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Live blog: Canyon Ultimate model made entirely from Lego; Ride with Quick-Step in Roubaix (for €3k each); 6 points and £230 fine for driver who left cyclist with brain injury; Alternative Peloton ad you can't unsee; Supermarket edition near miss +more

All today's news from the site and beyond.....
03 January 2020, 12:20
Check out this Canyon Ultimate... made entirely out of Lego

We appear to have missed this since it was shared in early November (thanks to Dave Lake for bringing it to our attention), but... how cool is it?! It's a full-sized model that appears to be to scale, and according to the uploader was built by a Jens Fischer. 

03 January 2020, 14:30
Ride with Deceuninck Quick-Step in Roubaix (for 2,999 euros per person, not including flights)
quick step roubaix

The extravagant 'Wolfpack Experience' packages include a four-night stay at the team hotel, useage of Specialized pro level bikes or the Creo e-road bike on group rides with team car support and the chance to meet the riders. The Flanders trip takes place from April 2-6 and Roubaix from April 9-13, with the sign up fee of 2,999 euros required before the end of January. If you really like Deceuninck Quick-Step and have a lot more money than me, you can find out more here

03 January 2020, 14:54
Bridgenorth pothole plea after cyclist breaks arm
Pothole (copyright Simon MacMichael).jpg

The Shropshire Star reports that 'road racer' Nick Morris is calling for Shropshire's highways to be sorted out properly after numerous friends have damaged bikes and sustained injuries. 

Morris said: "There have been a few lads who have come off on the roads around here. There was one who hit one in front of him and broke his arm. Then two people went into the back of him.

"The state of the roads is pretty horrific really. It's pretty easy to get punctures and broken wheels. There's potholes and broken tarmac in a lot of places. We kind of know the roads around here so know where most of the bad areas are. But we do still have to point them out to each other.

"Riding at night now is a no-no because you just can't see them. And they're not ones that you can just hit and get away with it. They're not just going to puncture your tyre or break your wheel, you're going to come off."

03 January 2020, 14:19
Bradford's Queensbury Tunnel row rolls on as Highways England reject council's request for abandonment delay
Queensbury Tunnel No 2 Shaft (picture credit Queensbury Tunnel Society)

The leader of the Queensbury Tunnel Society Norah McWilliam said the rejection of the extension request is "another inexplicable act" by Highways England, after plans to turn it into Europe's longest cycling tunnel were put on hold indefinitely after they ceased inspection and repair works of the tunnel on safety grounds. Contractors began filling in the No 2 Shaft of the tunnel back in October which the Society described as an act of "ruthless vandalism", and they still hope to eventually secure funding to undo the damage and begin revamping the tunnel.

Ms McWilliam continues: "If the funding bid is successful, they (Highways England) could be relieved of all responsibility for the tunnel, something the Department for Transport - as its owner - is keen to achieve. So why are they unwilling to create a little breathing space for decision-making? This attitude amounts to a bloody-minded refusal to look for a positive outcome.”

 

03 January 2020, 12:37
Driver who left 81-year-old cyclist with life-changing brain injury given £230 fine and six points

Cumbria Crack reports that 56-year-old Debra May Chapman hit John Craig on Bridgegate Avenue in Barrow, after failing to see him on her right and pulling out in front of him. Mr Craig was riding his e-bike at the time of the collision on the 22nd June 2019 and was sent over Chapman's bonnet, leaving him with a significant brain injury that means he now needs one-to-one personal care.  

Chapman pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention at North and West Cumbria Magistrates Court in Carlisle yesterday, saying she was very sorry and the incident was "a momentary lapse of concentration." 

She was sentenced to a fine of £230 with court costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £30 plus six penalty points, meaning that Chapman is still free to drive having previously held a clean driving licence. ​

 

03 January 2020, 14:13
Scottish government make an extra £700,000 available to help people buy e-bikes
Moustache Friday 28 riding -5

The money will be allocated to fund an interest-free loan scheme, whereby Scots can purchase an e-bike worth up to £6,000 with a four-year repayment period on the loan - full story over on eBikeTips

03 January 2020, 15:10
To have a bike plan, first you need a car plan

Hopefully Mr Boardman's Bee Network masterplan for Manchester will also see the transformation of the main road network to accommodate the new infrastructure. 

03 January 2020, 12:57
More pros flock to disc brakes, as Lotto Soudal riders latest to make the switch
lotto soudal disc brakes

Could 2020 be the year we see almost complete adoption of disc brakes in the pro peloton? A day after Movistar announced their new partnership with SRAM and a complete switch to disc brake brakes, now Lotto Soudal have also made the switch - although they are sticking with Campagnolo components for 2020. Read more about the latest wave of pro team disc adoption here

03 January 2020, 13:13
Trek slim down the e-road version of the Domane with the new Domane+ LT
trek domane e main

The new Fazua-powered Domane+ LT weighs in at 3.6kg with battery pack attached at 10.7kg without - full story over on eBikeTips

03 January 2020, 08:11
The alternative Peloton ad (that you really can't unsee)

At first we decided not to embed this video directly, but alas our childish side prevailed and it’s way too good not to share. If you’re prudish, squeamish or both, perhaps don’t watch past 0:12...

03 January 2020, 11:28
Now you see him...
03 January 2020, 11:13
Sustrans back York's car-free plans

York will become the first car-free city centre if plans to ban private cars by 2023 are realised. The policy, initially proposed by Labour councillor Johnny Crawshaw and now backed by the council, is aimed at eliminating “non-essential” journeys by car within the medieval centre, the area bounded by the city’s historic walls. 

Sustrans' HQ is in Bristol, a city that itself will be the first to ban diesel cars from the centre starting in 2021 in an effort to lower its illegal levels of air pollution; it is currently falling way short of the target. 

03 January 2020, 11:07
RideLondon raised £11.5 million for charity in 2019
Prudential RideLondon 2019 finish (credit RideLondon).JPG

The record amount brings the total raised up to £77 million since the inaugural RideLondon seven years ago. London's mayor Sadiq Khan said: “My congratulations go to everyone who helped raise this fantastic sum for charity at the 2019 edition of Prudential RideLondon. Their efforts will help some great causes make a real difference to people’s lives.” 

As we reported yesterday though the event may be under threat, with Surrey County Council launching a public consultation over whether it should continue to host events forming part of the UK’s biggest annual cycling event - the current agreement for the county to host expires this year, and the consultation will help the council decide whether to continue to stage it during the following five years. Full story here

03 January 2020, 11:00
Anyone recognise this guy?
lewisham cyclists gopro appeal pic.PNG

Because he lost his GoPro on the South Downs recently. The post was shared on the Lewisham Cyclists Facebook group, the link to join is here if you have any information. 

03 January 2020, 09:02
28 cyclists were killed on New York's streets in 2019; while Oslo recorded no cyclist or pedestrian fatalities
New York City segregated cycle lane (CC licensed on Flickr by Dylan Passmore)

The New York Times has asked what went wrong on the streets of New York City last year, as total traffic deaths rose to 219 from 203 in 2018 and the highest number of cyclist deaths for two decades was recorded. A vocal part of New York's cycling community say Mayor Bill de Blasio's plan to improve street safety and add in 250 more miles of protected bike lanes has been undermined by the attitude of some traffic police, such as the tendency to issue fines to cyclists for traffic violations in wake of a fatality instead of policing drivers. Some have suggested banning cars, but officials say they have to 'balance the needs' for those who rely on motor vehicles for commuting and business to get around the city. ​

oslo - via wikimedia commons.PNG

Oslo may have some of the answers, as it's been revealed the Norwegian capital recorded no pedestrian or cyclist deaths at all in 2019. This was achieved partly thanks to a big increase in pedestrianising streets, giving priority to cyclists and pedestrians at junctions and encouraging clean modes of transport. Deaths rose to a high of 41 in 1980, before finally reaching zero 39 years later. Additionally according to Oslo-based road policy director Anders Hartmann, no children were killed in a traffic incident anywhere in Norway in 2019; the first time this has happened since 'at least World War 2'.  

03 January 2020, 08:16
How much does a big crash cost you?

Some time off work, a broken bike, pain of course... and if you live in the USA like Phil Gaimon, an extremely hefty medical bill. We know where we'd rather live when it comes to healthcare, and let's hope it doesn't change to much any time soon... 

03 January 2020, 08:16
Makes sense...
03 January 2020, 08:07
Close-passing and 'must get in front', supermarket edition

Sadly this Australian ad highlighting poor driver behaviour by changing the setting to a supermarket will seem all too familiar to many cyclists, particularly the first impatient shopper we're introduced to. 

Arriving at road.cc in 2017 via 220 Triathlon Magazine, Jack dipped his toe in most jobs on the site and over at eBikeTips before being named the new editor of road.cc in 2020, much to his surprise. His cycling life began during his students days, when he cobbled together a few hundred quid off the back of a hard winter selling hats (long story) and bought his first road bike - a Trek 1.1 that was quickly relegated to winter steed, before it was sadly pinched a few years later. Creatively replacing it with a Trek 1.2, Jack mostly rides this bike around local cycle paths nowadays, but when he wants to get the racer out and be competitive his preferred events are time trials, sportives, triathlons and pogo sticking - the latter being another long story.  

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