Karma for driver covering plates to cut through LTN; Pidcock beats Van Aert for first Ineos win; Bike lane birth; Nibali fractures wrist; Cycling filmmaker’s last ride; Photo finish; Italian Job Giro announcement; Good policing + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Cycling filmmaker makes final journey on bicycle-drawn hearse
Came across this funeral in Dublin today. Paddy Cahill was his name. He was well loved and respected by the sound of things. Bicycle-drawn hearse brings cycling advocate on his last journey
via The Irish Timeshttps://t.co/SKAVON5hrh pic.twitter.com/DmlDxYhPhi— Ronan McGreevy (@RMcGreevy1301) April 12, 2021
Cycling advocate and filmmaker Paddy Cahill sadly passed at the age of 44 after a long illness. His dying wish was to be carried by his brother Conor on a bicycle-drawn hearse for one final ride through the streets of Dublin. The Irish Times reports that dozens of cyclists joined the cortège on the way.
Paddy made cycling documentaries with Dutch blogger and fellow cycling advocate Philip de Roos on cyclingwith.com, including an interview with former mayor of Amsterdam Job Cohen. The pair were well-known among Dublin cycle commuters as Paddy was often seen filming from his bike’s specially built front carrier which allowed him to film other cyclists while Philip pedalled behind.
In a 2013 interview, he explained his love for cycling. “There is something about cycling that promotes a gentle pace to the conversation. The city becomes another character which in turn affects the conversation,” he told The Irish Times.
“There are loads of good reasons to cycle for society and the individual but I don’t cycle for health or environmental reasons. I cycle because it’s the quickest, most convenient way to get around and it makes you happy.”
Criticism for strange tweet praising pro team director guilty of harassment
Three years ago Marc Bracke discovered this 16 Y old Hungarian unpolished diamond. She first raced in our development team, but quickly joined the UCI continental team. Today we’re sad to see her go, but we’re proud she’s going to the number one team in the world : Team SDWorx👊 pic.twitter.com/KVVtpO39Fb
— Doltcini – Van Eyck Sport – Proximus (@DoltciniVanEyck) April 13, 2021
Doltcini-Van Eyck director Marc Bracke is currently awaiting the UCI Disciplinary Commission’s ruling on his sanctions for being found guilty of violating the UCI Code of Ethics after complaints of harassment from two female riders. Marion Sicot and Sara Youmans both filed complaints after Bracke requested photos of them in “panties and bra” and “bikini.”
Flanders Classics, the organiser for many of the major Belgian cobbled races, also requested Bracke didn’t attend their races earlier this month. This post was put out by his team’s Twitter account, leading to criticism from fans, with one asking “are you drunk?”
This is actually a really bad tweet and if you don’t know why, maybe you should do some research. Just a thought
— Robyn (@robynjournalist) April 13, 2021
— TipsNstars (@tipsnstars) April 13, 2021
Team DSM Giro announcement is a 10/10
🗣“You’re only supposed to…ride a lap of Italy!”
Team DSM – 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙄𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙣 𝙅𝙤𝙗 🎬#Giro! Coming 🔜 to a screen near you 🍿
🔗 https://t.co/9nnKOt5Vkt pic.twitter.com/JWtlLvHmPL
— Team DSM (@TeamDSM) April 14, 2021
Kudos to DSM for this quality team announcement…
Why cyclists don't use the bike lane: there's a woman giving birth in it...
An unusual story from Brisbane for you this lunchtime…A mother gave birth to her baby in a bike lane while on their way to the hospital. The father, Stephen Mohan, helped deliver his son with the help of a doctor and student midwife who happened to be passing. The couple were two minutes away from Mater Hospital in the south of the city when the birth started…Mr Mohan pulled over, into the bike lane, where the baby was born.
“Within five minutes in the car I was just pushing — it was peak-hour traffic — the baby’s head came out while we were still driving,” the mother said. “I just kind of surrendered to the fact that the baby was coming in the car.”
A witness who was riding her bike to work when she passed the car, realised what was happening and called for an ambulance. “It all happened so quickly,” the cyclist told ABC Radio. “It was amazing — everyone just jumped straight into action.”
The Slate Line
There is more than enough adrenaline here for your Wednesday lunch break…
Evans Cycles offer discounted insurance policies through new partner cycleGuard
Evans Cycles has partnered with cycleGuard to offer customers 15 per cent discounts on insurance plans that cover theft, vandalism, accidental damage and up to £2,500 of clothing and accessories. Business director at Evans, Mark Brown, says it should be part of their duty as the “UK’s leading cycling retailer” to “provide customers with products and services that will help them to enjoy the ride”.
“We are incredibly excited to be working with cycleGuard as it not only allows us to offer protection to the increasing number of cyclists on the road, but also peace of mind that their bike is covered, should the unfortunate happen,” he said.
Good news and bad news for Trek-Segafredo...
It doesn’t get any closer than that. #BPwomen pic.twitter.com/D0xtxbP0Av
— CyclingTips (@cyclingtips) April 14, 2021
Close finish in the Brabantse Pijl women’s race. Pick a winner if you can. Ruth Winder on the far side got the nod in the photo finish.
Ooof that’s tight. pic.twitter.com/UAgr47ljPU
— Caley Fretz (@CaleyFretz) April 14, 2021
Some good news for Trek-Segafredo, but also some bad news…Vincenzo Nibali went to hospital this morning after a crash near Lugano in Switzerland. X-rays found he suffered a compound fracture to his wrist and will undergo osteosynthesis surgery tomorrow. No word from the team or Nibali yet about if he will be able to compete at the Giro d’Italia which starts three weeks on Saturday.
‼️ Clinical exams have revealed a compound fracture of the radius of right wrist for @vincenzonibali. An osteosynthesis surgery has been scheduled for tomorrow to reduce the fracture.
After this it will be possible to hypothesize the recovery and Vincenzo’s participation at Giro pic.twitter.com/lmMP2DNqeD— Trek-Segafredo (@TrekSegafredo) April 14, 2021
UCI relaxes water bottle lobbing punishments
UCI relaxes rules on throwing waste a touch, first offence no longer = automatic DQ in a one day race/time penalty in stage race but cash fine and UCI points hit https://t.co/IDJcdhyiGR
— the Inner Ring (@inrng) April 14, 2021
We will have more to follow on this shortly but the UCI has slightly softened its stance on punishing riders for chucking water bottles. Fines and docking of UCI points will be the go to sanction for first offences at one-day races before disqualification the second time. At stage races the second infringement will be a one-minute time penalty and the third a disqualification. Riders are going to have to pick which kid gets their bottle very carefully…Sorry mate, I’ve already given one bottle away today.
Good policing
“Too close for comfort”
It’s all about education today in @PoliceStafford – ensuring at least 1.5m is given when overtaking cyclists @WeAreCyclingUK pic.twitter.com/8WpY21L90O
— Staffs Police Road Policing Unit (@RoadPolicing) April 14, 2021
After yesterday’s apology from Northumbria Police after their cyclists should avoid busy areas tweet, we thought we would share some good work being done by police forces too…
A cyclist is a human being; a grandparent, parent, child, sibling or friend. Drivers MUST leave a safe gap when overtaking. There is no middle ground. It’s either safe or not safe. Please think carefully, put yourself in their position, avoid a ‘Close Pass’ #RSU @HeadofNRPOI pic.twitter.com/Abk3DUuCo5
— Hampshire Roads Policing Unit (@HantsPolRoads) April 14, 2021
Karma for driver covering plates to cut through LTN
You can’t outwit Highbury’s LTN cameras. Deliberately obscuring your number plate can lead to the serious offence of perverting the course of justice, a £1000 fine & community service punishments. Don’t be like this moron – a lot of us record our rides & will report you! DN57 WXW pic.twitter.com/lhRx4dS71n
— Highbury Cyclist (@HighburyCyclist) April 13, 2021
This driver thought he was being clever covering his number plates to cut through an LTN…Little did he know, that cyclist he overtook had a camera and pulled up just in time to deliver a swift dose of karma…”Got your face too, well done”…
Highbury Cyclist said he’ll be reporting this driver and even did some digging to find the vehicle is untaxed too…
Untaxed too. pic.twitter.com/ZNOuPP3QLQ
— Highbury Cyclist (@HighburyCyclist) April 13, 2021
He’d have got away with it too if it wasn’t for you meddling cyclists! Love it
— PassPixi (@PassPixi) April 13, 2021
I’ve noticed this new illegal habit of cars & delivery vans covering up their number plates while in #LTNs.
Here’s one I caught in #Brixton hill area in #sw2, but I’ve seen others.
I wonder what @LambethMPS @lambeth_council & @clairekholland are doing about this?@RailtonLTN pic.twitter.com/adnXD7Em6G— Olly Hatch Esq,. (@OllyHatch) April 13, 2021
Back in February we covered some similar antics, caught on camera by the Warwick Road Action Group, when a van driver decided to get out in the snow and spend a couple of minutes covering his number plates…In that time he could have probably just driven the proper way around…
Tom Pidcock beats Wout van Aert for first pro win
WHAT a win for @Tompid 🇬🇧
A thrilling finale to Brabantse Pijl! pic.twitter.com/YIQyEwrSdV
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) April 14, 2021
Tom Pidcock beat Wout van Aert and Matteo Trentin in a three-up sprint to win Brabantse Pijl for his first pro win for Ineos Grenadiers. The trio broke away on the final lap of the hilly circuit and held off the chasing group. In the kick to the line Pidcock timed his effort perfectly to come around the fading Van Aert.
It’s the result the Yorkshireman’s promising start to life at Ineos deserved after an impressive spring, coming third at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, fifth at Strade Bianche and 15th at Milan San-Remo.
Not a bad day for British racing then…Cav gets three in a row and Pidcock’s off the mark…
What a way to get your first pro victory. Bloody legend. #BP21 pic.twitter.com/210Txzuadx
— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) April 14, 2021
"Maybe Wout pulled a little too hard": Tom Pidcock finish line reaction to first pro win
𝗔𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱: First pro road win 🔓
Congratulations, @Tompid #BP21 pic.twitter.com/PRjlInc5EI
— INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) April 14, 2021
That was special. Chapeau Tom. Despite the esteemed company he was up against in Wout van Aert and former European road race champion Matteo Trentin, Pidcock said he was confident in his sprint even if the chasing group got a little too close for comfort.
“I always start such sprints with confidence,” he told Wielerflits at the finish line. “Wout took over very hard on the way and I had to drive an insane power to keep up with him. But maybe he pushed it a little too hard. In the run-up to the sprint, I got a bit nervous because of the riders following behind. I waited and waited, and got a bit trapped when Wout turned on, but in the end I had the space and I could pass him. I already had a good feeling for the race, because I had trained well recently. I’m glad it went so well.”
14 April 2021, 08:04
14 April 2021, 08:04
14 April 2021, 08:04
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Latest Comments
The problem with roadcc's coverage of Nick Freeman is that it's focusing too much on his controversial hot takes, rather than the well-known work he's done road safety campaigning. For balance, Nick has been very vocal recently on the dangers posed by electric cars for cyclists and pedestrians, writing (on X): "Pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users often rely on hearing an approaching vehicle. That’s why I believe EVs should emit synthesised warning sounds at all speeds, not just low speeds. Road safety must always come first." I think we can all unite around that sentiment rather than the more divisive number plates argument which I disagree with. Nick thinks that "accountability" comes with identifiability. I agree to some extent, but you have to balance the risks posed by a form of transport with the loss of freedom and increase in state power resulting in having mandatory identity numbers. Cycling doesn't even come close.
@HarrogateSpa : Exactly. Clickbait articles such as this to keep the advertisers happy.
@hawkinspeter Hmm... while there is sensible stuff in there it's even better where the design and human nature carries more of the weight than rules or guidance. Speed limits being one; if it was just on the rules that would be a lesser way of ensuring safety than the road / space design. (Of course just changing a number on a sign *does* work to some extent, presumably in part via the "anchoring" effect and "when in Rome"). I'm thinking more of what we have in eg. UK motorway-design-level thought and applying that *. One example would be the Dutch taking the observation that a certain fraction of people will make dangerous overtake no matter the rules, paint or even considerations of their own safety and a muffed overtake can have very severe consequences ... and then simply banning overtaking on some classes of roads (and even bringing in physical barriers some places). Hey presto - a whole class of problems they don't have! (It's not perfect of course, lots of legacy roads there). * Only some classes of vehicles allowed, everyone going the same direction with no crossing traffic or stopping / parking, rumble strips at edges, energy absorbing crash barriers, curved layout to stop people falling asleep...
I liked his graphs.
And yet not three weeks ago you were actively canvassing likes. Good liars need good memories, Nigel.
@chrisonabike - the Highway Code is a good example of fool-tolerant rules. The emphasis is on how to minimise causing danger to others, but also avoiding collisions even if the other road users are being arseholes (e.g. not running over cyclists even if they're blatantly cycling on the wrong side of the road)
Bless you, I didn't realise you place your self-worth on the number of likes you receive on an internet forum. I've never yearned for the approval of others, I'm just satisfied in the knowledge that I've constructed a coherent and noteworthy post. The best one I've done so far was the one I gave with your pipe, ale and suggestion to move to my leafy cul de sac. I have to admit I cheekily read it back to myself a few times and chuckled *every single time*!
Yeah, I think you're right, it did get a bit more "oh yeah? Well what about this?!" latterly. There's a lot more polarising going on. I blame myself. And the unicyclists.
"They want us all locked in our homes...!" "Not all, only some..."
@hawkinspeter fool-tolerant design? Fool-foiling designs sound better but they tend to have unfortunate side-effects - at least when combined with human nature *. "Sustainable Safety" - design expecting mistakes and some rule-breaking eg. corner-cutting - but be *forgiving*. That means while *feedback* is provided (see adverse camber, slightly uneven driving surface etc) favour "everyone gets to their destination safely" over "the rules must be respected even at risk of collateral damage!" The penalty for failure shouldn't be serious injury or death. * Few want to be thought a fool and some may prove it if they believe that assumption was made.
22 thoughts on “Karma for driver covering plates to cut through LTN; Pidcock beats Van Aert for first Ineos win; Bike lane birth; Nibali fractures wrist; Cycling filmmaker’s last ride; Photo finish; Italian Job Giro announcement; Good policing + more on the live blog”
re Cycling filmmaker makes final journey on bicycle-drawn hearse
Chapeau, may the wind always be at your back.
I will be surprised if the
I will be surprised if the LTN transgressor is successfully prosecuted on the strength of this. The face shot is not clear for identification; there is discontinuity in the video sightings between the LTN offence and the parked vehicle being observed (and in the latter, it’s not clear the number plate had been obscured); if the vehicle is not taxed/insured, there may be difficulty associating the vehicle/driver/owner.
The best we can realsitically hope for is that the vehicle can be flagged for follow-up checks on its VED, insurance and driver’s licence.
VED should be pinging
VED should be pinging everytime they pass an ANPR camera,which ought to be frequent in London. By rights fines ought to be issued automatically by DVLA as soon as it run outs,but I’ve never got the police interested in following up on them.
I draw no conclusions obviously that more often than not the vehicles without VED are the ones committing these types of motor vehicle law transgressions.
There’s an interesting
There’s an interesting correlation between vehicles without VED or speeding also having a high incidence of connections to other offences: risk taking behaviour basically.
Awavey wrote:
Only if their number plate is not obscured.
Youd hope someone driving
Youd hope someone driving around with front and rear plates permanently covered up might attract some attention from the police
Awavey wrote:
Well the ones driving around with plates so dark you can’t read anyway them seem to have no qualms. Some dispense with the front plate altogether. Fancy cars too, plenty expensive.
thats why its only a hope
thats why its only a hope
Awavey wrote:
They weren’t doing it permanently though were they? Pretty much the whole point of the video!?
I thought the same when
I thought the same when viewing on small screen, but on a big screen you can see him remove white material from covering the number plate, hopefully enough to get him in trouble! Face is not that critical – notice to keeper will ask them to id driver and if they fail to then I believe the penalty will go their way.
Keep us informed Highbury Cyclist!
Yes if only there was a
Yes if only there was a system to register every motor vehicle to make law breakers accountable…… Oh hang on.
I would have expected the
I would have expected the police to pull over any driver whose car registration plate was covered up with duct tape and a sheet of A4.
I mean, John Thomson and Jamie Theakston always insist that wrong uns get their just desserts…
What is the law with
What is the law with numberplates? Do both need to be visible? What about custom ones? In Hackney half the SUVs have their front numberplates taken off and obscured on the dash or darked out.
It’s so completely blatent but obviously nothing is done?
You can’t pass the mot
You can’t pass the mot without valid plates and there is a detailed spec of heights, widths, font, gaps to comply with.
There is legislation
There is legislation requiring both plates, size of letters, font, reflectivity and angle which plate is mounted.
If you get caught expect to be fined
I was looking for one of
I was looking for one of those mini workstands that lift up the rear wheel so that gears can be adjusted, for a colleague, and I found this
https://bikerumor.com/2020/02/14/chainlift-tool-does-the-dirty-work-of-wheel-removal-brake-tuning-better-than-your-hands-ever-will/
Bit pricey and kind of pointless, but it looks like it might work.
If anyone knows what the little stand would be called, just so I can make an easy search, it would be much appreciated, cheers.
Do you mean like a paddock
Do you mean like a paddock stand from the motorcycle world? I found this: https://www.wiggle.co.uk/topeak-flash-stand-workstand?lang=en&curr=GBP&dest=1&sku=5360137902&utm_source=google&utm_term=&utm_campaign=&utm_medium=base&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpdqDBhCSARIsAEUJ0hP0mC4-GylL0smsTVnzjI_kC8AS875eY9fVov-48bAA0R90UiqpprQaAo8oEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
That’s a proper flash version
That’s a proper flash version, Ta.
He will never want to spend that much, of course. He has just brought a cheap box of tools. But it will give me something to start my search.
Now I’ve found this, for me..
Now I’ve found this, for me…
SMILE Bike Stand
That’s a really clever idea.
That’s a really clever idea.
That looks ace. Just been
That looks ace. Just been searching for a stand to hold a Fazua ebike whilst installing or removing the battery pack. That requires having the front wheel turned to access the underbelly of the fat down tube. Most other stands would foul the rear mudguard, but this looks like the job. Thanks!
I was impressed when I saw it
I was impressed when I saw it, I could do with something that holds a 2 or 3 inch tyre, it looks simple to adjust, quality build, and cheap enough to justify giving it a go.
And it looks cool…