“A legal road user using a road in a legal manner — how infuriating”: The internet shuts down impatient driver complaining about queue behind cyclist; Childish puns aplenty as the cycling world reacts to Q36.5’s new ‘condom’ jersey + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Childish puns aplenty as the cycling world reacts to Q36.5's new 'condom' jersey
We sent out the Bat-Signal and you answered the call. In this case, the Bat-Signal was news of a clothing brand marketing its new wet-weather jersey as ‘The Condom’ and the call was a load of childish puns in the comments section. Top work everyone…
Smoggysteve asked if a triathlon version is on the way as fellow Yorkshireman Johnny Brownlee would be an ideal candidate to join Tom Pidcock leading the testing.
If it takes off and everyone starts using them we could even have MAMILs… no, not Middle Aged Men in Lycra… Middle Aged Men in Latex. Credit to chrisonabike for that one.
Terry Hutt: “I’d make a joke about lubrication, but I’m too mature for that. Damn it!”
SecretSam: “Thanks for helping us bone up on this.”
lesterama: “Is it ribbed for his pleasure?”
Rendel Harris: “The £250 condom. For very rich dicks. (If anyone from Q36.5 is reading, you can have that one free)”
Cayo: “Only a knob would spend £1100 for that much protection.”
levestane: “It’s a ‘pro’phylactic.”
Wonderful stuff. I’ll admit it certainly caused a weird ‘how was your day at work’ conversation around the dinner table last night. ‘Oh, not too bad, spent the morning shoehorning dick puns into a story about a cycling brand’s new jersey… anyway, how was your day?’
"It's so important, but our view is being squeezed out of the debate": Bike campaigners call for proposed new underpass to be vehicle-free
Traditional Winter Olympics snow and ice sports oppose proposal to introduce cyclocross and cross-country running to programme, arguing it "would dilute the brand, heritage, and identity that make the Olympic Winter Games unique"
Hopes that cyclocross could be added to the Winter Olympics programme in 2030 have suffered a blow, the chiefs of snow and ice sports opposing the plans and arguing it would “dilute the brand, heritage and identity that make the Olympic Winter Games unique”.
In a statement reported by AP, a group of governing bodies, the Winter Olympic Federations group (which includes organisers of traditional snow and ice sports) said it did not want events from summer federations added to the winter programme. Lord Coe suggested earlier in the autumn that he and UCI boss David Lappartient were confident cross-country running and cyclocross could be included in the Winter Olympics in time for the 2030 Games in the French Alps.
However, opposing the move, the federation which represents sports such as skiing, skating, biathlon, curling, luge, bobsled and skeleton stated: “The Winter Olympic Federations are firm in our belief that such an approach would dilute the brand, heritage, and identity that make the Olympic Winter Games unique — a celebration of sports practised on snow and ice, with distinct culture, athletes, and fields of play.”
The Olympic programme for the summer and winter events is being reassessed as part of new IOC president Kirsty Coventry’s opening months in the top job, however this statement will be a concern to Coe and Lappartient who had expressed confidence their sports would have a spot at the Winter Olympics by the end of the decade.
"The future of titanium aerodynamics": J.Laverack unveils 3D-printed innovations with new road bikes
Mathieu van der Poel returns to Strava with blistering 33-minute 10km
With Freddy Ovett nudging training partner and pal Mathieu van der Poel towards a triathlon debut, the Dutch classics star has turned things up a notch by returning to Strava after clocking a 33-minute 10km this morning.
Out in Alicante where he enjoys his winter training miles, Van der Poel has also spent his off-season training with Greg Van Avermaet, the former Olympic champion and Paris-Roubaix winner who has turned his hand to triathlon post-retirement and was last weekend crowned the winner in the 40-44 age category at the Ironman 70.3 world championships in Marbella.
Van der Poel’s 10km this morning is pretty quick, even by the lofty standards of him already being a world class endurance athlete in another discipline. Strava clocked it as officially 33:41 and he also ticked off a 16:48 5km in the process, enough to comfortably obliterate most Parkruns.
Dutch compatriot Tom Dumoulin is probably still the clubhouse leader on pro cyclist x running matters, the former Giro winner having clocked a 32:38 10k and 1:08:42 half marathon since retiring. For context, Van Avermaet’s half marathon from his age group Ironman-winning effort was 1.21:31, although that comes with all the usual caveats about that being clocked at the end of a triathlon.
All those times were eclipsed by Tom Pidcock’s 13:25 5km of course, or at least they were until the internet pointed out the GPS was more than a bit dodgy and no, Pidcock probably wasn’t 50 seconds off the world record.
Labour clamps down on "tax breaks for high earners riding £4,000 e-bikes in the Surrey Hills", as Rachel Reeves to reintroduce Cycle to Work spending cap in Autumn Budget
"Like many small, independent businesses, we’ve faced rising costs and changing market pressures that have simply become too challenging to overcome"
Edinburgh Bicycle Cooperative has announced it has closed the doors of its Edinburgh Bicycle Leeds store for good after many years of serving the community.
“This decision has not been made lightly,” a post communicating the news explained. “Despite our best efforts, the extremely difficult trading conditions of recent years have made it impossible to continue operating sustainably. Like many small, independent businesses, we’ve faced rising costs and changing market pressures that have simply become too challenging to overcome.
“We’re immensely grateful to everyone who has helped us — from our customers to local businesses and fellow cyclists. Your support has meant the world to us, and it’s been a privilege to ride alongside you. Thank you for being part of our story.”
Is this the new Cannondale SuperSix Evo? Leaked images suggest next generation all-round race bike will get deeper headtube and universal derailleur hanger
How has Rachel Reeves' rumoured Cycle to Work cap gone down with cyclists?
Editor Jack has had his say and you can check out that opinion piece over on our sister site e-bike tips. As a teaser, “Labour’s tone-deaf comments ahead of planned Cycle to Work cap changes demonstrate this government’s total blind ignorance on the benefits of e-bikes and active travel”.
Here’s what some of our readers and the wider UK cycling community has been saying this lunchtime.
The Guardian’s senior political correspondent and regular reporter on active travel Peter Walker said the Cycle to Work scheme “might seem like low-hanging fruit for a cash-strapped Treasury” but suggested it “would be a big mistake”.
“Particularly with expensive kid-carrying cargo e-bikes, it’s one of the most effective modal shift levers out there,” Walker told followers on BlueSky. “The very jaundiced source quote in the FT about not funding ‘high earners buying £4,000 e-bikes for weekend rides in the Surrey Hills’ makes it feel like the Treasury has missed the point. Sure, tighten the rules. But don’t axe it.
“Worth remembering that freezing fuel duty, which could well happen again, costs about 30x more than the cycle to work scheme per year.”
But she’s more than happy to subsidise people who can afford to buy £40k electric cars but more than the cost of a decent bike. And through salary sacrifice schemes too. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025…
— Real Gaz on a proper bike: gazza_d@toot.bike (@gazza-d.bsky.social) 13 November 2025 at 06:30
David Brennan: “I think there are issues with the scheme, specifically that higher earners save more than lower earners. The focus should be to improve the savings for lower earners rather than placing limits on the scheme. Every person that rides a bike is a fitter person, saving the NHS money.”
SaneRebel: “If going after luxury travel the lack of duty on aircraft fuel should be the top priority.”
hawkinspeter: “Despite claims that the retailers would just raise prices, I think zero VAT rating on bikes, parts and accessories would fix the unfair tax benefit skew towards the wealthy and also fix the various issues about who is eligible. The other benefit is that it would be far cheaper to implement and it sends the right message about health and activity.”
Hirsute: “Meanwhile, £650M is available to subsidise EVs and there is £350 towards a charging point. Thereby giving equivalent tax breaks to high earners. Can’t they just limit tax relief to basic rate, as it would be silly to exclude people buying a cargo bike.”
mctrials23: “Hard to disagree with this to be honest. Set it to a sensible level of lets say £4000 and allow people to top up anything above that. That covers a very nice bike/cargo bike. The biggest issue with it is that it disproportionately benefits the wealthier vs the rest. How to solve that? I don’t know.”
EK Spinner: “How it all works certainly needs to be addressed: 1. Low earners not able to access the scheme as it takes them below Min wage is definitely wrong. 2. High earners getting much better deals as the tax savings are all from your highest tax rate. 3. Employees of uninterested employers don’t have access because they won’t sign up to a scheme.
“Perhaps they would be better to do something like removing VAT from bikes but this probably wouldn’t make much difference to the end user as the retailers would simply scoop it up.”
"Greetings from the workshop... just when you think you've seen everything..."
Lorenz from Germany has been in touch… “Greetings from the workshop… just when you think you’ve seen everything…”
Councillor under fire for "kamikaze cyclists" rant, as rivals warn against "blaming cyclists for accidents that happen to them"
Pinarello becomes title sponsor of Q36.5, with Tom Pidcock back on Italian brand's bikes after season with Scott
In quite possibly the least surprising story of the off-season so far, Pinarello has officially announced it is the new title sponsor of the team that will be known as Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team from next season. We’ve been confident this was happening for some time, ever since we spotted the new name included on a list of UCI team applications for 2026. It wouldn’t take Sherlock Holmes to put it together…
Today it has been announced formally, Pinarello “proud” to announce the new partnership with Q36.5 in a collaboration between “two companies that share the same relentless pursuit of performance, innovation, and design perfection”.
It means Tom Pidcock will be back racing Pinarello’s bikes on the road, after a season with Scott, Fausto Pinarello saying the partnership is “more than a sponsorship”. It means Pinarello will be raced by two teams next season, the bike brand of course a long-time partner of the Ineos Grenadiers as well.
Pidcock’s pleased too: “I’m really happy to be back on Pinarello full time. It genuinely feels like coming home. I’ve always loved riding their bikes, and over the years, I’ve built such a strong relationship with the brand. It’s the perfect reunion.”
After two years in development, Passoni unveils unique new aero bike with a half carbon/half titanium frameset
"A legal road user using a road in a legal manner — how infuriating": The internet shuts down impatient driver complaining about queue behind cyclist
When this person filmed a video (we’re hoping from the passenger seat) and decided to share it online, on the self-explanatory Reddit page titled ‘mildly infuriating’, they probably expected a few replies in support of their impatience.
However, refreshingly (considering this is the internet we’re talking about) the thread turned into something of an own goal for the filmer as other Reddit users suggested there was only one infuriating behaviour on display here… and it didn’t involve having the nerve to ride a bike perfectly legally on a road.
“It is pretty infuriating not to build safe cycling infrastructure and proper shoulders on roads,” the top comment suggested.
“Omg a legal road user using a road in a legal manner! How infuriating,” another top reply suggested.
Some concluded the person filming must just be “stuck inside their car and feeling mildly jealous towards someone enjoying the fresh air”. Predictably, someone did suggest that the rider was not riding legally as they were “impeding the normal flow of traffic” and “need to yield”, however others quickly pointed out that particular law in the US “is more complicated than you think it is”.
“He’s going up a hill. That’s the main reason a line is forming at all, the drivers are careful because they can’t evaluate opposing traffic. Once they’re past the hill, they can overtake him easily, he’s staying on the far right side. He can’t stop every time time there is a driver behind him,” someone else suggested.
Other helpful advice to the ‘mildly infuriated’ person filming included, “If this infuriates you, then you don’t understand how the roadways work.”
Oh, and the personal favourite: “Have you considered safely passing him like everyone else is doing?”
Maybe there is hope for cycling-related discourse on the internet after all…
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Latest Comments
LLMs are indeed an enormous bag of words, but they are also a clever bag of words as when they pick the next most probable word, they are using a multi-dimensional mappings or relations between words and so they appear to communicate like a human, but they are only simulacrums and have no understanding or intelligence.
The article does say that the parrot lived in Scarponi's son's warehouse. It is sad that Franky reportedly died in the factory fire, but apparrotly he had been warned several times about smoking near to packaging materials. Although the parrot (a blue and yellow macaw) is native to Central and South America, it could probably survive in the wild in Europe, as long as winters weren't too harsh. But this article proves beyond all doubt that parrots are polycyclic.
Clever is not a synonym for enormous ;-)
Try Specsavers
Personally, I think the belkin one was a vast improvement over pretty much all the rabobank offerings - blue and orange - bleuch! Although the blanco kit was much better than either of them (or the subsequent visma ones).
Why do these medical professionals never mention shit driving or infrastructure? And why do they never say anything about all the other activities that helmets might also help with e.g. Driving or being a pedestrian.
I have the current generation of 4iiii heart-rate monitor. It's very good . Will I , when the current one eventually fails , buy this new 4iiii , no. Why you may ask . Well it looks like a proprietary fastener . We all know about proprietary standards and the absolute hassle of sourcing replacements and the associated costs.
I like castorama and Astana kits pictured here.
Much as I agree with your comment and opinion, I don't think he's actually having a go at you, rather the article author, given that you didn't say anything about the Grenadier and the author did. If we could have back the previous reply facility, where it was obvious if somebody was making a standalone comment or replying to someone else, it would eliminate these misunderstandings.
Do you work for INEOS by any chance? Each to their own but the INEOS kit has been widely derided, on cycling forums opinion is 90% against at least. No idea why you think Steve's kit in the profile picture is so bad, it's a perfectly neutral black and grey top with a yellow band, you could say it was boring but that's about it. The Grenadier is a foul machine that shouldn't be allowed on sale for numerous reasons, including its disgraceful fuel consumption (15-20 mpg for the petrol version) and its extreme size and weight that puts other road users, particularly cyclists, in danger. Oh and it is totally a Land Rover wannabe, when Jaguar Land Rover announced that they were ceasing production of Land Rovers at their Solihull plant Jim Ratcliffe asked if he could buy the tooling and carry on producing them, when he was told to get lost he started planning to build his own, so that comment is perfectly justifiable.
53 thoughts on ““A legal road user using a road in a legal manner — how infuriating”: The internet shuts down impatient driver complaining about queue behind cyclist; Childish puns aplenty as the cycling world reacts to Q36.5’s new ‘condom’ jersey + more on the live blog”
‘…hope for cycling related
‘…hope for cycling related discourse on the Internet after all’. No chance I’m afraid
I came in by the Farceboke
I came in by the Farceboke page and given the Trolls on there, you are 100% right there’s No chance 🙁
Quote:
At least two – the person posting nonsense on reddit, and the driver squeezing between the cyclist and oncoming traffic.
I didn’t find the overtake at
I didn’t find the overtake at the crest of the hill frustrating. The driver looks to have held back until they had visibility and then pulled marginally to the left on their overtake. I wish all the overtakes I get were at least that wide.
It’s not so much the space
It’s not so much the space given to the cyclist (although that wasn’t as good as it could have been) – it’s the fact that they ignored the driver coming the other way and went for the overtake anyway, forcing them to slow and move over.
I wasn’t in their driver seat
I wasn’t in their driver seat but I hope they were in a position at the crest of the hill to see they could do that and give the cyclist room.
Safer cycling – Q365 jersey ?
Safer cycling – Q365 jersey ?
Re: the cyclist legally
Re: the cyclist legally riding on the road, slowing down the drivers behind LESS than other motorists do when they are all stationary most of the time.
This goes back to the mis-leading advertising of car manufacturers showing their products being used on empty roads, selling a false panacea of a single driver moving at speed….
Or is it a case that the cyclist forgot their cow disguise that helps prevent drivers’ frustration?
mitsky wrote:
You omitted the photogenic partner in the passenger seat and the sweeping alpine vistas.
Yes, they smile dreamily at
Yes, they smile dreamily at each other as they get in the car. They have just had terrific sex and are going out in their SUV to have a green smoothie at a local wellness bar.
They have high powered well paid jobs and are successful in all areas of life.
And all of this is because of the model of car they have purchased.
The reality. They got an
The reality. They got an inferior car on a 5 year lease scheme. The couple are overweight, constipated and have high blood pressure. The husband uses Jack Duckworth from Coronation St as a role model and the wife uses one of the “strong” female characters from East Enders (who prefers to settle disagreements with loud shouting and ranting, rather than a reasoned argument). They haven’t had sex for two years and are bickering as they get in the car. The husband lets rip a loud sulphurous fart that reminds them both of the gutbuster special breakfast they had two days ago at that Little Chef on the A47.
They get stuck behind a cyclist. The inevitable 10 second delay makes them even angrier. It isn’t long enough for them to finish their argument before they get to KFC.
That and their Q36.5 jerseys,
That and their Q36.5 jerseys, apparently.
Tradescant wrote:
Also don’t forget that this is progress we’re talking about here. Now let’s all glide through this luninous (empty) city-scape and then back to our tidy suburban street (distressed child whose problem is somehow solved by the car optional – see your dealer)
mitsky wrote:
You mean their Mooovistar team kit?
Red Bull, surely?
Red Bull, surely?
“Some concluded the person
“Some concluded the person filming must just be “stuck inside their car and feeling mildly jealous towards someone enjoying the fresh air””
I am quite unsure about the freshness of the air and the enjoyment of it with a car accelerating past him every 30 seconds.
Sad to hear about Edinburgh
Sad to hear about Edinburgh Bicycle – a lovely small chain of shops, great staff, and an absolutely first class range of own-label “revolution” bikes.
from what I can tell and is
from what I can tell and is not stated above, its only the Leeds store that is closing. The Newcastle and Scotland shops are unaffected.
Hadn’t spotted that! They did
Hadn’t spotted that! They did have an interesting range. Also found them helpful on the handful of occasions I popped in to one of their outlets. (I mostly use a couple of much smaller LBS or occasionally Halfords / random shop for basics).
I thought that until I
I thought that until I clicked on the picture, as sad as it is, its only the Leeds branch which is closing, the headline is mis leading. Up north in the real north EBC have just bought additional shops in Stirling.
Skarsvåg says “Stirling isn’t
Skarsvåg says “Stirling isn’t the real north!”
Most of the delays to motor
Most of the delays to motor vehicle users are caused by motor vehicle users.
Quote:
Well, precisely – growth’s taken a hammering because of falling car production – the last thing we want to be doing right now is encouraging modal shift…
Yeah! Hire-purchase to help
Yeah! Hire-purchase to help out! Drive to the takeaway to save the NHS!
Then: if we can only get more people in cars that means employers can draw on a bigger pool of people – which will hopefully reduce wages and increase business profits. That’s got to be an economic win?
The extra road wear will create business for the civil engineering firms also.
Don’t forget the savings in
Don’t forget the savings in social care as life expectancy drops. Or does that reduce jobs? Or do people just require help sooner? Tricky, this economics stuff.
Quote:
Am I missing something? Looks like the suspension seatpost is installed backwards, but is that it? Pretty easy mistake to make (especially on an unconventional-looking seatpost). Hard to imagine it’s high on the list of shocking things that a bike mechanic might come across. Might even have been deliberate, if the customer felt the position was more comfortable.
Actually just looked at the
Actually just looked at the picuture again and maybe I was missing something. Specifically, the pedal. Or lack thereof, since there doesn’t appear to be much pedal left!
Pedal right left, shurely?
Pedal right left, shurely?
I like the Magura brakes and ring lock though…
OnYerBike wrote:
Apologies for snippola – I’m trying to get a job with the BBC. Maybe the customer didn’t like the suspension movement? This disables it, and handily removes the setback??
Its goes to show how a few
Its goes to show how a few seconds clip can be made look like something it isnt.
The cyclist ‘holding up traffic’ is quite obviously on the brow of a climb so cars will wait – as they should to ensure therer is nothing coming. No doubt once the cyclist gets over the brow cars will be able to get past quite freely and it would be as though there was nothing to show.
Could we afford to keep the
Could we afford to keep the cycle to work scheme if we dropped the digital ID card stuff?
“Royal outrider cleared over
“Royal outrider cleared over pedestrian’s death“
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy0yj4kp0eyo
I can’t help but think, what if…
1) The vehicle had been a non-motorised bicycle?
2) The rider wasn’t involved in protecting royalty?
Would the outcome have been the same?
Very upsetting. Also
Very upsetting. Also upsetting that he could get away with saying things like “She just appeared, between the kerb line and the point of collision.” That’s tantamount to saying he didn’t look, but lawyers rarely challenge this sort of crap.
I mean – nothing to see here.
I mean – nothing to see here. VIP so “security” etc. Police, so “public servant, we have to look at the big picture” etc. “Honestly didn’t see them / suddenly appeared” (these speedy octogenarians…)
It is perhaps surprising this doesn’t happen more often; but the system will absolutely see this as “out of our way or else”.
The rider went through a red
The rider went through a red light at twice the speed limit, so as a specialist driver he needed to make sure it was clear even though he was allowed to do it. How was a pedestrian to know that there could be a motor vehicle coming through a red a light at high speed at any moment without warning?
And then saying the solution is to put bull bars on motorrbikes? To do what? Send people flying out of the way instead of running them over? Bull bars are outlawed on motor vehicles.
The whole thing is shocking but then the mantra of the police is “Yeah it is a terrible problem but there is nothing much we can really do”, so I shouldn’t be surprised.
Agree with all that but you
Agree with all that but you’ve misread the report in one respect, the police said they’ve now fitted bull horns to all escort motorcycles, not bull bars. However, as this officer had a whistle to warn pedestrians and didn’t use it what’s to say he’d use his bull horn?
Whoops. Why not use sirens
Whoops. Why not use sirens then? Make it mandatory to sound sirens if using legal powers to break traffic laws including RLJ and speed limits. And if he can go through a red light surely there can’t be a problem with sounding a siren.
But if he didn’t use his whistle surely that is careless driving? Just like turning without signalling. I can’t understand the logic behind him being cleared.
Yes, I accept that he is
Yes, I accept that he is allowed to run red lights and break the speed limit but with these extra powers comes greater responsibility, that is why they send them on advanced driving courses before they are allowed to do these things. At the very least he should be taken off escort duty, the pedestrian wasn’t beamed down by Scottie, she walked across the road and probably quite slowly due to her age. She was there to be seen and he didn’t look properly!
The police did say that they
The police did say that they are now considering any misconduct proceedings that should be taken against the officer, it will be interesting to see whether they actually follow through on that or just sweep it under the carpet.
Apparently the police escort
Apparently the police escort motorcycles do not use sirens in order to maintain a quiet dignified presence befitting the transport of royalty, and I’m sure it must be a great comfort to Mrs Holland’s family to know that she was killed because said quiet dignity was being upheld.
This is something from
This is something from another century. Proles trampled underfoot of state carriage. Outrageous.
Absolutely. “We’re all in
Absolutely. “We’re all in this together – well when we say that we don’t mean it applies to traffic jams, obviously…”
Rendel Harris wrote:
Calling wtjs
Calling wtjs
https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/live-police-crime-commissioners-scrapped-10642150?int_source=nba
Thanks Bungle! PCCs scrapped
Thanks Bungle! PCCs scrapped – Oh Joy! One fewer layer of useless, idle tosserdom, dedicated to Dalek-like repetition of ‘that’s an operational decision of the police, nothing to do with me’. Problem is that we’re still burdened with the main horde of useless, idle bent tossers
I am shocked, wtjs …
I am shocked, wtjs …
… at your moderate celebration!
Cross-country running and
Cross-country running and cyclocross should be part of the Winter Olympics provided competitions take place on terrain covered with snow.
Not all winters involve snow.
Not all winters involve snow.
When Sagan joined Total
When Sagan joined Total Energy, he brought Specialized along with him. Peadcock joined Q36.5 a year ago, and in comes Pinarello. Unlike Peto, Tom won races and his new team mates performed way better than the past years.
MaxiMinimalist wrote:
Unfair comparison to Sagan (who did in fact win a race that season, a stage of the Tour de Suisse) who was at the end of his career, whose season was disrupted by Covid and who, as it transpired, was racing with three heart conditions which required two rounds of surgery, whereas Pidcock is at the height of his powers and also racing with a far better team.
Sagan was on the wane when he
Sagan was on the wane when he joined DE. So that’s not fair. And the Tarmac seems to have done pretty well with other teams…unlike the Penisrello with Ineos, say…
MaxiMinimalist wrote:
It’s a bit of a stretch to imply Pidcock brought Pinarello to the team – Pinarello’s owner co-founded Q36.5 so a tie-up was never going to be far away.
Motor vehicle users cause a
Motor vehicle users cause a considerable amount of delays to cyclists in cities and towns.