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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

All the cycling news from this site and beyond...
19 December 2019, 21:45
19 December 2019, 21:44
Matt Stephens takes Cav for a spin

This is well worth a watch - the latest episode in Sigma Sports' Cafe Ride series.

19 December 2019, 21:39
Just fancy that ... !

Another dodgy Testogel delivery to a major sports organisation based in Manchester's M11 postcode? Has Pep lost his pep?

19 December 2019, 16:34
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:

19 December 2019, 16:06
Dani Rowe is no longer a cyclist
19 December 2019, 15:09
Boardman makes a characteristically logical case for more close pass operations

Plane clothes though? Does he expect officers to dress like Maverick?

19 December 2019, 14:51
Cyclist and policeman (CC licensed image by stumayhew:Flickr)
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.

19 December 2019, 13:57
Cyclists to play music to warn London buses of their presence?
19 December 2019, 13:51
London bus and cyclist.jpg
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.

19 December 2019, 12:33
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.”

19 December 2019, 11:09
Silver lining

This comment is in reference to the German driver who tried to get himself jailed (and succeeded).

Jailed

 

19 December 2019, 11:03
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.

19 December 2019, 10:59
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.

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.”

19 December 2019, 09:59
Northern Quarter
Northern Quarter Bee Network consultation underway

Segregated lanes, pedestrianised areas and more.

Details here.

19 December 2019, 09:43
Storage space
19 December 2019, 09:30
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.

19 December 2019, 09:20
Justice (Lonpicman, Wikimedia Commons)
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.

19 December 2019, 09:18
Morning

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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11 comments

Avatar
burtthebike | 5 years ago
3 likes

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.

Avatar
Jem PT | 5 years ago
0 likes

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!

Avatar
hawkinspeter | 5 years ago
5 likes

Does this mean we'll have conductors on buses again?

Avatar
Cyclolotl replied to hawkinspeter | 5 years ago
1 like
hawkinspeter wrote:

Does this mean we'll have conductors on buses again?

 

Logged in just to like this comment!

Avatar
Mungecrundle | 5 years ago
2 likes

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.

Avatar
Stef Marazzi | 5 years ago
0 likes

Oh deer!

Avatar
visionset | 5 years ago
0 likes

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_t...

No surprises here eh!

Avatar
brooksby | 5 years ago
1 like

@Nathan - was it a female deer?  yes

Avatar
iandusud replied to brooksby | 5 years ago
1 like
brooksby wrote:

@Nathan - was it a female deer?  yes

Doh!

Avatar
CygnusX1 replied to iandusud | 5 years ago
1 like
iandusud wrote:
brooksby wrote:

@Nathan - was it a female deer?  yes

Doh!

Oh, dear...

Avatar
Rich_cb | 5 years ago
8 likes

Deliberately driving into a cyclist to get yourself jailed?

At least we're safe from that threat in the UK.

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