Chris Froome mistaken for ‘leisure rider’ on French TV after being turned back due to forest fires; Presenter Storm Huntley hit by driver; Vigilante arsonist?; Schrödinger’s cyclist; Vuelta team news; LTN thoughts + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
The work of a vigilante arsonist? Mystery over flaming SUV blocking Denver bike lane
Reports of a metaphor sighting in downtown Denver pic.twitter.com/Gtl6gTzDly
— Chase Woodruff (@dcwoodruff) August 9, 2021
What do we have here? Vigilante cyclists setting light to bike lane blockers? Or was the flaming SUV moved into the cycle lane to get it ‘out of the way’? Or, was it already there when it caught fire another way? The cyclists of Denver, Colorado, have been speculating if they have a vigilante arsonist in their midst. One dubbed it “justice via flames”…
And while of course we can’t recommend setting vehicles alight, regardless of where they’re parked, the visual karma is strong in this one. Denver Bike Lanes, a page supporting cycle infrastructure in the city, replied to reporter Chase Woodruff’s video calling it “SUV-towing-SUVs-parked-in-bike lane karma”. While an LA-based photographer went for “The Beginnings of the Bike Lane Uprising”.
Viva la revolución! https://t.co/PhdxyM10P9
— avid motorist (@cargobk) August 10, 2021
I support setting cars on fire that park on bike infrastructure. 🔥 https://t.co/Osx9ZJUaEq
— Brandon Lust (@AmericanFietser) August 10, 2021
This is what you get for parking in a bike lane 🤷♂️ https://t.co/KWPDZzayhD
— Indy Bike Lane Defense (@IndyBikeLanes) August 10, 2021
Where would you rather live?
Thought experiment. Split city in half. A side has no parking restrictions, no speed limits, a free for all. B side has 20mph, LTNs, vision zero fully implemented, school and play streets, bus priority, 20 min neighbourhoods etc. How long before folk in A desperate to live in B?
— Kirsty Lewin (@KirstyLewin) August 10, 2021
Kirsty could be on to something here, surely Netflix will soon be on the phone for a three-part utopia/dystopia Black Mirror-esque drama. Jeremy Vine’s poor 360-degree camera wouldn’t be able to keep up with the action as he rides through B-side…the live blog would be on fire for weeks…and CyclingMikey, presumably living on A-side, would have nobody to catch.
The ‘border’ on SIDE A will be managed through personal responsibility/no enforcement. Drivers can decide whether or not to obey restrictions left over from the old days. They will not be able to enter SIDE B with own vehicle unless they have blue badge or are otherwise exempt.
— Kirsty Lewin (@KirstyLewin) August 10, 2021
Biking in Brighton
Just got back from shopping. If anyone tries to tell you it’s not about infrastructure – they’re wrong. ANYONE can cycle here… and it’s a joy.
Thanks @Sustrans @ibikebrighton pic.twitter.com/JzfIs2fzdV
— Si Mcfarlane 🌍 🚴♂️ (@BikeBishopstone) August 10, 2021
I was just waiting for the lane to come to an abrupt halt, chucking riders out into the path of oncoming traffic…
Vuelta a España team news: British rider Matt Holmes selected for Lotto-Soudal
📢 TEAM LINE-UP @lavuelta
We go stage hunting at #LaVuelta21
🇧🇪 @SteffCras
🇧🇪 @FrisonFrederik
🇬🇧 @MatthewHolmes51
🇩🇰 @andreaskron98
🇧🇪 @sylvainmoniquet
🇧🇪 @Maximvangils
🇧🇪 @Harm_VH
🇧🇪 @FlorianVermeersVamos! 💪 pic.twitter.com/AJ0js3YwY8
— Lotto Soudal (@Lotto_Soudal) August 10, 2021
We’re up to five Brits at the Vuelta a España now: Tom Pidcock and Adam Yates for Ineos Grenadiers, Scott Thwaites with Grand Tour newbies Alpecin-Fenix, James Knox for Deceuninck-Quick-Step and now Matt Holmes with Lotto Soudal. Add Hugh Carthy to the list once EF Education-Nippo announce their line up and we should have six home riders to cheer on over the next three weeks.
What odds a Yates/Carthy one-two and a couple of stage wins between the rest? Let a man dream…
Schrödinger's cyclist
I post a photo of cyclists in the countryside.
Response: “They are going too slow and are too far across the lane.”
Next I post footage of a pedestrian stepping out without warning as I cycled.
Response: “You are going too fast and are too close to the pavement.”
Can’t win pic.twitter.com/svxZh4Oen5
— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) August 11, 2021
Jeremy Vine presenter Storm Huntley hit by driver - urges cyclists to wear helmets
I’m sad to say I was knocked off my bike cycling home from work by a car turning left who hadn’t seen me.
My helmet is cracked but at least it wasn’t my skull!
If I wasn’t wearing my helmet this could have been a very different story.
Please wear a helmet!! pic.twitter.com/nLa4GnIpa6— Storm Huntley (@StormHuntley) August 9, 2021
TV presenter Storm Huntley, who co-hosts Channel 5’s Jeremy Vine show, was hit by a driver as she cycled home from work in London on Monday. Huntley told the programme on Tuesday that she hit her head on the pavement after the driver collided with her – cracking her helmet on impact. The driver reportedly cut across her to make a left turn.
“If I wasn’t wearing that, that crack wouldn’t be on my helmet, it would be on my skull, so I would not be here this morning,” Huntley said. “The driver was shaken, there was no aggression, there was nobody being competitive on the road, it was an accident. Accidents happen, please put your helmets on, and even if you think you’re a good driver, double check.”
The broadcaster said her partner has encouraged her to give up cycling after seeing the damage to her bike and helmet. Huntley’s co-host Jeremy Vine said people should not be put off cycling, adding the motorist is “a shocking driver” who “shouldn’t be on the road.”
In a tweet, Huntley urged others to wear a helmet: “I’m sad to say I was knocked off my bike cycling home from work by a car turning left who hadn’t seen me. My helmet is cracked but at least it wasn’t my skull! If I wasn’t wearing my helmet this could have been a very different story. Please wear a helmet!”
Thank you so much for all your kind messages. I am absolutely fine, just a bit sore this morning.
I simply can’t reiterate enough the importance of a helmet. 💋— Storm Huntley (@StormHuntley) August 10, 2021
Some have questioned the presenter’s helmet comments…Pompey Cyclist said: “Very unlikely that your skull would crack from an impact that merely did that to your helmet. Your skull is around 10 times stronger than a polystyrene hat. It’s a bit like wrapping a brick in a tissue to protect it. People like you stating anecdote as if it’s fact is dangerous.”
No it’s not but wearing a helmet to prevent head injury is just common sense. If you wanted to wear one whilst walking then I don’t think anyone would object to that. Just do you….
— Joe Broadway (@Joebroadway85) August 10, 2021
Laura and Jason Kenny set to become dame and knight after Tokyo success
Husband and wife duo Laura and Jason Kenny are set to become dame and knight after winning their record-breaking golds in Tokyo. According to the Independent, the pair are at the top of the list to receive honours. Laura became the first female British athlete to win gold at three different Olympic Games, while Jason became GB’s most successful Olympian after winning his seventh gold with an audacious attack in Sunday’s keirin.
A royal source at the Sun has said the pair absolute certainties to be at the top of the list come the end of the year. Arise, Sir Jason and Dame Laura…
Brutal pre-season forces Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster to ease off the two-wheeled training
Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster has eased of the cycling in recent times as he prepares for another shot at the Premier League. The Hornets begin their top-flight campaign against Aston Villa on Saturday and have been putting in the hard graft to be ready for the big kick-off.
Foster, who has built a following on YouTube as the Cycling GK and regularly documents his travels by bike, has said the bike hasn’t received as much love as usual during the gruelling prep phase…
“[Pre-season training] has been brutal this year, absolutely brutal,” he told the Evening Standard. “It’s been double session after double session. I come back home and see my bike and say, ‘Sorry, babe, I can’t take you out tonight. I’ve got to get in bed because I am shattered’.”
Back in March, Foster told us on Drink at Your Desk Live! that he wishes a pro cyclist could come into the training ground to show just how hard they train. Catch the full episode here, if you missed it…
Three abreast road users selfishly hold up faster road users who need to get past...
Look at this terrible behaviour, over 100 drivists driving two and three abreast, clearly impeding the faster road user. Why aren’t they pulling over to let me through? pic.twitter.com/2POpDOae3A
— Rendel Harris (@Rendel_Harris) August 10, 2021
I wonder what Angela Epstein would make of this? Presumably, based on yesterday’s logic, these drivers should all pull over single file and allow the faster moving mode of transport to get to where they need to go…after all, what was it you said yesterday, Angela? Oh, that was it…”what gives them the right to block the road when there is a 30mph limit?”
Somehow I don’t think we’ll be hearing her thoughts on this one…
@willcarling let’s hope these drivists do the polite thing & pull over to let faster road users past, eh?
— Simon (@BarryShawkins) August 10, 2021
Mario Cippolini takes a spin to the gun show
Legendary sprinter Mario Cippolini is 54 now, although you might not guess it looking at that bronzed physique…Cipo attracted amiring comments from his adoring fans on Instagram, including a certain Lance Armstrong. The look isn’t really for us, we’ll leave it to triathletes and good-looking Italians with 42 Giro stage wins…only a select few can pull that off.
Perhaps he’s taken inspiration from Sir Bradley Wiggins’ post-retirement modelling?
Cable ties: The must-have jack of all trades
Over on the forum Brooksby asked for help getting a sheared mudguard bolt out…our favourite helpful suggestion was, “buy a new bike”. That’s the answer to everything, isn’t it.
As it turns out, a trip to the local bike shop and some cable ties were all that was required…
hirsuite remained unconvinced, preferring their new bike suggestion. Any other handy workshop uses for cable ties?
Dolan Bikes named official partners of this year's Tour of Britain, Women's Tour and Tour Series
Lancashire-based Dolan Bikes have partnered with the Tour of Britain, Women’s Tour and Tour Series to support the UK’s biggest events in the domestic cycling calendar. As part of the deal, two fans will win a fully custom-built road bike worth £3,000 during the Tour of Britain (5-12 September) and Women’s Tour (4-9 October). The lucky winners can choose between a Dolan Ares or Dolan Tuono with paint scheme overseen by Dolan Bikes’ in-house team.
Dolan prides itself on offering bikes customised down to every component. The brand was founded in Liverpool in 1966 and supplied a series of pro teams, including ANC Halfords and Team Falcon Cycles who won six Kelogg’s Tour and Milk Race events.
“Being a leading British bike brand and having supported our greatest on the road to success, we felt that supporting the biggest bikes races would celebrate the success of cycling in Britain,” Terry Dolan, director of Dolan Bikes said.
French TV shows 'leisure rider' stopped from passing due to forest fire...unaware it's Chris Froome
“Ce randonneur à vélo”
Euh c’est juste Chris Froome qui a gagné 4 fois le Tour de France sur la même chaîne. @France2tvPoke @DansLaMusette pic.twitter.com/SVZS0mGEhv
— Johan Rouquet (@JohanRouquet) August 11, 2021
Poor Chris Froome. All it takes is a couple of bad years and now he’s being mistaken for just a ‘leisure cyclist’ by a French TV report. Stopped by a marshall because of a risk of forest fires in the area near his Saint-Raphaël home on the Mediterranean coast, Froome was told he cannot pass in a clip caught on local news…the voiceover calls him “Ce randonneur à vélo”, which we believe loosely translates to ‘leisure rider’…
That randonneur has won four Tour de France titles, I’ll have you know – all of which were broadcast on your TV channel. Perhaps it was the lack of Israel Start-Up Nation kit which threw France 2 off…or maybe the disc brakes…has Chris come round to the tech?
Froome did not seem too perturbed by the understandable road closure, giving a very French sounding “Okay”. Earlier this week, French residents in at risk areas were warned to stay away from forests.
It’s not the first time Froome has been mistaken for an amateur rider…back in 2018 at the Tour de France a policeman called the then Team Sky rider to a halt as he descended back down the summit finish at Col de Portet. Maybe Start-Up Nation should make him a special ‘I’ve won the Tour de France four times’ hi-vis jersey?
11 August 2021, 08:03
11 August 2021, 08:03
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72 Comments
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Latest Comments
At 167cm tall I couldn’t agree more with Rookybiker, I find certain 29 ers problematic, particularly running a dropper and getting low off the back(700c -50s are just ok!) 32 would be a total nightmare from stand over - toe over lap being the first of many problems, sorry it’s a big no from me!
Fine by me Mickey, just remember when you're in a queue of traffic stuck behind a cyclist in the middle of the lane that this is exactly what you asked for.
He's talking about our "tiny island" so I think its fair comment ;-)
Reply t o Rendel I'm serious, it might be a combination of my head shape and the helmet I use but I definitely have more wind rush around my ears with a helmet and notice it when bunch racing compared to social riding.
All over the country it's the same , thousands of cars vrs hundreds of bikes. All this sustainable transport infrastructure for bikes is just a waste of many ,, thousands upon thousands of drivers all report very seldom underused bike lanes. Motorised vehicles are the majority & preference on the roads should be made for them & not for the minority of cyclists. Get rid of all the annoying cycle lanes everywhere.
(reply to Backladder as ability to reply to more than the fourth reply seems to have been removed) I really hope that's tongue in cheek, because if it isn't it's just ludicrous. I have never noticed the slightest discrepancy between wind noise when riding with a helmet and when riding without so it must be minimal at best. I've read quite a lot of debate about helmets, here and elsewhere, and you're the first person I've ever seen suggesting that people wearing helmets might crash because of wind noise.
You’re making a big assumption there that “anonymous person posting on the internet” is in the UK.
Its nice that they have these little things called kilometres for all the show offs to ride large numbers of, but in the UK road signs use miles and speed limits are in miles per hour so come back when you are using big boy units!
I don't know of any research into that question but from my own experience a helmet interferes with my awareness of traffic around me, the noise from the wind in the helmet is louder than the sound of modern quiet cars and other cyclists so perhaps your urban commuters are crashing because they can't hear other traffic around them?
My father undertook post mortems and attended coronors inquests until his retirement and early death. He saw the riders who died in accidents. He built up decades of observed experience. He made us wear a helmet.
72 thoughts on “Chris Froome mistaken for ‘leisure rider’ on French TV after being turned back due to forest fires; Presenter Storm Huntley hit by driver; Vigilante arsonist?; Schrödinger’s cyclist; Vuelta team news; LTN thoughts + more on the live blog”
SUV in bike lane – I guess
SUV in bike lane – I guess road.cc thinks this is a sufficiently inflammatory story to get people arguing.
HarrogateSpa wrote:
If it’s sufficiently inflammatory, did it self-ignite?
HarrogateSpa wrote:
If it was a landrover, it could be a Disco Inferno…..
Captain Badger wrote:
Genius!
PRSboy wrote:
Perfect fit for the
Perfect fit for the readership – like a match on Tinder. Oh I’m on fire today…
Always a hot topic.
Always a hot topic.
There’s nothing quite like
There’s nothing quite like bike lane abuse or misuse to get the Road.cc readership fired up!
https://www.youtube.com/watch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbj1RFaoyLk
My suspicion would be the
My suspicion would be the driver spotted smoke while driving, so sensibly decided to park in the cycle lane as close to the overhanging trees as possible to enhance the chance of the growing fire spreading as far as possible. . . .
It couldn’t possibly be that he had strained the vehicle too much by using a pick-up in place of a larger truck for hauling cars around… although in fairness at least he had a reason for a vehicle of that size.
StuInNorway wrote:
Now now, this is hardly the time for rational logic….
Those super duty pickups
Those super duty pickups could drag the earth off its axis without raising a sweat, but Ford had a recall a few years ago for a fault with engine block heaters that could result in a fire.
It’s funny how many people
It’s funny how many people will be more than happy to move vehicles, park vehicles, whatever, on a cycle lane or even on a footway so that they are “Out of the Way” rather than leave it at the side of the road but on the roadway.
I mean, it’s not like anyone ever actually uses the cycle lane or footway, is it…?
Pavement parking really boils
Pavement parking really boils my p***, and I am now old and grumpy enough that I have started challenging people when I see them doing it (e.g. last week: Me: please don’t park on the pavement, park on the road. Driver: but then I’ll be in the way of that bus stop. Me: why have you parked by a bus stop then? EDIT: Her: why don’t you get a job, etc)
But, without endorsing it, I can understand the psychology because of the relative volumes of pedestrians vs cars – chances are, a car is actually going to inconvenience fewer people when parked half on the pavement (leaving room for pushchairs, wheelchairs etc) than it is if parked fully on the road.
Most of the pavement parking
Most of the pavement parking round here still leaves a gap on the road of 1.5 cars so if the misguided approach is to allow traffic flow, then it shows they can’t work out clearance.
I think they are really doing it to stop a scratch for some driver who can’t drive properly.
Yeah, depends on the road
Yeah, depends on the road obviously. I can think of larger suburban roads round me where pavement parking on both sides will allow two lanes of traffic to flow without blocking the pavement. I can also think of smaller residential roads nearby where the road would effectively be impassable if everyone parked wholly on the road, because of the size and number of cars versus size of road. Also agree it’s probably often perceived more as a way of protecting their own car. Have to admit, I am guilty of doing it out of long-formed habit when visiting one of my family – it’s psychologically difficult to be the one to park fully on the road when everyone else is on the pavement, but I am trying to mend my ways.
Just don’t get me started on
Just don’t get me started on the person with 2 horse boxes who parks them partly on the pavement not far away. When did public goods become a storage area for people’s private property ?
There’sa a family just up the
There’sa a family just up the road from us that bought a motorhome, and park it on their drive, yet one end sticks out into the pavement, crossing it almost completely. Thankfully it’s a very quiet dead end road so isn’t actually much of an issue, but still it smacks of selfish entitlement that that they would think it acceptable to permanently park like that.
Much of the pavement parking
Much of the pavement parking around me appears to be by people who have either already filled their driveways with other cars or (worse) seem to find it inconvenient to use their own driveway for parking at all.
my road is about 2.5 cars
my road is about 2.5 cars wide, so parking is allowed on one side but bizarrely the other side has only a single yellow.
So blocking the road in the evenings and at weekends is OK, but not suring the week. Or drivers will park mostly on the pavement. I really can’t understand why the council would endorse this practice.
hirsute wrote:
do they drive half on the pavement for the same reason? or do drivers find it easier to avoid moving cars (presumably 2 feet from the kerb) than stationary cars (presumably tight to the kerb)?
On a local facebook page I
On a local facebook page I once suggested that the solution to pavement parking was to make residential streets “shared space”. You can imagine the reaction. #nocompromisenosurrender
brooksby wrote:
often half on half off, the pavement so they are still not leaving two clear lanes free on the road, while also restricting the pavement.
Re. the thought experiment.
Re. the thought experiment. This pretty much already exists in this country, London at least.
The most desireable areas are LTN’s, the shitholes not so much. Hell even the east london estates I grew up on had a form of LTN in that you couldn’t cut through the developments, only people who lived there would drive their cars (mostly slowly). Kids on bikes messing around on the street were no problem because cars were calmed down naturally.
All this is there, now and has been for many decades…
It’s infrastructure, anything
It’s infrastructure, anything is better than nothing, but to call it top class is subjective. It’s the usual woeful approach from Sustrans who still haven’t learnt a thing from our Dutch and Danish neighbours.
Oh well, at least someone is happy…..
I was looking at the edge and
I was looking at the edge and wondering how long it would last …
Cycle path right at the end looks overgrown but don’t tell your local Cllr !
What is the point in putting
What is the point in putting in a nice wide shared path and then allowing half of it to become overgrown. What a waste of money.
Did Hirsute respond to the
Did Hirsute respond to the wrong OBE post and wverybody followed suit like cars at a red light. Or did OBE edit both posts to reverse them?
I replied to “It’s
I replied to “It’s infrastructure, anything…”
The JV vine wasn’t there when I posted.
I do oldest to newest order when viewing.
It is threaded as the reply
It is threaded as the reply to JV so you probbaly clicked the wrong one if he posted that fast (if OBE edited one it might have pushed it newer as well as the JV one is older on my view).
However It is more that every other reply followed suit that made me chuckle more.
No, I added a second post
No, I added a second post moments after the first once I saw Jeremy Vine spaffing over Twitter on a quiet day in August.
I’ll post remarks far slower in future…..
Owd Big ‘Ead wrote:
Exactly. I saw a badly laid bit of tarmac (look at those edges….), which just happened to be going the same way as the rider wanted in this instance.
infra means that all people get the opportunity to go quickly, safely and efficiently by bike or foot to their distination, and requires fully integrated transport policy.
Well I suspect it was just a
Well I suspect it was just a footpath originally and was adopted as a cycleway, rather than someone thinking hey let’s build a cycle path next to the A259.
Captain Badger wrote:
I think that is the cycle lane from Newhaven to Seaford, in which case it is relatively good. There’s a bit of loose gravel, there’s a car park entrance you have to negotiate and then ride through the car park, there’s dog walkers, runners, families etc to be aware/wary of…but it is quite long, and you do feel protected from the motorised morons. It ends abruptly in Newhaven where you have to cross the access road for a small shopping development including several of your favourite fast food restaurants, which is always brilliant (!) but the end at Seaford comes out on the sea front which is very wide.
Daveyraveygravey wrote:
I shall defer to your knowledge of this stretch
Not sure that lone women (or
Not sure that lone women (or in fact anybody) will be too keen to use it after dark.
Meanwhile, in the Netherlands
Meanwhile, in the Netherlands
Jeremy Vine is boring the
Jeremy Vine is boring the tits off me…..
Does anyone ever come back
Does anyone ever come back from a Centre Parcs holiday and think, well it was alright, but I really missed the motorised traffic?
Think most people come back
Think most people come back from a Centre Parks holiday thinking “well, it was alright, but not worth the size of the hole in my wallet”.
“wearing a helmet to prevent
“wearing a helmet to prevent head injury is just common sense”
I guess we should all be wearing them, all the time then !
What is common sense then? When I come across it, it is used to mean ‘this is something I know that you don’t know’.
Presumably ‘common sense’ would include a full assessment of all the risks, how to mitigate them, a review of all consequences and a behavioural review.
Let’s have another debate (not)
I cant help read those “Its
I cant help read those “Its just common sense” lines not in a Chris Morris Brass Eye or Simpsons Troy McClure voice style…its just good science 😉
Apart from the Helmet debate
Apart from the Helmet debate Storm Huntley thinks that being knocked off her bike by a car turning left was an accident. If she actually said this on the BBC as a BBC employee I think it would breach reporting guidelines. I think cycling can do without Storm as a spokesperson.
IanMK wrote:
No suggestion that the driver should behave more responsibly; it’s just “an accident”.
She then repeated her advice to cyclists about how they should wear a polystyrene hat, as if it might prevent drivers hitting them. Not clever.
Yesterday morning I was nearly hit by a driver on a mini-roundabout because she was going too fast and wasn’t looking out for anything smaller than a car. My bright yellow jersey obviously wasn’t big enough.
Yep, tweeting advice out on
Yep, tweeting advice out on the helmet, stating it was only an accident and then also stating her BF now stops her riding at all and she would have done the same for him if the same had happened, so essentially has been scared off the roads.
So essntially perpetuating the myth that cycling is very dangerous whilst not blaming the reason for why it might be seen that way, and then deciding she is never going to cycle again for commuting purposes instead of asked for better infra / rules / enforcement so she could.
As for the “Accident” and the pic, I’m trying to understand how she cracked the back right of her helmet if knocked off by a left turning car. Did she go right over the bonnet? Was she cycling off a pavement/ along a two way cycle path and was hit by left turning car into junction which pushed her right? Either way, still can’t understand why she just wants to treat it like an accident.
hirsute wrote:
This is somehow exactly what “common sense” is not. To put it positively, common sense is what everyone can see, even if they’re not an expert. More negatively (and more fun and usually not intended), it’s what people think when they have no expertise.
How have I never noticed
How have I never noticed Helmet Row? It’s only a couple of roads past Look Mum No Hands!
I thought you were being
I thought you were being facetious until I discovered that you refer to a takeaway !
hirsute wrote:
Look Mum No Hands! is more of a cycle cafe and bike workshop than a takeaway – the original one is anyway – there’s another in Hackney which may be a takeaway.
Are you sure that’s laura and
Are you sure that’s laura and jason on that photo?
I’m more concerned about the
I’m more concerned about the actual honours. Surely should be same for both. Either both knighted or both damed.
Geoff Ingram wrote:
by this logic should Elizabeth be King Elizabeth? Since Dame is just the female version of Knight
I am conflicted! I always
I am conflicted! I always wear a helmet, but I would not be taking any advice from some woman called Storm who is an ‘influencer’ on a Channel 5 programme that I wouldn’t watch if it was the last TV programme on Earth. However, I strongly disagree with the barmy idea that a cracked helmet is no indication that the underlying brain would have been adversely affected by the impact because ‘the skull is stronger than expanded polystyrene (or whatever it is)’. You can certainly damage the brain with an impact that does not fracture the skull, but the importance of a skull fracture is as an indication that the trauma was pretty bad so there probably is a traumatic brain injury, and may even be an extradural or subdural bleed.
The helmet almsot certainly
The helmet almsot certainly reduced her injuries. That’s a good thing and a good reason to wear a helmet.
But, promoting helmets is – weridly – actively harmful. It promulgates the myth that transport cycling is dangerous (it isn’t) resulting in fewer people cycling.
It also distracts from things that actually can make a significant difference; better infrastructure, better law enforcement, more ever penalties for those who break traffic laws.
In this case it’s distracting from the actual cause of the accident – an, at best, careless driver. If the driver had been better trained, better skilled, more aware of cyclists the accident wouldn’t have happened at all and arguments about helmets wouldn’t be happening.
I’m off to comment on the Twitter thread – expressing sympathy for her injuries and anger with the careless driver who caused this. I won’t be saying anything about helmets. I suggest we all do the same and flood the thread with people completely ignoring the ridiculous helmet arguments.
IanGlasgow wrote:
I agree with everything you said, except for your first sentence.
We just aren’t in a position to say that. The damage to the lid looked to me (on the picture that I saw) to be so minor as to be trivial, and not even definitely attributable to the collision – of which we know nothing, or next to nothing at most.
like I said, broad agreement, but teh prevailing culture of victim-blaming seems to put all of us on the defensive of lid efficacy, even when we are broadly sceptical.
IanGlasgow wrote:
You’re right, it probably did. But it probably prevented only superficial injuries, as helmets don’t prevent concussion or brain injury, and they can exacerbate the most dangerous brain injuries, rotational.
There is only one reliable metric for helmets; the death rate, and that does not fall as helmet wearing rates increase, so despite all the “helmet saved my life” stories, they don’t save lives.
The rest of your post is spot on though, especially the emphasis given to the helmet supposedly protecting her, when the most important thing is the driver knocking her off, which barely gets a mention.
eburtthebike wrote:
I came here for an argument and that’s barely even a contradiction.
This site has gone so downhill.
Don’t worry it will be ok on
Don’t worry it will be ok on Saturday !
TheBillder wrote:
No you didn’t, and yes there is.
No it hasn’t.
Captain Badger wrote:
thats not an argument, thats just repetitive denial.
wycombewheeler wrote:
thats not an argument, thats just repetitive denial.— TheBillder
Well you would say that wouldn’t you
The Kennys deserve it- I can
The Kennys deserve it- I can’t decide which of them is more superhuman, but Laura is such a tiny nuclear furnace of a powerhouse that for me she just wins it by a hair. They, like Hoy, Cav, and all the other heroes, have inspired and thrilled us over the years. Well done, all of you!
I see JV is coming up with
I see JV is coming up with examples to demonstrate Schrodinger’s Cyclist…
edit: just realised that the Live Blog headline was that very same comment!
I don’t know if the cars
I don’t know if the cars should have moved over for him but Ren deserves some punishment for filming a video off a computer screen. Lucky for him it wasn’t in portrait otherwise it would have been a capital punishment offence.
AlsoSomniloquism wrote:
Sorry! I tried to pull it off the SD card yesterday morning but the computer kept saying it couldn’t save it, so as I was in a hurry I filmed it with my phone. If I’d have known it would get 28,000 views I would have taken more time on it!
Quite enjoyed that thread.
Quite enjoyed that thread.
“Some have even left their cars cluttering up the road whilst they go off for brunch. They should stick to race tracks and car parks.”
“Any other handy workshop
“Any other handy workshop uses for cable ties?”
broken wtb rims according to wtjs !
Don’t forget snow tyres
Don’t forget snow tyres (not recommended for rim brakes)
Mario’s new skinsuit is
Mario’s new skinsuit is amazingly detailed, incredible how technology has come on in the last 10 years.
I’m imagining a DMZ along the
I’m imagining a DMZ along the border, with the Evil Cycling Lobby using loudspeakers to play pro-cycling propaganda across it into zone A.
Apparently sometimes cable
Apparently sometimes cable ties don’t work…
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/speeding-biker-faulty-machine-ploughed-5778200
brooksby wrote:
At least that motorcyclist is unlikely to do that again as: