Surrey traffic cops call out safe driving campaign spouting “dangerous advice” about riding two abreast; Disgusting scam profiting from NZ cyclist’s death exposed; Gold Pinarello; Pro Brexodus?; Froome embraces ‘leisure rider’ life + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Surrey traffic cops call out safe driving campaign spouting "dangerous advice" about riding two abreast
Wrong.
Nobody is ‘forcing’ anybody to commit an ovetskecinto oncomjng traffic.
A safe, legal and sensible driver would need the opposing carriageway to overtake even if they were single file. It’s easier to overtake a peloton than a long line of single file riders.— Roads Policing Unit (RPU) – Surrey Police – UK (@SurreyRoadCops) August 11, 2021
We’re back to this again…we thought it was done and said it will take something spectacular to drag us back into the ‘debate’. Well, everyone’s favourite police Twitter account caught our eye with this call out of a page posing as a road safety campaign…Fatal 5 says it is a: “Campaign against the biggest dangers whilst driving: inappropriate speed, distractions, carelessness, no seatbelts & drink/drug driving”. Fair enough.
Interestingly Fatal 5 chose to tackle the road’s biggest dangers by saying cyclists riding two abreast is “a ridiculous act to encourage” that is “downright dangerous”, in reply to Jeremy Vine’s viral vid. When challenged by the Surrey road cops, Fatal 5 doubled down: “Vehicles are being forced further to the offside than necessary with cyclists riding 3 or 4 abreast as demonstrated here, this in turn adds danger from hidden exits etc Are you advocating that cyclists ride 3 or 4 abreast, contradicting guidance as outlined in the Highway Code?”
We have reported the account to Twitter as it is impersonating an official account and providing dangerous advice.
— Roads Policing Unit (RPU) – Surrey Police – UK (@SurreyRoadCops) August 11, 2021
If you’re new around here you might not know why we think the Surrey road cops are worth a follow…back in June its admin slid into the DMs to educate one person bemoaning “dickhead” cyclists riding away from the kerb…
Meet Jose Laverico...the British pro grabbing a Spanish residency card to bypass Brexit ball-ache
Just picked up my Spanish residency card. A little bit of relief as it wasn’t the easiest process. For the next 5-years I shall be known as Jose Laverico. As always, big up to Brexit for making life more difficult✌🏼
— Joe Laverick (@JoeLavo) August 12, 2021
Back in February we highlighted the situation facing British riders subject to visa rules in the wake of Brexit meaning non-EU citizens can only spend 90 days in Europe in a 180-day period. With the majority of WorldTour and Pro Conti races held on the continent, and with many British riders opting to make places like Girona and Andorra home due to the superior training options – it’s become a very real problem for many.
Luckily for Hagens Berman Axeon pro Joe Laverick, he’s found an alternative…introducing…Jose Laverico.
Ned Boulting launches 'make cycling infrastructure fit for purpose' petition
I have started a UK GOV Petition to “Make cycling infrastructure fit for purpose. Just like we have done with roads.” It’s being moderated right now. When it is live, I’m going to need your help to spread it far and wide. To get a parliamentary debate we’ll need 100,000.
— Ned Boulting (@nedboulting) August 12, 2021
You might have seen Ned’s vid from the North East on the blog earlier this week. In it, the commentator and writer shared a familiar scene for cyclists across the UK: lazy, substandard token infrastructure – at most a white painted bicycle and a few lines…
The clip got a lot of traction, so Ned has decided to set up a UK Government Petition to ‘Make cycling infrastructure fit for purpose. Just like we have done with roads.’ The petition is in moderation at the minute so you might not be able to sign it for another few days.
Here’s the link to it, we’ll share it again once it’s live.
Replying to a question about what a parliamentary debate will achieve, Ned said: “I’d rather is WAS debated than WASN’T. I’m hoping it can serve as a focal point for campaigners and will give us something to work with. I’m not expecting miracles, but it could matter.”
Tour of Denmark crash has the critics criticising...
This is why I don’t like eBikes 😉 pic.twitter.com/b9dR2p5GNO
— Martin Toft Madsen (@martintoft) August 12, 2021
We’ve been here before: rider crashes, bike does something bizarre on impact…must be a peloton-wide conspiracy of motor doping. Okay, that’s a bit of a straw man. I can’t explain why Ryder Hesjedal’s bike did what it did at the Vuelta in 2014, nor can I explain what happened here…maybe if I didn’t ditch Physics after an extremely underwhelming GCSE campaign I’d have the answers.
Some are saying it’s clear evidence the rider’s bike has a motor, others that it was just the wind, others rotational energy? Anyone smart want to help me out here?
Richard Carapaz's stunning Olympic gold Pinarello Dogma
A bike fit for the Olympic champion 🥇
Watch @RichardCarapazM meet his stunning new @Pinarello_com DOGMA F for the very first time 🤩 pic.twitter.com/KeBfiNbRjW
— INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) August 12, 2021
How good is this?! It’s what we’ve been waiting for since Richie C won gold a few weeks back. His new Olympic gold Pinarello Dogma is just about as good as it gets…well, maybe apart from if Top Ganna had won TT gold so his supersonic world champ’s machine could be given a gold trim.
The Ecuadorian hero will debut his fresh new ride at the Vuelta a España when it kicks off this weekend. We’ll have to wait until Sunday as the first stage is a TT. I wonder if Cervélo has anything special planned for Primož Roglič?
*takes money from wallet* https://t.co/1Bettm7dCL
— Liam Cahill (@liamcahill1) August 12, 2021
Filth. Utter. Utter. Filth. https://t.co/XfY6AIrKyb
— Wine & Wheels (@defence_on) August 12, 2021
Ethan Hayter takes his silver medal back to the place where it all began
It’s @ethan_hayter paying a visit to @AzeusConvene track league 🤩 pic.twitter.com/kVpsPevIRa
— VC Londres (@VCLondres) August 11, 2021
Olympic silver medallist Ethan Hayter popped down to Herne Hill Velodrome on Wednesday to show off his bling at the place where he started training aged 13.
Speaking to the PA news agency, he said: “It’s not really sunk in yet, it’s a bit strange coming back here and I don’t feel like I should be but I’m treated like a celebrity which is weird.
“I got back and my whole road was out and after getting back from the airport it’s been really nice, in a way it’s meant more to everyone else than it has to me. It’s been really nice, everyone has been saying well done and coming up to see me and stuff like that. I feel like the same person, I was here eight years ago and the buzz around the Olympics was massive – this time it was me competing which was weird.”
One killed as driver strikes 11 cyclists in horrific incident near Tongaat in South Africa
A driver hit 11 cyclists, killing one, in a shocking incident on the R102, near Tongaat in KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday morning. The South African reports the driver was allegedly overtaking several cars on a blind rise when they struck the group. One cyclist in his 20s was pinned under the vehicle and was declared dead at the scene. Three of the riders suffered “minor to moderate injuries”.
IPSS Medical Rescue spokesperson said the scene was chaotic. “IPSS Medical Rescue, together with IPSS Search and Rescue division, responded to the reports of a mass casualty incident on the R102 Frasers, Tongaat. It was reported that a vehicle had allegedly been overtaking several cars on a blind rise when the vehicle struck a group of cyclists,” the official statement reported.
American BMX star Connor Fields missing multiple days from memory after Olympic Games crash
The number of comments I’m getting saying “Paris is in 3 years!”
Do people realize I nearly died? Brain hemmorage? No memory…. Maybe I’m not ready to commit to that yet? Can we chill for just a sec? Maybe focus on lunch next week first….
— Connor Fields (@connorfields11) August 7, 2021
US BMX racer Connor Fields has revealed the frightening days of treatment and missing memory that followed his crash during the Olympic semi-finals in Tokyo earlier this month. Fields, who won bronze in Rio five years ago, crashed heavily when his front wheel landed on another rider’s rear wheel causing him to fall heavily.
The 28-year-old suffered a shocking list of injuries, including a brain haemorrhage, broken rib and a collapsed lung and was stretchered off the track and straight to hospital. Fields posted an update on his recovery to his Instagram followers and said he is still missing four of five days of memory.
“I have about 4-5 days that are completely missing from memory from competition day to the following few days,” he wrote. “I am finally back home and on the road to recovery from Tokyo.”
Fields was in second place at the time of the crash. Dutch rider Niek Kimmann recovered from a crash with an official during practice to win gold as Briton Kye Whyte won GB’s first medal in the event.
Chris Froome embraces the 'leisure rider' lifestyle
At least Chris saw the funny side…If you missed it, he was amusingly mistaken for just a leisure cyclist by French TV yesterday. Just a leisure cyclist with four Tour de France titles, all won during a time France 2 broadcast the race…
Aaannnd it's gone...1-0 Surrey traffic cops
Oh dear, never mind… #fatal5 #cycling pic.twitter.com/KFrzqwvEJl
— Bang Average 3rd Cat (@BangAverageCat3) August 12, 2021
That went well. Bashing cyclists about riding two abreast turned out to be…fatal…for Fatal 5’s road safety ‘campaign’. Despite claiming to be targeting the five main reasons for death and serious injury on UK roads: speeding, distractions, carelessness, no seatbelts and intoxication, Fatal 5 found the time to bash two abreasters too. Blasting cyclists as “ridiculous” and “downright dangerous” for doing so.
Surrey traffic cops then got involved, did their best to educate the so-called road safety page, before giving up and reporting it instead. Whether the account was deleted or removed by the powers that be, we don’t know…either way Fatal 5 is no more…
Fabio Aru to retire at the end of the Vuelta a España
Celebrating Fabio Aru! @FabioAru1 has announced that @lavuelta 2021 will be the final race of his cycling career… and what a career it has been! 🥰
Details: https://t.co/LP0RYsTSVF #BicyclesChangeLives 🖐 pic.twitter.com/qNsePTIr0p
— Team Qhubeka NextHash (@QhubekaAssos) August 12, 2021
Fabio Aru will retire from pro cycling after the upcoming Vuelta a España. The 2015 winner of the race has struggled since 2017 and has said he is looking forward to spending more time with his family. Aru shot to prominence at the 2014 Giro d’Italia where he finished on the podium, a feat he repeated in 2015. The Italian achieved his best result at the Tour de France in 2017, winning the stage to La Planche des Belles Filles and finishing 5th on GC in his national champion’s jersey.
“Reaching this decision has not been easy but it is something that I’ve been thinking about and discussing with my family for some time. I’ve been racing my bike for 16 years and for more than a decade as a professional, but the time has come now to prioritise other things in my life, my family,” Aru said.
How better to remember Aru than with his many pain faces…
Fabio Aru: The man of a thousand faces. A thread. pic.twitter.com/ngXwkSHvZF
— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) December 3, 2020
Grieving brother of New Zealand Olympic cyclist Olivia Podmore exposes online scam that tried to profit from her death
Words can’t express how saddened we are to hear of the sudden death of Rio 2016 Olympian, Olivia Podmore.
Our thoughts are with her family, friends and @CyclingNZL. RIP 🤍 pic.twitter.com/i1sKCI1CsM
— UCI Track Cycling (@UCI_Track) August 9, 2021
The brother of New Zealand cyclist Olivia Podmore, who tragically died earlier this week, has urged people not to donate to an online scam posing as a fundraiser for the family of the athlete who competed at the 2016 Olympics. The page claiming to be created by ‘Team Podmore’ and titled ‘Help Olivia Podmore’ has been exposed by the athlete’s brother Mitchell.
He shared the scam on Facebook, saying “I hope this is not what I’m seeing, the Podmores have not started a gogetfunding or give a little page. Do not react to this.” Yahoo Sport reports the now-deleted fundraiser had a target of $50,000.
Podmore died suddenly, just hours after posting a message on her Instagram warning of the “struggle” of elite sport. The 24-year-old competed at the Rio Olympics and the most-recent World Championships but was not selected for the Tokyo Games.
Katie Compton's husband raises concerns with suspension - says both have suffered huge mental health implications
‘Developing story’ is a huge understatement. This just in from Katie’s husband: the inference is dark, and UCI/USADA need to revoke the suspension pending an independent inquiry. pic.twitter.com/qeuOJyC2in
— Mike Stead (@tweetymike) August 12, 2021
This reaction to yesterday’s big story that 15-time US cyclo-cross champ Katie Compton has been handed a four-year ban comes from the athlete’s husband…
12 August 2021, 08:05
12 August 2021, 08:05
12 August 2021, 08:05
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Latest Comments
@mitsky Just checking the figures and apparently the 2026 average cost is £58,000 per year per prisoner; worth noting that is only the direct cost, you then have to factor in ten years of lost tax income from the prisoner, ten years that the prisoner is making no contribution to society as a worker or as a consumer, plus the fact that if they were the primary breadwinner very likely the costs will include benefits for their family as well. None of which should be a reason for keeping violent recidivists out of prison of course, nor drug/drink drivers who kill, but it is a factor worth considering for lower-level offences.
@Surreyrider I ride in Surrey a fair bit and absolutely many do look like that but the point is they all *think* they're driving perfectly reasonably (as one discovers when remonstrating with someone who's skimmed one by 30cm, "I gave you masses of room") so deterrent penalties have little effect. That's why we need to strike at the root cause and actually train drivers properly and test them stringently (and more than once over the course of a potential 70+ years of driving, it's absolutely absurd that competence and knowledge in what for most people is the activity in their life that will run the biggest risk of killing people you never have to have your qualifications renewed).
@mitsky Imprisonment currently costs over £50k p.a. per prisoner and obviously that will rise over the course of a ten-year stretch with inflation. Regarding culpability and mitigating sentences etc, of course I'm not against condign punishment for drivers who kill (and cyclists on the tiny, tiny handful of occasions when this happens), including prison as appropriate; I was objecting to the ridiculous and oft-repeated demand of MM that drivers who kill cyclists must get ten years, "no excuses, no exceptions".
Hey, but their wool blend cycling adjacent t-shirts are/were fantastic.
@Surreyrider Still the boss. Ride one, you'll see why
@Smoggysteve "Most would happily ride on the roads and be treated with respect by drivers". But people aren't - and as far as I can see they won't be. Not until there is a lot less driving and it's slower around cyclists, and far more people driving have "skin in the game" eg. they sometimes cycle and their friends and family do also. That's what leads to the model - which is perhaps most advanced in NL - where cycling, walking and driving are all seen as separate normal transport modes. Their needs, vulnerabilities and any dangers to others are considered. And *that* leads to "mix / share when possible, separate when necessary". But "possible" is "where your 10-year old would be safe to cycle unsupervised" - so very few motor vehicles, going slow! And AFAICS everybody - even "existing cyclists" - is happy with the result. (I dunno about a few pro cyclists - but don't they tend to have training camps in different counties anyway?)
@quiff as an Edinburgh resident I can confidently say he's speaking without moving his lips in one sense: - while as I noted in a separate comment there *is* now some real separated cycle infra, all the examples i can think of have *at least as much space* for pedestrians. The rest of the "cycle infra" is essentially similar to the situation in the rest of the UK: eg. bus lanes*, cycle lanes and shared use paths (eg. "build" infra by sticking up a sign). Edinburgh is one of the places with a moderately extensive network of former railways which have been converted to "shared use" paths (completely motor traffic few). However though shared they are not narrow by UK standards. And this is all effectively a "free extra" for all non- motorised users, not like the "sign a cycle path" where pedestrians do lose space. I think this all comes from the "popular understanding" of cycling in which ultimately cyclists are the "other". They don't fit "motor vehicle" or "pedestrian" (including wheelchairs on the very rare occasions people think about that). Thus "cyclists are cheating" in multiple ways! They shouldn't get their own space as "there aren't enough" of them. And "they can just use the road / path". But being able to *choose* "on the road" or "on the footway" (shared use path) is clearly unfair - nobody else gets to do that! BUT of course even if they did pick just one of road OR pedestrian space it's still not fair anyway because they're "too slow" for the road (don't pay "road tax" etc...) and "far too fast" for pedestrians... * Though some existing cyclists may appreciate them when there are few buses, buses and bikes are a very poor mix for several reasons.
Whilst a shame for any employees, their bib shorts had the worst chamois pad I’d ever encountered, utter waste of my money. Even though they were Strava challenge discount purchases, still a waste of money.
Thanks, just going to have to suck it up. Got next week off and will take the easy, if expensive option...
@ktache Just go for the TNT Sports only package, £30.99 for a month. Alternatively have you considered experimenting with a VPN for a few pounds, allowing you to sign up for a free stream abroad, e.g. SBS Australia which streams the Tour live? If I didn't have a kind mate's login that's what I'd do!
41 thoughts on “Surrey traffic cops call out safe driving campaign spouting “dangerous advice” about riding two abreast; Disgusting scam profiting from NZ cyclist’s death exposed; Gold Pinarello; Pro Brexodus?; Froome embraces ‘leisure rider’ life + more on the live blog”
This is why I think the
This is why I think the revised HWC missed the mark. The simple truth would be as advised here – use the whole other lane to overtake, always, unless you can’t, in which case don’t overtake.
So none of the hedging around with oughta shoulda coulda go single file in xyz scenario, which inevitably translates into some motorists [i]knowing[/i] cyclists are bringing it on themselves by not magicking up the space for overtakes in the same lane.
And to be fair, a whole lot of motorists do overtake in the other lane. Maybe we need a “good overtake of the day” piece, where it can be shown every day that yes, it is possible and other drivers do do it.
Yes, maybe a good addition to
Yes, maybe a good addition to the hc would be that your nearside wheels need to cross the central white line when overtaking
I have been consciously
Codifying as suggested would be a massive positive step towards ending these ridiculous debates.
This,absolutely.People who
This,absolutely.People who compose rules,regulations,laws etc have to complicate simplicity, perhaps they think it makes them seem worth their salary as they are such an expert in these matters…
“I didn’t want to overtake,
“I didn’t want to overtake, officer, but those meddling cyclists absolutely forced me to.”
brooksby wrote:
and the old favourite, “the cyclists wre going too fast I had to break the speed limit to overtake them.”
Sriracha wrote:
Had one last year, out with mini-me, semi-decent cycle lane, then the bus lane and a normal traffic lane. Bus driver sat behind us for quite a while, and only when the normal traffic lane was clear, and he could straddle both and give us really great space, did he pass. https://youtu.be/TLhpSU4vbYc
About a year prior to this the local bus contract went to a different company (same drivers) and there was a marked difference in driving standards. I think they sent them all on extra training. Haven’t had a bendy bus pass me to pull into a bus-stop while I’m alongside the bendy-bit in forever, it’s been lovely.
I’d worry about the law of
I’d worry about the law of unintended consequences with something like that though, I dont need a whole lane to myself, I just want to be given reasonable amounts of room for my safety and for people to stop overtaking when there isnt really the space to do it safely.
And I’d struggle to find footage of examples of good overtakes,most fall in the barely adequate bracket.
Awavey wrote:
I agree, but if they make the recommendation for drivers to use the other lane, then you can bet that most drivers will just aim for straddling the white line which will be an improvement.
I quite often see some really well executed overtakes, but they are still a minority.
I already tweet road hauliers
I already tweet road hauliers when one of their wagons performs an exemplary pass on me. Bibby Distribution seem to be the best around (up North) – there are loads of them up here and I can’t ever remember a bad pass by a single one of them, unlike some of the other big hauliers (Eddie Stobart, Great Bear, Morgan McCLernon – I’m looking at you…)
Sriracha wrote:
It kind falls down when the cyclist is in a cycle lane, on a shared use path or even (for that matter) riding on the pavement – at all these times the motorist should be following the 1.5/2m rule, not that many will though.
It’s funny because those
It’s funny because those cyclists aren’t riding more than 2 abreast, there are no corners in sight and the road is neither narrow nor busy.
As I mentioned when JV had
As I mentioned when JV had originally posted it, there was also no reason they couldn’t have overtaken either on the video. Then it would have shown that cyclists like that can be overtaken and don’t “hold up” faster vehicles in the main, that riding two abreast rather then 10 in single file is easier to over take and a demo of going across into the far lane as the best overtake for cars and cyclists involved.
Instead he decided to use it to troll car drivers, generate divisive responses and to do segments for his shows which just carried on the “fighting”.
AlsoSomniloquism wrote:
I very much agree – not a fan of Vine, partly because he blocked me for politely disagreeing with him but also because I feel that although he’s generally right his tweets etc are 25% about campaigning for cyclists and 75% about keeping Jeremy Vine in the headlines.
AlsoSomniloquism wrote:
I think it’s worth noting that it is the dangerous and/or ill-informed opinionated drivers that are choosing to “fight” rather than accept the facts they are being shown and having explained to them.
But he could have informed
But he could have informed them and removed the opinion that cycling like that won’t hold up drivers for long, still allows for SAFE overtaking and is easier to do. But instead he actually perpetuates the myth the ill informed opionated and dangerous drivers have by showing a long open road with seemingly plenty of room and time to overtake and bragging he won’t bother and good on them.
I just feel it would have worked better if there were long lines of oncoming cars so not safe to overtake or if he had shown how easy a safe overtake would have been in the circumstances.
IanMK wrote:
so it’s a shame that JV described them as 3 or 4 abreast, rather than ovrtaking to show a) these cyclists were in rows of 2 only b) it’s really easy to overtake cyclists riding like this.
Point could have been “6 cyclists take up about the same space as a tractor and no harder to overtake”, rather than “cyclists should ride 4 abreast to calm traffic”
One would be useful defence of cyclists, the other just looks like trolling.
Idiot should know when to
Idiot should know when to stop digging.
The account has now been
The account has now been deleted.
fatal5uk no longer exists
fatal5uk no longer exists
It would be nice if Surrey
It would be nice if Surrey road cops actually took action when provided with footage of bad driving instead of garnering plaudits from the likes of Road CC. Actually it would be nice if they even acknowledged it.
Surreyrider wrote:
Have you had a bad experience? Would you like to share with the rest of the class?
I have an alternative theory
I have an alternative theory regarding that bike involved in the Tour of Denmark crash…
…IT’S POSSESSED!!!!!
I think when the rider
I think when the rider departed the bike, which is not clearly seen, in falling off he gave the bike a shove sideways. That’s all.
Conservation of Momentum.
Conservation of Momentum. Back wheel is spinning at x rpm and as the brake hadn’t been applied to it when he came off it was still spinning. As the bikes are so light and it landed with back wheel touching the floor, spinning momentum then carried on moving the bike until dispersed.
The camera is moving also,
The camera is moving also, which gives it an odd perspective. The bike wasn’t stationary – it was moving at significant speed forward, then when the wheel hit it started moving forward and to the side.
Given that you cant see the
Given that you cant see the rider in any of that footage and applying Occam’s razor I think you’re right.
Kendalred wrote:
Well obviously; someone owns it.
eburtthebike wrote:
CAPITALIST!
Seems to be some disagreement
Seems to be some disagreement on whether you need a helmet when standing on a (high) podium. Discuss….
It’s a shame no one’s thought
It’s a shame no one’s thought to give Anna Kiesenhoefer a golden bike, her win was by far the more spectacular.
I’m sure if she actually had
I’m sure if she actually had a team, they probably would!
Would have thought it would
Would have thought it would be good publicity for Scott to give her a golden bike, whether or not she has a team. Maybe they can’t agree what parts to hang off it – I think she had a mix and match approach.
quiff wrote:
She had one of the Scott custom Olympic paint jobs from squinting at the first image of her winning I could find – my bet would be that a gold ones on the way if she doesnt have it already. She’s probably a Scott Brand Ambassador or similar regardless of her Pro status.
We can also feel much safer
We can also feel much safer cycling on Surrey’s roads now that their Roads Policing Unit have succeeded in having the account of a Twitter keyboard warrior closed.
If only they had the resources to actually police the roads in person rather than on the internet.
(a) I’m sure they’re doing
(a) I’m sure they’re doing both. (b) it’s easy to criticise, but engaging with and educating people on social media might have wider reach and more positive impact than simply catching and punishing a small selection of wrong-uns.
educating people on social
educating people on social media might have wider reach and more positive impact than simply catching and punishing a small selection of wrong-uns
Either of these actions is better than nothing, which is what we have up here. Surrey does seem to be miles better for cyclists than most forces.
See my comment earlier. If
See my comment earlier. If only they were “doing both”.
Aww. no more Aru.. he was one
Aww. no more Aru.. he was one of my favs.
Isn’t that one of the
Isn’t that one of the Milibands? I need a photo of him eating a hot dog or something, to be sure…
brooksby wrote:
I think it’s 10Mb Milliband.