Legendary cyclist killed in collision with SUV driver; Close Pass Day met with…sensible comments from motorists; Vini Zabù out of Giro after EPO positive; 90% of stolen bikes locked; Joys of commuting; Zwifters in the peloton + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Close Pass Day met with...sensible comments from motorists
What’s going on here? Surely not some sensible comments being left under a police close pass campaign…The last time Gloucestershire Constabulary shared one of these posts they were inundated with anti-cyclist replies. ‘Road tax’, red light jumping, riding two abreast and all the other usual suspects…But not today. Well, not quite as much today…
Top comment from Joanna Ball: “What would help drivers and cyclists alike is if all the potholes to the sides of roads were fixed. Many times cyclists have to move further out into road so as not to hit pot hole and be flipped off bike. They could then cycle closer to path and be less of a danger to drivers when they are passing.
“Lots of bad cyclists as there are lots of bad drivers. Neither is totally at fault. Make more cycle lanes, widen roads and make paths thinner. Loads of paths too big than is needed but no cycle path. Cyclist have choice of ride on dangerous potholed road or path.” What are you doing bringing common sense and reasonable solutions to the comments, Joanna?
And it wasn’t just a one-off either…Mickey Riordan said: “Cyclist are cycling considerably more in the centre of the road to avoid pothole like motorists have to, simple make the roads safe for everyone, mend all the potholes.”
Dave Lucas added: “Can’t we just take some of the unused paths and turn them into cycle routes. Hardly anyone walks on paths these days.”
We even had someone say they prefer overtaking cyclists riding two abreast…I’m going to go and have a lie down.
Joys of commuting
I was trying to think why I enjoy cycling to work on the way home today and I couldn’t put my finger on it. pic.twitter.com/3GyBujPVXi
— HullCycling (@CyclingHull) April 13, 2021
Study finds 90% of stolen bikes were locked
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An AlterLock study looking at bike thefts in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands found that 90 per cent of cyclists had their cycles locked when they were taken. The survey of 1,500 people also found that more than half of cyclists had experienced bike theft, although the UK figure of 47 per cent was significantly lower than the 64 per cent of Dutch cyclists and 65 per cent of German cyclists who had experienced the crime. Of those figures, 35 per cent had been the victims of bike theft themselves, while 24 per cent knew a family member or friend who had a bike stolen.
Cycling with invisible illness
Sam Gray got in touch to share his experience of using cycling to recover from Crohn’s disease. Having suffered symptoms for years but hidden them from friends, family and doctors through fear and embarrassment, he was hospitalised last year. While in hospital Sam promised himself to focus on his recovery by taking up cycling and raising awareness of the invisible chronic condition.
Sam’s Instagram account ‘Cycling with Chron’s’ documents his journey to now being in a position to take on his first 100-mile ride in July, one year on from the diagnosis. He has also designed a jersey that will raise money for Crohn’s and Colitis UK and mental health charity Mind.
The jersey is designed to “turn the ‘charity jersey’ on its head and create something genuinely wearable that also does good, and helps make invisible illness, whether it’s mental or physical, visible,” he explained.
Vini Zabù out of Giro after positive test
Vini Zabù team withdraws from the Giro d’Italia. They’re at risk of a suspension because of two anti-doping issues in 12 months, which if imposed, could begin before the Giro, or even during the race. https://t.co/9h4907oiCd
— the Inner Ring (@inrng) April 15, 2021
One of the Italian teams given a wildcard spot at the Giro d’Italia, Vini Zabù, have withdrawn from the race after Matteo De Bonis’ positive test for EPO. The team has self-suspended itself from racing and said the withdrawal was out of their love for the sport.
“The team and the main sponsor Vini Zabù have decided to give an important message to the world of cycling, to teach those athletes who still think they can take shortcuts by cheating,” a team statement said. “The team has agreed with its main sponsor not to participate in the Giro d’Italia, despite having demonstrated to the competent bodies that it has taken the most diligent measures to combat doping.
“Our decision not to participate in the Giro d’Italia is intended to underline the damage that the unlawful conduct of an individual can cause to the entire team, with devastating effects on those who, instead, put their best efforts into enabling cyclists to compete.”
Velobici partners with Factor for new performance cycle clothing range
Velobici and Factor Bikes have come together to create a new performance clothing range. Focusing on two colourways, grey and red, the kit uses “cutting edge fabrics” and has a heritage inspired design which will come out of Leicestershire via Velobici.
For every sale, a percentage of profits will be donated to mental health charities around the world and off-bike clothing is coming soon too. As for the new range, the jerseys are lightweight and use a high-wicking fabric, while the black bib shorts come in a mild compression fit.
More on the close pass comments
Some of you have fairly pointed out that Joanna Ball’s comment about fixing potholes isn’t quite the common sense solution I said it was…Fair enough, granted, fixing potholes doesn’t help out cyclists if it means drivers expect us to ride in the gutter…
What caught my eye was someone who hadn’t been triggered into screaming ‘road tax’, two abreast or “lycra lout” by the police asking them to give us space. Perhaps I should pass the common sense crown on to Jill Lloyd Eccleston who wrote: “When I took my driving test in 1976, the instructor always told me to pass bikes with enough room for the bike to fall over. Have done so ever since.”
José Manuel Díaz wins stage five of Presidential Tour of Tukey
“Oh my goodness – that was torture!” 🥵
Jose Manuel Diaz climbs to victory in a thrilling finish to Stage Five at the Tour of Turkey 🇹🇷#TUR2021 pic.twitter.com/ptslSLdUqO
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) April 15, 2021
What a grind that final climb was… José Manuel Díaz takes the win but arguably more eye-catching was Jay Vine in second. The 25-year-old Aussie is at the first race for his new team Alpecin-Fenix this week having earned himself a contract by winning the Zwift Academy finals last November. Could we see more riders come into the professional road racing ranks through Zwift in the future?
Androni Giocattoli–Sidermec earn late call up to Giro d'Italia after Vini Zabù voluntarily withdraw
Androni Giocattoli Sidermec will be replacing Vini Zabù at the 2021 Giro d’Italia. | L’Androni Giocattoli Sidermec sostituirà la Vini Zabù al Giro d’Italia 2021.
— Giro d’Italia (@giroditalia) April 15, 2021
Good news for fans of the team managed by Gianni Savio who love a sponsor or 35…Androni Giocattoli–Sidermec will be back at the Giro next month. Vini Zabù–Brado–KTM withdrew this morning out of “love for the sport” after one of their riders tested positive for EPO.
Bad news for Nairo Quintana fans…
— Nairo Quintana Fanclub (@NairoInGreen) April 15, 2021
Legendary Californian cyclist killed in collision with SUV driver
I’m very sad to report that 86-year old Joe Shami, well-loved by the community & famous for his 600+ consecutive weekly bike rides to the Mt Diablo summit, passed away after being hit by a driver in the Olympic roundabout in Lafayette yesterday. Rest in peace, Joe. pic.twitter.com/SMtkY2l9Fh
— Robert Prinz (@prinzrob) April 14, 2021
Legendary Californian cyclist Joe Shami was killed in a crash with an SUV driver at a roundabout in Lafayette on Tuesday, the East Bay Times reports. In 2019, at the age of 85, Shami completed 600 weeks in a row riding to the summit of Mount Diablo, a 12-mile climb to 1,173m. For 11 years and 28 weeks, he rode to the summit of Mount Diablo every Sunday. The driver hit Shami early on Tuesday morning and despite an off-duty nurse’s care, police confirmed the cyclist died in hospital later that day.
Friend and local rider Al Kalin told the paper how sorely missed he will be in the local community. “Eighty-seven years young, and just an amazing cycling ambassador,” Kalin said. “He was the friendliest guy, and so helpful on so many levels. He was a very good friend.”
I can make that...
So X77HRH, what was it that made you stop so suddenly?@CityPoliceCops
😉 pic.twitter.com/DykUyDYbA1— RossiBike (@RossiTheBossi) April 15, 2021
Arnaud Dé-marvelous: FDJ make it two from two in Spain
🇪🇸 #VCV2021 Las caídas en la parte final impidieron a @jonaberasturi filtrarse en un sprint con triunfo para Démare (GFC). @Jonathanlastra_ y @JeffCepedaH, los mejores CJR en la general, concluyeron en el primer grupo.#SúmateAlVerde 💚 pic.twitter.com/FtoWzxPCTy
— Team Caja Rural-RGA (@CajaRural_RGA) April 15, 2021
Arnaud Démare won his first stage of 2021 over in Spain today in some miserable April conditions at the rearranged Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana. The French champion made it two out of two for FDJ at the race after Miles Scotson’s win yesterday and beat Caleb Ewan, who was third.
That’s another day of the live blog wrapped up until the morning…
When you have a long day at the @TUEindhoven office😴
🛌 @mline_nl pic.twitter.com/VAChbCmBHE
— Team Jumbo-Visma cycling (@JumboVismaRoad) April 15, 2021
15 April 2021, 07:55
15 April 2021, 07:55
15 April 2021, 07:55
15 April 2021, 07:55
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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!
So, it's now the month of July and I'm going to have to pay to watch the TdF, for one month only. On a tablet unfortunately, as I didn't manage to get a laptop to rig up to the TV, grrr. Just wondering, what package will I have to fork out for? Not wanting to pay for the wrong one...
Not that it sounds like a dealbreaker given the other faults you've identified, but that cable isn't really a "proprietary" cable, four pin magnetic cables like that are quite common on bone-conducting headphones and other devices (my inexpensive smartwatch uses one) and they can be had for £4.99 on UK Amazon.
46 thoughts on “Legendary cyclist killed in collision with SUV driver; Close Pass Day met with…sensible comments from motorists; Vini Zabù out of Giro after EPO positive; 90% of stolen bikes locked; Joys of commuting; Zwifters in the peloton + more on the live blog”
‘… They could then cycle
‘… They could then cycle closer to path and be less of a danger to drivers when they are passing.’ and this was the top commentator you say ?
Exactly. Fix the potholes so
Exactly. Fix the potholes so the bloody cyclists can get out of her way
Or fix the pot holes so
Or fix the pot holes so cyclists can ride in the gutter where they should be.
if I don’t ride primary then I always come to regret it so fixing the pot holes, whilst it would be appreciated, doesn’t fix the problem of close passes.
Apologies, this post is really obvious.
Awavey wrote:
Baby steps Awavey, baby steps.
Not sure what the cyclists
Not sure what the cyclists are like when she passes them if she thinks they’re a danger to her in her car, but at least it wasn’t one of the usual rants
Awavey wrote:
Cyclists are obviously such a terrible danger to drivers, they should ride in the gutter.
Awavey wrote:
They’re just thinking of themselves as usual. They don’t want safer roads – they want cyclists out of their way.
The line the police are using
The line the police are using for their 1.5m is drawn along the track of the wheel. Is that correct? Surely it should be from the outer point of the cyclist. I’m open to correction.
It would put you at a
It would put you at a significant disadvantage if you were riding a MTB with wide bars…
brooksby wrote:
how wide are your bars really? widest I can find are 760mm. 380mm from centre to end, and therefore over 1.1m from the car.
It looks to me like that they
It looks to me like that they are using the mat the way it was designed to be used. As I understand it this isn’t a line the Police have drawn, but a standard mat issued by Cycling UK (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0iXW-jtljU).
I would say this is therefore at odds with the posters they are holding, which I agree suggest 1.5m from the edge of the cyclist.
Given that none of this is in law, I don’t think there’s a hard-and-fast “right” answer. I think 1.5m from the edge of the cyclist makes more sense and is more logically consistent, but 1.5m from the wheel track would still be an improvement compared to many overtakes I have experienced!
The Cycling UK mat as been
The Cycling UK mat as been harshly criticised for writing “0.75m” from the kerb, which gives the wrong impression that this is where cyclists should be.
Police Scotland decided not to use the Cycling UK mat but have their own version without the 0.75m specified.
Why Cycling UK put the value 0.75m on it instead of just focussing on the overtaking distance of 1.5m is a big mystery, when they were criticised for it they became very aggressive on social media during their funding campaign, and a lot of people I know decided not to contribute to their crowdfunder.
Yeah, I largely agree with
Yeah, I largely agree with you – the original commentor to whom I was replying appeared to blame the Police and I was just pointing out that Cycling UK designed the mat (although you make a fair point that the police force in question could have decided not to use it!).
And I understand where you’re coming from regarding the 75cm thing. I think the point of it was that a cyclist shouldn’t be, and shouldn’t be expected to, hug the kerb. 75cm from the kerb is a reasonable “secondary” position in most cases – although I appreciate in many situations a primary position would be better!
Sure, 0.75m is a reasonable
Sure, 0.75m is a reasonable secondary position. The point was just that writing this value explicitly onto the mat creates a dangerous misconception. I’m fine with placing the line for the bicycle there, just dont put a definite number on it.
A police officer in Edinburgh explained at a public event that they make a point of explaining to the motorists that cyclists can chose varying distances from the kerb depending on circumstances. Having a definite number written on the map would contradict or weaken that point.
It is still a mystery to me why Cycling UK simply did not delete this particular value, everything else on the mat can be left as it is, just don’t write “0.75m”.
Here’s the Scottish map:
Here’s the Scottish map:
https://road.cc/content/news/221748-pilot-close-pass-initiative-scotland-already-changing-driver-behaviour
… also, if I remember
… also, if I remember correctly, the Scottish mat has a gutter painted just in front of the bike, which helps to make clear to drivers why cyclists may not cycle close to the kerb.
Frankly I don’t mind
Frankly I don’t mind precisely where that line gets taken from, within 1.0-1.5metres is still way better than this
Clearly you should have been
Clearly you should have been in the cycle lane.
stonojnr wrote:
1.5m from the bike symbol on the pavement?
I really don’t like these
I really don’t like these mats, all I see is an instruction for riders to be within 750mm of the kerb
and I know that many will skim over these things and only really see the picture
I don’t think it says “within
I don’t think it says “within 0.75m”. The text says “roughly 1.5m so I think we can say that the same is true for the 0.75m measurement. 1m is roughly 0.75m which is where I usually choose to ride. If I am given 1.25m in town from there I’m quite happy.
I think the main problem with the mat is that those distances don’t seem enough for any road over 30mph speed limit where even 1.5m is quite scary.
No, they aren’t rough
No, they aren’t rough distances. They are both minimum distances…
The problem is lots of people will deliberately seek an interpretation to their advantage rather than logical consistency… And argue when the person who defined it tells them they are wrong…
efail wrote:
To be honest I’d take that, probably 0.6m wide at my shoulders, so that gives me 1.2m clearance to the vehicle. Personally I’m comfortable with 1m, but often cars pass so close you can touch them. (see multiple videos of drivers reacting agrily to cyclists slapping the car – “why did you hit my car? I gave you loads of room”). My arms are 0.6m long, so if a cyclist can slap the car, is it over 1m away? I don’t think so.
Absolutely, I’m fairly
Absolutely, I’m fairly comfortable with cars at least & depending on the cars speed, road conditions etc to be only an arms length away,buses & trucks maybe less so. But the majority are always well within easy slapping distance & the worst for close passing get within elbowing distance whilst you are still holding the handlebars.
So drawing the line from the wheel or shoulder it’s still double the width most drivers are giving you.
Top comment from Joanna Ball:
Top comment from Joanna Ball: “What would help drivers and cyclists alike is if all the potholes to the sides of roads were fixed. Many times cyclists have to move further out into road so as not to hit pot hole and be flipped off bike. They could then cycle closer to path and be less of a danger to drivers when they are passing.
I find it astonishing that DA sees common sense and reasonable solutions in that.
1) No one is in favour of potholes, but 62% of UK adults will never know if there are potholes on the road or not, because they are put off cycling on the road by motor vehicles.
The potholes chestnut always gets brought up as a reason not to build safe infrastructure, not to put in LTNs etc, but it is NOT the solution to getting more people to bike around town.
2) As others have pointed out, she wants cyclists to ride in the gutter – and if you do that, you’ll get a stream of dangerous close passes when there’s oncoming traffic.
10% told the truth and the
10% told the truth and the other 90 % were economical with the truth ?
You think most bikes that
You think most bikes that were stolen were not locked?
I more wondering of the ones
I was more wondering of the ones that said they were locked, how many were actually locked.
Isn’t that the same thing?
Isn’t that the same thing?
The unit measured is
The unit measured is “experienced a bike theft”, which seems to include simply knowing someone whose bike was stolen. So it’s difficult to know what to make of the figures, could be one famous person’s locked up bike was stolen and 90% of people in the survey knew of it.
The best way to prevent there
The best way to prevent there being potholes where cyclists want to ride would be to create segregated and protected space, so that the vehicles that cause the potholes aren’t driving in it.
I do so wish this was true,
I do so wish this was true, but it is shoddy build and weather that causes potholes, traffic just accelerates the demise. I think lorries and buses etc do most of this. But for sure it ain’t bikes!
At the moment, cycle path construction is attrocious and can’t even cope with tree root growth. You also need a special roller for that nice fast surface. Very rarely is that used. Though times are a changing…
Well, OK, it won’t entirely
Well, OK, it won’t entirely prevent potholes – there’ll still be degredation over time – nothing’s immune from entropy (or cheapskating). But it’d still generally be a massive improvement over fixing the holes that are there only to then roll massive metal boxes over them day and night until they fall apart again.
mdavidford wrote:
Where’s the Pharos Project when you need it…?
Quote:
I think this one is the best piece of advice; it is how I also drive, and is probably the core advice that should be handed out on all close pass operations.
Q: If that bike you’re intending to pass fell over right now, would you run over the cyclist?
A: Yes – you are too close.
A: No – excellent!
Applies similarly to lots of
Applies similarly to lots of driving situations.
“If that car in front of you stopped right now…“
“If that child ran into the road right now…“
Exactly.
Exactly.
I remember my toddler
I remember my toddler daughter falling off her bike as she rode down the pavement in our village and sprawling onto the road in front of a car. Thank goodness the driver was on the ball driving sensibly and avoided her without drama. However, the unfolding scene haunts me to this day, 15 yrs later.
I thought I would see what
I thought I would see what TVP were doing on close pass day. Apparently they’re a little too preoccupied with some funeral. However, I did find this post.
I would have thought that hostile vehicle mitigation should be everwhere not just Windsor
Quote:
…and are permanently installed…
Doesn’t the second part make the first rather superfluous?
I’ve no idea about the ones
I’ve no idea about the ones in Windsor, but I know in some places they are permanently installed but not always in operation (e.g. barriers that can be closed; bollards that can be raised).
Drivers (and possibly other road users) therefore may need to choose a different route and/or be unable to access certain locations when they are in operation.
Or stealing david9498 ‘s
Or stealing david9694 ‘s image
Fair enough. If that’s what
Fair enough. If that’s what they meant, though, it would have made more sense to say that they remain ‘active’ or ‘in operation’, rather than ‘in place’.
The 1.5 metres should be
The 1.5 metres should be measured from the handlebar end, not the wheels. That effectively reduces permissible gap to just over a metre.
Use the standard highway code, move completely over to the other side of the white line when passing a cyclist
Quote:
Well there’s always the option of muting the commentary…
Re Close Pass initiative,
Re Close Pass initiative, have a look at the Facebook thread set up about this, Lancashire Police have devolved their contribution to the “Road Safety Initiative” who are more concerned with highlighting blindsopts on large vehicles and victim blaming than close passess.