Our favourite Brazilian daredevil cyclist aims for 300kph on a bike; Another Testogel case in Manchester M11? Matt Stephens interviews Cav; London buses to play music to warn cyclists of presence + more on live blog
SUMMARY
German man drove into oncoming cycle lane because he wanted to go to jail
The BBC reports that an unemployed German man who was living out of his car deliberately drove into a cyclist in what turned out to be a successful bid to be sent to prison.
The 62-year-old man had lost his job as a computer scientist and then blown all his savings on a trip around Europe.
With no home and his car’s licence having expired, he apparently resolved to commit a crime in an attempt to gain “all-round care in a penal institution”.
He drove into an oncoming cycle lane and hit a 48-year-old cyclist at 50mph. The cyclist is still suffering physical and psychological effects of the collision.
Judges ruled the motorist’s actions constituted attempted murder and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
A court spokesman said he had since shown some remorse and had decided to hand his pension payments to his victim.
Josh Quigley won’t be home for Christmas
Round-the-world cyclist Josh Quigley won’t meet his goal of being home for Christmas following a series of setbacks.
Quigley recently had to pop home from Australia to get a new passport after his old one was damaged by sweat. He’s also suffered the theft of his bike in London and, less dramatically, a £75 fine for riding his bike in Bedford.
He’s currently cycling across the US, but has been battling serious head winds and suffered four punctures in 24 hours.
Day 247: 70 miles….
Sponsor: @elixinol_eu pic.twitter.com/UKFvKhB7Z1
— Josh Quigley (@JoshQuigley92) December 18, 2019
Storage space
In Wandsworth (London), 18% of road space is used for parked cars. Congestion anyone? https://t.co/PNtIqyGoKR
— citymobility (@citycyclists) December 19, 2019
Northern Quarter Bee Network consultation underway
Segregated lanes, pedestrianised areas and more.
Walking and cycling to work linked with fewer heart attacks – new research from… the Brownlees?
Walking and cycling to work were associated with fewer heart attacks across 43 million adults in England, according to a new national study.
The research was published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology and was rather eye-catchingly co-authored by Alistair and Jonny Brownlee, who are alumni of the University of Leeds.
Walking and cycling to work has been linked to fewer heart attacks in a new national study published today by Leeds researchers.https://t.co/kgvZFrJH3e pic.twitter.com/Wx7DXV0XfV
— University of Leeds (@UniversityLeeds) December 19, 2019
Alistair Brownlee, double Olympic triathlon champion, said: “Our study at the University of Leeds shows that exercise as a means of commuting to work is associated with lower levels of heart attack. The benefits of regular exercise are numerous and we support initiatives to help everyone become and stay active.”
Maybe encourage more cycling to work then, yeah?
In response to the Brownlees’ study, below, Cycling UK make the obvious point.
The Conservative Party manifesto pledges less than a quarter of current cycle funding over the next five years, despite a previous admission that funding needed to double for it to hit cycling targets.
Active travel is associated with fewer heart attacks – according to a new report.
The UK spends £6bn a year coping with the aftermath of obesity related illness but has allocated only £70m on cycling and walking per year. We need more #fundingforcycling https://t.co/qVuefuU60o pic.twitter.com/qYge4wqxkb
— Cycling UK (@WeAreCyclingUK) December 19, 2019
Silver lining
This comment is in reference to the German driver who tried to get himself jailed (and succeeded).
Video: Rider taken out by deer on commute home
Nathan was cycling home from work earlier this month when he was clattered by a deer.
“My route takes me straight up the A38 out of Bristol, crossing under the M5 through Almondsbury then over the M4 before turning off into the darkness down Fernhill to head towards the Old Severn Bridge via Tockington and Olveston,” said Nathan.
“I’d descended the first part of the hill and was on a flatter section, so ‘luckily’, according to my Strava records I was only doing around 26mph at the time of the incident.
“Due to recent horrible resurfacing of the outside of some of Fernhill, I was towards the middle of my side of the road at this stage to try to avoid the ‘test track’ new surface that tries to shake my fillings out. Due to the descent into darkness I also had both of my Lezyne front lights (three decent power LEDs) on at this point to enable me to see where I was going (camera quality does not do justice to them).
“I then noticed a car approaching me on the other side of the road and was slightly aware of an unusual noise in the hedge ahead of me to my left. No sooner had I started thinking ‘wonder what that is?’, than the ‘offender’ revealed itself to be a fairly substantial Doe.
“Before I knew it, I was thinking ‘DOH! A deer’, as it quickly dashed in front of me, no doubt startled by me and the approaching car, and took out my front wheel.
Nathan didn’t go over his bars, but landed on his side with the majority of the impact taken by his elbow.
“Unfortunately, as I was in the middle of the road at this point, all I hit was tarmac rather than the grass verge it may have been, if I was more willing to ride at the edge of the road.
“Pain was immediate, and resulting damage was fairly extensive – smashed watch, torn jacket at elbow and shoulder, torn leggings, dented/scratched helmet, displaced front mudguard, damaged rear brake calliper.
“Damage to me was a minor fracture to my left radius (determined after nine hours in A&E), popped/heavily bruised ribs, lots of road rash and a dead big toe nail which is now trying to leave my left foot.
“You’ll all be glad to hear that by the time I’d dragged myself to the side of the road to avoid any following motorists, the deer had long gone, so hopefully only a bit of a tyre mark/bruising wherever I hit her.”
London buses to play music to warn cyclists of their presence
Transport for London (TfL) have announced a trial that involves playing an “artificial sound” through speakers on the front of new hybrid and electric buses.
The vehicles are so quiet that the move has been considered necessary to warn pedestrians and cyclists that they’re there.
The London Evening Standard reports that the noise is an “ethereal” bass note accompanied by a pulsing beep.
Cyclists to play music to warn London buses of their presence?
Yes cyclist not seeing busses, that’s the issues.
— MazzaK (@MKtheEngineer) December 19, 2019
Commute by bike... and get a ticket
We’ve posted a full story on that cycle commuting study that was co-authored by Alistair and Jonny Brownlee. Have a read.
The headline finding is that walking or cycling to work reduces the risk of heart attacks.
Which isn’t to say that cycle commuting doesn’t bring different challenges. Earlier today, we reported on a Freedom of Information request which has revealed that cyclists were on the receiving end of 91 per cent of tickets issued by the Metropolitan Police on a major cycleway corridor into London.
This is despite the fact that 90 per cent of casualties on the route the previous year involved motor vehicles. Full story here.
Boardman makes a characteristically logical case for more close pass operations
Great people can do this to help themselves, but we don’t want to rely on DIY policing. If video footage is admissible, Imagine if a police officer did the filming (in plane clothes) lights, close pass..etc & submitted in same way. Fines would pay for enforcement many times over https://t.co/13Cqw03vQr
— Chris Boardman (@Chris_Boardman) December 19, 2019
Plane clothes though? Does he expect officers to dress like Maverick?
Dani Rowe is no longer a cyclist
Wooohooooo my first EVER pull up!! As an endurance cyclist my upper body was always so weak! It’s fun to have different goals now & I still love having something to work for !! @ufit_fitness pic.twitter.com/FTCcejMUzU
— Dani Rowe (@Dani_Rowe_MBE) December 19, 2019
Brazilian cyclist to attempt (draft-assisted) 300km/h in Bolivia
Evandro Portela will next year make an attempt to ride his bike at 300km/h at Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flat, in Bolivia.
The Brazilian first came to our attention in 2014 when we published a video of him drafting a truck at 124km/h.
Portela subsequently set a Guinness World Record for the fastest draft-assisted speed on a public road when he rode at 202km/h on the BR277 road between Curitiba and São José dos Pinhais in 2017. (You can watch a video of that frightening bout of nutcasery here.)
Last month, Essex architect Neil Campbell was officially recognised as the fastest man ever on a bicycle after he hit a draft-assisted speed of 174.3mph (280.6km/h) at Elvington Airfield in North Yorkshire.
Denise Mueller-Korenek of the United States has gone even quicker, however, hitting 184mph (296km/h) at Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah last year.
Here’s how that went:
Just fancy that ... !
Another dodgy Testogel delivery to a major sports organisation based in Manchester’s M11 postcode? Has Pep lost his pep?
1/ A former member of Manchester City’s medical team is facing a doping charge involving a banned steroid.
Andrew Johnson, who was also club doctor at Bury FC, is accused of “tampering” with a Therapeutic Use Exemption application believed to be for the steroid Testogel.— Steve Scott (@stevescott_itv) December 19, 2019
Matt Stephens takes Cav for a spin
This is well worth a watch – the latest episode in Sigma Sports’ Cafe Ride series.
The eighth episode of our Cafe Ride series is now LIVE on our YouTube channel, and it’s a pretty special one.@RealStephens caught up with none other than @MarkCavendish for a spin around the Isle of Man.
Follow the link to watch now >https://t.co/WZScnCFuea #BuiltByTheRide pic.twitter.com/JZWVkZuHBz
— Sigma Sports (@sigmasports) December 19, 2019
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Re the mobility scooter / road race incident. What are the chances of the Daily Telegraph running with this one? : "Disabled Pensioner Mowed Down By 85mph Speeding Cyclists." "How many more pensioners must be killed or injured before number plates and insurance are made mandatory for cyclists, asked Nigel Farage, from his £5m crypto donation enquiry hideout?"
I mean, they could probably just only sell them to people with legitimate licenses for the ebike they are selling them. ie. they have passed their motorbike test. Worrying about private land proof etc just sounds like a nightmare and a huge amount of work. People would be saying "oh yeah, this ebike is just to ride at my local dirt bike track". Link the purchase to the buyers license and if they want to sell it, they have to sell it to another licensed rider. I think the core issue is perhaps the delivery riders however. I see a tiny proportion of them with what I would think is a legal ebike. Most of them are going way over 15.5mph and many of them don't even have to pedal to work them.
@Pub bike - stating "the scrotes will find a way around any rules regardless" is pretty much agreeing with me that introducing new rules around the sale/purchase is the wrong way to tackle the issue. With sufficient traffic policing, the scrotes will get nicked, whereas introducing additional rules is pointless without increasing the enforcement.
@hawkinspeter The scrotes will find a way around any rules regardless. I frequently see riders speeding along with bicycles with enormous motors in the rear wheels where the chainsets have been removed altogether and foot rests have been installed into the bottom bracket. The bill being introduced under the 10 minute rule is about the marketing, sale and supply of them including conversion kits. I suspect it will be difficult to write a bill that simultaneously allows the sale of motorbikes whether electrically powered or not for private off-road use whilst restricting them for on-road use. Better surely to make it really hard to buy any kind of motorbike without it being registered with the DVLA and the keeper having the correct licence and insurance. But the police need play their part as well in stopping the riders and confiscating what they are riding. It is not like they are difficult to spot.
What "tougher regulation"? The clue is in the name: these things are illegal (and, I agree, an absolute menace).
Thanks for the excellent review - I know it's just one Google search away, but I think any bike review in this day and age should include max tyre clearance.
Yesterday, I organised "On Your Bike", a christening of this new cycle spine from Pittville to Bishops Cleeve. Between 11.30 and 14.30, we recorded 539 cyclists using this cycle path whilst the car boot was still busy. Everybody was kept safe and moving by the car boot sale's excellent stewards. I don't see any risk to users of the bike path. I also think its an excellent opportunity for cyclists and other road users to rub shoulders in a positive and friendly way. I cannot see why a cycling community would want to try and stir and stoke friction with an article like this.
"I know in NL they have trialled semi-portable “test stations” to check max motor speeds." Worth noting, the dutch police have long had dynos to test mopeds for power/speed limits. Maybe generally kept at the station usually. But the newer portable ones do not look very different from the one my own moped got tested on at a station in the 90s.
@mctrials23 I agree, these illegal electric motorcycles have considerable advantages for the ne'er-do-well over there more traditional weapon of two-stroke dirt bikes, as you say, easier to store, you could get one up to a flat in a high-rise building easily which you couldn't do with a petrol-powered motorcycle, easy and much cheaper to fuel from any home power socket, no going down the petrol station and risking being caught, way less maintenance, if you can look after a pushbike you can look after one of these, and they are even silent so you can smash them around the woods and recreation grounds without people calling the police having heard the noise. Personally I would say a ban on sales of full-on electric motorcycles like Surrons to anyone who can't provide justification for use, e.g. farmers and other people who demonstrably have enough private land to use them, would be perfectly appropriate.
Adding regulations on the sale of e-bikes simply adds to the enforcement requirement. Meanwhile, increasing (or starting) traffic policing also works to catch a lot of criminal/distracted drivers as well as finding cloned plates etc. If police catch and confiscate a lot of illegal e-motorbikes, then people are going to be less confident of riding them on the roads - it's the current situation of next to no enforcement that creates the environment where people can get away with dangerous riding/driving. To be honest, the bigger problem is still drivers and congestion, so illegal e-motorbikes can be seen as harm reduction, despite the collisions.
11 thoughts on “Our favourite Brazilian daredevil cyclist aims for 300kph on a bike; Another Testogel case in Manchester M11? Matt Stephens interviews Cav; London buses to play music to warn cyclists of presence + more on live blog”
Deliberately driving into a
Deliberately driving into a cyclist to get yourself jailed?
At least we’re safe from that threat in the UK.
@Nathan – was it a female
@Nathan – was it a female deer?
brooksby wrote:
Doh!
iandusud wrote:
Oh, dear…
Cycling UK have also reported
Cycling UK have also reported back on the requests to candidates to pledge support for active travel. Broken down to each of the 44 now MPs
https://www.cyclinguk.org/sites/default/files/document/2019/12/mps_who_took_cycling_uk_pledge.pdf
No surprises here eh!
Oh deer!
Oh deer!
Soundtrack for buses?
Soundtrack for buses?
Shark theme from Jaws.
Or how about proximity detectors and a loud warning voice in the cab to remind the driver that they are too close behind or beside a cyclist?
I’m dead set against electric vehicles being given fake noises, it detracts from the driver’s basic responsibility to be aware of other road users and drive accordingly.
Does this mean we’ll have
Does this mean we’ll have conductors on buses again?
hawkinspeter wrote:
Logged in just to like this comment!
When I’m cycling in London I
When I’m cycling in London I know full well when a bus is behind me. If it’s not the great big shadow that is cast upon me, it’s the aerodynamic ‘bow- wave’ thrusting from behind that tells me!
I heard a government minister
I heard a government minister on radio today talking about how he wanted people to be pro-active in keeping themselves healthy to reduce demand on the NHS, while they spend a single peanut on the most effective way of helping them to do it. The cognitive dissonance is already straining measurement capability and at it’s only their first week.