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MISSING PROSECUTION ALERT: 2 London RLJ videos in 1 day where police didn’t act; MISSING LANCE ALERT: Livestrong relaunch; MISSING DOG ALERT: Quintana loses his Schnauzer; MISSING £650m ALERT: Boris Johnson gets cycling sums wrong + more on the live blog

Jack Sexty is in charge of Wednesday's live blog, with Simon MacMichael dipping in this evening ...
Wed, Feb 12, 2020 08:40
7
12 February 2020, 20:24
Another London red light jumping motorist gets away with it ...

You may have seen our story from earlier about how the Metropolitan Police decided not to refer for prosecution a red light jumping driver ... well, wouldn't you know it, but CycleGaz posted a video to social media today that shows exactly the same thing happening, and once again, no action was taken (this one didn't have a valid MOT either).

Still, #bloodycyclists eh?

12 February 2020, 16:05
Boris Johnson reportedly got yesterday's cycle spending figures wrong... by £650 million
boris johnson 2019 - wikimedia commons

Downing Street has claimed that yesterday, Boris Johnson was supposed to say £1 billion has been earmarked for cycling and walking routes over the next five years... however he managed to be wide of the mark to the tune of £650 million, saying in his speech that just £350 million would be spent, the Guardian has learned - full story to follow.  

12 February 2020, 15:32
Cyclist allegedly collides with a wall in Dundee, causing head injuries
brick wall - wikimedia commons

The Courier reports that the 36-year-old cyclist suffered a head injury on Tuesday night at around 4:50pm, after he apparently collided with a wall near a Poundstretcher shop. The severity of his injuries are unknown, and police are appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident to come forward with potential information. ​

 

12 February 2020, 14:50
Cyclist happens across three lobsters at the side of the road
lobster - wikimedia commons

Peter Leidig's curious crustacean discovery happened in Modbury, after the lifeless lobsters had somehow ended up in a hedge - he believes they may have fallen off the back of a delivery van, and at first mistaken them for plastic. 

Mr  Leidig then drove the lucky lobsters to Mothecombe Beach in a bucket of water in an attempt to revive them; they began to move and he released them onto the sand. He told Plymouth Live: "There’s probably more chance of winning the lottery than surviving a fall from a lobster van, being found by a cyclist and driven back to the sea."

12 February 2020, 13:22
Livestrong charity rebrands and relaunches to distance itself further from disgraced founder Lance Armstrong

The cancer charity has rebranded with a new logo featuring yellow, orange and blue overlapping rings, a complete change from their former look when millions of the yellow Livestrong bands were worn worldwide. 

The relaunch is not just visual, as the charity say they will no longer be assisting cancer patients one-to-one to advise them on insurance and counselling; instead they have pledged to spend $5-6 million annually to support entrepreneurs developing products to improve treatment and patient care.

At Livestrong's peak during Armstrong's return to pro cycling in 2009, they pulled in $41 million in donations; however that figure had plummeted to under $2.5 million for the whole of 2018, and their assets have shrunk from $100 million a decade ago to $46 million now.

Armstrong has declined to comment about the charity's relaunch and turned down the offer to see a brief beforehand. He was also not included in a video compilation the charity put together charting their history at the relaunch event; in fact, the only mention of Armstrong was when the event host referenced that Livestrong had a "famous founder." 

Livestrong President and CEO Greg Lee was quoted in the Denver Post as saying: “We have done everything we can to talk to tell people that (Livestrong) is not about one person. We have a changing focus, a new mission and a new visual identity.”

12 February 2020, 13:59
Gouda grief: huge cycle parking facility at Gouda station in the Netherlands

You might get cheesed off trying to locate your bike if you don't have something of a photographic memory... but in any case that's a hella lot of wheels. 

12 February 2020, 11:37
MISSING DOG ALERT: Nairo Quintana has lost his Schnauzer

The Arkéa–Samsic rider and 2014 Giro champ put out an appeal on Facebook, after his black Schnauzer Rocky went missing in the city of Tunja, Colombia. 

It's a particularly bitter pill to swallow for Quintana as he only celebrated his 30th birthday five days ago; he's supplied a number to call for anyone who might have information regarding his dog's whereabouts. 

12 February 2020, 12:20
Specialized launching new 'Turbo Store' in Bristol to showcase their e-bike range
Specialized S-Works Turbo Creo SL.jpg

This will be the third Turbo store to open within a Specialized Concept Store, essentially a dedicated e-bike section to show off the latest electrified models from Specialized. It officially opens on Thursday 20th February. 

 

12 February 2020, 12:11
Cycling UK spreading the love by giving out surprise free bike lights

To mark Valentine's Day, Cycling UK are surprising riders with free sets of bike lights up and down the country. The full romantic video promo is below... lovely. 

12 February 2020, 11:52
Canyon running Speedmax TT bike demo events at the Kent Cyclopark next weekend
Canyon Speedmax CF SLX 9 (1).jpg

If you've got your eye on a Speedmax for time trialling or triathlon but are unsure about ordering blind from Canyon's website, the German brand are running demo days at the Cyclopark in Kent on 23rd February and 15th March so you can try one out. 

Experts will be on hand to advise on sizes and cockpit configurations, so you'll be well informed on exactly what you need to order if you decide to buy one. Registration costs £10, which entitles you to the set-up and advice, an hour of riding and a goodie bag to go home with. If you fancy it, you'll find all the registration info here. 

 

12 February 2020, 11:26
RideLon-doh: ballot balls-up means hundreds sent acceptance letters with wrong names (full story to follow)

RideLondon say the error has affected 3% of ballot entrants, and was down to "an error in the collation of the acceptance letter and the addressed envelope in the final stage of the mailing process"... essentially (we think), those affected received the names and details of another person on the ballot either one down or one up from them in the list, and so on and so forth. Full story to follow... 

12 February 2020, 10:58
Team Ineos sign Andrey Amador... we think

As we mused on yesterday's live blog, the UCI only permits riders to change teams between 1st-15th August mid-season, so we're unsure if Amador will be free to ride competitively for Ineos straight away. Even so, they boast that they've signed him on a three-year deal. 

Sir Dave Brailsford commented: "Andrey’s consistent record speaks for itself. He is a rider of the highest calibre and his experience in the sport’s biggest races will be invaluable. 

“I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve admired Andrey’s performances over the years. His consistent commitment to team goals and his ability to race across a wide range of terrain, combined with his upbeat personality is exactly what we seek in a Team Ineos rider. Everyone on the team is excited to have Andrey join us and we are looking forward to giving him a warm welcome and making great things happen.”

The 33-year-old Costa Rican thanked Movistar yesterday as he finally departed following 11 years of service, which was made complicated by contract disputes. We'll be in touch with Ineos shortly to see if there will be any further complications to his next chapter... 

 
12 February 2020, 10:42
Introducing the Habre Eco Bike, an e-cargo bike designed to ease pollution in Kathmandu

designboom reports on this electric cargo bike made from local bamboo in the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu. It's the brainchild of Lance Rake, Professor of Industrial Design at the University of Kansas, who set about creating an emission-free alternative to gas-guzzling vehicles to transport food and people around the city, particularly in historic sites that need preserving.

After working with design students in Melbourne, Professor Rake enlisted the help of a Nepalese specialist architect to build the frame, and worked with Kathmandu University students to test prototypes. 

Highly skilled local craftspeople build the full production versions, that are strong enough for numerous children to hitch a ride on. 

12 February 2020, 08:47
"Are SUVs ads deliberately turning us into heartless b*stards?"

The Belgian ad has been attracting plenty of negative replies, with some even suggesting slogans such as 'born to rule' and 'leader of the gang' reinforce behaviour that cause incidents such as the one mentioned above. Another commented: "It is extremely telling. We have the whole spectrum of virility: Pack leader, alpha male, dominant, power, owing nothing to anyone, being bold. BMW clearly know who they are addressing and play on the insecurity of their customers."

12 February 2020, 08:32
Aussie BMX Olympic hopeful Kai Sakakibara placed in medically-induced coma after falling during a race

The 23-year-old suffered a serious head injury after falling during his opening-round heat at the World Cup event. He was treated at the scene by paramedics then airlifted to hospital.

A statement from Sakakibara's family said: "As many of you are aware, Kai was involved in a serious racing accident on Saturday at the UCI BMX World Cup event in Bathurst. Medics and a doctor were on site and were able to manage the situation and provide support to assist with his breathing. They sedated Kai and he was airlifted by helicopter to Canberra Hospital where he was placed in the ICU.

"Kai has suffered a severe head injury which will need time to settle before we have a more accurate understanding of his prognosis. An operation on Sunday morning relieved some pressure on his brain and he has been placed in a medically induced coma to help his body relax.

"Kai’s condition is described as critical but stable, he is in good hands and under 24-hour monitoring. We are expecting he will remain in a medical coma for the next two weeks or so.

"For now, we are waiting to see how things progress and our focus is on his long-term rehabilitation. Kai’s BMX career will be put on hold for now."

Jack Sexty

Jack has 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 the website 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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7 comments

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brooksby | 4 years ago
0 likes

I remember going to the Bristol Specialised store a couple of years ago. I'd had a really nice pair of Spesh's gloves which I wanted to replace (turned out that they'd been discontinued, which was annoying). The store had this huge car park and then four Sheffield stands tucked away around the back (suspiciously wobbly, as if either they'd been driven into or else someone a little bit 'whoaa' had been fiddling with them...)

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hawkinspeter | 4 years ago
1 like

I often get confused between large-breasted lobsters and dirty bus stops.

Avatar
ktache | 4 years ago
1 like

I do not know about the Belgian BMW SUV ad, but we (the UK) had a VW beheamoth ad featuring an agressive billy goat (perhaps sheep) that seemed to come close to advocating bullying on the roads.

Avatar
HarrogateSpa | 4 years ago
2 likes

On the government announcement of cycle funding yesterday. Johnson told Ruth Cadbury it was the £350 million over 5 years (£1.18 per person per year) he was announcing. Now on Twitter, Carlton Reid says it's £1bn, and Johnson just had no idea about what he was announcing. It would be good to have some clarity.

Avatar
eburtthebike replied to HarrogateSpa | 4 years ago
6 likes
HarrogateSpa wrote:

It would be good to have some clarity.

From this government?  Rather optimistic isn't it?

Avatar
peted76 replied to HarrogateSpa | 4 years ago
3 likes

Do we actually know how it's going to be spent yet? E.g. if it'll just be painted bike lanes or actual real life safe bike routes? For all I know it could be spent on a consulting firm to discover what type of signs will be required to warn drivers not to break the law.

Avatar
eburtthebike replied to peted76 | 4 years ago
3 likes
peted76 wrote:

Do we actually know how it's going to be spent yet? E.g. if it'll just be painted bike lanes or actual real life safe bike routes? For all I know it could be spent on a consulting firm to discover what type of signs will be required to warn drivers not to break the law.

They've said that there will be tough new guidelines, so along with all the other guidelines, they will be ignored.

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