British Cycling mercilessly slammed for eight-year Shell deal; “Cyclists should be banned on environmental grounds”… car obsessive’s mad mental arithmetic; Jeremy Vine’s near miss compilation; New Forest NIMBYs + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Weekend catch-up
Surely you can’t have missed Ganna’s stunning new Hour Record, the gravel world champs, Il Lombardia and, erm, a really bad cycle lane in Manchester? If that really is the case you’ve got some catching up to do…
> Filippo Ganna roars to spectacular new UCI Hour Record of 56.792km
> Giro d’Italia organisers criticised for rumoured Rome finale – and 700km transfer
> Multi-discipline stars dominate inaugural gravel world championships
> Nicolas Roche criticises UCI for inaugural Gravel World Championships start line order
> Segregated bike lane sends delivery drivers “straight towards cyclists”
> Government urged to end “human cost” of “dangerously lenient” driving bans for repeat offenders
> Save of the season? Tadej Pogačar silences doubters to win second consecutive Il Lombardia title
The "Stupid shit people say on Facebook about cycling" account might have just peaked
“Cyclists slowing down cars make cars burn more petrol or diesel. If this additional fuel use is then attributed to the cyclists, a quick calculation I did showed the cyclists doing about 8mpg. Therefore cyclists should be banned on environmental grounds.”
— Stupid shit people say on Facebook about cycling (@AntiCyclingFB) October 9, 2022
Unfortunately this person did not show their working, so we’re just left with this incredible take on how motor vehicles pollute. There are various theories on how this wise statsmaster worked it out, we reckon this is probably the best guess so far…
“Quick calculation” = “something I pulled out of my ass”
— Paul Daly (@PaulDaly11) October 9, 2022
Cycling in the UK
That’s not totally fair though. Drake’s Trail out of Plymouth is amazing. Tarmac and well-signed and we’ll used. pic.twitter.com/o3pad8EvUj
— Ned Boulting (@nedboulting) October 9, 2022
ITV’s foremost cycling commentator is also a big active travel advocate (check out the Streets Ahead podcast with Ned, Laura Laker and Adam Tranter) and happened across this gem of a 10 metre-long cycle lane in the South West. And in a classic case of active travel juxtaposition, it’s very close to the excellent Drake’s Trail in West Devon.
Pauline Ferrand-Prévôt wins Roc d'Azur mountain bike race... the day after winning the gravel world champs, after a six-hour drive through the night
The day after her gravel world championship, Pauline Ferrand Prévot wins another 3hr mountain race at Roc d’Azur
Win world title. Drive 6,5hrs. Bed at 2.30am. Wake up at 5.30am. Start 8.30am. Race. Win.
Just because yes.
— José Been (@TourDeJose) October 9, 2022
Of all the cycling achievements that happened over the weekend, this one might be the most impressive of the lot. As mentioned in our article yesterday, Ferrand-Prévôt travelled through the night to arrive on the start line for Roc d’Azur, winning it just hours after bagging her fourth world title of the season at the inaugural Gravel World Championships. She’ll be running out of space on her jersey to add any more rainbow stripes…
One ride, three appalling near misses for Jeremy Vine
In ONE journey yesterday, I met all three: the roller, the squeaker, and the lunger.
Have a look. And be careful on your 🚲 around these clowns!FAO @MikeyCycling @DawnNeesom @DavoodGhadami @xandvt @SherlocksSpring @ladygaga @betterstreetskc @MPSHammFul pic.twitter.com/DCG7T9g2NT
— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) October 9, 2022
The production values on Vine’s videos of his bike rides in London continue to get better, and the quality of the driving he encounters appears to be getting worse.
Many people commenting under the footage urge Vine to report the incidents, particularly the third “lunging” driver. Have you ever had a commute this bad?
The rim brake's not dead... it's good enough for the new Ironman World Champion
Another race with some cycling in it going on this past week has been the Ironman World Championships, and the men’s winner Gustav Iden did the 112 mile bike leg on a Giant Trinity with… rim brakes!
Although triathlon was among the slowest cyclesports to adopt disc brakes, the rim brake is an increasingly rare sight at the top of the pro ranks as most of the latest top-of-the-range triathlon superbikes have all been revamped with discs. Iden hinted that he would be sticking with the humble rim brake for the big race in Hawaii back in July…
Still, the fastest split of the day and new bike course record went to Sam Laidlow (on a disc brake-equipped Trek Speed Concept), who posted a blazing fast 4:04:36 for the 112 miles (180km), finishing second overall after the marathon run. In the women’s race on Thursday, world championship debutant Chelsea Sodaro was the surprise winner with Briton Lucy Charles-Barclay finishing second, with Anne Haug in third.
New Forest unmarked cycle route row continues as Forestry England promises a review into "wayward cyclists"
The popular New Forest national park has once again found itself in the middle of a squabble, as Friends of the New Forest claims its survey found 700 incidents of cyclists not sticking to designated routes in the beauty spot.
This comes after the New Forest Association said that it had recorded 550 incidents of cyclists riding off designated tracks back in January of this year, blaming them for causing damage to wildlife in the New Forest.
But are these cyclists doing anything wrong? David Orme, the chairman of Christchurch Cycling Club, told the Advertiser and Times that there was no evidence cyclists were disturbing animals or eroding the flora and fauna in the area, adding: “Whilst the current waymarked cycle tracks in the Forest could do with better signage, there are more important aspects to consider. Firstly, the existing ‘permitted’ cycle ‘network’ is wholly inadequate: it is not joined up, it doesn’t work as a network connecting centres of habitation, there are few safe crossing points of major roads (none for the A35) and it’s not logical as to which tracks are allowed or why.
“There are many miles of gravel tracks, used by motorised vehicles (FE and land owners) and also ancient rights of way which are not ‘permitted’. These points are acknowledged by the NPA and Forestry England.”
A Forestry England spokesperson commented: “We value local stakeholders’ opinions on this and are looking at how we can add to this and the best way to provide additional information and effective signage of our waymarked network of tracks.
“There are over 100 miles of waymarked cycle routes in the New Forest. Information about these is shared directly on our website, and in a cycle map available at key information points and cycle hire destinations right across the area.”
Paracycling world TT champion and triathlete George Peasgood suffers sever injuries during bike ride
The 27-year-old – who is a multiple paracycling and paratriathlon world champion – suffered serious injuries in a “freak accident” during a ride with his partner Frankie Hall, and is currently undergoing treatment.
Hall said in an Instagram post: “As many people already know, last Saturday on our ride, George suffered a freak accident on the bike [no other parties involved]. He has suffered severe injuries specifically a diffuse axonal injury, and is currently undergoing treatment in a neuro critical care unit.
“Since the accident and for the foreseeable future, I shall be based around the hospital and the rest of George’s family to help with the long recovery journey.
“We do not have any further information at this stage, we will know more once he regains consciousness, but we appreciate your respect and privacy at this time.”
Everyone at road.cc wishes George a speedy recovery.
Just in: British Cycling signs eight-year deal with Shell (yep that Shell, and it's going, erm, great so far)
We can today announce @Shell_UKLtd as a new Official Partner for the next eight years, in a commitment to sharing world-class innovation, accelerating our path to net zero, and helping more and wider groups of people to ride.
Read more: https://t.co/aay13fNkaj
— British Cycling (@BritishCycling) October 10, 2022
The good thing about British Cycling’s announcement is that does appear to have united its members… but it’s looking like it might not be massively good for British Cycling. In fact, initial impressions are that it’s going down absolutely, massively bad…
This is ethically abominable. Whoever is behind this should be ashamed to be party to greenwashing at this scale. Oil on your hands is blood on your hands. Truly reprehensible.
— Hannah Nicklin 🌹 (@hannahnicklin) October 10, 2022
In the history of epic fails… this has to rank up there in the top 10 for sure.
— Colin Lynch PLY (@FormerTTchamp) October 10, 2022
So hard to find the words to react to this.
— Clive Andrews (@CliveAndrews) October 10, 2022
No tobacco companies that you could have got on board instead?
— Kai (@4catsnomore) October 10, 2022
We’ve had a look for positive comments and couldn’t find any, so we’ll leave it to David Bunch, Shell UK Country Chair, who said this in the presser BC bashed out an hour ago:
“We’re very proud to become an Official Partner to British Cycling. The partnership reflects the shared ambitions of Shell UK and British Cycling to get to net zero in the UK as well as encouraging low and zero-carbon forms of transport such as cycling and electric vehicles.
“Working together we can deliver real change for people right across the country, from different walks of life, and also apply Shell’s world-leading lubricant technology to support the Great Britain Cycling Team in their quest for gold at the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
And we’ll leave the rest to you. Full story and probably a fair bit more reaction coming soon!
British Cycling and Shell partnership: how about Facebook?
Nope still pretty scathing, although there are some less scathing comments to be found in the 300 or so left under British Cycling’s post at the time of writing.
One said: “Shell are big into alternative energy sources as well as fossil fuel, seems to be alot of fossils on this page”
Another added: “So all these people moaning about the new sponsorship do not use fossil fuels (or materials made using fossil fuels) as part of their everyday life (and all bike components). They must ride locally sourced wooden bike frames, willow wheels with twine as brake cables… Shell (whilst not perfect) like other fossil fuel companies are investing heavily in renewables and alternatives.”
Of course this isn’t the first time Shell have partnered with a cycling brand or organisation; for a time their logo was on the sleeves of that very famous Peugeot Michelin jersey worn by the likes of Stephen Roche, voted our second-favourite of all time, with BP and Esso also sponsoring the team before Shell did in the eighties.
As promised already, our own Simon MacMichael will be publishing a full story soon with a little more context and possible explanation for British Cycling’s decision…
Breaking: 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships to be shown in full on BBC
We’ll break off from British Cycling’s whoopsie to tell you that the 2023 Worlds in Glasgow – that for the first time will bring together all cycling disciplines in one mega-event – will be shown in full on the BBC after it secured full broadcasting rights. That’ll be all 13 events including road, mountain bike, BMX and velodrome action, all live on the telly between 3-13 August next year.
The BBC’s Director of Sport, Barbara Slater, said: “We are delighted to have such comprehensive coverage of a sport that continues to grow in popularity. Glasgow and the whole of Scotland are going to be a hub for cycling fans next August and we are proud to be the broadcast partner of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championship and to showcase the event across the BBC.”
Have a lovely evening folks
Who’s your next CEO? Sauron? 🔥 https://t.co/58jcDYcVJn
— Edward Lamb (@edwardlamb) October 10, 2022
What (and I cannot express this enough) THE FUCK https://t.co/7G0QUJuOmG
— 💗💜💙🦇 Rach 🦇💗💜💙 (@BatRachy) October 10, 2022
Cyclesport ≠ cycling.
An elite road race is a festival of burning petrol & diesel with a few bike riders in the middle of it.
This partnership is entirely unremarkable.
— John Stevenson (@johnstevenson_x) October 10, 2022
There’d have been less reputational damage if you’d picked the Mafia
— Adam McGibbon 🌍 (@AdamMcGibbon) October 10, 2022
It was all so quiet until about an hour ago, minding our own business blogging about naughty cyclists going a bit off course in the New Forest. This is probably not the last on this, so until tomorrow folks…
10 October 2022, 08:29
Now updated following the Italian's mind-boggling new Hour Record
Check out the Pinarello Bolide F HR 3D that Filippo Ganna rode to smash the UCI Hour Record
Filippo Ganna didn’t just beat the UCI Hour Record on Saturday, he absolutely annihilated it, and this is the bike he rode
10 October 2022, 08:29
10 October 2022, 08:29
Use your noggin and light up your life with our latest competition! Well it will light up your life if you win anyway and you might not but ah well worth a shot...
Closed! Four winners announced for our Knog lights and bike alarm bundles competition
Knog competition is now closed and we can now announce the Winner! is it you? check below.
10 October 2022, 08:29
Full story on British Cycling hearts Shell...
Closed! Four winners announced for our Knog lights and bike alarm bundles competition
Knog competition is now closed and we can now announce the Winner! is it you? check below.
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Latest Comments
@Xenophon What, because he says he thinks there may be a racist element in the police assuming that an ethnic minority person on an ebike must be a courier on an illegal machine? This is lived experience for many in the UK even today, I have a black friend who has given up his expensive car in favour of something more modest because he's fed up with being stopped and asked to prove it's his. Nationally, BAME people are four times more likely to be stopped by the police; in some wealthy areas of London that ratio rises to an astonishing, and shameful, forty-eight times more likely. So it's quite likely that the ethnicity of the rider had something to do with the stop and his subsequent ignorant and illegal treatment and it's neither activism nor "having a chip on his shoulder" to point it out. Ask yourself this: if that legal Tern was being ridden by a white middle class woman taking Jemima and Henry to school, do you think she would have been stopped, subjected to the same "testing" and had her bike illegally seized and destroyed? Not a chance in hell and it's not having a chip on one's shoulder to say so.
Cops making up the law to make cyclists feel less "special" - check! wtjs here with examples of some other powered "illegal vehicles" for which drivers *do* need to have insurance (and tax and MOT) but where that hasn't happened in some years? Not yet... Still - these ones appear active... Can they get retrained then redeployed where some posters complain about an "ebike plague"?
The Rider would be well within their rights to sue for lost earnings. The bike company for the cost of replacement and lost rental earnings. I know there are some thick plod about but this one must be a record. Hit the plod in their budget - that might wake up the PCC.
@Xenophon2 Just sounds like someone who's quite reasonably angry that his organisation is £6.5k in the hole for no good reason to me. They didn't. They're quoted in the article as saying “I do suspect that he might have been using it for courier riding, such as Deliveroo, but I can’t firmly prove that" Which pretty clearly implies that they weren't supposed to be. But that's a violation of the terms of agreement between the rider, Bike Foundry, and the council, and a matter for them - it's entirely irrelevant to the police action and the harm that's caused to both the rider and the company.
This needs to be taking to court and an example made of these officers before this type of illegal seizure and destruction becomes a regular occurence. This also appears to be racism. If a car is taken by police it is impounded and the driver is required to obtain special insurance to collect it. There is a period of grace before the car if perfectly roadworthy is sold, or otherwise scrapped. I bet this bike wasnt even scrapped, and was sold on. Come on, a £6k bike would have taken 5 minutes for someone to work out its saleable. Very, very dodgy police.
That is a sorry tale; ignorance, gig economy, petty minded officials, tinges of bigotry, targeting of the wrong ‘issue’, subsidy, deaf and dumb law enforcement, no accepting of culpability, lies and deceit. Almost a microcosm or metaphor for the UK at the moment.
Congrats Emily!
Is the “serious suspicion” just that these two are much better than everyone else rather than any actual evidence… oh and there is a good French rider at last so let’s help them out…
"It's time to stop arguing about tubeless"? Well, not really. the entire premise of the "argument" here, is that everyone in the peleton is using it, so it's perfect. But, of course, the pros are using all the benefits of tubeless, and any downsides, are merely swept up, by a support network of crew. If I was able to run tubeless, but in situations where I got a sidewall split, and couldn't get the bead off the rim, or my tyre boot still kept spewing sealant.....and in all those situations, a support vehicle would magically appear and sort it, or give me a new bike, you bet I'd be running tubeless.
This is what happens when inadequately trained and ill-equipped enforcement staff go out and 'do checks'. They'll settle and pay. That said, many of these bikes ARE in fact illegally modified, turning them into illegal electric motorcycles that ride around without compulsory insurance so there definitely should be more oversight. And although not a matter for the price, I don't think it's allowed to rent out bicycles subsidised under that scheme for commercial use. This Allama fellow sounds like an activist with a chip on his shoulder but I'm not sure his activism has anything to to with cycling.
68 thoughts on “British Cycling mercilessly slammed for eight-year Shell deal; “Cyclists should be banned on environmental grounds”… car obsessive’s mad mental arithmetic; Jeremy Vine’s near miss compilation; New Forest NIMBYs + more on the live blog”
“”Cyclists slowing down cars
“”Cyclists slowing down cars make cars burn more petrol or diesel.”
I’m still reeling from the concept that universities are ‘decolonising thermodynamics’ (according to the mail).
What do we want ?
A system’s entropy approaching constant value as its temperature approaches absolute zero.
When do we want it ?
” ‘Woke’ physicist claims
” ‘Woke’ physicist claims photons aren’t limited to being either waves or particles – we explain how this will affect YOUR house prices”.
And:
And:
https://cyclingfallacies.com/en/38/cycling-infrastructure-causes-pollution
…with a note to the thoughtful man’s take on this:
https://invisiblevisibleman.blogspot.com/2017/01/a-smug-expectation-messy-reality-and.html
I miss the invisiblevisible
I miss the invisiblevisible man
“Visible portion of
“Visible portion of electromagnetic spectrum witnessed just before 1997 Paris tunnel crash”
Too soon again!
Too soon again!
This reminds me of the online
This reminds me of the online discussion I had on the subject of road tax with someone who argued that bikes did more damage to roads because the load transmitted to the road surface through bike tyres is greater than that of a typical 4 x 4 because of the footprint of a bike tyre being so small in comparison.
online discussion I had on
online discussion I had on the subject of road tax with someone who argued that bikes did more damage to roads because the load transmitted to the road surface through bike tyres is greater than that of a typical 4 x 4
You’re never going to convince very stupid people with reasoned argument. The local message board here has just been reinfested with Anti-Vax nutters, and there’s no point in discussing with them- just state ‘Get the Vaccine’ and leave!
I think I remember that one
I think I remember that one and the other person involved, who thankfully is no longer around; didn’t it end up with him claiming that jumbo jets would do proportionately less damage landing on a road than a bicycle would?
My exchange of views was on a
My exchange of views was on a football club message board on a thread which included the usual ‘Lycra clad cyclists who think they’re in the TdF”
I had some fun pointing out that the stands were full of middle aged wannabes watching the game wearing replica shirts straining over their beer guts and at least those of us in Lycra were actually participating in the activity for which it was designed.
Good point!
Good point!
I must’ve misremembered slightly, there definitely was a discussion on here where one of the erstwhile trolls insisted that not only should bikes pay road tax because they damaged the roads but they should actually pay more than cars because they did more damage!
That was a bit of a classic,
That was a bit of a classic, credit where it’s due. “But bicycles only have two wheels…”
Thinking about “small contact area” wasn’t there also something about “bikes are proportionally more damaging when in collision with a pedestrian (at a given speed) because of their narrow wheels / tubes”? Now there could be circumstances where that is true (forward-pointing un-capped tri-bars…?) but isn’t one problem that when heavier vehicles transfer momentum to the pedestrian that doesn’t bring them to a stop and they keep on going, sometimes hitting the vulnerable road user again or ending up on top of them?
Anyway I was observing two parallel lines of degraded tarmac following the line of a turn across a junction at the weekend, thinking “bloody cyclists again”.
They were utterly demolished
They were utterly demolished by andystow.
hirsute wrote:
This comes up all the time.
This comes up all the time. Is the answer that the force that degrades the road is NOT compressive but shear? Or is it just that car/lorry tyres run much hotter and soften the surface? Long time since I did physics!
Just want to make sure I have my retort correct next time it comes up.
IanMK wrote:
I think it must be the shear forces. Bus stops typically have damaged road surfaces where the bus is stopping and starting and you can sometimes see similar damage near traffic lights, but traffic lights will have heavy vehicles stopping and starting at different places over time.
There was a short section of
There was a short section of sharp downhill, coming out of church crookham towards back end of Farnborough, toward a give way at a t junction, resonance in traction upon braking had caused proper corrugations in the tarmac. Probably not bicycles, though. Very regular, 2 lines. Could have been primary and secondary???
There’s proper ruts near me at a bus stop, just up from caversham on the ncn4. Weight of the bus and nothing else, not wear. Smooth dips, my big tyres behave weirdly. And centre of reading, mostly buses, taxis and large delivery vehicle has roads that deteriorate faster than any other I have experienced. Full suss MTBs are more required than skinny tyred hybrids.
First busstop on hemdean road
First busstop on hemdean road as you come up from church street in caversham, you can almost see the waves in the tarmac on street view. Lots of past images too. Tablet I’m using at the moment doesn’t do pics like I really want to post.
The corrugations I believe was on the Aldershot road where it hits the Fleet road, the junction has become a lot larger than I remember it, and the road.
ktache wrote:
I’ll see if I can get a pic of that stop! I’ll probably be down in the next week of so. It’s always a good day when you can get the word ‘undulates’ in before 9:00 and that is a perfect word for that piece of tarmac!
As an aside, I tend to rage on that road at MGIF motorists that speed past me and then slam the brakes on right in front of me when they discover why speeding in the middle of the road* into the blind bend at Hemdean House school is an incredibly stupid move.
*for once, not lane.
Would that be through the
Would that be through the “20s plenty” section?
ktache wrote:
Not sure the pic does it justice
ktache wrote:
I was referring to the bend as you come away from Caversham just before the 20 section. Though the whole road has shite driving.
I’ve never understood why the posh kids don’t get a 20, and the slightly less posh kids about 100 metres away do. Not that it matters, no one adheres to it and I have it in my head it’s not enforceable anyway. Could be wrong on that (in so much not enforceable is slightly different to not enforced )
They are really describing a
They are really describing a static pressure but this is not relevant to the dynamic situation of rotational forces from all that torque. Hence all the worn road areas where you see constant acceleration and deceleration.
These comments herald the
These comments herald the beginning of a possible classic topic, and possible careers in the hyper-junk press for two of our alumni!
8 mph in first would put most
8 mph in first would put most car engines near peak efficiency with minimum atmospheric drag, so environmentally the best.
sounds like that’s about all
sounds like that’s about all they are averaging down in Southampton and Bournemouth at the moment. That poor flow doesn’t stop the continual flow of driver bullshit.
I’ve noticed how terrified drivers are of trams and traction engines – can’t be bullied out of the way. The sheer desperation for clear road space includes a wanting a tube system – for everyone else to use.
There was also a spate of vandalism a few nights ago with a spray can and although untargeted, some parked cars got a custom shade applied. Driver reaction? Waa waa waa as per Tyre Extinguisher activity – the same (well, not the exact same) drivers that daily are merrily barging VRUs off the road with so much as a care!
Oh, and “Lycra” AKA cyclists – I keep reminding my fellow posters that in terms of casual wear for the women and girls around them, the Lycra legging is near universal with only denim jeans for competition.
The penny-farthing braking
The penny-farthing braking way is not dead… it’s good enough for the new Track World Champion.
3 in a single ride was a good score Jeremy. And I thought that two car bonnets in my ride were too many.
I’ve seen that argument, that
I’ve seen that argument, that cyclists are somehow responsible for motorists’ fossil fuel consumption, before. It was on the internal staff message board of a particle accelerator research facility. Needless to say, it wasn’t an assertion that was left unchallenged for very long. While there are some bonkers and/or greedy physicists on the payroll of oil companies, the bloke who posted it in that case was an accountant.
All it took was over £50,000
All it took was over £50,000 worth of bike, near infinite budget from ineos and a two time time trial world champion at the top of his form to beat a 12 year old record set by a 7 years retired national level semi-pro on a home made recumbent. (Aurielien Bonneteau in 2014)
He even managed to get close to the current record holder for an unfaired recumbent (57.6km by Matthias Konig in 2016)
(I don’t mean for this
(I don’t mean for this comment to seem like I am trying to take away from the incredible achievement of Ganna’s distance. However, with the bike optimised to such an extreme extent it does take away from the spirit of the new UCI rules which were designed to unify the record and make it come down to only the rider’s ability and effort. Without that being the basis of the record it may as well be opened up to any type of bike.)
I saw this report on the Beeb
I saw this report on the Beeb.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c90gq03xjqlo
No knowledge of the circumstances but based on the report the “bike collided with a car”, so presumably the car was parked at the time?
Condolences to Mr Simons’ family and friends.
Re: Vines Lunger. I reckon
Re: Vines Lunger. I reckon his hand signal didn’t help the situation. To Vine, he was showing the route he was taking. To the driver, was he stating come out across me?
The other two are normal occurences though, either to beat the “slow” cycles out or just force out into all traffic.
To be fair to the second one,
To be fair to the second one, the squeaker. Having just filled up, his wallet was significantly lighter in his pocket and therefore there was insufficient downward force to the brake pedal.
The first one was the one you
The first one was the one you meet all the f-ing time, who waits until the last possible moment when they are absolutely certain that they will come into conflict with the oncoming cyclist before slooowly pulling out (to make sure we hit them?).
not that I want to turn it
not that I want to turn it into a contest of “who has the baddest commute” but if those 3 were all that troubled me on a ride, Id consider it a win.
Those first two especially are as common as anything, I remember one where the car edged out to join the lane next to me,so blocks me obviously so I have to emergency stop and start shouting loudly about how terrible a driver they are, and the driver never once made eye contact or even acknowledged I was there.
just the 3 x close passes (2 borderline reportable) and 1 x MGIF today. so quite a quiet day
Worst recent lunger (not for
Worst recent lunger (not for me but just in general) was one who decided to leave the area on the left to go straight across to the other carriageway (you can see drivers treat the hatched area as a turning area). She looked at me, then decided to go ahead of the “slow” bike and almost piled straight into the back of the car that already occupied the spot she was aiming for. Unfortunately she didn’t hit them, I just went around the back and left the other cars to beep and report her for holding them up for longer then nine seconds.
Did have the one MGIF here today on the way home. They were well behind me as i stopped in the ASL in Secondary. They then passed to plonk their back wheels on the ASL forward line about 5 seconds after I had stopped. Unfortunately my camera hadn’t been activated when I left work otherwise it would have been reported.
I did wonder about the non
I did wonder about the non standard hand signal but, of course, as all drivers are fully conversant with the HC then they will know “Signals warn and inform other road users, including pedestrians (see ‘Signals to other road users), of your intended actions.”
Well I look forward to how
Well I look forward to how British Cycling’s new partnership with Shell will go down, badly I suspect.
Maybe it’s just their way of
Maybe it’s just their way of “reinforcing the point that bike racing isn’t exactly green”:
https://road.cc/content/news/giro-ditalia-organisers-criticised-700km-transfer-296477
Ah, the regular new forest
Ah, the regular new forest anti-cycling whinge-fest – how many this year, Bert? Put down 600, no make it 700.
Survey Methodology supplied by the ABD.
REPAIRS TO CHOCOLATE PATH TO
REPAIRS TO CHOCOLATE PATH TO BE FINISHED ‘IN EARLY 2023’
https://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/repairs-to-chocolate-path-to-be-finished-in-early-2023/
Five years to fix the
Five years to fix the chocolate path? Whispa it, but that’s a long Time Out. Hopefully caused no-one to take a break – or even breakaway – from cycling.
chrisonatrike wrote:
Sounds like it’s been a Marathon effort (no Snickers please).
Let me guess – you’ll be here
Let me guess – you’ll be here all week? 😉
Only ’till Fry’sday.
Only ’till Fry’sday.
chrisonatrike wrote:
You should get double points for that as Fry’s was originally a Bristol company so you’re bang on Topic
You can bet that the folks
Maybe they should rename the Chocolate Path as the Rocky Road.
You can bet that the folks with Wagon Wheels don’t have to wait this long for repairs.
Just trying to think of
Just trying to think of another chocolate bar pun, but I can’t, so I’ll have to Fudge something in. Oh well, Taxi!!
mark1a wrote:
I’ve got a friend who keeps thinking that he’s a Terry’s Chocolate Orange. He’s scared of getting sectioned.
Been saying they will fix
Been saying they will fix this for years, I reckon they’ll Flake…
I think Fry’s Five Boys might
I think Fry’s Five Boys might be appropriate:
Nice of you to feature my
Nice of you to feature my Facebook comment on the site. I’m SERIOUSLY considering leaving British Cycling over this, although a bit of me is uncomfortable about withdrawing support for a sport I adore.
I just wish they’d reconsider.
Cycling UK are a worthwhile
Cycling UK are a worthwhile alternative and arguably do more for regular cyclists. Paying money to BC is a bit like giving money to the football association because you like a kick around in the park.
Dogless wrote:
THIS. I bailed out to CUK a couple of years ago thankfully. Unless you are involved in racing BC are pretty irrelevant and that was prior to this announcement. Whilst I don’t think partnering with Shell is the end of the world it shows how tone deaf they are as an organisation, as others certainly would think that.
my issue with CUK is they
my issue with CUK is they make alot of noise about certain issues which “trend” but theres alot of regular cycling stuff across the UK they just dont get involved in.
Im not saying BC do any better, but at least you know they arent really interested to begin with.
Awavey wrote:
Really? What regular stuff are they missing? Aside from not being sport-focussed? They’re keen on the bikepacking / cycle touring obviously, having started from there.
I signed up just for the insurance but according to the mag you get / their website they seem to be involved with plenty of regular cycling stuff. Local groups, rides, encouraging people to start, advice, legal support and insurance, supporting women, linking in with Wheels for Wellbeing, various local and national campaigns…
They’re not Sustrans, or the (sadly dormant) Cycling Embassy of Great Britain or Critical Mass but then those are more narrowly-focussed groups.
Its things like a council in
Its things like a council in southern England removes protected cycling infra, Cycling UK immediately announce theyll take that council to court to fight the decision in a blaze of publicity.
Council in Suffolk removes protected cycling infra for equally specious reasons, I bet you didnt know you dont need cyclists to be protected on straight bits of road apparently…Cycling UKs response…well nothing they didnt even express any public disappointment about it.
Council in North of England closes road to all road users for safety reasons, Cycling UK in a blaze of publicity announces it will fight the councils decision through the courts as cyclists have rights to use this road even when its closed.
Council in Suffolk shuts a key walking & cycling link bridge between Southwold & Walberswick for 3months for safety reasons during last summer, that necessitated a 9 mile diversion along the A12 (a lethal road for cycling) and the A1095 (which ain’t much better). Cycling UKs response…well again nothing, not a murmur or even call for better cycling routes in the region.
Spotting the pattern ?
Thanks for the info. Sounds
Thanks for the info. Sounds like their Suffolk members need a boost / to shout a bit louder. Maybe someone here could…?
They haven’t publically said a lot about issues in Edinburgh / Midlothian that I recall. Fortunately the local group here (Spokes) is pretty good. They did pick up on the default 20mph Scottish speed limit bill however.
I’m not waving a massive flag for them – I’m not actively involved with the various things they do. Sorry Suffolk is missing out. I don’t know how they select particular issues. As a national organisation I don’t think I’d expect them to go to the media with every local issue. Especially as there are normally local cycling groups dealing with the grubby reality of making relationships with local politicos and lobbying (for) cyclists. I would hope that they could provide support (probably via local groups) and / or maybe collect these as evidence / experience for use in future campaigning.
For a national organisation they seem to have a reasonable balance of picking up on some local issues which fit their broader campaigns. (On issues which I’m mostly in alignment with.)
I cancelled my BC membership
I cancelled my BC membership last year to join CUK (I still think of them as the CTC) because of their campaigning. From their website
The Cyclists’ Defence Fund helps fight significant legal cases involving cyclists and cycling, especially those which could set important precedents for the future and could affect the safety of all cyclists.
They’re a charity and can’t afford to fight every battle so it seems reasonable to me that they will choose ones which raise the most publicity?
Looking forward to BBC
Looking forward to BBC coverage …NOT. Why can’t we have a national sports tv channel, that just cares about sports, and not political messaging – I can gaurantee the BBC will use it as a platform for political and virtue-posturing. Just praying that the hosts will actally know what they’re talking about and actually care, rather than just appointing a group of every colour, sex, gender and creed of the world to appease their woke overloards.
‘political messaging’ or
‘political messaging’ or ‘assembling people who represent the actual makeup of the country’.
How’s GB news cycle coverage?
How’s GB news cycle coverage?
Or 4Chan?
I for one am very pleased that the BBC will be showing the festival of bicycle that the world champs will be.
Well GB news certainly wouldn
Well GB news certainly wouldn’t politicise their sports reporting….Excuse me, they did what during the World cup? Sacked one of their reporters? But they are all about free speech on their channels aren’t they?
Some time back I mentioned I
Some time back I mentioned I would contact RNIB about the issue of orcas and whether they had a view.
This is there (reasonable IMO) response:
Our understanding is that orcas wouldn’t be present in the middle of crossings with tactile paving and so on, and as blind and partially sighted people expect/are trained to use proper crossings, we currently don’t have a position on this. However we understand that they may present a challenge for a person with sight loss should they be encountered for whatever reason.
Of course, if you have examples of poorly sited wands or orcas around pedestrian crossings, it would be interesting to see (I have zero faith in the competence of Highways when they are charged with snaffling a grant to balance the budget aka installing cycling infrastructure).
I’ve had a number of my own
I’ve had a number of my own incidents of rollers and lungers.
http://www.youtube.com/themitsky/videos
Even the Guardian is laying
Even the Guardian is laying into BC
‘Absurd’: British Cycling faces backlash after announcing partnership with Shell | British Cycling | The Guardian
Perhaps the good residents of
Perhaps the good residents of the New Forest might like to come to the Forest of Dean, also owned by Forestry England, where us cyclists ride anywhere and everywhere, with almost no conflict with the wildlife or walkers, and no discernable damage to the ground.
There was a study quite a few years ago, don’t ask me to name it, which showed that boots did more damage to paths than bike wheels, but I’m pretty sure the New Forest verderers and other bike-haters don’t want to know that.
Jeremy Vine’s video was quite
Jeremy Vine’s video was quite typical. None of the offences were hugely dangerous and all were common. The third one – ‘the lunger’ is really annoying.
the production values are impressive.