Which is the worse Ferrari?; 18-time British national champion alleges racism; Rui Costa criticised for use of the arm in Saudi Tour; A bike ribbed for your pleasure; Jeremy Vine on driverless cars; One lane, 39 seconds, 100 commuters
SUMMARY
Cyclists require less space than motorists, part 5,467
1,500 cars per lane per hour is apparently the going rate.
It would take a 6 lane road to get these 100 cyclists through in 39 seconds in cars. #London
vid @E14Cyclistpic.twitter.com/ZpFH8fDR7J— Urban Planning & Mobility (@urbanthoughts11) February 5, 2020
Godawful lever setup
On the left.
Sebastian Berwick of the St George Continental Cycling Team, please explain yourself.
Video: “I could never ride fast enough, or win enough, because of one thing I couldn’t do anything about: the colour of my skin”
Russell Williams, an 18-time British National Champion and an early mentor to Sir Bradley Wiggins, says he did everything that was asked of him to be selected for the Olympics – but he never got to compete.
Speaking from his home in Adelaide, South Australia, the now 58-year-old says that he was continually overlooked because he is black.
You can hear Williams’ story in the video below.
The video arose from research conducted by Dr Marlon Moncrieffe of Brighton University and is part of an exhibition called Made in Britain: Uncovering the Life Histories of Black-British Champions in Cycling.
The exhibition invites people to consider representation at elite level in cycling, amidst concepts of nationalism, ‘race’ and racism and asks whether this is a microcosm of how racial inequalities function in all aspects of wider society.
Contacted by Cycling Tips about Williams’ allegations, a British Cycling spokesperson said: “Russell’s comments are deeply concerning and we will be inviting him to talk with British Cycling and discuss his experiences in more detail.
“Bigotry of any kind is wholly unacceptable and we urge anyone in our sport who believes they have been treated unfairly because of their ethnicity to contact our compliance team at compliance@britishcycling.org.uk. Cycling must reflect the diversity of the society which supports it and we are committed to ensuring the sport in this country is welcoming to all.”
Jeremy Vine is in favour of driverless cars
I will be buying a #driverless car as soon as they go on sale, and would welcome the chance to trial one in London. There is nothing more dangerous than a human being at the wheel of a car. pic.twitter.com/Zn8RwaKswx
— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) February 6, 2020
We’ve covered driverless cars a lot here on road.cc. If we had to sum the safety angle up in a needlessly simplistic devoid-of-nuance kind of way, we’d say that driverless cars probably are safer than human drivers, except when they’re not.
Video: Sweary driver reported to Greater Manchester Police
Features the strongest of language pretty much throughout.
So @stuie_w123 blocked me – but here’s his deleted video @gmpolice please act before this dangerous idiot hurts someone. pic.twitter.com/ZleWridBB0
— Freddie Jackson (@John_Clarke_79) February 5, 2020
Homes of 2008 Lithuanian Olympic road race cyclists: Episode one in a series of one
Modesta Vžesniauskaitė is married to the billionaire founder of Phones 4U, John Caudwell.
If you’ve ever thought to yourself “I wonder where Modesta Vžesniauskaitė, 2008 Lithuanian Olympic road race cyclist, lives these days” wonder no more: https://t.co/CL4OUZt9Sl
— John Stevenson (@johnstevenson_x) February 5, 2020
New power source for cars
What about all the driverless cars?
My latest cartoon for tomorrow’s @Telegraph
Subscribe to my weekly newsletter to receive my unseen cartoons: https://t.co/JNDhrYJMFH pic.twitter.com/98YMnnpZGV
— Matt Cartoons (@MattCartoonist) February 5, 2020
Which roads should be car-free for Manchester Day?
And the first car free day in many parts of the city centre.Working with –@AngelikiStg –@AnnIgbon –@CllrMarcus –@JonConnorLyons What streets and roads should be car free? https://t.co/45W2FgbXwj
— Pat Karney (@patkarney) February 5, 2020
Surprisingly few people have replied suggesting every last one of them.
Manchester Day is on Sunday June 21.
This is a really, really weird bike...
So weird.
So, so weird.
What possible reason is there for having a cassette on the front wheel?
Ford's Emoji Jacket, the road.cc edition
That’s better… if you want to put yourself through reading a whole story about the actual Ford Emoji Jacket, you can read Simon MacMichael’s summary here.
Today's big question
CYCLISTS – a poll on a crucial issue – Is it OK to draft a hearse?
— Grunshaw (@MrGrunshaw) February 6, 2020
Dotwatching news: Helen Langridge to attempt to become the fastest woman to cycle around the world
She’s setting off in May.
Well here we go, my big announcement of 2020. This has been a dream 4 years in the making, becoming a firm reality and all consuming for the last year or so.https://t.co/yWTdwRxTQq
— Helen Langridge (@HelenCycling) February 5, 2020
“I want to show people that ill mental health doesn’t mean you can’t achieve great things,” she says. “I want to push my limits and really see how fast and far I can go. I’ve been at my lowest, now I need to be at my best.”
Rui Costa criticised for use of the arm after mass pile-up in the Saudi Tour
Former world champion and race leader Rui Costa (UAE Team Emirates) has been criticised by fellow riders for raising an arm to NTT Pro Cycling’s Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg with a little over 10km to go on Stage 2.
The Dutch rider fell into his team-mate, Enrico Gasparotto, who also went down, along with a number of other riders.
Writing on Twitter, Gasparotto said the move was “not fair,” adding: “Hands MUST stay on handlebar.”
Roman Kreuziger, who also rides for NTT Pro Cycling, also weighed in, expressing his hope that the footage would come to the attention of the UCI: “I think using hands is not correct, even having leader jersey!”
You can see the incident for yourself here.
Costa said that the move was only to protect himself and said he and Van Rensburg had since cleared the air.
“Feeling sad about the crash during the stage of the mate from NTT, which led to the accidental crash of other riders.
“I would like to clarify that it was Van Rensburg who accidentally came to my side and my gesture was to protect myself from crash.
“After the stage, Van Rensburg came personally to our bus to clarify that this situation happened due to a team mate touch him and his gesture is really appreciated.
“Everything is clear to both of us and hope it’s also to everybody.
“Thanks for all your support.”
The rider of Wuhan
CBC reports on Steven Li, a Canadian living in Wuhan who recently took a bike ride through the city and videoed it.
He’d spent the previous 11 days holed up in his flat. He said he saw “probably 20 people” and “maybe three, four cars” during his ride.
The population of Wuhan is 11 million.
It has been two weeks since authorities in Wuhan declared that the city would be locked down as they tried to contain the spread of coronavirus.
Earlier today health officials said that 563 people had died from the virus, up from nearly 500 people the day before, and that 28,018 cases had now been confirmed.
Ferrari driver given fine and points for using phone at the wheel
We imagine the points will have more impact than the fine.
👮🏻♂️: “Please put down your phone”
🙍🏻♂️: “Go and catch the drug dealers and rapists”
👮🏻♂️: “More people die on the roads, have a ticket” 🤦🏻♂️
6 points. £200 fine. pic.twitter.com/3y2cGrRUig
— PC Harry Rance (@PCHarryRance) February 5, 2020
Ferrari poll
Washington DC to fine drivers $150 for parking or stopping in bike lanes
The Washington Times reports that parking enforcement officers are going to start taking photos of vehicles that are stopped in bike lanes. They’ll then send those photos to the owners, along with a $150 fine.
A spokesperson for motoring organisation AAA Mid-Atlantic, described the change as “gangsterism in the name of traffic safety.”
They reckon that badly-designed streets force taxis and delivery vehicles to stop in bike lanes because stopping anywhere else would be unsafe.
Looks like the driver was just dropping something off to someone. Parallel parking to do so would clearly have been impossible. It’s okay though since it was “just for a minute.” Leaving the bike lane on 11th St SE isn’t fun #bikedc #visionzero pic.twitter.com/LOVFYD6LsG
— Cars In Bike Lanes DC (@bikelanes_dc) February 4, 2020
Dublin to clean its roads after 200 cyclists come a cropper in just one month
“Someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets.”
In Dublin’s case, the scum is actual, physical filth and it seems no amount of literal rain will wash it away. The Times reports that the council has pledged to clean a number of the city’s streets after over 200 cyclists came off their bikes last month.
According to Dublin Cycling Campaign, many of the falls came in dry conditions near construction sites at the Docklands, Grangegorman and close to St James’ Hospital.
Dublin city council admitted that in one area there was evidence to suggest that an “oil spillage related to construction activity” had made the road hazardous.
So rejoice, Dublin cyclists. Pretty soon all you’ll have to contend with are bad drivers, potholes and poor road design.
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I wasn't saying that nor talking about people who say that. I said it was silly to claim that wearing a helmet indicates acceptance of dangerous driving and poor infrastructure. I choose to wear a helmet; I also regularly report dangerous driving to the police and correspond with councils and road authorities about ways infrastructure could be improved for cyclists. I rather doubt I'm the only helmet wearer who does so.
@JamieT (a pedant writes) she's a London Assembly member, not an MP.
@Rendel Harris ".....but the claim that wearing one is somehow to be accepting dangerous driving and poor infrastructure is silly." Not that silly. Demanding that cyclists wear a helmet is seen by many people as 'the answer' to cycling safety, so there's no need to put in infrastructure. The difference between infrastructure and helmets is that infrastructure works. Helmets are a distraction from what really works, and the more time we spend talking about them, the less time we spend on things that do work. Helmets should be consigned to the dustbin of history as a failed experiment, and we should cease even mentioning them.
@Mr Blackbird Hats off to George Hall My hat's not coming off- despite this touch of cycleway-washing, Hall still bears the Mark of Cain, until he repudiates his party altogether
Perhaps an article showing a) what is available in the uk as cargo bikes and) comments from real life scenarios from those already using bikes or cargo bikes as one gentleman has done in the comments. Perhaps road.cc could follow up with this. Even the MP said not every business should use cargo bikes but suggested a more nuanced approach suitable for certain trades or companies....
@mdavidford Clearly the end of the sentence got deleted by mistake and it's meant to finish "...devices in their pockets."
@Terry Hutt I don't support mandatory helmets either, but I always think that's a daft analogy (I realise you're not quoting it approvingly): if people shooting in the streets was a regular problem, I'd campaign against it vociferously and expect the authorities to do something about it, but I'd still wear body armour unless and until the problem was sorted out. It's perfectly reasonable for people to question the efficacy of cycle helmets, but the claim that wearing one is somehow to be accepting dangerous driving and poor infrastructure is silly.
“People who are wearing body armour get used to being shot at, when it’s the getting shot at that’s the problem.” People who are wearing body armour get used to being shot at because they survive. People not wearing it die the first time they are shot. So they don't really have much chance to get used to being shot at, do they? But seriously if you don't want to wear a helmet and you're an adult, no-one should have the right to make you wear one.
@lawrence18uk Occasionally I see tradies travelling with some tools on the train, compact tool bags, rucksacks and wheelie luggage, often carrying long spirit levels separately, but on a couple of occasions collapsible ladders.
13 thoughts on “Which is the worse Ferrari?; 18-time British national champion alleges racism; Rui Costa criticised for use of the arm in Saudi Tour; A bike ribbed for your pleasure; Jeremy Vine on driverless cars; One lane, 39 seconds, 100 commuters”
“Cyclists require less space
“Cyclists require less space than motorists, part 5,467”
A fact with which we are all too familiar, but is almost never featured in the media. Just this week on BBC R4 they have had a programme featuring congestion, exercise and climate change, which explored many possible answers to these problems, except one; cycling. Most news reports have featured climate change and always heavily feature electric cars, but never cycling or electric bikes. Cycling is a much better solution on so many levels to these questions, but is actively ignored.
I’ve said it before and it looks as though I’ll be saying it for much longer, but why is the BBC so utterly biased against cycling?
Is it because they’re mainly
Is it because they’re mainly privileged, rich, white men who get driven around by their chauffeurs?
What reason for a cassette on
What reason for a cassette on the front wheel, have you never seen a handcycle? Or a Cruzbike recumbent?
Or this?
Or this?
this is pleasingly confusing
this is pleasingly confusing me, I now want one. The only question is this before or after MTB…
That’s neat, but isn’t that a
That’s neat, but isn’t that a coaster brake hub? That would make for interesting panic stops, when would the panic stop?
Interesting! On the plus
Interesting! On the plus side there no chance of toe-over when wearing big winter boots. On the minus side the front wheel is not going to have much grip. If you could drive the back wheel as well it might work, but the frame is not going to last long if riding out of saddle.
Modesta Vžesniauskaitė… I
Modesta Vžesniauskaitė… I wonder, do you think she turns up for early doors hot laps of Richmond park?
No doubt Sebastian Berwick’s
No doubt Sebastian Berwick’s levers are set up that way to give something to grab onto when riding with ghost aero bars.
Maybe he likes flared
Maybe he likes flared handlebars and he wanted to somehow recreate the position… in a non-flared handlebar?
So the AAA in Washington DC
So the AAA in Washington DC think enforcing an existing law is “gangsterism”, f me I’ve heard some entitled crap in my time but that takes the cake.
Russell Williams needs
Russell Williams needs something objective re not being selected rather than pulling out the race card at this late stage ;-(
Except that is exactly the
Except that is exactly the point; racisim isn’t objective.