-sketch surely?
Butty wrote:
I think that’s got a similar computing capacity, so maybe…