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Is THIS Britain's worst cycle lane? Bizarre barriers and cyclists dismount sign ridiculed on social media; Ineos follow new concussion protocol, withdraw Geoghegan Hart from Paris-Nice; Ink-redibly bad bike tattoo; E-bike helmets? + more on the live blog

It's Wednesday and Dan Alexander will be picking out the best bits from the cycling world to take you through the middle of the week...
10 March 2021, 19:46
"It's not April fools yet is it?" Bizarre barriers and customary 'cyclists dismount' sign on Oxford cycle lane ridiculed

We've seen our fair share of neglected, dangerous and useless cycle lanes over the years here at road.cc, although this one probably falls more into the 'weird' category. What looks like a useable shared use path on Parks Road in Oxford City Centre has been rudely interrupted by a peculiar array of barriers and a 'cyclists dismount' sign, that Oxfordshire Cycling plus numerous others on social media have accused of being "inexcusable", "terrible" and not compatible with adaptive cycling amongst other things. 

Robin Williamson suggests the arrangement could be to slow cyclists down while navigating a section of the path that is next to some building works; but otherwise, most reactions have been scathing.

Local councillor Damian Haywood says he is "angry" and wanting to find out what happened, while another local commented: "I used to cycle this route pretty much every day and if I were to come across this obstacle tomorrow I’d just cycle round it on the grass so it’s not only stupid but completely useless at whatever it is it was designed to do."

road.cc has contacted Oxfordshire County Council for comment. 

10 March 2021, 16:54
Cracking example of 'angry people in local papers' on the West Sussex County Times' website today as former paramedic slams "brainless" cyclists who didn't hit him

Man doesn't get hit by cyclists is how this story has been dubbed by one person on Twitter...The former paramedic seen beautifully demonstrating that cyclists aren't allowed to ride down the Carfax in Horsham Town Centre. Chris Britton said the cyclists were "brainless" and the incident made him freeze for a few seconds...

Sussex Police's response was given through a spokeswoman who said: “Where poor cycling etiquette is observed, this will be addressed at the time." 

Anyway, the story got the full 'Angry People in Local Newspapers' treatment...

10 March 2021, 16:18
Ineos Grenadiers follow new concussion protocol and withdraw Tao Geoghegan Hart from Paris-Nice

Ineos Grenadiers' sport director Gabriel Rasch confirmed Tao Geoghegan Hart has gone to hospital for further assessment. "His front wheel slipped in the corner," Rasch explained. "It was really bad luck. I don't know if there was some gravel or why exactly it slipped. He landed on his face and his head and his knee pretty badly. He was also a bit dizzy so we thought it was the right decision to stop him and not take any risks."

Tao took to Twitter shortly after to thank his medical team for putting his health first. The decision comes two days after questions were asked about the UCI's concussion protocol after Jumbo-Visma climber George Bennett continued after a crash despite snapping his helmet and looking visibly dizzy.

10 March 2021, 15:22
Wout van Aert sprints to victory on stage one of Tirreno-Adriatico

Wout van Aert responded to his disappointing result at Strade Bianche on Saturday in the best possible way by outsprinting Caleb Ewan and Fernando Gaviria to win the opening stage of Tirreno-Adriatico. Not a bad few minutes for Jumbo-Visma then, whose two biggest stars won two stages four minutes apart...It'll be a long, arduous day in the saddle for the peloton tomorrow with a 200km stage finishing with a climb at Chiusdino. Will Wout make it two from two?

10 March 2021, 15:10
Primož Roglič wins stage four at Paris-Nice to take race lead

Primož Roglič dominated stage four of Paris-Nice, attacking before the final bonus second sprint and holding on for 3km to win ahead of Max Schachmann and Guillaume Martin. By the finish his advantage had been cut to 12 seconds but with an impressive display in the time trial yesterday, it still gives the Slovenian a firm grip on the race at the halfway point. Roglič will wear the yellow jersey tomorrow and is 35 seconds ahead of last year's winner Schachmann in second. UAE Team Emirates' Brandon McNulty is third at 37 seconds. Tomorrow's stage should be the final sprint of the week, but with a couple of climbs in the closing stages a brave attacker may fancy their chances.

10 March 2021, 14:51
Tao Geoghegan Hart crashes out of Paris-Nice

Tao Geoghegan Hart has crashed out of Paris-Nice on the descent of the penultimate climb of today's stage. The leaders are on the final climb however Geoghegan Hart isn't with them, after suffering with the effects of the fall and abandoning the race. The Giro d'Italia champion fell on a tight bend, taking FDJ climber David Gaudu out on the way down.

We'll have the stage result in the next few minutes here on the blog and will keep you updated with any news from Ineos Grenadiers about Geoghegan Hart after the stage. 

10 March 2021, 14:31
Sir Chris Hoy supports campaign to fund homelessness villages
Chris Hoy in the post-Olympic parade in Glasgow (CC licensed image by William Newman:Flickr)

Sir Chris Hoy is helping a Scottish charity's campaign to raise £1 million for the construction of homelessness villages in Glasgow and London. The Break the Cycle Campaign aims to build two supported communities for people affected by homelessness to help them build an independent life. As part of their fundraising effort, the six-time Olympic champion will join 1,000 cyclists on a 60-mile charity bike ride from Glasgow to Edinburgh. The Herald reports that each participant will be asked to raise £1,000 to reach the £1 million target.

"I have seen the impact of the funds raised and I am passionate about supporting the bold approach to breaking the cycle of homelessness. I know times have been incredibly tough of late, but I’d encourage everyone to get involved and help raise the funds needed for this extraordinary project and take on their own challenges over the coming weeks and months," Hoy said on the challenge.

10 March 2021, 13:44
Mathieu van der Poel's Strade Bianche attacks with power data

We were all amazed by Van der Poel's  power numbers when he uploaded his Strade Bianche winning ride to Strava earlier this week. GCN, who broadcast the race, has overlaid his power data to the race footage to show exactly what a 1,000 watt attack looks like when you're watching on TV...

10 March 2021, 12:50
dhb launches new website

dhb has launched their own website this morning, featuring all their cycling, running, swimming and triathlon gear. We reviewed their Aeron Deep Winter Softshell jacket recently and our tester thought it was a great addition for those freezing winter rides that we might not be done with yet. Check out the review and their new site...

10 March 2021, 12:24
Endura's Speed Pedelec helmet - what's one of them then?
endura speed pedelec helmet

Jack here! The news that the Scottish brand Endura has developed a lid specifically for speed pedelec/e-bike riders has led to a couple of questions in the comments, so here's my best answer...

In the UK and most of Europe, a speed e-bike is any bike with pedals that has more than 250 watts of power and an assisted speed limit of 25kph (and a maximum speed of 45kph). You need a moped licence and insurance to ride one, and before 2017 a motorbike helmet was needed too. Recognising that these full-face helmets aren't really ideal for any kind of physical exercise, the EU published the NTA 8776 standard specifically for speed e-bike riders in late 2016. These helmets look more like conventional cycling helmets, but "protect against higher impact speeds and covers a larger part of the head" according to this explainer from Bike Europe. 

So in simple terms, Endura's new Speed Pedelec helmet complies with the NTA 8776 standard, as well as the CE standard EN1078 certification for conventional cycling helmets. If you want to find out more about riding a speed e-bike in the UK, plus what equipment and complicated documentation you'll need to do so legally, check out this guide on our sister site eBikeTips. 

10 March 2021, 11:48
Bike shop in Dumfries raided by thieves

AE Forest bike shop in Dumfries was raided yesterday morning by thieves who made off with six bikes. At the moment the owners believe it was just stock bikes taken but will have to wait until the police investigation is complete to know how many have been taken for sure. The pictures of the stolen bikes can be seen in the post above and include: x2 Merida E one sixty (silver), E Crafty (black/white), Megatower CC XO1 (storm grey), Megatower CS (storm grey), Merida E One-Sixty (deep purple).

Last month we reported that there had been a second major bike theft in the Scottish Highlands in a fortnight, with thieves stealing bikes worth a total of £50,000.

10 March 2021, 11:13
Stellar startlist at Tirreno-Adriatico

Peter Sagan is back racing again for the first time this year, starting his season at Tirreno-Adriatico. The Italian week-long stage race has attracted a stacked field this year with: Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, Peter Sagan, Julian Alaphilippe, Geraint Thomas, Tadej Pogačar, Egan Bernal, Simon Yates, Greg Van Avermaet, Mikel Landa, Jakob Fuglsang, Vincenzo Nibali, Nairo Quintana, Caleb Ewan, Thibaut Pinot, Filippo Ganna, Michal Kwiatkowski and João Almeida all taking to the start line in Lido di Camaiore today...That's not bad is it?

We'll keep you updated with stage one of Tirreno as well as stage four of Paris-Nice throughout the day here on the live blog...

10 March 2021, 10:37
More problems with the terrible bike tattoo

As some of you have pointed out, the terrible bike tattoo also has a pedal the wrong way round too...Here's some more reader thoughts on the questionable artwork...

10 March 2021, 10:14
Endura announces new helmet designed for e-bike use

Endura has a new helmet, specifically designed for e-bike riders by "offering greater levels of impact protection and head coverage for higher speed classification e-bikes with a maximum speed of 28mph (45kph)". The Speed Pedelec isn't cheap at £159.99, but the brand says it's extended skull coverage, lightweight in-mould construction and integrated Koroyd core for superior energy absorption offers the best protection for urban riders.

10 March 2021, 08:49
"As an avid rider and lover of all things bike-related, this is horrifying": Ink-redibly bad cycling tattoo

You'd have to really love bikes to get this inked on you for the rest of your life...Shared on a Reddit thread by DustlessPage, we're trying hard, and failing, to find positives about it. Did they run out of money before the wheels could be finished, or worse are his nipples meant to be the wheels?  

We've not seen too many dodgy cycling tattoos in our time so maybe this one can take home the prize, although it did remind us of Peter Sagan's Bora-Hansgrohe manager Ralph Denk getting the three-time world champion's brand logo tattooed on his ankle as a forefit...At least there weren't any nipples involved in that one.

Dan joined road.cc in 2020, and spent most of his first year (hopefully) keeping you entertained on the live blog. At the start of 2022 he took on the role of news editor. Before joining road.cc, Dan wrote about various sports, including football and boxing for the Daily Express, and covered the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for The Non-League Paper. Part of the generation inspired by the 2012 Olympics, Dan has been 'enjoying' life on two wheels ever since and spends his weekends making bonk-induced trips to the petrol stations of the south of England.

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51 comments

Avatar
brooksby | 3 years ago
0 likes

A4174 Bristol ring road crash: Cyclist in 20s in critical condition

The cyclist, a man in his 20s, was taken to hospital, where he remains in a critical, but stable condition

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/a4174-bristol-ring-road-...

Quote:

A force spokesperson said: "Anyone who witnessed a serious road traffic collision on the A4174 yesterday (Tuesday 9 March) is being asked to come forward.

"At approximately 2.35pm, we received a call to say a collision had happened at the Hambrook lights junction, involving a bike and a grey Volkswagen Golf.

"CCTV enquiries are ongoing but we’d also ask any drivers with dashcam footage, or any witnesses, to contact police on 101, quoting reference number 5221050612."

You can imagine the comments BTL - apparently, based on the information above, nothing else has been given, it was (probably) all the cyclist's fault for (1) not using the cycle path and (2) running the red light.

In all fairness, some commenters did suggest that speed might be a factor (ie. the motorist speeding).  Oddly, nobody suggested that the motorist might have run a red light... 

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hawkinspeter replied to brooksby | 3 years ago
0 likes

I saw about that collision previously, but they didn't mention that it was a cyclist: https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/a4174-ring-road-crash-everything-5108085

There is a reasonably good shared-use path along there that I've used a couple of times - once I had to come to a complete stop as a small dog wanted to make friends and the owner apologised (I wasn't going quick so I was happy to say hello to the dog). Mostly, I'll use the roads if I go that direction as it's faster and straighter but it's quite busy and can be intimidating.

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brooksby replied to hawkinspeter | 3 years ago
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Is that the path where you get to cross the motorway sliproads for the M32?

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hawkinspeter replied to brooksby | 3 years ago
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Yeah, I think so.

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Rendel Harris | 3 years ago
2 likes

Is Horsham overly populated with moany old gits, or is angry pointy MOG the same MOG seen here a few days ago telling the skate kids the road wasn't public because it was owned by the council?

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brooksby replied to Rendel Harris | 3 years ago
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I'm glad that they got the obligatory photo with pointing finger and serious ("I'm just so disappointed!") face.

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alex_velo | 3 years ago
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Respect to Ineos for pulling Tao after he hit his head. Really hammers home the needless risk Jumbo are taking with George Bennett given his crash that broke his helmet yesterday

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AlsoSomniloquism | 3 years ago
3 likes

Whilst Old man is being old man, I don't see any difference between that report and the one yesterday with the BBC and cars going down the car banned route. After all both are examples of banned vehicles going down places which used to allow them and now don't to help protect more vulnerable users. 

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Hirsute replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 3 years ago
1 like

Thought you were talking about yesterday's Horsham old man !
Should not be cycling in a pedestrian area

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mdavidford replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 3 years ago
4 likes

Well one main difference would be that in this one there's one incidence of a(n unverified) report of two people ignoring the ban, whereas yesterday's was about a steady stream of people doing so, evidenced by video.

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Tom_77 | 3 years ago
3 likes

-

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leaway2 | 3 years ago
8 likes

Chain looks a bit slack. It definitely will in 10 years time.

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Philh68 replied to leaway2 | 3 years ago
0 likes

In 30 years it'll look like a step through frame…

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Captain Badger | 3 years ago
0 likes

Re Ebike Helmet

As the makers of the New and Improved lids are claiming more protection at greater speeds, maybe they'll finally be able to release quantification data of the protection that Old and Inferior lids afford at lower speeds.

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Secret_squirrel replied to Captain Badger | 3 years ago
2 likes

Or even how big the epedelec market is and whether there are going to be lots of dodgy sales to normal ebikers whose speeds won't top much beyond 15mph.

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Ferdaid replied to Secret_squirrel | 3 years ago
1 like

Regular ebike user (hopefully back on the bike once I get the medical all clear).

Holding 16-17mph on the flat/slight incline is childs play. The pedal assistance has tapered off but there's still some help being provided. My own "typical" commute speed nudged over 18mph - eventually the riders fitness and (usually) the extra weight of the bike start to become a factor. It's easy to break 20mph on a slight decline.

Edit: I should add that's an ebike allowed in the UK. Class 3 ebike provide pedal assistance up to 28mph.

I'll leave the pros/cons of helmets to others; FWIW I use a standard lid - partly to reassure my (now late 😞) wife.

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Global Nomad | 3 years ago
4 likes

hope he won't want to upgrade anything on that tattoo...or adjust the saddle height, stem length etc...oh and hope he spec'ed it with a threaded bb....squeeky sternum's are really annoying

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mdavidford | 3 years ago
1 like

Quote:

specifically designed for ... higher speed classification e-bikes with a maximum speed of 28mph

Erm, so what exactly are the different demands placed on it over just, y'know, a bike?

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Hirsute replied to mdavidford | 3 years ago
0 likes

This came up the first time and I think the answer was that the max and average speed would be higher than a normal bike rider or ebike rider. Hence more protection is offered.

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mdavidford replied to Hirsute | 3 years ago
0 likes

Average, possibly, but it says maximum of 28mph, which isn't exactly out of reach on a normal bike. And surely you would want it to be effective at more like maximum than average speeds?

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Hirsute replied to mdavidford | 3 years ago
0 likes

I think modal or median speed would be more useful measure for protection and that max speed isn't going to feature for long enough in normal biking.

Don't think my hips, shoulders, knees would do too well coming off at 28 which is a bit more relevant for me !

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Sriracha replied to Hirsute | 3 years ago
0 likes

Helmets are tested basically against a fall to the ground. So what is at issue is the vertical drop, not the horizontal speed.

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Hirsute replied to Sriracha | 3 years ago
0 likes

Vertical drop combined with an initial velocity.

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Philh68 replied to Sriracha | 3 years ago
1 like

They're also tested with a dummy head form only, and no allowance is given for the body mass. If my head detaches from my body then the protection of a helmet won't matter one iota 😉 And with F=MA the mass of the body must play a role in the force the head sustains on impact, surely?

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mdavidford replied to Hirsute | 3 years ago
0 likes

I'm not sure that a helmet that advertised 'protects you for half the time you're on your bike' would sell that well...  I'd have though they should be aiming for at least something like the ninth decile.

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Hirsute replied to mdavidford | 3 years ago
2 likes

Half the time - you sound optimistic !

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mdavidford replied to Hirsute | 3 years ago
0 likes

hirsute wrote:

Half the time - you sound optimistic !

Not me - the (notional) advertising.

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mdavidford replied to mdavidford | 3 years ago
0 likes

Found the solution to this question: https://xkcd.com/2435/

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eburtthebike replied to mdavidford | 3 years ago
0 likes

mdavidford wrote:

Quote:

specifically designed for ... higher speed classification e-bikes with a maximum speed of 28mph

Erm, so what exactly are the different demands placed on it over just, y'know, a bike?

Given that motorcycle helmets are only effective up to 16mph, that is pretty impressive; or complete bolox.  Take your pick.

Avatar
HoarseMann | 3 years ago
9 likes

Just needs QR-lever nipple piercings to complete the look!

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