Volvo admits some short journeys are better by bike; Jeremy Vine’s road safety idea sparks mandatory cycling in driving test discussion; 2022 Giro d’Italia route; RideLondon: 10,000 entries sold out in 24 hours; Active travel + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
"Put all the bad drivers on bicycles, and nobody dies": Jeremy Vine's road safety idea
Put all the bad drivers on bicycles, and nobody dies.
— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) November 11, 2021
talkRadio’s Cristo Foufas is going to be on Jeremy Vine’s morning TV show today. I wonder if this will be worth a discussion? If the aim was to get people talking, then Vine certainly succeeded…it started a discussion, among other things, about the driving test…
It should be part of the driving test.
Everyone should have to ride a bike for a year before they’re allowed to get behind the wheel of a car.— CycleNotts. (@CycleNott) November 11, 2021
Thoughts? Another reply agreed, “Everyone should have to log 100 hours on a bike before getting a motor vehicle licence. Everyone should ride shotgun with a lorry driver for a day as well.” We’ll have to find some lorry drivers first…
CaryDeWeigh’s suggestion was punish some driving offences with cycling miles…parking offence? 20 miles. Speeding? 100 miles…they even said they’d be happy to lead the rides. I feel the authorities would rather keep collecting fines, but worth a try.
Here’s more of the reaction…
In fairness if all the bad drivers were on bikes the roads would be so full of bikes it would be pointless for those of us scared of bad drivers to stay in our cars and we’d all be on bikes. I’d bloody love that. Lockdown was heaven for cycling-I went everywhere! Terrifying now
— baadbitch (@baaadbitch) November 11, 2021
This bike for the exceptionally bad drivers😆 pic.twitter.com/oVQDBOJ2Lx
— SimonG (@Landi683) November 11, 2021
Save the best for last…
Is this… A hostage situation? https://t.co/TNziJl82cN
— Sonny Cocklecorm (@TepidTakeWonk) November 11, 2021
2022 Giro d'Italia route finally announced: Stage 21 time trial in Verona confirmed
Un nuovo capitolo della storia del Giro d’Italia. Un racconto lungo 21 giorni e un solo vincitore. Chi sarà la nuova Maglia Rosa? Ecco il Grande Arrivo del Giro d’Italia 2022. #Giro ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/TeLLCTbJSw
— Giro d’Italia (@giroditalia) November 11, 2021
After a painful week of stop-start stage reveals we’ve finally got the Giro d’Italia route in full. Last week they announced the first three stages, on Monday we got the sprints, on Tuesday the hills, yesterday the high mountains and today the final time trial. Please don’t do it like this again.
The final piece in the jigsaw is the second time trial of the race — a final day 17km ITT in Verona. It’s not one for the specialists however…it’s got a 4.7km climb averaging 5 per cent in the middle with a similar length descent over the top. It means there’s only 27km of time trialling at the race, a relatively short amount by recent standards.
Which climbers will fancy their chances next May?
Active travel
Active Travel pic.twitter.com/SfERWZjEfF
— James Stafford (@Jamesdestafford) November 10, 2021
Not a bike but still bizarre enough to earn a quick live blog mention…
Mad Max is back...
Another cyclist not wanting to follow the Highway Code as it does not suit them …. But expect other road users to obey them … ummm and it’s Dosnt matter as new HC rules getting changed to benefit cycling guess then HC will count 👌
— Mad Max (@MadMaxmaax) November 10, 2021
‘Mad Max’ did eventually get back to Surrey Roads Policing Unit with his comeback to their educational reply. After the wait this is what we got…I’d say that it’s still 1-0 to the traffic cops…
Evans launches Pinnacle HC Turbo home trainer
Evans Cycles has introduced its first own-brand trainer, the Pinnacle HC Turbo.
It’s a direct drive smart trainer that can simulate up to 2,500 watts and a maximum incline of 20%. It comes equipped with an integrated cadence sensor and is compatible with 8/9/10/11-speed SRAM or Shimano cassettes.
“The Pinnacle HC Turbo Home Trainer delivers realistic ride simulation matched by connectivity and industry-standard precision for a quiet, uncompromising experience… producing a sound similar in intensity to an electrical fan.” says Evans.
ANT+ and Bluetooth connectivity allows you to run it alongside popular training software like Zwift, TrainerRoad, and so on.
Weighing in at 15kg, the Pinnacle HC Turbo is now available at £599.99, both online and in Evans Cycles stores.
RideLondon: First 10,000 entry places sell out within 24 hours — ballot opens later today
That was quick! Less than 24 hours since they went on sale, the first 10,000 general entry places to the inaugural RideLondon-Essex 100 have sold out. The remaining general entries will be decide by a ballot system which will be open for entries from 13:00 GMT today. The ballot will run until 17:00 on Thursday 20 January 2022, at which point a random draw will be made to decide who gets a place on the 100-mile sportive on Sunday 29 May.
> RideLondon: Essex urged to focus on road safety ahead of revamped sportive
Anyone wanting to enter the ballot can do so here…
Sportful introduces Blackdog limited edition jersey
Sportful has launched a limited edition jersey with Blackdog, an organisation that aims to use cycling as a way to raise awareness of men’s mental health issues.
Buy a Blackdog jersey (men’s and women’s versions are available) for £80 and all profits will go to Movember.
Find more about the Blackdog project and listen to the last episode of The Blackdog Cast, featuring an interview with BORA-Hansgrohe pro-rider Daniel Oss.
Volvo admits some short journeys are better by bike...but still faces heavy criticism for boasting of 112mph speed limit
Yes,for some shorter journeys walking or bicycle can be the best option. But while people continue to buy cars, we want to make sure there’s a more sustainable choice. All our new models come with a speed limit of 112mph. https://t.co/tdtiGZVb0s
— Volvo Car UK (@VolvoCarUK) November 2, 2021
Who’d have thought it? A car manufacturer saying for some short journeys a bike or walking are better options…presumably one of the company’s plastic touring bicycles from the 80s (now available online for 60 quid) would be the best option.
That’s the positive part. The less well-received message came at the end…”All our new models come with a speed limit of 112mph”. Sensible. Stops drivers exceeding the UK motorway speed limit by more than 42mph. Several replies questioned why the limit could not be set to 70mph for UK sales, while also pointing out 112mph is presumably for the manufacturer’s German market.
DCI Andy Cox, a prominent voice in the campaign against road crime, commented…
V pleased to see speed limiters being used by @VolvoCarUK (@volvocars). But why not go further? 112mph is way over the maximum limit. Speeding is a frequent cause in fatal collisions. Speed limiters linked to GPS trackers could resolve this. Become the change. Become the example. https://t.co/JeLXCQdfKs
— Andy Cox (@AndyCoxDCS) November 11, 2021
Others asked if the technology imposed on e-bikes and e-scooters, such as geofencing and automatic speed limiting, could also be imposed on cars…
Why don’t we go whole hog and use the technology we’re forcing on scooters – geofencing, automatic speed limiting etc.?
— Darryl Collins 🌱🌿🌳🍃🌍 (@darrylxxx) November 9, 2021
This is Volvo UK so it’s 112mph in the UK too. There’s just no point is there in dealing with car companies. They seem too intent on churning out death machines.
— Richard M (@Richard16878535) November 9, 2021
It’s not the first time Volvo has caused a stir in the cycling community…back in 2016, the Swedish car manufacturer launched a glow-in-the-dark Life Paint in the UK, a reflective safety spray the company said would improve safety for cyclists at night. The product was criticised by cycling campaigners, including Mikael Colville-Andersen, who said: “Everything about the Life Paint campaign is classic smokescreening from the automobile industry.”
CycPlus launches T2 smart trainer
CycPlus is looking for backers for the T2 smart trainer which it has launched on Indiegogo.
“The BLDC motor in the T2, along with the 50 high-performance neodymium iron boron magnets, enables the T2 to bring you a more realistic riding experience. Not only does this increase the braking force and power output, it provides quicker dynamic inertia, simulating gradients quicker than before.”
You can use the T2 either with or without an external power source.
“You can use the trainer anywhere you like as the T2 is able to generate its own energy from your pedal strokes,” says CycPlus
The T2 uses standard wireless communication protocols including ANT+ FE-C and Bluetooth Smart, so it can be used in conjunction with the most popular training apps.
The legs fold inwards so it has a very small footprint when not in use (257mm x 300mm x 510mm).
The early bird price is £451 with delivery pencilled in for January Supporting a crowdfunding project is not the same as buying through a shop/online retailer. Check out the rules here.
Oddly satisfying bike lane painting
I don’t know anything about art, but I know what I like. pic.twitter.com/m5uzHl0rlr
— No Context Brits (@NoContextBrits) November 10, 2021
Could watch this all day…
We're back!
Sorry about that, folks. The website seems to be back up and running for all users now…hopefully meaning we can get some more live blog updates to finish off Thursday. Let’s see how this goes…
Pro riders feel the burn on return to training...it's not just us amateurs who get out of shape
Accurate design of me coming home after the 1st day back on the bike. #Ouch pic.twitter.com/aTXBShO3FT
— Matteo Trentin (@MATTEOTRENTIN) November 11, 2021
It’s not all flying up climbs and huge watts. Even the pro riders let themselves get a bit out of shape at this time of year. Fair enough, they still go faster than the rest of us, but the suffering is universal. Winter miles make summer smiles…
Day two back on the bike… 🥵🤣 pic.twitter.com/AnaGXYFj3o
— Geraint Thomas (@GeraintThomas86) November 11, 2021
Police arrest suspect for Oxford station bike theft
British Transport Police Oxfordshire have arrested a man for criminal damage and attempting to steal a bike from Oxford railway station. The suspect has since been released and is under investigation, while the owner of the bike has been contacted thanks to BikeRegister…
Earlier this week we reported a seperate incident in Scotland which saw a cyclist threatened with a weapon and robbed of bike while on board a train from Glasgow Central.
Arnaud Démare: "I wouldn't say the word doping, but we don't all have the same speed limit."
French sprinter Arnaud Démare had some pretty eye-catching quotes published in French newspaper Le Parisien this week. Démare, who won eight races in 2021, suggested the level of competition was now higher than ever.
The 30-year-old put it down, in part, to different rules that teams have regarding products such as ketones. And while Démare was hesitent to say the d-word, he did speak about cycling at different speeds…”I wouldn’t say the word doping, but we don’t all have the same speed limit.”
“I wonder about the peloton, but I’m only saying what many people are seeing. Not everyone has the same restrictions on certain products like ketones. I am part of a team that has made commitments, as have others. But the whole peloton is not like us.”
Yesterday, 21-year-old Danish cyclist Ludvig Wacker announced his retirement from the sport, and called out the “grotesque” use of legal pills, such as painkillers, by pro riders during races.
road.cc Podcast episode 11: Are bikes and cycling gear getting too expensive?
Are bikes and cycling gear getting too expensive? Plus we look at barriers facing women within cycling + more on episode 11 of the https://t.co/vVgfyt8IYK Podcasthttps://t.co/WeFfFxuBZu #cycling pic.twitter.com/kUpLPL3pmk
— road.cc (@roadcc) November 11, 2021
Check out the latest episode of our podcast here…
11 November 2021, 08:52
11 November 2021, 08:52
11 November 2021, 08:52
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Latest Comments
@mdavidford Nah, only a human could have written this, whatever it means: "Cycling is inherently about people, so I think stuff created by AI shouldn’t mix it, or sports in general."
@chrisonabike For the unbundling we need to start looking seriously at improving and joining up say 10-20% of our public footpath network. We have the bones of a 3rd "Mobility" network from everywhere to everywhere already in place, but no one has noticed, and landowners want to steal it and police often want to block it off. Since my LHA (ie Highways) are now Reform UK controlled, and they just want to live in an episode of Terry and June whilst the world goes to hell in a handcart, improving this is my current activism focus with stuff that I can legally enforce.
@chrisonabike I have found the "look at he untouched snow" point to be a useful tool to illustrate the issue to a general audience, who are not anti-cycling but have been put on alert by culture war rhetoric. I might then say "that means we can have a build-out to make the crossing distance for pedestrians shorter (without extending the motorist red or taking away road space they use) and we can put some bike parking on the build our without taking away parking spaces". It's not what we need, but it's a non-confrontational step in the right direction, which gives a 1+1=3 .
Really? I thought it just got you a CHF500 fine and a yellow card.
"Nevertheless, following the much-delayed consultation, in July Devon County councillors voted to revoke the ban on motor vehicles. They also agreed to extend the area’s 20mph zone and develop “traffic calming and safer walking and cycling measures”." Cognitive dissonance at its finest. On one hand they're taking measures to calm traffic, and then opening a very calm road to motor vehicles. "In January, Exeter’s Highways and Traffic Orders Committee confirmed that £55,000 of Active Travel England funding had been allocated to support public consultation activities and any ongoing work. It is expected that the total cost of the work will come to £650,000." I suggest that ATE prohibit the use of their funds for removing AT infrastructure. Devon CC is in debt to the tune of £500m, and Exeter city owe £165m, but they can waste £650k on this? Incredible. "According to the council, creating a protected bike route on the road, while retaining two-way traffic, would be “prohibitively expensive, impractical, and unviable”" So don't do it, leave it as it is and save £650k. Unfortunately, the crowdfunder appears to have finished, otherwise I'd be donating.
@open_roads Don't forget throwing a bottle – 2 years' bird.
This article reads like it was written by AI.
Deliberate sarcasm / cynicism, or sadly accurate Freudian slip?
@Freddy56 is it like not needing to use paper and a slide rule, or ... is it more like the car and "traffic in towns"? Perhaps it's no more healthy to avoid thought and mental effort than physical exercise? Perhaps we'd all avoid massive cost and health issues if - like the car - we could agree some sensible limits at the beginning? OTOH given the never-before-seen sums going in to this, and the large number of (smart and already powerful/ wealthy) folks and organisations desperately needing to make it "too big to fail" to protect their speculation ... ... and human nature (plus captive audience now we're all already online and almost everything from clothing to cereal coming with chips) ... I think you may be right in that even if we have no use for it (and it'll make us redundant), tough.
AI "slop" is a pointless finger pointing. This is the new revolution and after graphic designers and accountants and radiologists- photographers will need to retrain for the new environment. No ideal but it is real and now. Adapt and survive
42 thoughts on “Volvo admits some short journeys are better by bike; Jeremy Vine’s road safety idea sparks mandatory cycling in driving test discussion; 2022 Giro d’Italia route; RideLondon: 10,000 entries sold out in 24 hours; Active travel + more on the live blog”
I don’t understand why you
I don’t understand why you keep featuring Jeremy Vine making loads of inflammatory comments designed, not to fix attitudes or to be conciliatory, but to enrage motorists. These motorists, after all, have the power at their disposal to run cyclists over if they choose to do so.
I know it gets clicks and gets people talking, but it endangers lives. His willfully ignorant tweet is also extremely disrespectful to people who have lost loved ones at the hands of reckless cyclists.
I don’t understand why
I don’t understand why certain individuals keep coming here making inflammatory comments designed, not to change attitudes or to be conciliatory, but to just be contrarian and drive conflict.
I know it gets responses and gives them kicks. Maybe it’s also a cry for help? (I know some people you could talk to).
This last wilfully ignorant comment is also extremely disrespectful to cyclists and other vulnerable road users as well as (the many) people who have lost loved ones at the hands of reckless motorists who “…have the power at their disposal to run cyclists over if they choose to do so.”
How do you block posters? If
How do you block posters? If everyone stopped responding to it, things would be better all round.
You need a browser add on and
You need a browser add on and a bit of config.
What we really need is a flag button, then you could complain about a post. When the mods get the 1000th reason of baiting, maybe they might do something.
Agreed. Can’t the mods just
Agreed. Can’t the mods just switch the thing off? Other sites like UKC would have put it in an oubliere a long time ago
nniff wrote:
I think they misunderstood you and turned off the while website.
I am not sure blocking is the
I am not sure blocking is the right answer, I would always rather know what “the others” are saying and doing. We just need to support our new comrade @Nasal Forage showing a little bit of love and compassion, and be there for them if they start showing signs of PTSD.
Tbf Nigel has a point it does
Tbf Nigel has a point it does feel sometimes if they are struggling to find cycling news to fill the live blog, but theres always the dependable let’s see what Jeremy Vine has to say on twitter today to fill the void.
Yesterday had a bunch of random twitter memes, today has already started with TikTok. I know it’s the off season in racing,though theres content even from that if you look in the right places, but surely there is actual cycling related stuff out there without just copy/paste the latest twitter debate in the Vine channel.
For instance I noticed checking out the Surrey Road cops twitter feed yesterday, they promoted last week a BBC programme called “Crash Detectives Eps 4, a cyclist fights for his life after a crash with an articulated lorry” (that’s the BBC description before I get accused of the reporting standards thing ) and its still on the iplayer… http://twitter.com/SurreyRoadCops/status/1456312937862340617
now I havent watched it yet but I dont recall anyone mentioning this before, or discussing it and yet I suspect it will provoke a heap of debate on a key topic about cycling safety and show how the police analyse crashes involving cyclists.
Surrey Road cops then also provided some follow up advice about shoulder checks, and blind spots on goods vehicles to be aware of, which might be considered a discussion topic in of itself as well.
Thanks for the link. Will try
Thanks for the link. Will try and watch tonight.
Awavey wrote:
Thanks for the link, just watched it. The collision was captured on dashcam, thankfully the cyclist recovered. It’s at 19min 30secs in.
Clearly this was the cyclists fault, but I was surprised the police didn’t pick up on the lorry driver overtaking across a junction. Whilst not illegal, it’s advised against in the highway code.
Looking at the location on streetview, it is now a ‘no right turn’, but back in 2011 you could turn right and you can see why a cyclist might wish to take that route as it is more direct. It was also one of those horrendous bi-directional three lane roads where either direction could use the middle lane.
I love the live blog as it is
I love the live blog as it is, always entertaining.
Where else will I get my daily fix of topless rollerblading man pushing a pram videos?
There is a place….
There is a place….
*LINK REMOVED*
Have to agree with your point
Have to agree with your point although I’m not exactly a fan of Surrey Road Cops (another Road CC obsession along with Vine) because the police here don’t actually take action when they’re given video evidence of bad/dangerous drivers.
Road CC could do a million times better with not much effort.
I vote that Nasal be the
I vote that Nasal be the designated and only responder to Nigel.
Mungecrundle wrote:
Sold
Nasal Forage wrote:
Sold— Mungecrundle
A job for life!
stomec wrote:
Doesn’t seem like much of a life, to be fair.
Would be interesting if
Would be interesting if Socrapi and Nasal know each other? Was the former banned and not signed up as the latter. Or did the former ask for his account to be deleted as they were fed up of others on the site and then came back again anyway?
We’re right behind you!
We’re right behind you!
Mungecrundle wrote:
Cometh the bogeyman!
Showing everyday carelessness
Showing everyday carelessness by vehicle drivers and writing about it doesn’t endanger anyone.
Doing nothing / pretending it’s not happening endangers everyone.
Gaslighting the people who are actually out at risk on a daily basis by writing they shouldn’t be allowed to do so….that’s just plain stupid.
Nigel Garage wrote:
Once again the right proves that when it comes to desperately seeking reasons to be offended, they’re far bigger snowflakes than the left will ever have. Desperate.
Same thing has been said for
Same thing has been said for many years by the motorcycling community. Everyone should have to ride a motorcycle on the road before progressing to a car.
Not too surprisingly, in France where most people ride a little moped at 14 they are much more motorcycle friendly almost to the point of being dangerous. I’ve had drivers put two wheels on the grass verge to give me enough room to overtake. I remember clearly having a really enjoyable week riding out there where no-one in our 20+ group got pulled out on or had any of the usual incidents we get regularly here in the UK. However – coming back on the autoroute into Calais I had two cars pull out on me just as I was about to overtake them – both had British number plates, it was very depressing.
Dear Road.cc
Dear Road.cc
I don’t understand why you keep the Nigelov Garageski bot to make loads of inflammatory comments designed, not to fix attitudes or to be conciliatory, but to enrage cyclists.
I know it gets clicks and gets people talking, but it endangers lives. Its wilfully ignorant comments are also extremely disrespectful to people who have lost loved ones at the hands of reckless motorists.
Anyone guilty of not leaving
Anyone guilty of not leaving enough space when overtaking has to climb Hardknott, Bealach-na-Ba or the Wrynose. With a pro peleton descending at the same time. On one of these. It’s called a punishment pass.
Mad Max may be back, but he’s
Mad Max may be back, but he’s blocked me. Probably for the better.
And we’re back !
And we’re back !
hirsute wrote:
I’m getting some missing pictures on the frontpage when logged in, though I can see the picture if I click on the article. Might be down to my collection of Firefox add-ons that block stuff, though.
Oh yeah. No pictures either
Oh yeah. No pictures either
(I watched an episode last night where he has the bet for £100 that he won’t say that).
Did you see that ludicrous
Did you see that ludicrous display last night?
hirsute wrote:
Pictures are back again now.
I thought they might have
I thought they might have typed google into google and broken the internet 😉
But every one of the sites
But every one of the sites that claims to tell you if a site is down said it was fine, and it was just me!
SimoninSpalding wrote:
I got it back up by deleting road.cc cookies in my browser. As soon as I logged in, it stopped working again. Also, it was showing everything except comments.
SimoninSpalding wrote:
If you hadn’t logged in, then the site was up which is why they said that.
If you connect using a private/incognito browser window, then it would have worked – until you try to login again.
I deleted all my cookies, in
I deleted all my cookies, in case auth was the issue, but it was still broken for me after that. Multiple pages returning 500 errors, and when I could get to pages, various bits of them weren’t loading (particularly comments). I was able to reliably get to the homepage though, so if that’s all they’re monitoring, that might be why it was reading as fine.
I threw away half a packet of
I threw away half a packet of biscuits and tore some pages out of an old washing machine manual. Mrs Mungecrundle made a few choice comments and is monitoring my meds more closely. However Road.cc remained offline throughout.
road.cc Podcast episode 11:
road.cc Podcast episode 11: Are bikes and cycling gear getting too expensive?
Yep!
Are bikes and bicycle stuff
Are bikes and bicycle stuff getting too expensive?
1. If you really need the expensive stuff then you probably get it for free already via sponsorship.
2. It’s still an insanely cheap hobby compared to smoking.
Never thought of smoking as a
Never thought of smoking as a hobby, more of a… yeah what actually is smoking?
Or driving a car
Or driving a car
Currently spending more
Currently spending more maintaining my bike than my car – and doing about 4x the miles too!
And the n+1!